By Omar Bah
Approximately 70 per cent of Gambians expressed a desire to migrate, primarily due to economic hardships, an Afrobarometer survey revealed.
High youth unemployment, reported at around 41.5%, and limited job opportunities are significant factors driving this trend.
Many Gambians see migration as a means to seek better living conditions and support their families financially.
The new Afrobarometer study found out that about seven in 10 Gambians have considered emigrating, with the proportion of citizens who have given it “a lot” of thought almost doubling since 2018.
According to the survey, the most common reasons cited by potential migrants are the desire to escape economic hardship and the search for work opportunities.
“Those who are most likely to emigrate are young adults, part-time workers, and the unemployed. individuals, and those with post-secondary education. North America and Europe are the most popular destinations for citizens considering migration,” it stated.
The report added that as the world observes International Migrants Day, The Gambia and other African countries contend with “brain drain,” high-risk irregular migration, and other emigration-related challenges while also benefiting from remittances by citizens working abroad.
“More than two-thirds (68%) of Gambians say they have considered leaving their country, a 12-percentage-point increase compared to 2018 (56%). The share of citizens who say they have given “a lot” of thought to emigration have almost doubled, from 29% to 53%. Thoughts of emigrating is most common among part-time workers (83%), unemployed citizens (80%), and those with post-secondary education (81%),” it noted.
