Gambia - Songhai Centre to extend to Gambia- Director meets Gambian leader

Based in Porto Novo, the Center which started in 1985 on a single hectare of land, has now expanded to six sites in Benin with one in Nigeria. The Center’s proposed establishment in Banjul is being spearheaded by The Gambia government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

“Songhai symbolises the belief that Africa's ecological characteristics are advantages rather than impediments,” Director Nzamujo told reporters in an interview.  

He said they are coming to The Gambia mainly to support the youths. “I came here to see what is possible in Africa because the president has been hearing about Songhai Center which is an innovative institution, an institution that is designed to attack challenges of today,” he remarked.

He added: “During my discussions with the president he talked about youth unemployment, poverty, food security and environmental degradation among others which are all related problems. But the only way to solve them is to develop an innovative systematic approach for them. 

So the Songhai initiative is geared towards that, where the youths would be given skills, the knowledge for the value system, equipping them to be on the driving seat. So we found out that this is in line with the president’s initiatives to empower youth and when the UNDP resident coordinator came here and realised that what the president is talking about is in line with Songhai Centre, she engaged a minister [Youth and Sports minister of The Gambia] to come over. 

The minister found out that it is exactly in line with what the president and government is looking for. So we are here to try to see how we can bring that concept here which is already on the ground. We are to concretise it so that it can support the idea particularly Vision 2016 where Africans be on their own by developing the capacity to harness the opportunities we have in Africa.” 

The director argued that Africa is rich and has so much wealth, but its problem is the fact that there is the lack of knowhow to harness them to create goods and services that would solve its problems in youth employment. He described his Center as a youth-oriented programme where the youths will be equipped. 

Nzamujo said the president was very happy with the initiative and encouraged them to start the project soonest. 

“He [President Jammeh] has accepted this and wants to see it become a reality; he has given us a marching order that he wants to see that this project is implemented,” he concluded.