Pa Malick Ceesay, the executive secretary of the Gambia National Youth Council has described the just concluded 2008 biennial National Youth Conference and Festival (NAYCONF) as successful with abundance of expectations for success for the next two years.

He also confirmed that the only aspect that was not completed was the basketball final between Banjul and Kanifing, which was due to some technical problems. Speaking to the Daily Observer at his NYC Office at the Independence Stadium, yesterday, Mr Ceesay said that despite the uncountable number of difficulties encountered during the event, the National Organising Committee and the young people have committed themselves to make it a success.

When asked about his view on the complaints made by some of the young people that the organisation of NAYCONF was not their priority, Mr Ceesay explained that NAYCONF is not a project activity. According to him, it is a platform where young people come together to discuss on issues affecting them.

As designed as a forum, he continued, NAYCONF couldn’t be metamorphosed to a project. He noted that it was the young people themselves who should recommend projects that they would want and that could be taken as resolution.

When asked for his reaction to the insistence made by the youth chairperson of Central River Region that if his Region did not host the 2010 NAYCONF, they will boycott it, Mr Ceesay responded that he has nothing to say about that because that complaint was not registered to his office. He explained that it was KM and CRR who bided for the hosting of the 2010 NAYCONF.

According to him, before the election, questions were asked for each of the chairpersons to defend his region that led to the ultimate winning of Kanifing Municipality in hosting the 2010 event. “The process of the election was fair and people have voted for their choices,” he concluded.