Is social media the next gold mine for Gambian youth? The story of Mamadou Edrisa Njie

Mansa Banko: Mamadou Edrisa Njie

If someone had told me that a few years ago that using the social media will one day land me in a job, I would have totally disagreed with that person, be it an expert, a researcher or a fortuneteller. In fact, this wasn’t because I didn’t know what social media was all about but mainly because I was ONLY passionately on Facebook to chart with friends with some that I don’t know.

Here I am, have signed a six month-contract with one of the best IT Service Providers in The Gambia to be its “Social Media Administrator”. A post I only knew existed during the signing of the contract.

Being born and brought up in the rural community of The Gambia where young people trek several kilometers to access internet to use the social media-Facebook and Skype, today, I count myself a one of the luckiest to have had the opportunity to access the social media anytime, anywhere with thanks to an IPAD provided by Global Youth Innovation Network (GYIN) International.

Youths to make history, trek to Mali from Abuja

By: Greg Odogwu journalist with The Garki Gazette, Abuja, Nigeria #WalktoMali 

Mamadou Edrisa Njie interview with Greg Odogwu Abuja, Nigeria

Some West African youths are set to make history as they embark on a two months long walk to Mali and back, covering about 3,500 kilometres, from the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on Saturday, 18th January.

The GARKI GAZETTE gathered that the youths are made up of about twelve youth activists from seven West African countries of Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin; they will traverse the cold-by-the-night and hot-by-the-day climate of sub-Saharan Africa in their quest to attract the world’s attention to the poverty ravaging the communities they would visit along the route.

This journey is under the auspices of Earth Hour, an environmental initiative of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) kick-started in 2007 to draw the world’s attention to the menace of global warming and encourage global citizens to take definite action to stem the menace.

LEAD Francophone Africa Awards GYIN-Gambia National Coordinator A Fellowship

SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTIVISTS CUM JOURNALIST

Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) Africa Francophone has awarded Global Youth Innovation Network- Gambia (GYIN-Gambia) National Coordinator, Ambassador Mamadou Edrisa Njie,  its LEAD Africa fellowship programme COHORT 17, The Gambia.The fellowship will runs from 5-12 May, 2012. The official launching will be held at the Parc Zoologigue de Hannat in Dakar, Senegal. Other sessions will be held in Mbour.

LEAD Africa and the LEAD Africa Fellowship Program are part of the global LEAD network whose common mission is to inspire leadership and charge for a sustainable world.