According to organisers, the workshop held at the Ocean Bay hotel in Bakau, constitutes a new initiative that supports young rural women and men in West and Central Africa to become entrepreneurs.
Speaking on the side-lines of the closing ceremony, Lamin Kuyateh, a participant from local organisation Activista said: “I appreciate this workshop because it is something that will increase my knowledge in various aspects of life ranging from agricultural activities to many others. I would like to see more workshops of this nature here in The Gambia so that the Youths of this country can all benefit and improve their livelihoods”.
President of Beakanyang Nfamara Jawneh said: “Young people of The Gambia have been yearning for opportunities of this nature where they can learn new skills, develop new ideas, innovate new products, and also invest in the business sector as well. This is a very important opportunity for young people. We should make best use of this opportunity which would help us generate more wealth.
“And the more employment is created; of course we would have fewer problems in the society. Over the past few days we have heard of several people crossing the red sea or the Atlantic Ocean trying to enter Europe in search of greener pastures. I think if we have more opportunities, though I am not saying opportunities will stop young people from traveling but it will reduce the ratio of youths trying to migrate to Europe through the back-way”.
For her part, one of the organisers Amie Faye believes the large turn-out and the balance struck in gender representation will go a far way in complementing gender parity efforts:
“I have to thank all the participants for answering to our call. Secondly, this is a youth forum and it is very well gender-balanced. I am glad we convene here in peace, shared our experiences and interacted among ourselves in a fine manner”.
The Cory national inception workshop provided a forum for over 50 representatives and organisations, youth groups and government agencies to discuss and share information on how best to implement the Cory project in a specific country in West and Central Africa.
Over a 3-year period, the Cory project will focus on young people in rural areas between the ages of 18-35 years who are involved in agricultural production or activities associated with rural markets. The project targets rural youth institutions for business training, advocacy, networking and knowledge exchange – all with a 1:1 female-male ratio.
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