By Olimatou Coker
Kick For Trade, an initiative of the Inte rnational Trade Centre (ITC) in collaboration with the UEFA Foundation for children andStreet World Football over the weekend started a four-day training for 50 coaches and 35 young boys and girls at the Football Hotel in Yundum.
The project is implemented in The Gambia by the Youth Empowerment Project, YEP.
Baboucarr Sallah, operation and finance officer at YEP, said the initiative is to use football to ensure greater inclusive development. “This ‘Kick ForTrade initiative will use result oriented approaches to shape youth entrepreneurship and employment through sports, particularly football”, Mr Sallah said.
He added:”Our intention is to interact with the future coaches and players to engage them into the discussion”.
Momodou Lamin Jawla, Deputy Director National Sports Council, said as a ministry they are very much proud to associate themselves with all activities of the YEP which seeks to engage and develop the youths of this country in different domains.
“As the ministry of youth and sport it is a duty for us to enhance what YEP is doing for the sports fraternity. This is why the national sports council will always collaborate with YEP to ensure that the young people who are into football particularly are given the necessary skills to to lead careers in their own fields after football,” Jawla said.
He therefore welcomed the Kick For Trade initiative and thanked the UEFA Foundation ITC and other partners for choosing The Gambia.
Peter Brown of Street Football World from Germany, said the idea of the project was presented to him last summer by Mr Sallah.
He said his organisaton is a global network covering different continents around the world.
The UEFA Foundation for Children and the International Trade Centre conceived this new initiative – Kick for Trade – to embrace football to ensure greater inclusive development and boost youth employment. The first projects of the new initiative are being implemented in Guinea and
