The National Youth Parliament (NYP) has called for greater youth participation in democratic governance as the country prepares for presidential elections in December.
Opening its 2026 annual sitting, the parliament said young people must be given a stronger voice in decision-making and urged them to promote peaceful elections, accountability and responsible citizenship.
The three-day sitting, held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre, followed nationwide consultations involving young people between 17 and 29 August.
The consultations were intended to gather the concerns and priorities of young Gambians, which were then consolidated through regional engagements and presented for national parliamentary deliberations.
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This year's theme is "Amplifying Youth Voices for Democratic Governance, Accountability and Sustainable Development."
The sitting culminated in the adoption of a National Youth Manifesto and Declaration, parliamentary resolutions and recommendations, as well as a youth position on peaceful elections and democratic participation.
In her opening address, the Speaker of the National Youth Parliament, Hon. Jabou Sisawo, said the country was approaching an important moment in its democratic development, with Gambians due to elect their leaders later this year.
"Young people remain central to this process," she said, noting that the country's future would be shaped largely by a generation that represents the majority of the population."
The Speaker urged youth parliamentarians to focus on democratic participation, electoral integrity, political tolerance, accountability, responsible citizenship, digital responsibility and youth leadership.
She also highlighted persistent challenges facing young Gambians, including unemployment, the rising cost of living, limited access to technical and vocational training and barriers to women's participation in leadership.
Unemployment, she said, continued to contribute to irregular migration, with many young Gambians risking dangerous journeys in search of opportunities abroad.
She called for stronger pathways linking education and skills development to employment, particularly as opportunities emerge in the digital and green economies.
The Speaker also raised concerns about the limited institutional support available to youth organizations.
Many youth-led organizations, she said, continued to depend on short-term projects while lacking sustainable funding and the institutional resources needed to grow.
"True youth empowerment requires more than funding activities. It requires investment in youth institutions," she said.
The National Youth Parliament dates back to 2002 and has developed into a platform where young people from across the country's seven administrative regions can debate issues affecting their communities.
Over the years, she reported that NYP has addressed issues including technical and vocational education, irregular migration, unemployment, drug abuse, crime, gender-based violence and women's participation in leadership.
She described the institution as evidence that young people can play a direct role in governance rather than being treated only as future leaders.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) also urged the government and other stakeholders to invest more heavily in young people.
The UNDP country representative, Ms Mandisa Mashologu, said The Gambia was already living through a "youth future", pointing to demographic trends highlighted in preliminary population and household census data.
"But a youthful population alone would not automatically produce a demographic dividend. Young people needed opportunities, skills, a voice and the ability to influence decisions," she said.
She cited a youth unemployment figure of 8.3%, while warning that the statistic did not fully reflect underemployment, skills mismatches or the unmet aspirations of young people.
She said the Youth Parliament could help develop democratic leadership by teaching young people to listen, question evidence, debate priorities, build consensus and hold institutions accountable.
She also warned about the growing impact of misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and digital manipulation on democratic participation and electoral integrity.
Young leaders, she said, had a responsibility to promote fact-based communication, political tolerance and peaceful engagement, while developing the digital literacy and critical-thinking skills needed to navigate emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.
The Deputy Clerk Legal and Procedural Matters of the National Assembly, Ms Aji Sainey Kah, described the Youth Parliament as an important training ground for future leaders.
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She said its debates, resolutions and advocacy contributed to national discourse and strengthened democratic culture.
The European Union representative, Rafael Briganda, similarly stressed the importance of youth participation ahead of the December presidential election.
Young people, he said, were not simply voters but also community leaders, mobilisers, advocates for peace and defenders of democratic values.
The Youth Parliament's consultations, he added, represented an example of participatory democracy in the run-up to an election.
The parliament is expected to use the current sitting to transform the views gathered across the country into concrete recommendations.
Its leadership says the success of the process will ultimately depend on whether those recommendations influence government policy and improve the lives of young Gambians.
As the country approaches a crucial electoral period, the Youth Parliament is seeking to ensure that young people are not merely the largest group of voters, but active participants in shaping The Gambia's political and development agenda.
