State House, Banjul, 25th March, 2019 – President Barrow has once again reiterated that the empowerment and development of young people occupies a special attention in the development blueprint of his government. The President made the remarks while receiving in audience a visiting delegation from Young Men Christian Association- YMCA – Finland at the State House in Banjul on Monday, March 25th.
“Youth development is a priority area for my government’s National Development Plan (2018-2021). My government places high premium on their development as future leaders of this country,” said President Barrow while reacting to the news that the Finnish government is collaborating with YMCA to support young people in the country. He expressed optimism that their intervention will greatly complement the efforts of his government in attaining its development goals.
President Barrow thanked the YMCA Gambia for their support to The Gambia over the decades.
Officials from the YMCA- Gambia Chapter accompanied their Finnish counterparts to the presidency. During the closed door discussions, the group informed the President of the approval of €400, 000EUR by the Finish government towards supporting young people in The Gambia.
They held discussions around the organsation’s programmes in The Gambia, particularly in the areas capacity building and peace advocacy for the youths.
“We thanked the president for acknowledging the work of YMCA when he took office in 2017. We also informed him that our proposal to Finland government for a project for our young people has been approved,” said Mr. John C. Njie, the Executive Director, YMCA- Gambia, who led the delegation to State House.
The secured €400,000 is earmarked for young people in The Gambia with special focus on advocacy in peace building, skills development and entrepreneurship, especially for returnees.
“We are all overwhelmed with the returnees coming back… we need to help them reintegrate into society through skills building, providing start-up capital for entrepreneurs to enable them engage in the productive sector,” Mr. Njie told the President.