ActionAid International The Gambia has on Monday launched the Global Platforms (GP) – Gambia Branch at the Mansa Wally Lodge in Pakalinding, Lower River Region. The GP was founded by ActionAid Denmark as a youth network to deliver participatory and action-oriented capacity building for young people, organisations and movements fighting for social justice, with a specific focus on Campaigning, Rights and Leadership.
The launching comprised participants from AAITG’s Local Rights Programmes (LRPs), Apexes, Eco-zones and Activista The Gambia.
Speaking at the official launch of the Platform via teams, Mrs Ndella Faye Colley, the new Executive Director for ActionAid International The Gambia, commended the participants for their presence at the launching.
She reiterated ActionAid’s commitment to poverty eradication, social justice, youth empowerment, and gender equality in The Gambia, as enshrined in the organization’s current country strategy paper (CSP V) – Building Resilience for Social Justice (BReS). She also stated that youth are valuable resources, and for any country to succeed, it must invest in its young people.
Madam Faye-Colley challenged policymakers and development partners to prioritize youth welfare and agenda for meaningful development and economic growth.
Director Faye Colley concluded that she is hopeful that the launching of the Global Platforms will produce committed youth who will advocate for good governance, climate, and social justice to enable the world to be a better place.
Also joining the launching online, was Moussa Sarr, the Focal person for Global Platform Senegal. He applauded AAITG for launching GP Gambia and stated that for any meaningful change to take effect, youth must be at the centre of it.
The brief official launch was followed by orientation and presentation from the Global Platforms – Gambia Country Coordinator, Saidina Alieu Jarjou, who delved into the importance of youth participation and involvement in any development agenda. He further encouraged youth to support one another for their own development.
“We must desist from undermining each other’s efforts, and break all ethnic, political and other artificial barriers that keep us divided as a youth,” said Jarjou.
The orientation will be followed by a two-day training on the principles of GP, and each region is expected to come up with a work plan to conduct a step-down training in their respective regions.
