Some five ex-Corps Members of The Gambia National Youth Service Scheme namely Ousman Sanyang, Yankuba Sanneh, Sait Secka, Sana Sanyang and Sohna Sambou, recently returned home, having bagged diplomas testifying to their success and performance in various disciplines. Among the disciplines for which they were honoured were crop production, aquaculture, agro processing and poultry production.

The former trainees of NYSS were in Songhai Centre, Benin, where they attended the ECOWAS Youth Training along side other youths from ECOWAS member states. The month-long training exercise, organised by ECOWAS, aimed at providing youth in the sub-region with a wide range of vocational skills, which will in return enable them to guide and maintain gainful employment and sustainable livelihoods.

According to the trainees, the training was practical and also involved both skilled and unskilled labour; thus it was more intensive labour in all units. “We specialised and worked on areas such as crop production, aquaculture, agro processing and poultry production. We also had the opportunity to learn by seeing and doing things especially the high breeding technique programme of fish that was artificial insemination,” said Sait Secka.  

Meanwhile, in fulfillment of the graduation criteria, the NYSS ‘ambassadors’ were obliged to write projects based on the Songhai integrated system, a task they did to perfection.

Speaking to this reporter, the NYSS Ex corps members expressed gratitude to ECOWAS and NYSS for their steadfastness towards the development of the youth and vowed to make the best use of the knowledge gained from the training.

Receiving the returnees at the airport, Mr. Mbye, NYSS Executive Director commended them for keeping the NYSS flag flying high. He went on to implore them to remain disciplined and be hardworking at all times.

In a bid to familiarise himself with departments under his office, the Honorable Secretary of State for Youth and Sports, Sheriff Gomez, yesterday paid a visit to the National Youth Service Scheme (NYSS) at their headquarters in Bakau. In a meeting with the NYSS management, Secretary of State Gomez, who was one time staff of NYSS, said he was there not only as a visitor but also a colleague. He spoke at length on the importance of youths being engaged in acquiring marketable skills to earn a better living and contribute fully to national development. He assured NYSS of his collaboration in the interests of the Gambian young people. “As future leaders and cream of the society you must be well prepared to take up the challenges,” he said.

Mambayick Njie, Permanent Secretary Youth and Sports, expressed his delight over what the NYSS is doing for the young people of the country. He observed that the scheme has now passed the planning stage and is at implementation stage.

In his welcoming remarks, Musa Mbye, Executive Director NYSS, welcomed the Secretary of State and delegation to his office. He revealed that NYSS has trained many young people in various fields of studies. He informed the Secretary of State

The third batch of rice agronomy corps members of the National Youth Service Scheme (NYSS) were recently administered an oath of allegiance at a ceremony presided over by the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports.

Addressing the corps members at the NYSS orientation camp in Bakau, the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports, Sheriff M.L Gomez, remind the corps members that by the service oath they are entering into a covenant with the scheme and the nation, to serve the entire people of The Gambia diligently, dedicatedly, conscientiously and above all, positively. He advised them to emulate the good example already set by the scheme as they performed their primary assignment. “Looking at the skill you have chosen to acquire, we are encouraged that the purpose for which the scheme was established will be fully realised. As you are all aware of the global food crises, having chosen Rice Agronomy will no doubt contribute to the increment of rice production and also to the socio-economic development of The Gambia,” he said.

He implored the corps members make the judicious use of the opportunities offered by the scheme.

Mr. Musa Mbye, Executive Director NYSS, revealed that the batch is comprised of 19 young people, 16 males and 3 females, between the ages of 17 and 30 years from across the country. He said that the ceremony signaled the official admission of members into the NYSS and the formal commencement of the skills acquisition programme. He further revealed that the corps member will be deployed to the NYSS rice field to undergo a 22 month skills acquisition programme to enable them engage in viable ventures for self employment and job creation.

Speaking earlier, camp director, Miss Aji Fatou Nian, said that the orientation program is the period when new members are being put through a regulatory camp environment, endurance drills and physical exercise.

The Executive Director of the National Youth Service Scheme (NYSS), Mr. Musa Mbye, recently returned from Songhai Centre of Porto-Novo Benin, where he spent a week. Mr. Mbye was at Benin at the invitation of ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre.

Upon his return, Mr. Mbye told the Youth Forum that he was invited in order to allow him consolidate and gain experience from the said centre and help him to better manage reforms that NYSS is currently pursuing at Nyaniberi farm in order to effectively host the ECOWAS training programme in 2009.

Mr. Mbye spoke at length about the differences and similarities between Songhai Centre and NYSS Nyaniberi farm. Mbye noted that Songhai is a Private Voluntary Organisation that seeks to create viable socio-economic environments in Africa by developing human capacities for the empowerment of individuals and groups as active members of the society and also developing a resilient integrated program that links agriculture with industry and commerce.

“Songhai Centre is an arena where Africans learn and put into practice the principles of self-determination by unleashing the creative potential of its members and cultivating a strong sense of a rational use of local resources. Songhai’s primary activity is the training of young Africans by the transfer of technical skills through practical and human training, so that they become capable of creating and managing viable enterprises such as agriculture, processing of agricultural products and marketing, small construction industries (production of stabilised blocks, design and construction of low-cost housing) electrical and mechanical workshops and also community development”, the NYSS Boss explained.

The Executive Director concluded by expressing his appreciation to the Department of State for Youth and Sports on behalf of the Board of Directors and management of NYSS for the continuous support in developing the human resource base of The Gambia.

Musa Mbye, the executive director of the National Youth Service Scheme (NYSS), recently returned from the Songhai Centre of Porto-Novo, Benin, where he was for a week at the invitation of the ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre.

In an interview with the Daily Observer, Mr Mbye said he was invited in order to allow him to gain experience from the said centre to better manage reforms that the NYSS is currently pursuing at the Nyaniberi farm to effectively host the ECOWAS training programme in 2009.

Quizzed about the differences and similarities between the Songhai Centre and the NYSS Nyaniberi farm, Mbye noted that Songhai is a private voluntary organisation that seeks to create viable socio-economic environments in Africa by developing human capacities for the empowerment of individuals and groups as active members of the society and also to develop a resilient integrated program that links agriculture with industry and commerce.

“Songhai Centre is an arena where Africans learn and put into practice the principles of self-determination by unleashing the creative potentials of its members and cultivating a strong sense of rational use of local resources.

Songhai’s primary activity is the training of young Africans by the transfer of technical skills through practical and human training, so that they become capable of creating and managing viable enterprises such as agriculture, processing of agricultural products and marketing, small construction industries (production of stabilized blocks, design and construction of low-cost housing) electrical and mechanical workshops and also community development,” the NYSS boss explained.

Ebou Sowe, Youth Co-ordinator and head of the Inspectorate Department of the National Youth Service Scheme (NYSS), is set to attend the 3rd ECOWAS Youth Forum in Kombissiri, Burkina Faso.

Mr. Sowe, who left the country today, will be taking part in a five-day regional forum from the 8th to the 12th of August 2008.

Speaking to the Youth Forum in his office yesterday, shortly before his departure, Mr Sowe revealed that the forum will bring together about 45 participants from the sub-region. The forum, he said, is organised by ECOWAS in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Employment of Burkina Faso. He further revealed that it aims at analysing constraints and elaborating measures to be undertaken in order to make sub-regional youth associative movements more dynamic.

“I am of the conviction that this ECOWAS Youth Forum is of paramount importance to the development of Africa, particularly the youth. It is envisaged that it will elaborate recommendations in order to make youth associative movements meet the sub-regional context and it will also favour exchanges between participants and representatives of organisations in charge of youth,” Sowe stated.

Meanwhile, Mr Sowe has expressed gratitude to ECOWAS through the NYSS and the Department of State for Youth and Sports for organising what he describes as a platform that will enable youth discuss pertinent issues to their development, the ECOWAS sub-region and Africa at large.

It will be recalled that the 2nd ECOWAS Youth Forum was held in The Gambia from August 7th to 12th, 2006.