The Minister of Youth and Sports Bakary Badjie has reminded the new board of National Enterprise Development Institute (NEDI) that their appointments were based on the confidence and trusts the president has in them. He also implored them to execute their duties in line with the dictates of the NEDI Act and other legal documents guiding the operations of the agency.
Minister Badjie made his remark during his inaugural speech of the new board members this week where he further revealed that NEDI is one of the trusted agencies of his ministry that provide career guidance, training, and business support to youth entrepreneurs in line with its mandate for youth employment.
The minister added that NEDI has been recognised by the government and many international and national development agencies including the UN, IOM, GIZ-RSDF, ITC, GIZ-EUTF, IMVF SDF, and CPCU among others as a vibrant business support organization that provides support to youth and women businesses across the country and in all sectors of the economy.
“NEDI over the years has established nine Agro-processing centres in LRR and fourteen youth Agriculture Service centres across the country, which are all equipped with Solar Powers and different types of machinery to help create employment opportunities for youth and women and also provide apprenticeships in bread making in Kiang Nema, trained twenty-five youth across the Kabada area to be engaged in bakery in their respective villages.
The youth minister adduced that the institution has also established a beekeeping center in Jarra Jassong and provides apprenticeships for twenty-five women in LRR in bee farming.
“I am hopeful that with the calibre of people appointed to serve in the new board, we will strengthen the effort of Management to provide opportunities for young people, especially migrant returnees and at-risk migrants. This will complement the effort of the government in migration governance” he said.
He urged the new board to leverage the existing goodwill of the institution within the donor community and help the institution deliver more and better programs for the youth and women of the Gambia, as envisaged.
Minister Badjie hailed he Gambian leader for his enormous support to NEDI, and in general to the youth and women of the country. “As a Ministry mandated to run all the affairs related to youths, it will continue to promote excellence among the youngsters,” he told the ceremony.
The new chairman of the board Sanna Bah thanked the minister and through him the President Barrow for the trust and confidence they have in him.
He assure that his board will ensure a smooth working relationship with the management of NEDI and that of the ministry in order to attain the goals and objectives as enshrined in the Act.
He stated that as board members they are aware of their responsibilities to guide policy and achieve the set objectives of this institution.
He promised that his members shall closely work with management in order to harness their mandate and come up with business innovative programs.
Abass Bah, General manager of NEDI said in the next three years the board is tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the affairs of NEDI, an institution set up to promote and create employment opportunities through soft-loans it provides for hard working youths to venture into self-reliance initiatives.
He thanked the minister and by extension the president for approving the inauguration of the new board.
