The capacity building held at Sir Dawada Kairaba Jawara International Conceference Centre, was held on the slogan ‘get ready to run.’
The forum seeks to encourage youth to partake and show interest in political matters. Prominent Gambian politicians namely, Halifa Sallah, Talib Bensouda and others graced the training.
Marr Nyang, founder and executive Director of Gambia Participates, clarified the choice of the slogan for the event, noting that they already heard the word ‘not too young to run’, but that now they have to be set to run for elective offices.
“I think down the line young people in The Gambia have been losing faith in politics and that is also because if you look at the political manifesto of most political parties, they always have a component that covers young people.”
Mr Nyang observed that most of the time it is either youth empowerment or youth employment, citing the recent surge in the number of young people embarking on irregular migration in search of greener pasture in the West.
“Most of the times when they make this ambitious political manifesto and the young people get to read this, it actually inspires them to get out and campaign for these political parties. Most of the heads of these political parties are above the youth age, but young people are the machines they use in implementing their political agenda”.
For his part, Talib Bensouda, Mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC), said it is very difficult to be a politician especially ‘if you are coming from a completely private life.’
“If you are preparing yourself for politics, be ready to sacrifice losing your privacy which was the hardest part for me.” said.
On some of the challenges for those preparing to seek public office, Mayor Bensouda shared, ‘is crafting one’s message as a politician as sometimes the right thing is not the popular thing and in politics, you have to remain honest although being honest in politics comes at a cost.”
He also spoke about how mobilising resources can be a major challenge, saying mobilisation of resources is a huge challenge especially in a poor country like The Gambia.
He, however, noted that money must be seen as a tool not a means to an end, as many politicians have lost elections since 2016.
“So, if you look at money as a means to an end, that alone could be your downfall. So, I think the lesson there is, money is important but it is not a death sentence. What is most important for me in politics is building one’s brand. This takes time and consistency but it is vital.”
He also talked about over confidence, arrogance and not engaging with the people, as something that could lead to someone’s downfall.
