Opening address by Vice President Muhammed Jallow
at the 14th Nayconf in Kanifing Municipal Council
“The National Youth Conference and Festival, Nayconf, is one of the most important events of the youth calendar. This statement might be seen by many as a cliché, but it is the reality. As you all must have known, this biennial event is a youth-led platform given to young people by the Government where they meet, cross fertilise ideas, dialogue on critical national issues and proffer solutions. It is also an opportunity for young people in The Gambia to be exposed to their culture and heritage, as well as demonstrate their talents in various sports.
The affair of the youth is never an easy one. Constituting the greater chunk of the population, the youth are an important demographic, and the recent GBoS census report has confirmed these claims. According to the Gambia 2024 Population and Housing census, the Gambia’s population pyramid for 2024 displays a broad base with a narrowing top, indicating a youthful population with high birth rates. This statistic makes youths quite important in decision making regarding development initiatives embarked upon by the Government of The Gambia. In cognizance of the important role played by youths, the government places a very high premium in their development to harness the demographic dividend. This recognition is further substantiated by efforts of the government in playing a cardinal role in molding and shaping the lives and livelihoods of youths to enable them to reach their fullest potentials and ensure they contribute meaningfully to socio economic development of their communities and the country.
This year’s convergence theme is “Enhancing Youth Participation in the Attainment of the Recovery Focus NDP 2023-2027”. This theme demonstrates the crucial role played by the Gambian youth in the attainment of the national development aspirations as highlighted in our blueprint.
Young people of the Gambia, Government is aware of the need to create an environment that will enable you to thrive. The government is also not oblivious to the fact that our country cannot sideline young people. This and many other reasons are why the government of President Adama Barrow, through the Ministry of Youth and Sports and other Ministries, is doing all it can to ensure that young people are empowered and armed with the necessary skills, knowledge and expertise to face the world of work.
As contained in the RF NDP page 165 which focuses on youth, Government with the support of partners has been implementing several programmes to benefit Gambian youths and geared towards providing meaningful employment opportunities. As a government, we are enhancing and advancing youth entrepreneurship and employment in sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, technology, innovation, and other skilled based training to contribute towards reducing the unemployment rate among young people and curb migration tendencies that we as a country and the sub region continue to grapple with.
To make sure that our young people in sports are not left out, we are not only promoting and developing sports to improve competencies for effective participation in national and international competitions but also for personal well-being. We are of the belief that these significant steps taken by our government will help advance youth affairs.
The government through the satellite institutions under the Ministry of Youth and Sports; the National Youth Council, the National Sports Council, the National Youth Service Scheme, the National Enterprise Development Initiative and the President International Awards, are playing a pivotal role in building skills of youth, ensuring their participation in decision, political and governance processes and, mostly importantly creating empowerment and employment opportunities for Gambians youths. Our intervention through these institutions is meant to ensure that we have a youthful population that is vibrant and creative.
The Government of The Gambia has demonstrated remarkable commitment to implementing the YouthConnekt initiative, focusing on job creation, education, entrepreneurship, and skills development. Significant strides have also been made in closing the gender gap and exposing young leaders and entrepreneurs to international markets and opportunities and helping other countries in their implementation of the YouthConnekt initiative.
The world belongs to those who prepare for it today, and youth are best equipped to face tomorrow’s challenges”
Those challenges can only be prepared for if young people acquire skills that are needed for livelihood and the country’s socio-economic development. It is for this reason that this year, inducted over 200 young people into the NYSS skills training program. They are now enrolled for a two-year skills acquisition in different facets of life at a 100% sponsorship of the Government. The NYSS is not just about skills development, it is also about inculcating the ideals of nationalism and patriotism.
The surge of Youth Irregular Migration and the involvement of our young people in the use of illicit drugs are major concerns to my government. It is paramount therefore to note that the government has invested energy and resources to combat this menace. However, I call upon parents and community leaders to join us in working together to educate our young people to desist from drugs and risk life styles.
Early this year, the government came up with the first-ever national dialogue. This dialogue brought together political leaders, women, youth, experts, religious leaders, and academics to discuss the way forward for our country. The young people were allowed to have the interface of government authorities regarding migration. The migration session intends to explore how we can collaboratively confront irregular migration to preserve the nation, safeguard the state, and secure our resources through sustainable ways and best practices. With the conclusion of the dialogue and the report submitted to us, we now look forward to acting on the recommendation for the benefits of all the citizens.
The Peace of the Gambia is the envy of the subregion; therefore, we need to guide this precious commodity judiciously. It is gratifying to note that we are among the few Countries globally that have developed a National Action Plan on Youth Peace and Security as recommended by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 demonstrating the commitment of the Gambia Government to sustainable peace and security now and for posterity.
This action plan is meant to serve as a strategic framework to guide in our efforts in promoting youth engagement in peacebuilding, preventing violence and ensuring the active participation of young people in decision making processes. It identifies the unique challenges faced by young people that impacts on their meaningful participation in peace building processes including opportunities for a better livelihood, social exclusion and knowledge gaps and actions to be undertaken to address them. I wish to congratulate the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the National Youth Council and its partners for this achievement.
In conclusion, I wish to express appreciation to our development partners, especially the United Nations agencies in The Gambia for supporting NAYCONF and other youth programs in The Gambia.
I wish to reiterate my call for every Gambian to do your best to contribute towards the development of the Gambia. Whether you are at this gathering or a home, be you someone living in the Gambia or abroad, but as a long as you are a Gambian youth, my government calls on you to join us in work together to develop the Gambia.
I do not have any doubt that the young people gathered here would take this convergence with utmost seriousness – that is your role as participants of NAYCONF 2024. On our part as a government, I can assure you that the resolutions will be reviewed and will help guide the government in ensuring that the youth’s affairs are reflected in our future policies”.
