A ten-member advisory committee that will serve in providing oversight, leadership and technical support for the smooth implementation of the National Youth Service Graduate Programme was inaugurated on Tuesday at the National Youth Council in Kanifing.
The move comes as National Youth Service Scheme (NYSS) in partnership with the University of The Gambia embarks on a pilot project on the National Youth Service Programme targeting recent graduates from the University of The Gambia. The programme is being undertaken through the collaboration and funding from the Ministry and UNDP. Also, the one-year programme, is targeting 100 new graduates from the University of The Gambia.
Welcoming the gathering, Abbas Bah, executive Director of NYSS, dwelled on works they have undertaken towards the implementation of this important programme, noting that in order to ensure that they have a smooth implementation of the programme, they have worked with partners to set out series of structures which would help NYSS and UTG during the implementation.
He explained that the NYSS graduate programme will be implemented with a call for application open for all recent UTG graduates, pointing out that depending on the agreement made with partners, the initiative will be implemented in various localities.
"The availability of partner organisations and the requirement of graduates in various locations will determine the scope of the programme."
Bah, thus, acknowledged the support from partners such as UNDP, UTG and the Ministry, further acknowledging that the programme would have been a challenge to implement without the dynamic leadership and support of Minister Badjie.
For his part, Kemo Conteh, president of University of The Gambia Students Union, explained that university is supposed to serve as a lab with the capacity for diagnosing social, economic, political and cultural physical problems and see ways to proffer solution to these problems.
Conteh reminded that they always argued that if a university fails in that responsibility, then it will no longer be fit for purpose.
He noted that UTG over the past years has stood firmly in response to national demands, saying the initiative is part of responding to those demands.
The initiative, he added, intends to give firsthand practical knowledge to university graduates before they are absorbed into their permanent work places. He described the move as laudable and that it would go a long way in imparting practical skills among participants.
Lamin Darboe, representing UNDP Country rep, reiterated the UN Agencies' commitment to supporting the graduate programme, describing the porgramme as timely and in line with their country development priorities.
The programme, he added, would generate immense opportunities for young people in the country and help curb unemployment in the country.
Darboe commended the Ministry and the University of The Gambia for the novel partnership, saying for the country to develop, people must learn to work together and cooperate.
Prof. Dr. Herbert Robinson, Vice Chancellor of The University of The Gambia, expressed delight to be part of the important event, saying the move marks an important one in the transformation of the UTG.
He commended the Ministry and the UNDP for supporting the initiative, recalling that when he took over as VC of UTG, it became very clear to him that students form an important part of the University of The Gambia.
UTG VC reminded that employability is key in the development of any nation, pointing out that no country can develop with prioritising its youthful sector.
He also talked about the importance of entrepreneurship development as not all people would find job in the offices.
In his inaugural statement, Bakary Y. Badjie, minister for Youth and Sports, reminded that over the past months and years, the Ministry has been working tirelessly to launch what is encapsulated in the 1997 and 2015 NYSS Act. "It has been a challenge, I must say as the starting has been challenging but over time as we plan and work towards it, the University of Gambia came up with this graduate programme."
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The graduate programme, he went on, is something that is similar to what they would have loved to do, further underscoring the importance of this collaborative venture.
He noted that the initiative would significantly curb unemployment among the country's teeming young graduates.
Minister Badjie pointed out that the one-year programme would prepare the participants by exposing them to different areas needed to serve the nation.
He lauded UTG and UNDPN for the foresight and collaboration, saying the programme is going to be a pilot one for one year, after which the Ministry would continue by attracting more stakeholders to make it a sustainable one.
