Sustainability Road Map for Gambian citizenry

Today, entrepreneurialism and immigration are at significant national and global agendas. Many young Gambians attempt to take a life-and-death risks journey to Europe in search of jobs and opportunities every year.

Records show that over 90,000 Gambians living abroad account for over 20 per cent of the country’s GDP through overseas remittances.

International Organization for Migration (IOM) noted that some158 people are known to have died trying to reach the Canary Islands this year, against 43 last year.

Experts say if Gambians had access to fair and practical migration pathways this would lessen cases of irregular migration, which continue to remain high.

Though, the government is intensifying its efforts to deal with traffickers, but there are some things they also need to check out.

Anti-Illegal Migration Road Map

• Employability training fund must be established with the aim of bridging together youth, diaspora and local authorities to promote employment and address irregular migration in The Gambia.

• Gambian youths should be renewed with hope by relevant developmental stakeholders through provision of economic opportunities in order to curb irregular migration.

• Reintegration programmes for voluntary returnees must be reestablished and restructured by the government in collaboration with existing International donors and NGO’s.

• Adequate reintegration facilities for returning migrants should be put in place by the government and more emphasis should be on the protection of vulnerable migrants.

• Vocational training for youths and all unemployed must be provided as an alternative to irregular migration in the country.

• The Gambia government should collaborate with technology giants in order to provide technology and digitized based training for all youths.

• The Gambia government must strengthen its migration governance policymaking strategies through collaboration with active Migration based NGO’s by employing the use of national coordination frameworks and evidence-based policy design, particularly through research and the collection and analysis of data.

• Government should partner with concern NGO’s to raise awareness among potential migrants about the risks of irregular migration.

• The Gambian government should promote diaspora engagement in order to contribute to economic development through skills and knowledge transfer.