Sabally’s
Leadership Academy (SLA), a youth mentorship group founded and led by former
Presidential Affairs Minister, Momodou Sabally, on Saturday launched a platform
for dialogue on issues of national progress.
The
platform, dubbed ‘SLA Kachaa Series- Conversations on New Gambia’, is meant to
foster genuine national dialogue. It was
launched at Kerr Sering and attended by academics as well as associates and
well-wishers
The
maiden forum was themed ‘New Gambia- Authentic Roles of Young People’ and the
lead discussant was Jainaba T. Sarr who urged the young people to launch new
revolutions about maintaining national peace and stability as well as
self-sustainable development.
She
applauded Gambian youth for their role in the recent peaceful change of
government while urging them to play their roles effectively in shaping the New
Gambia.
“The
first revolution was about kicking out dictatorship; now the onus is on you for
fresh revolutions that will ensure the maintenance of national peace and
stability as well as self-sustenance in our development journey,” Madam Sarr
said.
Kora
player Jali Alhagie Mbaye delivered a musical lecture imploring young Gambians
to embrace the culture of meaningful dialogue handed down to them through
tradition and culture.
He
urged the youth to uphold a healthy sense of self-esteem and patriotism by
sticking together in helping to further advance The Gambia’s development
objectives.
During
the discussion, the participants shared their views on various issues including
entrepreneurship, the need to make the national education curriculum more
responsive to the needs of the evolving economy, and environmental protection
and climate change.
Leading
Gambia rapper ST Brikama Boyo also addressed the forum, thanking the initiator
of talk series, Momodou Sabally, whom he described as a champion of youth
empowerment.
ST
urged young Gambians to speak up and not to hold back in the evolution of New Gambia.
“People
need to speak out; holding back will not change anything. New Gambia is about
people changing their attitude,” he said.
On
his part, the founder and CEO of SLA, Momodou Sabally, thanked participants and
guests at the forum for their healthy contribution to the programme, saying
that the theme of the forum was apt given the fact that young people hold the
future of The Gambia.
Sabally
urged the youths to maintain their self-esteem and appropriate their rich
tradition and culture in their quest for self-fulfillment and national
development.
