By Melvin Tejan Mansaray, Freetown Sierra Leone
In a landmark discovery, Members of the ECOWAS Parliament have outlined the causes, effects and solutions to the unabating problem of irregular migration in The Gambia and West Africa Sub Region.
The revelation was made by Hon. Billay Tunkara, a Member of the Mission at the end of a Parliamentary Citizen’s Engagement on the Dangers of Irregular Migration and Modern Slavery held in Banjul, The Gambia from 6th to 10th July, 2026.
Speaking on the major findings and resultions, Hon. Tunkara expressed the ECOWAS Parliament’s commitment to advancing a people-centric approach throughout the sub region and to ensure that the voices and recommendations garnered from the engagements contribute to meaningful parliamentary action.
” Such solutions requires listening to communities, empowering young people, supporting survivors and returnees, strengthening families and creating opportunities that enable young people to choose hope, dignity and prosperity at home, rather than the risk of irregular migration,” Hon. Tunkara said.
The resolution spotlighted key issues amongst which were;
The participants consistently identified unemployment and underemployment, low income, limited access to education and vocational skill training, and inadequate economic opportunities as major drivers of irregular migration.
“Many young people expressed the view that the opportunities currently available within the country (The Gambia ) do not provide a realistic pathway to secure a prosperous future, thereby reinforcing the perception that migration offers a few viable means to improve their livelihood.”
The participants highlighted a significant influence of family expectations, peer pressure, and social media on migration decisions, underscoring that, “Images and stories portraying migrants are successful abroad, together with the financial support sometimes provided by family members to facilitate irregular journeys, continue to encourage young people to migrate despite the known dangers.”
The MPs further discovered that the testimonies of returnees and survivors confirmed that irregular migration and trafficking in person are not abstract concerns but lived experience marked by deception, exploitation, forced labour, abuse, detention, family separation, and severe psychosocial trauma.
It added that:
“Participants nevertheless recognized that survivors and returnees can become powerful advocates to prevent their testimonies and constitutes one of the most credible means of sensitizing young people in communities.”
The resolution also noted that participants emphasized that awareness raising alone is insufficient to curb irregular migration, since the system must be accompanied by meaningful employment, entrepreneurial support, vocational skill development, agricultural modernization, access to financing, and sustained investment in youth employment.
The ECOWAS Mission disclosed that participants underscored the need to strengthen reintegration support to returnees and survivors, adding that:
“Social reintegration requires not only financial assistance, but also psychosocial care, skills development, livelihood support, job replacements, community acceptance, and protection from stigma.”
It was recorded that the participants expressed serious concerns about the profitability of migration smuggling compared with the relatively weak sanctions available under the existing legislative framework.
“The Participants stressed the need for a stronger legislation, more effective enforcement and penalties, capable of deterring offenders and dismantling organized crime networks.”
The MPs concluded that, “the engagement also reaffirmed the value of direct interaction between parliamentarians and citizens. The combination of community-based dialogue and local language communication, survivor’s testimonies and support-based outreach to strengthen a thrust to promote greater public awareness and encourage meaningful participation of young people and other community members.”
The ECOWAS Parliament delegation resolved that:
“ECOWAS Member States, prioritize creation of decent and sustainable employment opportunities for young people through increased investment in technology and vocational education training centers.
Strengthening legislative, institutional, and cross-border cooperation mechanisms for combating migration, smuggling, and trafficking in persons, including enhancing intelligence sharing and coordinated enforcement actions against organized criminal networks.
Establish and strengthen comprehensive integration programmes and centers for offering psychosocial support, vocational skill training, entrepreneurship assistance, business support, job placement services, and community-based integrations for returnees, migrants and survivors of trafficking.”
It also called for an expanded access to affordable entrepreneurship financing for young people, returnees and survivors seeking to establish sustainable businesses, livelihoods, and increased investments in education by empowering infrastructure expansion, scholarship opportunities, strengthening teacher’s training and adequate equipment, agricultural, technical and vocational training institutes to prepare young people for the labor market and integrate education on irregular migration and trafficking in school curriculum, including social studies and civic education from primary to tertiary levels.
It further recommended that for the strengthening of investments in modern surveillance and border control, equipment to enhance the capacity of security agencies to prevent and combat irregular migration and migrant smuggling must be provided.
“Governments and the National Assembly of the Gambia must accelerate the passage of an Immigration Bill and ensure its immediate implementation.
Strengthen investment in communities particularly affected by irregular migration, including through decent job creation and cultural development for cultural training centers and criminal support.
Promote the active involvement of madrasas and other faith-based educational institutions in public and public awareness campaigns on dangers of Irregular migration and trafficking in patients, recognizing their importance in the role of educating and mentoring young people.
Undertake a comprehensive review of other Assemblies, i.e, national agency against Trafficking in Persons, Acts to ensure that it adequately reflects the emerging trends, contemporary challenges and evolving realities relating to trafficking in person.
That traditional and religious leaders, families, civil society organizations and the media continue to promote sustainable public awareness campaigns to counter misinformation and misleading narratives surrounding irregular migration and encourage informed decision making among young people and their families.
Encouraged families and community members to refrain from financing irregular journeys and report suspected cases of migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons to relevant authorities.
Promote the use of sports, the arts, community dialogue and other locally accessible platforms as innovative means of raising awareness and educating young people on dangers of Irregular migration and trafficking in persons.
Support the acceptance and reintegration of returnees and survivors within the communities and recognize their potential contribution as advocates for prevention and positive change.”
The ECOWAS Parliamentarians nonetheless called for an institutionalized Parliamentary-Student Engagement across ECOWAS Member States as a mechanism for strengthening parliamentary oversight, citizens participation and evidence-based policymaking on matters affecting regional integration and migrant governance, migration governance and human security by ensuring that the concerns and recommendations that emerged from the engagements inform subsequent parliamentary deliberations, advocacy and oversight relating to irregular migration and trafficking in persons.
“The Parliamentary Citizen’s Engagement reaffirmed that irregular migration and trafficking in persons are complex regional challenges that require a coordinated and sustained action by government, parliaments, communities, civil society organizations, development partners and families.”
The ECOWAS Parliamentarians commends the Government of the Gambia, the relevant national institution and the Office of the ECOWAS Resident Representative, development partners, traditional and religious leaders, youth and women, organizers, organizations, fishing associations, returnees and survivors and community members for their active participation and invaluable contributions throughout the engagements.
“The experience in Bakau in Brikama and Barra, demonstrated that lasting solutions cannot be achieved through enforcement measures alone.”
