By Alie Turay
Restless Development with support from UNDP and National Youth Commission (NAYCOM) had trained and certified eighty young people from all walks of life on Business Development Skills (BDS).
The seven weeks training programme which was held at the Obasanjo Skills Acquisition Youth Transformation College in Newton attract forty boys and forty girls people from WaterLoo, Tombo, York and its environs which include 14 Wards in constituency 92, 93, 94 and 95.
During the graduation ceremony at the Commissioner Anthony Koroma’s Multi-purpose hall at the college grounds last Wednesday, the Chairman of the programme and also the head of the Obasanjo Skills Acquisition Youth Transformation College, said it is the responsibility of the institute to develop young people no matter their level of education, because according to him it is time for young people to multiply their abilities and called on all graduates to make their certificate change and to fill in the missing needs of their communities. He added that it is the responsibility of young people to develop themselves as there is no government will ever meet the needs of all its youths.
BDS Interim Programme Coordinator, Williegus Williams, said the BDS is an idea of the UNDP and the NAYCOM to empower, promote entrepreneurship and improve business skills of young people. He said despite ebola in 2014 they were able to make success by constantly engaging young people through radio teaching programmes. He further stated that Restless Development is looking forward to go into Agro business and called on donor partners for more support so as to help them expend on such venture.
Representative from UNDP, Anmarie Bassie, said her agency will support government and its partners especially Restless Development. She said they are grateful to Restless Development for keeping the centre running. She further stated that UNDP will continue to support business that will grow and that young people should take such opportunity. She said business is all about competition and called on all graduates to be innovative in doing business. She also said that UNDP wants to reduce the unemployment rate among young people through innovation in all areas of their life.
The first Sierra Leonean Country Director of Restless Development James Fofanah thanked UNDP and NAYCOM for their support, noting that the aim of Restless Development is to empower and improve the skills of young people. He called on young people to add innovation in everything they do and Restless Development will stand by young people to develop their communities nationwide.
Manso Bangura from NAYCOM said the commission is concerned about giving support to the youths, adding that UNDP and Restless Development are key partners to NAYCOM. He further said that it is not the number of qualification but the output of youths to society that counts.
One of the graduates, Fatmata H. Bangura who runs a provision shop in Waterloo, thanked Restless Development for such a carrier development. She said before now she had no knowledge about checks and balances. With just seven weeks she can now run her business in a formal and corporate manner. Now she can take records and track the income flow of the business. She also added that the BDS programme has trained her on how to interact with costumers.
Mohamed Conteh, a barber from Tombo said he is now running his barbing saloon with proper book keeping and takes the profession seriously than ever before. He added that he is able to employ more people because he wished to expand his business. He further stated that he will use the process to setup a fish processing company because, according him, there is need to add value to the fishing industry in Tombo town and thanked Restless Development for the BDS programme.
Another beneficiary, Isatu Bangura, a petty trader from Kabbah Street in Waterloo said she is grateful to Restless Development because they do not discriminate against people due to physical disability and for changing her mind set on cash flow because before now she used to put blame on witches on the fall in cash flow, but with the BDS programme she now knows that business bookkeeping was the cause of business failure and promised to take the BDS knowledge to her community.
