The training activity, coordinated by the management of the CORY Project under the Global Youth Innovation Network The Gambia, was supported by NEMA project and CORY Project, with each project supporting 50 participants.
Speaking to agricultural reporters regarding the training course, Mamadou Edrissa Njie, the Gambia CORY project coordinator, said the training was the second of its kind, and that the CORY project is targeting the training of 100 young people on entrepreneurship and related development business plans to become self-reliant.
He thanked the management of the NEMA project for giving them a surprise package to train 50 young people on behalf of the NEMA project.
He said their initial target was to train 50 young people, but with the timely intervention of the NEMA project, they are now training 100 young people in LRR and NBR.
According to Mr Njie, it was just recently that the CORY project concluded another 12 days of intensive training for 54 young people in the Central River Region and Upper River Region.
The training of the 100 young people is a replica of that training held in URR and CRR, he said.
He commended the management of the NEMA project for the partnership, saying that the collaboration in helping the young people of the country was a step in the right direction that NEMA project had taken.
According to Mr Njie, the CORY project had been yearning for such a partnership with the agricultural projects in The Gambia.
He thanked the NEMA project for realising the important role of the young people in the country, and deciding to give them funding to train 50 young people through the CORY project.
Mr Njie further said the collaboration was a clear indication of the love the management of the NEMA project have for the young people of the country, especially the rural youths.
He urged other agricultural projects to emulate the NEMA project, in supporting the women and the young people of the country to become self-reliant and business development-oriented.
“Since the inception of the NEMA Project, Global Youth Innovation Network has been participating in many of the NEMA programmes ranging from seminars, workshop, training among other,” he said.
He said for CORY project to be called by the management of NEMA project, and to allocate them a surprise package of a budget to train 50 young people on their behalf, on business entrepreneurship under the business development officer of the NEMA Project was something worthy of commendation.
“We are grateful to the NEMA project through the project coordinator for the trust and confidence bestowed on the management of CORY project, for allocating them such a budget to go and implement in the field,” he stated.
He assured the management of NEMA project that the CORY project would live up to expectations, by following all the requirements from the NEMA project.
He disclosed that the training activity would focus on entrepreneurship programmes, how to start their businesses, how to support their businesses, how to identify their competitors, how to develop small business plans and also linking them with micro-finance institutions of their choice.
“We are registered with the NYC and are operating as a national youth organization. Giving funds to national youth organisations to train young people in order to earn a better living and to connect them to create opportunity to become self-reliant is something that is welcomed.”
He said the NEMA project is here to contribute to the reduction of poverty, through engaging women and youths in agriculture on entrepreneurship and other small-scale businesses.
He further assured the management of the NEMA project that after the implementation of the training, they would submit all the necessary documents ranging from the receipts, among other relevant documents, for records purposes.
He further stated that the budget approved to train the 50 young people was very realistic, which made it very easy to be approved.
“We are calling on other agricultural projects to also emulate NEMA project, as we are here to implement programmes and activities,” he added.
He assured the NEMA project that the money allocated to train the 50 young people would be used for the right purpose.
He advised the participants during the 12-day training, that they should venture to go through all modules, adding that come 2016 they are going to get 200 young people into one group and call them young entrepreneurs without borders.
He said opportunities are available in the country, but it was now left to them to utilize the opportunities, adding that what the CORY Project could do is to empower them with skills and knowledge.
He thanked the Gambia government under the leadership of President Yahya Jammeh and his Cabinet, National Assembly members, governors and the chiefs, for creating the enabling environment for the smooth operation of civil society organisations.
He called on Gambians to support the young people of the country and the government of the day.
