Participants at the launch
By Landing Ceesay
The Banjul City Council’s REFELA Youth Voluntarism Project, aimed at empowering 500 young individuals from the capital city of Banjul, has begun orienting participants for their upcoming skills acquisition programs across various countries in Africa, Europe, and America.
This initiative aims to bolster youth employability by furnishing them with skills in diverse fields such as tailoring, cosmetology, culinary arts, construction, and computer literacy, among others. During the launch, Ms. Isatou Njie, the National Coordinator of Refela, emphasized the significance of the project for Gambian youth. She underscored that the project, approved under the leadership of Banjul’s Lord Mayor and President of Refela Africa, aims not only to increase employability but also to foster economic empowerment. Ms. Njie urged participants to approach the program earnestly, recognizing its rarity and potential to alleviate unemployment and create opportunities.
“We are all aware that the youth Voluntarism Project has been approved under the leadership of her worship, the Lord Mayor of Banjul, and President Refela Africa. One of the main objectives for having you acquire vocational skills is to increase your employability. The other is for Economic empowerment. Everybody is not supposed to be in the office. Therefore, it is important for you to learn vocational skills, which will reduce unemployment and create job opportunities for yourself.
“The only advise I have for you is to take this program seriously. It is very rare to have this kind of project. It is very rare in any administration for a leader to come up with a program that would equip the younger generation with skills and become independent. So I will urge you to take good care of your this project and make good use of it,” Ms. Njie told the beneficiaries. Highlighting the pivotal role of Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe, Ms. Njie underscored the project’s importance in nurturing responsible youth and fostering self-sufficiency.
“She (Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe) has a lot of projects, but to me, this is the most important one. Because in any democracy you need responsible youth, and we believe these skills you are about to acquire would help you to be independent, it will help you to take care of yourself in the future,” Mr. Njie told the beneficiaries. Ida Saine, founder of Ida’s Idea Fashion Design School, underscored the importance of skill acquisition for achieving independence and entrepreneurship. She urged participants to fully commit to the project.
Echoing this sentiment, Deputy Mayor of Banjul, Dabakh Aziz Gaye, emphasized the project’s pilot nature, stressing its potential for continuity contingent upon participants’ commitment. He urged them to seize the opportunity seriously, recognizing its pivotal role in shaping the future of Banjul’s youth and the nation at large.
“This is a pilot project. This project will continue if you people take it seriously. Most of the Projects fail due to the pilot project. But if you people take this project seriously, it will be a continuous thing for the young people of Banjul and the Gambia at large. So I urge you to take it seriously and learn the skills required,” Mr. Gaye told the beneficiaries.
The beneficiaries, assured Refela and Banjul City Council that they would make sure the project is a success.