By: Nyima Sillah
The Foni Jarrol lawmaker Kebba Toumanding Sanneh has said the Gambia government’s touted youth empowerment projects have yet to translate into any tangible benefit for the thousands of unemployed Gambian youths.
“Where are the projects that they refer to as youth empowerment projects? There is not enough activity for the youths,” NAM Sanneh stated.
He explained that the government last year made a budgetary allocation to create 150,000 jobs for the youths but described the much-talked-about initiative as a disastrous failure.
“The government said they were going to provide 150,000 jobs, and that never happened. Only a few lucky ones got employed in high-level positions like managers, directors, etc. but no middle-level positions,” NAM Sanneh contended in an exclusive interview with The Voice.
He explained that youth empowerment hinges on the design and implementation of youth-centered projects, adding that such youth-focused projects were nowhere to be seen.
Legislator Sanneh pointed out that despite the rolling out of training programs to the government by development partners, there’s not much to show for such capacity development initiatives as the knowledge gained from such training activities is not invested in youth development.
“They don’t put it[knowledge] to practice and if they are confronted, they say they are doing a lot. Even if the government said they are doing a lot for the youth, I doubt it, looking at my area [Jarrol]. The youths are left behind in development. The government is only reading plans and those plans are not translated into reality. Even if they are, then I will say the distribution of the funds for the youth is not fair. They are either marginalized or politically targeted,” he stated.
He opined that youth empowerment training programs must be custom-built for personal development, adding that the youth need cash support to set up start-ups.
To legislator Sanneh, financial support should be extended to youths upon completing training and more job creation initiatives provided for them if the government is serious about tackling poverty.
He described as pathetic and worrying the embarkation of Gambians as young as 14 on the dangerous route to Europe only to escape poverty and support their parents. Sanneh said he refers to such Gambians as economic migrants as they were only going to where they thought the pastures were greener.