UN Assistant Secretary General Urges Investment In Youth, Migrant Reintegration

The United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs and Head of the UN Youth Office, Dr. Felipe Paullier, has called for stronger investment and support for youths and migrant returnees in Sierra Leone.

Dr. Felipe Paullier made this call during his first official visit to the country where he toured the Obasanjo Skills Acquisition and Youth Transformation Centre in Freetown alongside officials from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Sierra Leone’s National Youth Commission (NAYCOM).

This was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by the IOM office in Abuja, stressing that it is partnering with the Center and the National Youth Commission to provide tailored Technical, Vocational and Educational Training (TVET) to support the dignified and sustainable reintegration of returned migrants.

At the centre, Dr. Paullier moved through workshops in baking, tailoring, ICT, automobile engineering, cosmetology, electrical engineering, and solar installation, speaking with returnee trainees about their experiences.

“Your commitment to learning and building new competencies shows that youth are not just beneficiaries of development, you are leaders and drivers of it,” Dr. Paullier told trainees. “The UN remains committed to supporting initiatives like this, which open doors to decent work, entrepreneurship, and lifelong learning.”

The visit draws fresh international attention to the human cost of irregular migration and the long road back to stability.

Sierra Leone remains one of the countries most affected by irregular migration in West Africa. Each year, hundreds of young Sierra Leoneans go on “Temple Run”, the local expression given to dangerous journeys through the Sahel and across the Mediterranean.

IOM, the UN Migration Agency, works closely with national authorities as well as civil society and youth organizations to address the root causes of irregular migration, and support the dignified return and reintegration of returnees.

In close coordination with national authorities, the Organization has supported more than 4,500 Sierra Leonean migrants returning home voluntarily since August 2022, many of them young people who left seeking opportunity and found themselves stranded, often in dangerous conditions, the statement said.

Over 2,500 have completed their reintegration process which includes group and individualized counselling, medical assistance, including mental health and psychosocial support, entrepreneurship and vocational skills training, as well as support in setting up businesses.

Joseph Maada Lahai , the National Youth Commissioner said “On behalf of the National Youth Commission, I want to reaffirm the Government of Sierra Leone’s unwavering commitment to empowering our young people and ensuring that they have the skills, opportunities, and support required to succeed in an increasingly competitive world.”

For IOM, voluntary return and sustainable reintegration sit at the heart of responsible migration management, not as a last resort, but as a deliberate pathway that can restore dignity and unlock potential.

“We are proud to be a partner of the Government of Sierra Leone in ensuring returnees can rebuild their lives with dignity”, said Pauline Macharia, IOM’s Officer in Charge in Sierra Leone.

“When someone comes home, the question isn’t why they left, it’s what we give them to stay. That is why we will continue working with all actors to ensure youth have access to the tools they need to self-actualize and contribute positively to their communities,” she added.