Omar Cham, speaker of the National Youth Parliament of The Gambia, has urged government to support youth participation in governance of the country.  

Cham was speaking at the inauguration of the 9th Youth Parliament today (29 August) at the National Assembly in Banjul. 

Fifty-four young parliamentarians from across The Gambia are the attending the three day event. 

“We call on the Government of the Gambia through the Ministry of Youth and Sports through the National Youth Council, partners and donor agencies, to not let the new spirit of youth involvement in governance die.  

“We call on these important institutions to nurture, support and guide the National Youth Parliament of the Gambia, to strengthen its capacities and operations in the quest to provide the best of leadership in the realms of young people,” Cham said.

He commended the founders of The Gambia National Youth Parliament (NYP) including Sambujang Conteh for their wisdom in giving birth to “this legendary establishment”.

He also commended the previous leaders and members of the NYP for safeguarding the mandate, dignity and value of the organisation.

“Without a doubt, this institution has graduated the best of leaders, who are demonstrating their leadership capabilities in high institutions, this includes in the government, National Assembly, NGOs, just to name a few. 

“We want to thank all partners that have supported us since the birth of the NYP to date,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said this new dawn will give young people the opportunity to critically assess the status quo of young people and as well the laws, policies and initiatives governing young people.

“As such, I am pleased to inform this august assembly that in this session, we will discuss and debate on the key matters confronting the lives, welfare and wellbeing of the youth of this beloved country. 

“It is paramount to note that the journey towards this glorious moment was not an easy one.

“It was marked with endless sacrifice, dedication and perseverance as we took up the commitment to deliver to the young people of the Gambia a new face of the National Youth Parliament the Gambia in terms of representation, operation, engagement, influence and impact, syphoned through what we called the reformation agenda which gave birth to a new constitution and standing others,  management manual and financial manual,” he added.

The Gambia National Youth Parliament provides opportunities for 11-18 year olds to use their elected voice to bring about social change through meaningful representation and campaigning. 

Members of NYP are elected every two years across The Gambia.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba