Africa-Press – Gambia. The International Trade Centre (ITC) and its partners on Thursday ended a 4 day capacity building training for 30 young Gambian emerging artists.
Held at Sterling Technical Training Institute in Busumbala, the initiative is funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Trade Centre under the European Union Youth Empowerment Project for tourism and creative industries.
The training programme aims to equip emerging artists with the financial, branding, and communication skills necessary for sustainable careers in the music industry.
During the 4 days intensive training workshop, participants were also given the platform to showcase their talents.
The 56 months project aims to empower youth and women, promote job creation, and foster skills development, targeting MSMEs and various public and private sector institutions.
In the development of the creative industries, the ITC is said to be committed to empowering emerging artists in The Gambia through capacity-building initiatives.
Yusupha Keita, a representative of the International Trade Centre (ITC), said the idea behind the training is to take the music industry to another level.
“We are honoured to witness this important milestone, the training of young emerging artists. This reflects our shared commitment to fostering creativity, innovation and sustainable livelihood within the Gambian vibrant creative economy.”
He added that ITC’s support for the programme aligns with their broader mission under the EU-YEP tourism and creative industries aimed at empowering youth to acquire skills and unlock opportunities.
“We are investing in a future where creativity is recognised as a career that contributes to The Gambia and advances her sustainable development goals. We trust that participants have enriched their understanding in the areas of music production and branding to financial literacy and copyright protection,” he said.
He said these skills are not merely tools for individual success.
“They form the foundation of resilience and inclusive creative industry capable of driving economic growth, generating jobs and amplifying The Gambia’s cultural voice on a global stage. This is really fundamental. We want to ensure that our Gambian music demonstrate that unique identity whenever we play it,” he said. Ya Awa Nyassi, a Consultant on Monitoring and Creative Industries Development at ITC Gambia, said Gambia’s creative industry has been sidelined for far too long.
He said now that the opportunity to explore the creative industry is available, the youth should take advantage of it.
“This should be a source of motivation that you are not left behind because you play a key role in our communities and cultural sector,” he said.
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