The National Youth Council (NYC), in partnership with ActionAid International The Gambia, has intensified efforts to bring the roll out of the National Youth Policy implementation framework closer to young Gambians, with participants calling for greater youth representation, practical skills and equal access to opportunities.
The call was made on Wednesday during a youth engagement held at the Presidential International Awards Hall in Bakau, where about 140 young people gathered to discuss the policy and its Implementation Framework.
The engagement forms part of a nationwide popularisation exercise aimed at ensuring that young people understand the National Youth Policy and their role in its implementation.
Speaking during the engagement, Ebrima Ndow, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at the National Youth Council, said young people should no longer be viewed only as leaders of tomorrow, but as leaders of today who must be actively involved in national development.
“Young people have been spoken for for so long. We are hardly represented on platforms where decisions are made. It is high time for young people to speak for themselves,” he said.
Ndow explained that the policy and its Implementation Framework seek to remove barriers preventing young people from accessing opportunities, regardless of their geographical location or socio-economic background.
He said findings from the policy’s mid-term review identified persistent challenges, including limited job opportunities, difficulties in accessing finance and start-up capital, and inadequate pathways for young entrepreneurs to develop their businesses.
According to him, the framework therefore places emphasis on decent employment, entrepreneurship, skills development and access to opportunities for all young people.
Ndow also stressed the importance of ensuring that education and training respond to the needs of the labour market, arguing that education should not only prepare young people to obtain certificates but equip them with practical skills that can lead to decent employment and entrepreneurship.
Muhammed Bakayoko, one of the participants, called for career guidance and skills development to be introduced much earlier in the education system.
He said young people should be exposed to different skills and areas of specialisation from primary and secondary school so they can identify their abilities and make informed career choices before reaching university.
Bakayoko said the education system should move beyond preparing students primarily to acquire certificates and instead equip them to create, innovate and contribute meaningfully to national development.
Another participant, Mariama Sanneh, called for greater attention to young people living with mental health challenges and those released from prison.
She said such groups should be adequately catered for within national youth policies to help them rebuild their confidence, reintegrate into society and access the support and opportunities they deserve.
Meanwhile, Saikou Bah, Project Manager at ActionAid The Gambia, said young people must understand the policy if they are to contribute effectively to its implementation.
“Young people need to know what is in the policy,” Bah said, urging participants to take the information to their football teams, youth groups and communities.
Bah also said that national youth Policy provides a strategic framework for youth empowerment and participation in the country’s socio-economic, cultural and political development. Its priorities include education and skills development, employment, entrepreneurship, health and wellbeing, civic participation, gender equality and social protection.
The NYC operates across all seven administrative regions and 53 districts of The Gambia. The ongoing engagements are intended to move the policy beyond government and stakeholder discussions and ensure that its priorities are understood and acted upon by the young people it is designed to serve.
