By Omar Bah
The Global Youth Innovative Network Gambia chapter, will officially begin its annual youth summer camp in Fass Njaga Choi – NBR – on Wednesday 11 July.
It will be the third edition of the ELIT national youth summer camp under the theme broadening young rural entrepreneurships mindsets on value addition and is supported by NEMA project, YEP and The Gambia government.
This year’s camp is expected to bring together 60 young people from rural Gambia with focus on entrepreneurship, leadership and information technology.
Supported by the Rome-based International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, the ELIT 2018 is also designed with special emphasis in the agricultural value chain- production, processing, and marketing of crops, which is a scientific model in the fight against poverty.
Speaking to The Standard, the chairperson of the ELIT national youth summer camp Ebrima Bah said the camp mainly aims to build capacities of the participants “with the concept of being self-reliant to subsequently create jobs and eradicate poverty in the country.”
The 2018 camp according to him, is also being organised to prepare the young people as custodians of the society.
Bah, added that there will be field visits to the Fass Njaga Choi Lumo and then Banjul where the young participants will have the opportunity to talk to businessmen on their success stories.
“This strategy will not only address the crises of unemployment, it will also bridge the gender gap in the labour market thus address several other social ills such as irregular migration and rural urban drift,” he said.
He said for GYIN Gambia, young people especially rural youths are the custodians of the greatest progress in society, and the solution to youth issues is right in their hands.
Meanwhile, GYIN-Gambia has received two interns from GLEN (Global Education of Young Europeans) in Polina Kowalke of Poland and Tim Tolle a German who will spend three months in the management of the organisation’s programmes.
