By: Katiby Sawo
A good number of young people in The Gambia are unemployed. Every year, our schools pumped out graduates, who scavenged to secure jobs on their own.
There is nothing much being done by the Gambia Government under the leadership of His Excellency President Adama Barrow, having the primary duty to create job opportunities for Gambians, to address this menace.
What is the government doing to remedy this problem? Is the government going to allow this problem to persist?
The Gambia has a youthful population. Therefore, The Gambia has the potential to become a vibrant country in Africa since it has the human resource.
However, most of the youth spend their days at the ghettos and would either drink green tea or smoke.
This smoking and drinking green tea in the ghetto doesn’t mean they are aimless. The reality is they are ready to work but the working environment is not provided by the government.
Some want to become teachers, accountants, engineers, journalists, etc. They end up becoming street boys because they can’t fulfil their dreams.
The Gambia government doesn’t establish enough factories; on the other hand, the private sectors are weak.
If the private sector was strong, it would have been the game changer and hope for the young people because it would have consumed most of the jobless youths.
Due to family stress and hope for better living standards, some of the youths would prefer to embark on the back-way journey to Europe in search of greener pastures.
This is because they feel that their situation will never change in The Gambia and they will never be able to realize their potential.
The government of The Gambia should put the youth into consideration, they are the majority in this country.
More than 50% of the country’s population are youths, and half are jobless or not earning good pay. What should be done to remedy this tragic situation in the country, of Gambia?
The ministry through the government of The Gambia should focus on the labour market. The ministries in their capacity can create or build skill centres within each region throughout the country.
Doing so will make it possible for some youths to engage in meaningful activities and then utilize their skills to earn something for themselves and their family.
In conclusion, if all these things are considered, the labour market will reduce and the force of unemployment will beat down, which will eventually result in positive feedback.
The issue of embarking on the ‘backway’ will likely decline.
