(Wednesday 23rd October 2019 Issue)
Youth
empowerment is indispensable in the development of any nation. The population
of The Gambia is mainly young with about 63.55% of the population below 25
years. Thus, the effective participation of this segment of our society is a
sine-qua non for any national progress.
It
is being reported in the news that this year’s National Youth Conference and
Festival widely known by its sobriquet -NAYCONF has been postponed due to
security reasons. The decision was reached following a wider consultation with
stakeholders involved in organizing the event.
The
city of Banjul is the host of this year’s event slated for December. The main
reason for the postponement is that this year’s Nayconf coincided with a mass
planned demo dubbed, Operation 3-Years Jotna, by a pressure group, who are
calling on President Barrow to step down per coalition agreement.
The
decision is a move in the right direction looking at the timing of the demo and
the youth event. It is highly likely that when the planned demonstrators are
out in the streets, some youth participants may also want to join.
We
therefore called on the government to look at a more convenient time to stage
the event. Nayconf is the biggest gathering of youths who engage each other in
week- long discussion on pertinent issues affecting their lives as well as
sports. It attracts youth delegates from
all regions in the country.
The
world’s biggest power is the youth, thus meaningful efforts must be established
to help empower them to contribute sufficiently and competently towards the socio-economic
and sustainable development of the country.
It
is an undeniable fact that youth’s inclusion in decision-making processes
especially the ones affecting their lives is key. Their participation in a
growing economy gives them a sense of belonging that promotes a high sense of
responsibility and citizenship.
A
national policy on youth empowerment is nothing if it is not - in the first
instance - an initiative that seeks to identify and put in place measures to
improve the social, intellectual and material well being of the nation’s young
people.
Much
can be done to empower our young people, if, for example, we can invest in the
creation of enhanced sport and recreational facilities at the community level,
and a much enhanced education system that begins with the home as an incubator
and extends all the way to university and beyond.
“The
power of youth is the common wealth for the entire world. The faces of young
people are the faces of our past, our present and our future. No segment in the
society can match with the power, idealism, enthusiasm and courage of the young
people.“
Kailash
Satyarthi