The National Youth Parliament of The Gambia, a youth representative network of seven regional parliaments across the country, which aims at promoting and upholding principles of good governance and democracy, on Saturday held its General Assembly at the Banjul City Council  (BCC) in Banjul.

The assembly gave the parliamentarians the opportunity to elect the five national executives of the NYP for the next four years. In his welcoming remarks, the speaker of the Banjul Youth Parliament, Ousman Konteh urged his colleagues to be committed to representing the voice of the young people. He urged the youths to stop focussing solely on going to Europe.

He called for the youths to be given the opportunity to have a say in decision making. For his part, the mayor of Banjul, Samba Faal, expressed his delight to be associated with the youths. He urged the parliamentarians to elect committed and capable people who will serve them for the next four years without favouritism. Mayor Faal also advised the youths to be honest, patriotic, and committed to the national development agenda of President Jammeh.

Honourable Seedy Njie, the Youth Representative at the National Assembly noted that there can be no development without the involvement of the youths. He thanked the youths for their participation in the development agenda of President Jammeh. In his keynote address, the director of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), Alhage Gaye, called for the involvement of the youths in policy making. He advised the parliamentarians to work as a team in order to realise their goal and dreams.

He also advised them to be honest and patriotic in all their endeavours. Lamin .F. Bojang, the out-going speaker of the NYP, spoke at length on the challenges attached to leadership, especially among young people. He said his executive had registered a lot of achievements but faced a lot of constraints and urge the incoming executive to be ready to face the constraints. He used the occasion to thank the president for providing the enabling environment for the young people of the country.

In his remarked, Alhagie Bai Ceesay - representing the National Youth Council - thanked the N.Y.P for theirt service, urging them to be committed in whatever they do. He assured them of National Youth Council’s support at all times. He noted that the future lies in the hands of the youths and they should be prepared for it.