He said young people are encouraged by parents who send them money to facilitate their ‘back way’ adventure.
Darboe made this remark recently during a forum on irregular migration held at the President’s International Award in Bakau. Organised by the Gold Award Holders Association, the event brought together more than fifty youth from award units in schools and youth organisations.
Speaking at the event, Mr Baboucarr Kebbeh, said the forum was in response to an earlier call made by the NYC for campaigners to reach out to one million voices on irregular migration.
He added: “The call by NYC is timely and prudent as current statistics and situational analysis show that over 8,800 young people recently died on the Mediterranean Sea on their quest to achieve a dream and have troubled their parents to send them money to help sustain themselves during their journey.
“Majority of these youth taking this perilous journey are from Africa. The Gambia has one of the highest number of immigrants and this is a threat to our economy and the future of this country.”
He said of his forum: “This event will serve as a wake-up call to young people to turn around and see the opportunities that are available in this country and look at ways to utilise them.”
The programme manager of President’s International Award, Lamin Saidykhan, encouraged the civil society to embark on grassroots sensitisation and advocacy in helping to mitigate the problems associated with irregular migration.
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