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Youth empowerment project inaugurates office in Brikama

Apr 1, 2011, 3:16 PM | Article By: Abdoulie Nyockeh

Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) recently inaugurated a new office at a ceremony held in Brikama, West Coast Region.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by many young people from across the region as well as local dignitaries.

According to officials, YEP is an organisation that empowers the youth through leadership and entrepreneurship.

It seeks to empower young people with means of creating and supporting them to improve conditions.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony the co-founder of YEP, Paul Engelsman from the Netherlands, expressed delight at the turnout of the youths to grace the occasion.

He said he was very delighted to come and invest in The Gambia, particularly in the youth sector. “We want the youth to become the ambassador of their own destiny,” he said.

He added that they were motivated by the enabling environment created by the government to come to the country and contributes their quota to nation building.

He also lamented the high rate of unemployment among the youth. "I cannot see this unfortunate situation without contributing my quota in improving their living condition through capacity building and on so many areas which will help them in the future and become professionals of their own," he said.

For his part, Omar Njie, the Youth Ambassador of YEP, who also doubles as the Director of Food Safety and Hygiene, urged the youth to take up their rightful roles in society.

"You need to be engaging in productive activities that will enhance your capacity and earn you something in the future," he said.

He added that the youth are always the backbone of any society and implored them to continue the redouble their efforts in the drive toward national development.

The Governor of West Coast Region, Alhagie Lamin Sanneh, thanked the co-founder and his team in the Netherlands for contributing immensely towards the successful setting up of the new office in his own region.

"This is a step in the right direction since the project is here to alleviate the leaving condition of the youths," he said. "Establishing such a project like YEP is all geared towards complementing Government's effort since government alone cannot do it all."