Reform Description

The Liberia Youth Digital Transformation Initiative (LYDTI) is designed to enhance civic engagement among young people by equipping them with digital skills, increasing online participation, and ensuring their voices are heard in governance. This program will establish digital youth hubs across the country, provide open data portals for youth participation in policymaking, and launch capacity-building programs to improve digital literacy. 

By integrating technology into youth development, we aim to create a transparent, participatory, and accountable system where young people can access information, contribute to policy discussions, and engage with government initiatives effectively. 

We will select Gender and Inclusion as the primary challenge area, given the focus on youth, and list Public Participation and Digital Governance as secondary areas. We confirm this is a standalone challenge, as it is not part of Liberia’s current National Action Plan. Regarding CSO involvement, we are already engaging with several local organizations and will reflect this in the form. Specifically, we will include groups such as the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY), Youth Coalition for Education and Development (YOCED), and the Liberia Digital Transformation Secretariat as part of our intended partners for implementation.

Problem(s) Addressed by Reform

1. Limited youth participation in governance: Many young people feel disconnected from policymaking and lack platforms for engagement. 

2. Digital exclusion: A large portion of youth, especially in rural areas, lacks access to digital tools and resources. 

3. Lack of transparency and open communication: Young citizens often find it difficult to  access government information and provide input into decision-making. 

1. Empowering youth through digital tools will enable them to participate in decision making processes more effectively. 

2. Creating open data platforms will increase government transparency and ensure youth voices are included in policymaking. 

3. Establishing digital literacy programs will bridge the digital divide and enhance civic  engagement. 

How is the action or reform relevant to open government values of transparency, public accountability, or civic participation? 

Transparency: The initiative will provide open access to government policies, youth programs, and budget allocations through digital platforms. 

Public accountability: By fostering online civic engagement, the government will receive real-time feedback from young citizens. 

Civic participation: The initiative will encourage young people to actively engage in governance and decision-making. 

Relevance to OGP Values

The action or reform is directly aligned with the values of open government in the following ways:

Transparency:
It ensures that government processes, decisions, and resource allocations are made visible and understandable to the public. By publishing clear data, policy documents, or timelines, the reform builds trust and enables citizens to stay informed about government actions.

Public Accountability:
The reform establishes mechanisms—such as performance reviews, audits, or feedback channels—that hold government institutions and officials answerable for their actions. This promotes ethical governance and deters corruption or misuse of public resources.

Civic Participation:
The reform creates opportunities for citizens and civil society organizations to be meaningfully engaged in the policymaking, implementation, or monitoring process. This could include public consultations, participatory budgeting, or citizen advisory panels, ensuring that policies reflect the needs and priorities of the pe

Intended Results

Increase youth participation in governance by at least 50%.

Establish 20 or more digital youth hubs across the country and launch an open youth policy portal with real-time consultation tools. 

Milestones

Launch pilot digital youth hubs in five key populated counties in Liberia; Develop an open data platform for youth engagement.

Phase 2 (2026): Expand the digital hubs nationwide; Integrate online youth consultations into government decision-making processes. 

Phase 3 (2027); Ensure sustainability through partnerships with educational institutions and assess the impact and scale the initiative further.

Is Civil Society Involved?

Yes. Civil society organizations (CSOs) will help co-design digital literacy programs, conduct outreach activities and monitor program impact to ensure accountability.