In my inaugural statement of the 14th Council of National Youth Council - The Gambia, I emphasised to the new Chairperson and other female members of the Council that they are elected and appointed due to their competence, perseverance and demonstrated commitment to issues of youths and general development of The Gambia; but that the choice of a female outgoing (appointed in 2023) and female incoming Chairperson, in addition to a young female representative was intentional on my part due to my wish, supported by the senior staff, to break the longstanding dominance of men in both the Council and overall leadership of the Ministry of Youth & Sports.
I recalled how, a few months into my appointment as Minister, I used to bleat about the Ministry's being 100% led by gentlemen. I used to provoke them anytime I have the opportunity to, that if anyone moves on or looses his position, he will be replaced by a female. It wasn't a joke, I have had the intention to appoint and recommend for appointment into the leadership of the Ministry strong, qualified, committed and innovative women to help steer the affairs of youth empowerment and sport development. After all, they constitute 52% of the country's population and thus must join tour parties to inspect projects and make reports and recommendations, they should sit around the table in meeting rooms, not to serve tea but to debate and be part of the decision making, they must be leaders, co-creators of ideas that will transform our sectors.
I'm proud to say that today, from zero female in the leadership of the Ministry in 2021 to five in 2025 - from Permanent Secretary, General Manager, two Deputies Directors and a Council Chairperson
It's not tokenism, it's a belief that I have based on my orientation 10 years ago as Program Officer of Child Protection Alliance (CPA), where I was opportune to be exposed to all kind of education, mentored by strong women and men who stand for women's rights and their empowerment, and I ended up not just becoming a trainer on children's and women's rights but got involved in both national and continental working groups on these issues - this expanded my knowledge of gender equality and the broader gender mainstreaming, and the huge benefits it has for an organization and country.
Recalling in 2018, when I first contested for Mayor, we had a team led by a young woman as Campaign Chairperson - and she demonstrated exemplary leadership and provided guidance in the midst of men, majority of whom were older than her. Today, the first women we brought on board are performing well in the roles, and we therefore no reason to doubt the new ones. I cherished these values and will surely live up to them, be it in public or private office.
So to all the young women out there, no matter our patriarchal setups and societal barriers, be bold, be strong, come forward, and be ready to serve your community and country.
