At a four day guidance and counselling workshop for over three hundred young people in West Coast Region sponsored by Ecowas- Spanish Migration and Development Fund (ESMDF), he said:
“Nothing should force young people to risk their lives in the high seas to Europe for greener pastures .We are calling on the young people to embrace the leadership’s efforts in promoting the welfare of the young in the country .President Jammeh has created a lot of avenues for young people since taking the mantle of leadership in order for them to be responsible leaders.
Forcing yourselves and risking your lives on the back way in the high seas is very disheartening and I am convinced that at the end of the training, you will be able to appreciate the dangers of illegal migration. The ‘back way’ phenomenon is killing a lot of young people from The Gambia and it is high time we made a stop to it since there are avenues in the country where young people can work and earn a decent living”.
The immigration officer in charge of the West Coast Region, Nfamara Colley, noted that the motive behind the sensitisation is to reduce illegal migration which is claiming the lives of many young Gambians
“Since young people are the cream and future of the country, they should embark on things that will not ruin their lives and this back way journey is indeed frightening .It is the duty of young people to engage themselves in meaningful work rather than endangering their lives to reach mainland Europe”, he enunciated.
Sharing her entrepreneurial experience, the proprietor of MJ beauty salon and skills centre Mariama Jallow advised the participants to engage in activities that will earn them good returns. She then recalled starting her own business in 2008 and subsequently training over two thousand young people in different skills for a decent living.
Inspector Mbissin Touray of The Gambia Immigration head office in Banjul called for a change of attitudes towards the ‘backway’ ,adding that the government and partners are not discouraging young people from traveling abroad but through legal avenues.
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