The General Manager of the National Enterprise Development Initiative (NEDI), Mr Abass Bah, has reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to providing more training to young people of this country. He was speaking in an interview with the Gambia Daily following the management and board of directors’ just-concluded nationwide tour of their intervention areas.
NEDI was established by the Gambia government in 2004 but it was not until 2013 when it was formalized, after the National Assembly came up with an Act of Parliament to empower the institution to provide high level trainings, business coaching, mentoring, and advisory services, and help them to access finance and exposed to markets. “This is what we do across the board. After the training we sometimes provide them with grants and also link them with agencies that provide loans,” Bah explained.
Speaking further about the tour, the General Manager intimated that it was initiated by the board of directors, as the oversight body, during a board meeting, when a resolution was passed by the board members that they cannot be sitting only to be looking at reports; rather they should go to the field to get firsthand information.
The tour party, led by the chairman, Mr Sillah Konateh, had criss-crossed the length and breadth of the country; from West Coast, North Bank, Central River, Lower River down to Upper River regions; from Niumi, Badibbou down to the Kiangs. They met young people and women they trained and supported and are involved in various skills applications and trades; from agriculture (food production and processing), to commerce.
Mr Bah said, in addition to training, coaching and mentoring, NEDI supports in terms of finance, through loans and grants; materials like solar panels, agric machinery, plumbing and mini-infrastructure development through the support of state and non-actors.
He said Giz has supported them to train over 100 youths through an apprenticeship programme. “Since its creation, NEDI has trained over thousands of youth and women. Recently I can tell you we have trained over 300 young people from the Youth Revolving Fund, funded by the Gambia Government through the ministries of Finance and Youth. This targeted mainly youth and women who are already in business or potential”.
The NEDI boss intimated that they conduct training on various modules on entrepreneurship concept; from record keeping, financial management, marketing, to negotiation skills; among others. “After the training we provided them with coaches and mentors who go around them to help them register their businesses with Attorney General’s Chambers, help them open bank accounts”.
He applauded government for its commitment to this cause; saying the budgetary support has been making huge impact on the development of young people.
Mr Bah advised youth to involve in business in order to compete with non-Gambians, who he said are leading in this domain. He specifically encourages Gambians to go for merchandise or commodity business and not to leave non-Gambians alone to be the manufacturers, importers, wholesalers and retailers. “At the end we will be going nowhere; it’s important for all of us to think in that line. We have to develop our country; nobody else can do it for us”, he advised.