The minister was speaking during the orientation ceremony of NYSS held at the Scheme’s premises last Tuesday.
‘‘The 2024 NYSS batch is special,’’ Minister Badjie said, justifying that the 2024 batch comprised young people from the disability community, hard of hearing community, freed prisoners and migrant returnees.
In the training programme, he stated, female participants outnumbered the male, which is a positive sign towards women empowerment.
The NYSS was established to mentor, orient and build the capacity of young people to become responsible citizens as well as contribute substantially to the country’s socioeconomic development.
Giving an update of the situation of the youth in the country, a challenge for which the Scheme was established, Minister Badjie said: “The Gambian youth make up about 60 percent of the population and therefore, we deem it necessary to provide them with the needed skills, knowledge and resources so that they get employment and help to boost our economy and increase employment opportunities.”
Minister Badjie stated that some youth go to university to study economics, political science and other fields but it is also very important for the youth to receive training and acquire knowledge on life-skills such as engineering, IT, telecommunication, agriculture and other technical disciplines.
He assured Gambians that government would continue to provide the needed skills training, knowledge and resources for the youth to attain their aspirations.
Minister Badjie commended the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) and the Gambia Police Force (GPF) for supporting NYSS in the one month-long orientation.
He also commended the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs for providing the funding for the training.
NYSS executive director Abass Bah said the training was meant to build the capacity of Gambian youth to enable them become self-employed and employers.
Bah informed that the 2024 batch comprised 96 male participants and 104 female participants, adding that the 200 corps members would undergo one month orientation where they would be trained intensively on patriotism, human rights, gender sensitivity and other relevant aspects and concepts.
He thanked Minister Badjie for his support to NYSS programme, saying the “entire training programme is the idea of the minister”.
“He has mobilised more resources for us that enable us to recruit 200 youths, which is above the usual number of corps members for the training,” he said. ‘‘Indeed, he the Minister has helped us to increase the number of corps members,’’ he added.
Representing the Board Chair for NYSS, Aji Sainabou Jallow, a member of the board, commended the training, saying it is useful to the beneficiaries for the rest of their lives.
Madam Jallow also stated that the skills and knowledge that would be imparted to the corps members would help them improve their livelihoods and lives as well as help them to contribute fruitfully to nation-building.
She advised the corps to seize the opportunity given them to learn and train so they could attain knowledge that would empower them to attain their development aspirations.
NYSS Deputy Executive Director Muhammed Badjie, who doubled as camp director, said the corps members comprise youths from the seven administrative regions of The Gambia and youths from other vulnerable institutions such the differently abled including the hard of hearing, and migrant returnees.
The camp director commended the government for their support, the NYSS staff for their hard work and the security personnel for their professional assistance.
He assured of smooth implementation of the training programme.
The training attracted youths from the seven administrative regions of the country, the differently abled and migrant returnees to acquire skills on information technology (IT), plumbing, hairdressing, catering, carpentry, auto mechanic, electrical installation, tailoring, welding and fabrication, horticulture, livestock and rice production, and other relevant fields.
The training aims at providing youth with the needed skills and knowledge in the above-mentioned fields to enable them employ themselves and provide employment opportunities for others.
The programme was funded by the Gambia government and development partners.
The NYSS, it would be recalled, was established on 26 January 1996 to equip young Gambians with skills to create job opportunities for themselves and improve their livelihood and welfare.
