By Olimatou Coker
Upper Fulladu West youth parliamentarian, Jabou Sissawo was elected as the new speaker of the National Youth Parliament of The Gambia.
Sisawo was elected during the inauguration of the new Youth Parliament on Monday. She secured 43 votes in the 64-seat legislature while her contestant Abdou Bah member for Serrekunda secured 18 votes. In her address, speaker Sisawo pledged to serve faithfully, fairly and with integrity. “I am committed to lead a youth parliament that is disciplined, transparent and accountable. Our debate must reflect the realities of the Gambian youth and propose valuable solutions to their challenges,” she said. The speaker added that the youth parliament represents the voice of a youth generation united by commitment to accountability, good governance, civic engagement and national development. “We must arise for a moment by conducting ourselves with integrity, by holding ourselves accountable and by demonstrating that youth leadership can be both responsible and transformative. And affirm that the National Youth Parliament is a credible platform for engagement, policy, dialogue and democratic discourse.”
