Lamarana S Jallow
The Executive Director of the National Youth Council (NYC) Mr. Alhagie Jarju has promised that this year’s National Youth Conference and Festival (NaYCONF) will be one with a difference as the discussion will be centered on the role of young people in the maintenance of peace and security for the socio-economic development of the country; challenges and opportunities. He was speaking in recent interview with Gambia Daily.
“The Gambia has gone through so many reforms during the period from 2016 to date. This year’s convergence is expected to thoroughly discuss the need to sustain peace and socio-economic advancement of the country,” he affirmed. He went on: “We are also expecting to take a critical look at the post-Truth Reconciliation Reparation Commission (TRRC), Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), Security Sector Reform and the need to respect the political pluralism that the state has embraced”.
He informed that the organising committee is taking conscious steps to ensure no one is left behind; that young people in all spheres are represented; including the out-of-school, differently able, young farmers and entrepreneurs.
Reflecting on the impact of the youth conference Mr Jarju said the conference has brought in so many resolutions that were acted on by the Government of The Gambia and other relevant stakeholders.
He said youths are able to network and discuss critical issues of national development and that the platform has also helped to identify and nurture talents of young people. “Today many youths are excelling in their various fields as a result of their participation in the convergence,” he added.
The NYC boss noted that they are aware of the fact that resolutions are the cornerstone for NAYCONF and their implementation is pivotal. “To make sure that these resolutions are implemented, the Council will share the NAYCONF resolutions/ report with the various stakeholders. The council will then sensitise these stakeholders on the need to implement these resolutions”. He informed that the Technical Working Group will make sure that it meets regularly in a bid to monitor the progress of some of the resolutions. “By doing this, we will make sure that NAYCONF resolutions do not only gather dust,” he assured. The Minister of Youth and Sports, Bakary Y. Badjie has also pledged to give his office’s support to the NaYCONF 2022. He assured of Government’s commitment to support the welfare of young people of the country.
The National Youth Conference and Festival (NaYCONF) is a biennial event that brings the nation’s youth together to discuss issues affecting their lives as well as their role in national development.
It was originally called the National Youth Week and only consisted of sporting and cultural programs. Such Youth Week celebrations were first held in Banjul and then in Basse
With the adoption of the National Youth Policy, the event became a biennial one that went beyond sporting and cultural programmes.
