By Amadou Jadama
A total of 65 young men and women graduated in various courses taught at the newly built Mansakonko Hospitality Training Center on Tuesday marking the official launching of the edifice.
The Center was built by International Trade Center ITC with funding from the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security and the United Nations Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund.
The D6M training center aims to equip young Gambians with the relevant skills to enhance employability while improving service delivery in the hospitality and tourism industry.
Officials from the ITC, United Nations Population Fund, Mansakonko Area Council, the Gambia Association of Local Government Authorities, GALGA and the government attended the launching.
The center offers in courses, including professional cookery, room services and food and beverage management delivered through a partnership between the Mansakonko Area Council and the Gambia Tourism and Hospitality Institute (GTHI).
In his launching statement, Landing B Sanneh chairman of Mansakonko Area Council, expressed his profound gratitude to ITC and all partners for such a magnificent project in his region.
He said the project will go a long way to absorb the shocks of the Senegambia Bridge which has cost the young people and women selling at the former ferry crossing point.
Chairman Sanneh further stated that the benefits of the facility have already started coming because apart from the 65 graduands, staff of Mansakonko Area Council have been trained and more young people will be trained as his council signed a service contract with GTHI.
Seedy Lamin Bah, Governor of Lower River Region, expressed gratitude to all collaborators for the project which is the first foundation stone he formally launched when he became governor.
“Tourism and hospitality play a vital role in the economic development of this country and it is very important and pleasant for this project to come here to train young people to get skills and reduce irregular migration,” he said.
Yusupha Keita, Technical adviser and coordinator of skills development at ITC, described the center as historic, saying this is the first time they are having hospitality training center of this magnitude in the rural Gambia.
“This is very important in the crusade to make sure that the young people in North Bank and Lower River Regions have access to relevant and quality, technical and vocational training, “he added.
Momodou Singhateh, Director General of Gambia Tourism and Hospitality Institute, disclosed that the training center would create a working relationship with the Local government council and the ITC to empower the young people of LRR to be self-sufficient and self-employed in the various disciplines that they taught at the center.
Other Speakers, included, Karl Frederick Paul UN Resident Coordinator and Muhammed Ceesay President of GALGA and chairman of Basse Area Council.
