The presentation was held recently at Sterling Technical Training Centre in Busumbala. The initiative supported by the European Union through the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) and Jobs Skills and Finance Programme (JSF) is being jointly implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC) in coordination with the Ministries of Youth and Sports, Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, Finance and Economic Affairs and Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment.
At the presentation ceremony, Aisha Sillah, representative from EU, underscored the importance of the initiative in empowering young Gambians to harness their potential in-country.
“Today, we handover a total of D5million worth of equipment and tools to 300 graduates from various skills programs.”
"But what is much more important than the value of the toolkits is the value this investment can create for your lives, your families, your communities and ultimately, the Gambia."
Also speaking, Professor Pierre Gomez. Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, applauded the initiative and encouraged the beneficiaries to further their careers and grow their businesses.
"It is not through our voices, but it is through our actions that we value the support. I also encourage you to keep investing in your knowledge and skills to adjust to environment and take advantage of new initiatives."
Mrs Fatou Saine Gaye, representative of NIFTY, urged the beneficiaries to make best use of social media.
“Use the social media for the right purposes. You all have great skills that needs recognition worldwide and the best way to do that is through social media, post your works out there to gain the recognition and patronage,” she advised.
Beneficiaries, Burang Sanneh and Samba Sowe, both on behalf of the graduates, praised ITC and assured that the toolkits would be put to good use.
International Trade Centre (ITC) launched what they call Skills for Youth Empowerment (SKYE) and this model provides scholarships or training to Youth who are not in education and employment to start their own businesses.
