Peace Agnes: ‘I Want To Copy NaYCONF Experience and Take it To Uganda’

Also attending this year’s NaYCONF underway in the town of Bansang is a VSO volunteer attached at the Gambian ministry of Youth and Sports as planning, monitoring and evaluation specialist. A national of the East African country of Uganda, Ms. Peace Agnes has been in the country for ten months. In this interview with NaYCONF Daily, a visibly impressed Agnes says she wants to copy NaYCONF experience and take t to Uganda.

Ms. Peace Agnes

What are your impressions about the NaYCONF?

I was quite impressed and happy about the event right from the planning and preparation. I could not hold my joy when I saw the VP, the diplomatic corp and members of National Assembly attending the ceremony, as well as international delegates. But what impressed me most is the regional presentations that were made at the conference.

What interests you most in NaYCONF?

Like I said what interests me most in the NaYCONF is the presentations made by the regional youth representatives in the conference. You know youth empowerment is attitudinal, structural and also cultural process where young people gain ability, authority to make decisions and implement change in their lives and the lives of people around them, including the adults.

So the  youth involvement in decision making at all levels is what I observed in The Gambia during this NaYCONF, more so in the VSO. We believe people are the best agents for change.

What have you learned from this NaYCONF?

Definitely, I have to assure you that I have learned a lot. I even want to copy this experience and take it to Uganda so that Ugandan authorities can organise Sports NaYCONF. In today’s development paradigm it’s through listening to the voices of the people, respecting their opinions and involving them in decision making that can influence development.

How do you think NaYCONF can boost our sports at the grassroots level?

In the last ten months that I have been here in The Gambia, I have learnt a lot. So this event will have good support to take sports right to the grassroots levels. Because most participants in the sports are not national players, and so this event is very strategic in the sense that it will help the sports sector to get the new talents right here in Bansang. As I said the delegates are tasking the government to develop the sporting facilities in all regions and this is one way. Now as I can see Bansang has upgraded its status in terms of sporting facilities like basketball.

What are some of the queries from the conference delegates from the past two day?

This is also yet another area that made me to believe that the young people of the Gambia are empowered. They were able to hold their leaders responsible by tasking the NYC and MoYS to explain what was achieved after the 2010 NaYCONF resolutions. They are questioning the criteria for loans disbursement, the criteria used to identify people for trainings especially the 5o youth illegal immigrants that were trained, etc.

They also want to know what more the government can do to support such youth who are intercepted. The youth want sports to be decentralised at grassroots level, and the youth are also blaming themselves for not taking the responsibilities of the action they want to take.

Do you think the youth's queries are relevant, and what are the ways to addressing them?

Their queries are very relevant and they are entitled to that in my own opinion, because they are empowered to talk about issues that are affecting them and some of these issues are policy issues. I believe the government needs to redirect its strategy in to the youth development as it has always done before. But this time I think, there is need to address the challenge of productive and decent work for the youth. This therefore, calls for participation of all the productive sectors of the economy, both formal and informal.

What are your expectations from the delegates attending the NaYCONF?

In my own opinion the participants from the conference delegates are expecting the government of The Gambia to do more for them through the Ministry of Youth and Sports. If you could see some of the highlighted issues in their resolutions today, such as illegal migration, quality education, capacity building for regional youth committees and structures (technical capacity). They also talk about what laws of The Gambia can do about illegal migration, drug abuse, rape etc. The conference delegates also identify other important issues like entrepreneurship skills development, innovation for self employment, youth in agriculture and in the health sector (HIV and AIDS and reproductive health).

Finally what do you have in mind to say that is very important to the NaYCONF 2012?

NaYCONF 2012 has been the best as I hear from most people even the Vice President herself. Bringing the young people together from different parts of the country to share ideas and experiences, achievement, challenges and drafting the way forward to achieve those challenges has been the most overriding factor to me, since the youth have pledged to be responsible and to take ownership of the development of their country, I believe they will do it.

In the sporting sector, I believe the best talents will be identified and the organising committee has done their level best to see that the delegates are comfortable and all the activities are going on well.