Churchill’s Town, June 20, 2019 — The 4th edition of the National Youth Summer Camp on Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Information Technology (ELIT) will be held in Basse, Upper River Region (URR) from 21 – 31 July, 2019.
This year’s 10-day youth camp will allow young people to acquire relevant knowledge and skills to start and successfully manage an enterprise or business ventures, the organizer, GYIN Gambia said in a statement on Thursday.
It is to be held under the theme ‘Transforming youth into agents of change in agribusiness ventures’. Sixty (60) participants selected from across the six Agricultural Directorates in The Gambia are to take part in the camp.
“ELIT 2019 will building on the summer camp’s culture of creating equal opportunities for young men and women in The Gambia,” GYIN Gambia Executive Director, Mamadou Edrisa Njie, said.
“Previous events have impacted greatly by changing the livelihoods of young people especially those in the rural areas. It has enabled some of them to become job creators.”
This year’s ELIT is looking into the production of small ruminants, poultry, horticulture, rice value chain, and agro-marketing. Applicants must have an interest in these areas and those yet benefit from the ELIT training will be given priority.
“GYIN Gambia plans to award the ten “Best ELIT 2019 Participants” with prizes of D15, 000 in order to help them start their own businesses or scaled up their existing enterprises,” Mr. Njie said on Thursday.
He said such support is expected to help create more jobs for the youths especially for those in the rural areas.
More than two hundred thousand Gambians are unemployed, a six percent rise from the 2012 unemployment figures of 29.2 percent of the population, according to The Gambia Labour Force Survey (GLFS 2018).
Youth unemployment remains high, at 41.5 per cent, and its proportion to population ratio in the urban areas is 54.7 per cent and in the rural areas is 45.3 per cent.
It is also intended to discourage young Gambians from embarking on irregular migration – journey across dangerous deserts and high seas; to help reduce the gender gap in the labour market; and to curb the rural urban drift.
Participants at the annual GYIN Gambia youth summer camp are exposed to knowledge and skills on four thematic areas:
Entrepreneurship: Start-up venture, improve on your fledgling small businesses and hands-on business plan designing.
Leadership: Being a good leader, learn to lead even from the bottom of your organisational or community structure, and be inspired by success stories and experiences.
Information Technology: Bridging the digital divide, digital inclusion, hands on experience using digital devices, useful internet and digital security tips, and build your social media market presence.
Field Visits: Exposes participants to successful and inspiring business firms, agriculture and agribusiness initiatives.
Success Stories
For success stories of ELIT alumni, visit www.gyingambia.gm or the following links:
- Sainabou Ngack, Poultry Farm, Pakau Njogu, North Bank Region (NBR) https://gyingambia.gm/young-female-elit-alumni-establishes-poultry-farm/
- Ahmad M. Ceesay, Proprietor of Keneba Tech in Sukuta, West Coast Region (WCR) https://gyingambia.gm/celebrating-an-uprising-young-entrepreneur/
- Modou Lamin Sanyang, Cashew Farmer cum Poultry Producer, proprietor of ML Business Venture in Foni Bulock Village, West Coast Region (WCR) https://gyingambia.gm/elit-alumni-turns-champion-cashew-farmer/
- Jabou Mbye, Sheep Fattening, Jimbala Kerr Chendu, Central River Region North (CRR North) https://gyingambia.gm/testimony-young-lady-in-sheep-fattening-business/