In the last few days, Africans and
Gambians in particular have been mourning the passage of over 60 young people on
the Mauritania’s Coast. Report has it that the boat in which they were
traveling with sunk on the Coast. Before the latest casualties, existing
statistics indicates that 8, 681 Gambians were recorded as illegal migrants who
entered Europe by sea between January 2017 and March, 2018.
Various factors have been adduced for
the illegal migration by the youths in the West African smallest country by the
experts and government officials. In
our previous analysis, we pointed out that the despite stricken poverty in
many countries on the continent, parents and relatives of those who want to
embark on the perilous trip still struggling raising money to meet human
traffickers’ financial demands; hoping that their children would come back with
substantial materials for better livelihood.
In its
recent report, the ActionAid painted the consequences of the illegal
migration, thus: “Njaba Kunda is a village of around 3,600 people in Central
Baddibu district 1.5 hours west of Banjul on the north bank of the Gambia
river. Its population has shrunk by hundreds in recent years as young people
ranging in age from 15-30 have left: 700 from the village (around a fifth) are
now in Europe, with others in neighbouring countries. Tragically, 23 people
from Njaba Kunda have died since leaving the village in the past three years,
many by drowning in the Mediterranean.
The International Humanitarian organisation
adds that the male migration had also had significant impact on women within
the agriculture sector. “It is increasing the agricultural workload on those ‘left
behind’, especially women.”
Migrating to Europe is not bad as
long as legal means were explored. Existing
statistics shows that between 2013 and 2015, Gambians sent US$181 million to
their families and relatives in a year, equivalent to around 20% of GDP, one
of the highest proportions in the world.
Migrants narrating their ordeals
In its attempt of taming the tide of
the illegal migration, the Gambian
government in conjunction with the European countries launched a policy
initiative to create jobs and make the Gambia’s market more amenable to young
entrepreneurs. With the recent development, it has emerged that Gambian
government needs to look inward and find sustainable solutions to the crisis.
It needs to improve on the job creation and enabling environment for small and
medium business development.
It would remain efforts in futility
if government cannot develop appropriate strategies to tackle human trafficking
and re-orientate parents and relatives on the need to stop sponsoring their
children to Europe and other developed continents through illegal routes.
Beyond these, government needs to address climate change effects in the agriculture
sector, without this, taming illegal migration is not in sight because the majority
of the populace in the rural areas relies on the sector for a living.
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