Omar Manjang to participate in Youth Connekt Africa Policy Hackathon

Youth Connekt Africa Policy will be hosted in Kigali, Rwanda, on 27 and 28 August 2024.

The 2024 Policy, themed “Innovations in Youth Skilling and Employability”, is collaboration between Youth Connekt Africa Hackathon and the Master card Foundation.

The event is aimed at identifying and engaging pioneering African solutions to youth skilling and employability.  It is also aimed at building on the value of placing young people at the forefront and centre of solution design and implementation.

The Youth Policy is aimed at ensuring thorough engagement of youth in finding solutions to some of the challenges they are faced with, and invites them to identify actions they would recommend being taken by various actors.

With this year’s theme focus on education - Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century,  the continent is called upon to review and learn what skills are required for the African and global markets and how these skills and competencies can be transferred at scale and more effectively.

The Youth Connekt Africa, in partnership with the Master card Foundation, seeks to place youth organisations at the forefront of the agenda of skilling and employability.

Thirty innovative enterprises have been selected across Africa from a pool of 244 applications.  These youth organisations are pioneering new scaleable solutions in skilling and employability.

They want to learn from each about how they address youth skilling and connecting youth to meaningful work.

They also want to reach more young people through the right set of policy, programmes and investments.

Omar Manjang is currently representing Kombo South Constituency in the National Youth Parliament of The Gambia.

Meanwhile, the National Youth Council (NYC), through its Peace and Security office, in collaboration with Peace Hub The Gambia, commemorated the International Day for Countering Hate Speech.

The event, held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre,  and themed "Kick Hate, Keep Love, was supported by UNESCO Dakar Office and UN Women, underscoring the global commitment to addressing the dangers of hate speech.

The event featured a range of activities designed to raise awareness and promote dialogue.

One of the key highlights was a panel discussion in which Omar Bah, Peace and Security and Migration Officer, participated.

Bah addressed the government's role in combating hate speech, offering insightful and comprehensive responses.

One of his statements that resonated deeply was his call for unity among the youth, paraphrasing: "Youth should come together and speak with one voice."

Throughout the event, participants gained a deeper understanding of the dangers and impacts of hate speech.

The discussions and activities emphasised the importance of fostering love and unity in Gambia’s communities, making it clear that combating hate speech is not just a responsibility of the government but of every individual.

Commemorating the day in The Gambia is particularly important as it provides an opportunity to reflect on the destructive nature of hate speech and the need for collective action.

The theme "Kick Hate, Keep Love" serves as a powerful reminder that promoting love, respect, and understanding within Gambian communities is essential for building a peaceful and inclusive society.