Gambia: Strategy for Youth, Development and Women’s Empowerment

The YWDE strategy is to define measures for improving the development and empowerment of youth and women through the use of ICT.

The YWDE-2024 strategy covers the period 2021 – 2024.

Unprecedented changes in ICT are having a profound impact on the lives of young people and women.

These take the form, among other things, of political and social developments, all of which trigger changes in the social fabric of the country.

Most of the impact is on challenges to traditional power structures as advocacy is for a new

contract between the state and society.

The change reflects connectivity and internet access. A larger portion of the country’s internet users are under 25 years old.

Safeguarding the rights of young people and investing in their quality education, decent work and employment opportunities, effective livelihood skills and access to health and services and participation are key to achieving development and a sustainable future.

The impact of ICT on all these creates access to about 39.1% of the population are young people between the ages of 15 and 24.

The Strategy is based on the belief that young people and women

development and empowerment advance the nation’s competitiveness regionally and internationally.

The main objective is to enhance the status of youth and women through a comprehensive approach that takes into consideration the different complementary roles that the two play in national development.

This strategy is sensitive to current technological changes and the corresponding benefits it brings to both youth and women.

It is partly based on Goal 5 of the United Nations SDGs, as the measures aim to use ICTs to achieve gender equality, eliminating all forms of discrimination, harmful practices and violence against women. women and girls.

In addition, the strategy draws on international best practices in its

development, with particular emphasis on what is happening in ECOWAS

countries with a development context similar to that of The Gambia.

Its formulation is based on a consultative process with stakeholders from government, civil society and the private sector. Some key reports were reviewed as well as developments at the international level, particularly in relation to the SDGs and ECOWAS and the AU

commitments on the development and empowerment of youth and women.

In 2016, The Gambia had a population of 1,922,950, including 915,357 men and 1,007,593 women.

This represents 47.6% men and 52.4% women.

The number of 1,057,467 live in urban areas and 865,483 live in rural areas.

With an average household size of 6.9, there is a

population increase of 3.5%.

Population growth from 1,857,181 in 2013 to 1,922,950 people in 2015-2016 represents an increase of 3.5% with a

residential distribution of 55.0% in urban areas and 45.0% in rural areas.

Booming Gambia, youth population in Africa: potential or challenge?