VP: ‘Youth Should Be Employment Creators, Not Employment Seekers’

Deputising for H.E President Yahya A.J.J Jammeh, Gambian vice president and minister for women’s affairs, Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, on Thursday Jan.3, 2013, presided over the official opening of the 2012 National Youth Conference and Festival, known as NaYCONF.

Held at the provincial Central River Region town of Bansang, the event gathered more than two thousand delegates, mainly youth from across the country, for the weeklong biennial event. Formerly known as Youth Week, the event was the tenth of its kind.

Dr. Isatou Njie led a delegation of a historic number of top government officials, including nine cabinet ministers, to the event. Traditional rulers, development partners and the private sector are also well represented.

The opening ceremony was marked by a colourful march past led by the Police Intervention Unit. The regions were not left behind in this display that attracted much applause.

The theme for this year’s event is “Directing and Re-orienting Youth participation in the Productive Sectors of the Economy.” In this, the youth of the country calls for creation of terribly-needed jobs in the face of unacceptably high youth unemployment and underemployment rates.

However, the vice president, Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, believes that ‘youth should be creators of employment, not employment seekers’.

“Lest you are misled,” she pointed out, “it needs to be clarified that participation in the productive sector does not imply depending on exclusively on government for employment. Your participation can be both formal and non-formal, within the public sector or the private sector.”

In her keynote address, she said: “In our bid to encourage and guide you to take your rightful places in national development, we must be willing to take the initiatives and make the necessary sacrifices that will make you the drivers of the productive sectors of our economy, in accordance with the theme of the conference.

“The development of the productive sectors, such as agriculture and natural resources, are absolutely essential for our progress, and it is obvious that if this sector is to register any significant progress, the youth must fully engage in them. 

“To sum up, linking the theme to the issues highlighted in my statement, we must be equipped with sound education; be suitably armed with appropriate skills and competencies; be adept at utilizing modern technology; and be willing and disciplined enough to evolve into useful and rightly-oriented citizens who can participate in and contribute desirably to the economy.

“Let this occasion mark the commencement of a renewed partnership between government and the youth - a partnership from which we envisage and ask for very positive attitudinal change.

Vice Njie-Saidy added: “The year 2012 was declared a year of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), and I am aware of all the efforts made to promote and subsequently, exploit STI to stimulate and scale up productivity, growth and development. I encourage the youth to participate in the adoption of the national STI policy (2013-2022) that has been developed, and I urge you to acquaint yourselves with it, with the objective of finding a niche for your active participation to intensify and accelerate productivity in the country.

“Government will commit itself to the statements of intent in that policy when adopted. Therefore, I reassure you of our commitment to the ideals and vision we continue to articulate on youth development, with the proviso that the youth reciprocate this with commitment, support and focus on their own development.

“In another key area that government has invested in the multi-million dollar ICT project of the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) project, which is aimed at triggering a major transformation of the telecommunication sector by multiplying our bandwidth. One of the intended benefits of this intervention is the creation of greater opportunities for young Gambians. All these investments have been strategically targeted and carefully thought through for you, the young people. Thus, the nation will continue to nurture the belief that you will grow up to take up complementary roles as nation builders.

“During the course of this year 2013, skills training will be expanded and diversified with the establishment of the Ndemban Skills Centre. Online or distance learning courses are now provided in the country. In addition to traditional modes of course delivery, both of which will be scaled up. To assure quality, registration and accreditation procures for institutions of higher learning will be instituted. It is planned also that UTG Science Park will, from this year on, provide opportunity for innovation and technology transfer, development and application. All these means to support productivity and enhance efficiency will ultimately be put at the disposal of the youth.”

She went on: “Fortunately, the rapid increase in the number of training institutions and the numerous programmes designed for the acquisition of specialized skills and youth empowerment, are complemented by arrangement devised to make funds accessible for wise investment.

“Although, some youth in the country have taken advantage of such openings, the majority have not utilized these important windows of opportunity to make life better for themselves and not for their families. Guided by such arguments and evidence, reorienting the Gambia youth must include education and training as well as acquisition of skills and competencies for efficient application or utilization of existing knowledge, technology and the limited resources available. Government has created the space for this to happen.

“For instance, the education sector now caters for all categories of students and youth. As a novelty, government will provide tuition-free education at the basic and secondary levels, and to guarantee transition and continuity, we have equitably expanded access and, further widened opportunities for tertiary and higher education.

“From a logical perspective, the thrust of directing and re-orienting youth participation towards the productive sectors of the economy calls for situating the youth within the development of the country vis-à-vis the role or importance of the productive sectors in economic growth and development. This role must be discerned further in the context of the place that The Gambia should occupy on the global as articulated in our vision and formulated on our development.”

Dr. Njie Saidy told the youth: “It is hoped that you will not only interact for amusement and competition in the games and other activities, but also engage in deep reflection provoked by searching questions raised around the theme.

“The platform thus created will be meaningful only if the discussions generated lead to concrete and realistic recommendations and resolutions that will feed into a national operational framework. Such a framework should outline the role of government, stakeholders and partners and above all delineate the role and involvement of youth in transforming their circumstances and refocusing themselves to tackle issues of self-advancement and national development.”

While imploring the youth to exercise self-discipline, she said all responsible people know that discipline projects a person’s image and brings out the better side in each and every one of us.

“Accordingly, I advise you to develop your potentials and work towards leading a decent life as good citizens. This is a quality that will help you repel the multitudinous temptations that ‘satan’ will entice you to commit evil and deadly crimes. Consequently, as youth we must be bold enough to take hard, but correct, decisions and the right cause of action in any situation that confronts you.”