Kawsu Badjie, an ex-corps member of the National Youth Service Scheme (NYSS) and also chairman of the interim executive committee of the NYSS Alumni Association, recently returned home after attending a month-long training in electrical installation at Soufouroulaye Centre in Mali.

Jointly organized by the ECOWAS Commission for Youth and Sports Development Centre and the Ministry for Youth Matters of the Republic of Mali, the training session brought together over 14 participants from 11 member states of ECOWAS. The main objective was to promote youth integration in the formal sector, developing youth entrepreneurship in the area of electricity and also to render support to young people by encouraging capacity building amongst the youths who are presently engaged in home electrical installation in all ECOWAS member states.

Speaking to the Daily Observer, Kawsu Badjie, who now operates his own air conditioning, electrical and refrigeration workshop, commended NYSS for its splendid initiative in ensuring the development of the human resource base of the Gambia.

"Indeed NYSS has changed the lives of many of us.  It is as a result of the training we got at the NYSS that most of us are capable of running our own workshops and also doing very well in our places of work.  I must confess that the scheme is on course.  I also want to sincerely salute the efforts of ECOWAS," Kawsu noted.

While dilating on the importance of skill acquisition, Kawsu implored all Gambian youth to work hard to ensure that they are skillful.  Badjie vowed to use the skills learnt to contribute his quota in national development.