“Your dedication and hard work have undoubtedly contributed to the summit's success, fostering dialogue and cooperation among member states. May this gathering pave the way for peace, prosperity and solidarity within the Islamic world,” the NYC stated.
On the sideline of the OIC Banjul Summit, minister of Youth and Sports Bakary Y. Badjie recently held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Ado Al-Hajji Abu, Executive Secretary of the Sahel and Sahara States.
The meeting focused on issues of Sahel youths and the development of sport in the CEN SAD community. Key points discussed are the need for the sub-region to work together to address irregular migration and its root causes, implementation of the outcomes of the recently concluded 4th meeting of the youth and sports ministers held in Libya, among which include the restarting of the CEN SAD games, a proposed Youth Center event to be hosted by one of the member countries, and a youth network / committee where each country will send two youths as representatives.
While ES Al-Hajji Abu assured the Minister of the Secretariat's collaboration, Minister Badjie promised to continue the conversation with his colleagues in the member states to realise the proposals mentioned above.
Meanwhile, The Gambia government, the business community and young people have endorsed a road map to create quality jobs and export opportunities for Gambian youth.
The youth and trade road map is set out to tackle the root causes of youth unemployment and competitive market constraints, which are at the heart of irregular migration.
Government is fully committed to leading and implementing the Youth and Trade Road map to turn the tide of youth migration.
The road map will directly support the country’s new National Development Plan to empower youth.
The National Development Plan targets economic reforms to restore growth and stability in the country.
The Gambia is re-emerging on the global scene after decades of struggling with socioeconomic and political challenges, which have fuelled unemployment and migration, particularly among youth.
The development of the road map followed an inclusive process with the participation of youth, the public and the private sectors, as well as civil society.
The Road map is committed to working with The Gambia to help young people move from being job seekers to creators through trade.
The road map will also serve as a guiding compass to bolster competitiveness and develop economic opportunities for youth, in line with the government’s priorities.
The Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) and the International Trading Centre (ITC) are supporting implementation of the road map, focusing on building market-oriented skills of youth while fostering value addition in the priority sectors of nuts and agro-processing, information and communications technologies, and tourism.
Source: National Youth Council
