US $2m anti-poverty plan launched

The Gambian government launched a US $2-million programme on Tuesday to help uplift the poorest of its people, its latest effort that began last year, the ‘Daily Observer’ of Banjul reported. The Fight Against Social and Economic Exclusion - as the plan is called - will attempt to slash the number of poor by targeting women, young adults and supporting small businesses in at least 60 communities in the country. Launching the project on Wednesday, Vice-President Isatou Njie-Saidy said the proportion of extremely poor people had increased from 15 percent in 1992/93 to 51 percent in 1998. Most affected were males between 16 and 25 years, many of whom were unemployed. Urban youths are especially disadvantaged, she added, due to their low skill levels.