By: Kemo Kanyi
Presidential aspirant Bakary K. Badjie has accused the Gambia government of deceiving “innocent” Gambians as regards the administration’s many promises of creating job opportunities for the youth.
Badjie, who is the National Assembly Member for Foni Bintang Karanai, accused the government of attempting to gain a political capital out of its promise of creating 150,000 jobs for the youth, arguing that the government is instead banking on foreign countries as could be seen in the labour migration agreement between Banjul and Madrid. He claimed that schemes such as this Spain labour agreement are being used by government to make money on the back of the citizens, saying such arrangements could degrade the country.
“The Gambia-Spain Labour Agreement is politically-motivated. The Government used it as an avenue to generate revenue by forcing youth to acquire passports. This simply indicates that the country lacks capacity to create jobs for its citizens without relying on foreign countries and such is not sustainable—it’s temporal,” he explained in an interview with the KM community radio.
NAM Badjie pointed out that the nature of the agreement did not recognise national dignity and jeopardizes the country’s station as a land of “honourable” people.
“The government is playing with the minds of innocent Gambians,” added Badjie, who recently declared his intention to run for president in the 2026 presidential election.
The young politician asserted that Gambian youth have lost hope of living a dignified life in The Gambia, saying the current dispensation has failed in its mandate to create employment opportunities for youth and providing them the education that can enhance their chances of creating jobs for themselves.
“Graduate from our tertiary institutions like the Gambia College and even the University of The Gambia find it tough to be employed. It’s time we get up and speak the truth about the prevailing issues in the country. There is no hope for the future for our youth—the government only promise things they cannot fulfil. Civil servants are deserting their jobs to travel outside in search of better paying jobs. We must ask ourselves about the hidden truth,” Badjie maintained.
