Setting youth development pace

There is an absolute need to boost the Gambia National Youth Council, NYC, with the requisite resources to enable them live up to expectations.

NYC, we learnt is currently battling with mobility constraints, which badly affects their work and ability to properly coordinate and supervise all youth related programmes in the country.

The staff of the council cannot sit in Banjul and properly monitor and supervise young people across the country. They need to constantly visit the youth in their various regions and districts.

The council also needs to have more trained and experienced personnel to be able to carry out their work, as mandated by the NYC Act.

Whatever the case maybe, for the council to succeed in recruiting and maintaining more talented workforce, they should revisit the remuneration of their staff.

Another important area is for the government to look at increasing the annual subvention of the council.

As the youthful population is no doubt the major stratum of the Gambian populace their overall development should be taken with all seriousness.

For this reason, we call on the council to immediately look at this issue, so as to meet the needs and demands of young people.

While calling for the complete bail out of the NYC, we also stress that those entrusted with the task of administering the funds of youth programmes and activities must be made accountable to them.

NYC must set better examples for the country’s youthful population.