By: Sulayman Waan
A number of Gambian youth have protested over insufficient job opportunities in the country, describing joblessness as roots cause of crimes in the society.
In 2019 Gambia Bureau of Statistic report indicated unemployment rate as 41.5%.
Speaking to The Voice, Alhagie Ceesay, a jobless youth, said the country lack enough job opportunities, adding that “this challenge has resulted in many youth spending time in the streets.”
“This nightmare is causing lots of crimes in the country such as stealing and selling of drugs because many are selling drugs due to the fact that they want to live a decent life and they don’t want to steal properties. Being a drug dealer is better than stealing,” he said.
According to him, if sufficient job opportunities are provided for the youth many criminal activities will not happen in the society, adding even youth sitting in the streets would stop.
He said: “If we have employment to earn our living we will go and work because we don’t want to sit in the street every time. If job opportunities are provided for the youth the salary should be attractive.”
We are not sitting here because we are aimless the fact is we lack work, he said.
Mustapha Sanyang, resident of Ebo Town youth, said the country need huge investment that would employ many people across the country.
He recalled that before the coming of the new dispensation the coalition team vowed to create enormous job employment for the masses but yet the promise is not fulfill.
“Government needs to establish more factories and farms to employ many young people,” he recommended.
This young person also said lack of employment opportunities would cause many to involve in crimes such as theft cases, arm rubbery, drug dealing among others while quickly added that despite the low employment rate in the nation the youth shouldn’t be involved in crimes.
Omar Jammeh, region youth chairperson for Central River Region (CRR) told this medium that there is no job opportunities in the rural of the country especially CRR, saying youth empowerment project is the project that promotes youth empowerment and employment in the rural area.
According to him, the lack of job opportunities in the rural area had affected the youth since, they find difficult to sustain themselves as well provide feedings for their families. “This challenge encourages rural- urban migration,” he said.
However, he called on government to provide employment opportunities for the rural youth while suggesting for government to use the river Gambia to explore jobs for the young people as well to encourage investors to invest in the rural regions.