The summit was hosted in Bwiam, Foni Kansala in the West Coast Region from 1 to 4 January this year.
Speaking at the event, Nfamara Dabo, Program and Sponsorship Director at the ChildFund explained that they had the belief that for their programs to be relevant, authentic and responsive to the needs of youth, the latter must be involved in the designing, implementation and education stages.
Mr Darboe added that the council would among other things engage in public outreach and advisory activities geared towards advancing the involvement of young people in nation building.
Hon Musa Amul Nyassi advised the youth during the summit to pay heed to great decisions when it comes to leadership and responsibilities, adding that, they should select a good leader who could be part of the advisory body because that would enhance the success of the council.
“I believe that whenever you are in a position of responsibility, you are there to serve the people and not to benefit from those people”, Hon. Nyassi pointed out.
He assured the youth that he and others who are in the position of responsibility in the West Coast Region would always be at their service and support them.
He emphasised that the level of education does not matter, that the real education must be seen in one’s habit; how they transformed the knowledge that they have gained and impacted positively on the lives of the people.
Musukuta Komma, ChildFund country director expressed that ChildFund and its partners intended to establish a youth advisory council, an entity that would comprise young people who serve as an advisory or advocacy body to government and/or donor agencies to be led by youths.
She further stated that the council would provide them the opportunity to engage in policy advocacy and bring creative ideas to government and organisations to support their implementation for the benefit of all youth.
It would also enhance their participation in community leadership and guide them on how to learn directly from diverse youth on their experiences, needs and priorities, Madam Komma said.
According to the Country Strategic Plan (CSP 2022 – 2026), Madam Komma said that ChildFund’s focus was for youth to acquire life skills and livelihood education to open employment opportunities for them and encourage their participation in development.
Other speakers included a representative from the National Youth Council, Lamin Sanneh, Hon. Amie Colley, National Assembly Member for Foni Brefet and Eddie Bah, federation manager, Foni Ding-Ding.
