The minister of Finance, Abdou Kolley has said that the 2011 budget will continue to support the implementation of the National Gender and Women Empowerment Policy.

Minister Kolley made these remarks Friday at the National Assembly Chambers in Banjul while presenting the 2011 budget statement and the Economic Policy Financial Year 2011 on the theme, "Enhancing Growth and Stability through Better Public Financial Management". According to him, in order to enhance gender balance in public sector management, government has enacted the Women's Act of 2010, which marks a significant milestone in empowering women and girls in The Gambia.

"This will more so put renewed impetus for the attainment of MDGs 3 on the mainstreaming gender and women's empowerment. It is in the drive that the National Gender and Women Empowerment Policy 2010-2020 has been formulated as a successor policy to the National Policy for the advancement of Gambian women and girls, 1999-2009," he said.  

Skills development for youths
The Finance minister maintained that government is also committed to enhancing the skills base of youths in The Gambia. "With support from the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (Taiwan ICDF) a state-of-the-art Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Centre for youths would be established in Ndemban Village in the West Coast Region," he disclosed.

He explained that the TVET centre is expected to be eventually transformed into an institute to provide guidance to the youths in career and skills training, as well as train instructors that would train youths in other regions. Minister Kolley further explained that the centre would particularly support government's poverty reduction efforts through creation and provision of skills development opportunities, especially for the youths.