The Programe of Work on Protected Areas under the Department of Parks and Wildlife Management recently organised a one-day sensitisation programme for media practitioners and NGOs  at its headquarters in Abuko.

The one-day programme was aimed at briefing journalists and NGOs on protected areas in the country and seeking their parternership and support for more parks to be created.

Participants were also sensitised on the need for national partnership and their role in protected area governance.

Some of the protected areas in The Gambia are the Abuko Nature Reserve, with 106 hectares;Tambi Wetland National Park, with 6304 hectares; Tanji Birds Reserve, with 612 hectare; Niumi National Park, with 4940 hectares; Bao Bolong Wetland Reserve, with 22000 hectares; Kiang West National Park, with 11500 hectares; River Gambia National Park, with 585 hectares and Gunjur Community Wildlife Reserve.

The occasion was chaired by Ebrima Manjang, a senior wildlife officer at the Department of Parks and Wildlife Management, while the vote of thanked was delivered by Ousenue Touray, from the same department.

NYSS ex-corps members bag diplomas in Benin
Ex-corps members of the Gambia National Youth Service Scheme; namely Ousman Sanyang, Yankuba Sanneh, Sait Secka, Sana Sanyang and Sohna Sambou, recently returned home, having bagged diplomas attesting to their impressive performances in various disciplines, including crop production, aquaculture, agro processing and poultry production.

 The former trainees of NYSS were in Songhai Centre, Benin, where they attended the ECOWAS Youth Training alongside other youths from other ECOWAS member states.

The one-month training, organised by ECOWAS, aimed at providing the youths in the sub-region with a wide range of vocational skills, which will in turn enable them to maintain gainful employment and sustainable livelihoods.

According to the trainees, the training was practical based, and also involved both skilled and unskilled labour; thus it was more of intensive labour in all units.

"We specialised and worked on areas such as crop production, aquaculture, agro processing and poultry production. We also had the opportunity to learn by seeing and doing things, especially the high breeding technique programme of fish which were artificially inseminated", said Sait Secka.   

In fulfilment of the graduation criteria, the NYSS 'ambassadors' were obliged to write projects based on the Songhai integrated system, a task they did to perfection.

Speaking to this reporter, the NYSS ex-corps members expressed gratitude to ECOWAS, NYSS and The Gambia government, for their steadfastness towards the development of the youth, and they vowed to make the best use of the knowledge gained from the training.

Receiving the returnees at the airport, Mr Musa Mbye, NYSS executive director, commended them for keeping the NYSS flag flying high. He went on to implore them to remain disciplined and hardworking at all times.