In today’s Youth Forum, we bring the recent development of the Youth ministry to create a central coordinating committee to develop a national strategy for youth entrepreneurship and employment ability in the country.
The move is, no doubt, another indication that the government has placed youth empowerment at the heart of the overall national development framework.
As the strategic document is been processed, we wish to seize this opportunity once more to not only congratulate the Youth ministry, but also remind the youths to take ownership of the numerous opportunities created by the government to earn a decent livelihood.
There is also the need for the youths of the country, with a view to fast tracking our development process, to become entrepreneurs in thinking and action.
It is empirical that entrepreneurship has created employment, self-sufficiency and wealth for many people and groups globally.
It is ideally important for young Gambians to take part in ventures, for it is enterprises that can enormously contribute to research and development, self-employment and bring all great prospects in life.
There are now several institutions in the country that offer entrepreneurship training for young people.
Among them are the Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI), the National Youth Council (NYC), President’s International Awards (PIA), Chamen Electricals, and Girls Presentation in Banjul, among others, with several others as well like the National Youth Service Scheme (NYSS), GAMJOBS and National Enterprise Development Initiative (NEDI).
They are training youths in business management skills, and grant them soft loans to start up their own businesses.
To become successful entrepreneurs, the youths of this country should be keenly focused and have the ability to overcome any hindrance or distraction to their goal. Along with that, discipline is crucial to take steps everyday towards the achievement of objectives.
Have analytical skills; finding out the likelihood of success and financial and human resources required, which needs a unique combination of creativity, confidence, intelligence, energy, responsibility, as well as planning, passion and, above all, produce quality and have good communication skills to win the market’s attention and every customer that comes your way will surely open their wallets.
You need to know what tasks must be accomplished in an appropriate manner to ensure success.
The way forward for youth entrepreneurship in The Gambia is for the youths to drop the complex of choosing jobs or feeling superior to certain careers, and be ready to learn from what others have done successfully.
