Many people, especially on Social Media, seem to have issues of concern with the agreement between The Gambia and The Kingdom of Spain about migrant workers travelling to work in Spain. There are those who postulate that it exposes the fact that the sitting government has failed to create job opportunities for the young people of the country. ‘
There are however many people who see this as an excellent way to provide job opportunities for the young people. This, they argue, will improve the living conditions of those going and of course their families. They see this as an opportunity to go to Europe in a legitimate way to earn a living.
It is a well-known fact that hundreds, if not thousands, of young people from the sub-region are constantly trying to reach the shores of Europe in order to make a living. Seeing that wages are higher in Spain than in the Gambia, many young people think that they should make good use of the opportunity so as to improve on their living conditions and those of their families.
Besides, unemployment is not only a problem in The Gambia. There is hardly a country in the world that does not have some challenges when it comes to employment. Perhaps the difference lies in the severity of the problem as some countries have higher percentages of unemployment than others. The economic conditions of the world have been declining for some time now and that has affected most nations.
This does not mean holding brief for the government of the day or saying that it has done enough in the area of job creation, but to state a fact that there is nothing wrong with countries with diplomatic ties exchanging labour and expertise as it is in this agreement.
The government should of course work harder in the area of job creation so that more of the young people can be employed and attain success here at home. Also, strict and comprehensive protective guidelines should be developed so that the Gambians who may go to Spain under this agreement will have their rights protected and safeguarded.
