By Aisha Tamba
The general manager of the National Enterprise Development Initiative Landing B Sanneh has said that the government of the Gambia is very much concern about the development of young people especially their employment.
The NEDI general manager was making these remarks during a five-day training organized by his office through funding from the Youth Empowerment Project, YEP, a European Union funded project to curb irregular migration in The Gambia.
He said the ministry of youth through its satellite institutions has little time to relax in their quest to ensure every Gambian youth is given its due in the country’s cake.
Sanneh added that the five-day entrepreneurship training for 20 young people at Bwiam, West Coast Region is just few among the many efforts the ministry is putting together to ensure that the young people are catered.
He said the five-day training was meant to equip the 20 young and aspiring entrepreneurs with the basic entrepreneurial skills and development.
“Our concern now as a ministry is to pave the way for our young people to be meaningfully engaged for the benefit of our country,” he said.
He said the need to support the development of young people in this country at these trying times cannot be overemphasized.
The training, he said will build the competence of young people in terms of their skills to be able to participate effectively and meaningful to the socio-economic development of the country, “by curbing the unemployment rate of the young people which stands at 38%.
“The facts remain that the government and partners cannot provide job for all of us and for us at the enterprise development industry believe that the most sustainable way of creating employment is entrepreneurship,” he explained.
The lead trainer Ousman Sonko reminded the participants that they must respect such training activities offer them if they are to have any chance of being successful entrepreneurs.
He called on the young people to throw aside the tactics of blame-game and build their future with any opportunity that come their way.
Meanwhile, YEP-project coordinator Fatou Mbenga-Jallow said the training is part of activities under the MoU signed between YEP and NEDI to help young Gambian entrepreneurs develop themselves.
She said YEP is the first project signed by the Gambia through the funding of the European Union for a period of four years and is being implemented by the International Trade Centre and its supported ministries.
She said YEP looks at how they can support the Gambia to create more sustainable jobs and increase the income prospects for the youth.
