Economic hardship, hopelessness and extreme poverty are some of the common factors that drive Gambian youth into embarking on the perilous, mostly sea, voyages in their strenuous effort to reach Europe, at all costs. This infamous irregular migration locally dubbed “Backway”, is a journey fraught with numerous deaths and financial loss, albeit there were several successful irregular crossings–in tens of thousands–to Europe.
The phenomenon does not only trigger rural-urban drift, leading to an increasing problem of urban poverty, but it has gone further to compel a large chunk of the country’s youthful population into life threatening journeys across the Sahara Desert and the high-seas separating Africa and Europe. Sadly, the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean sea have consumed tens of thousands of sub-Saharan Africa’s youth folk while attempting to leave the continent for greener pastures elsewhere, simply due to lack of enough life-changing opportunities in their respective countries.
And the Gambia, being one of the smallest countries in mainland Africa, is also one of the “biggest suppliers” of irregular migrants to Western Europe, despite its minor population compared to other African countries.
On a regular basis, young Gambians, both males and females, would leave the shores of the country through such dangerous routes, which already claimed several lives of young Gambians.
One Abdoulie Ceesay of Toniataba village, Lower River Region of The Gambia, was those who attempted the irregular migration undertaken by many of his Gambian brothers and sisters with the hope of making it to the West but unfortunately, he was unsuccessful in crossing over to his dreamland of Europe through Algeria, a North African nation that lies few kilometers from Europe.
[An internet search by Mansa Banko Online indicates that the Mediterranean Sea borders Algeria to the north. The total straight line distance between Algeria and Europe is 1345 KM (kilometers) and 922.03 meters. The miles based distance from Algeria to Europe is 836.3 miles. This is a straight line distance and so most of the time the actual travel distance between Algeria and Europe may be higher or vary due to curvature of the road].
“I went through the backway journey; I was working in one poultry farm in Algeria where I got some experience. So, when I came back, then I started my own poultry farm,” were Ceesay’s words as he recounted the ill-fated journey and his now progressing poultry enterprise.
On his poultry farm and garden, the Toniataba native and Grade 9 graduate, admitted things were not easy in the beginning because, he said, none of his friends and family members supported it, and marketing his products wasn’t pleasant either. “I was alone when I started, but now, I am there with my younger brother,” Ceesay told this medium.
His main aim is to expand his poultry and gardening ventures and eventually employ other youth to curb irregular migration in the Gambia. He wants agriculture in the country be mechanized more, suggesting that more support should be given to the Gambian farmers in order for them to achieve their dreams in farming, thereby boosting economic growth.
According to him, poultry feed is costly and chicks are available only in Abuko; and therefore transporting these products to Toniataba village, which is off the main highway, cost them a lot of money.
“It is very challenging because we often get everything from Senegal,” he lamented. He called on the government of President Adama Barrow to establish poultry feed manufacturing plants in the Gambia, to limit their dependence on Senegal, as he also enjoined potential donors to step forward.
In a related activity, Ceesay is also using the proceeds from his poultry and gardening ventures to purchase goats [for animal rearing].
