By Sheriff Hydara
Leader of the Patriotic Progressive Alliance (PPA), Dr. Ousman Gajigo, has blamed Gambia’s migration tragedy on what he described as the government’s failure to address the country’s deepening economic challenges.
The PPA leader made the blamed following one of the country’s deadliest migration tragedies after more than 190 people, most of them young Gambians, including women and children, are feared to have died at sea while attempting to reach Europe.
Dr. Gajigo said economic growth under President Adama Barrow’s administration has been insufficient to absorb the rapidly growing youth population, noting that youth unemployment remains close to 40 percent, while incomes have stagnated amid rising living costs.
He criticized the government’s reliance on European Union-funded security measures aimed at preventing departures, arguing that such approaches ignore the root causes of migration and instead force smugglers and migrants to take increasingly dangerous routes.
“The migration crisis facing the country, suffered disproportionately by our youths, is an economic problem that requires economic solutions,” Dr. Gajigo said.
He also questioned the effectiveness of donor-supported reintegration programmes for returnees and limited legal migration schemes, including labour arrangements with Spain, saying their impact has been minimal.
“First, the scope of that programme was too small to have any impact on youth unemployment. Second, it was not well implemented in terms of how individuals were selected or how the beneficiaries were treated after selection,” he added.
Meanwhile, an overcrowded boat reportedly departed from Jinack Island in the country’s North Bank Region on 17 November, heading for Spain’s Canary Islands. According to migrant activists, opposition groups, and local community sources, there were no known survivors, making the incident one of the worst disasters linked to the renewed “Backway” irregular migration route across the Atlantic.
The government later issued a statement expressing concern over the incident and announced search efforts, though its initial silence drew criticism from opposition parties and civil society groups.
As families and communities continue to mourn, calls are growing for urgent economic reforms to address unemployment and poverty, which many believe are driving Gambian youths to risk their lives in search of better opportunities abroad.