By Jane Salihu
The ECOWAS Parliament has called for sweeping economic and legislative reforms across West Africa to address irregular migration, rejecting awareness campaigns alone as insufficient to stop young people from undertaking perilous journeys to Europe.
The regional legislature made the demand after a week of community consultations in The Gambia, where returnees, trafficking survivors, traditional leaders, youth groups and civil society organizations detailed the desperation driving migration flows.
Unemployment and underemployment topped the list of root causes identified during the engagement in Bakau, Brikama and Barra.
Participants said young people see migration as the only viable path to economic advancement when opportunities within their countries cannot guarantee stable futures.
“Awareness campaigns alone would not effectively address the problem unless they are supported by sustained investments in youth employment, entrepreneurship, vocational skills development, agricultural modernisation and improved access to finance,” the Parliament stated.
The consultations revealed how family pressure, peer influence and social media’s glossy portrayals of life abroad continue fueling migration flows. Some families even finance journeys despite knowing the dangers, participants noted.
Testimonies from returnees and survivors painted a stark picture: deception by smugglers, forced labour, sexual abuse, detention in foreign prisons, family separation and psychological trauma.
Yet the Parliament identified these survivors as crucial resources, arguing they could deter vulnerable youth by sharing their real experiences in communities.
The regional body urged member states to expand investments in education, technical training and youth entrepreneurship while integrating migration education into school curricula.
It also called for stronger border security and tougher penalties for migrant smuggling, noting that existing laws fail to deter criminal networks profiting from the illegal trade.
Regarding The Gambia specifically, the Parliament pressed the government and National Assembly to expedite passage of the Immigration Bill and strengthen anti-trafficking legislation.
It also demanded increased investment in communities most affected by migration.
The Parliament further recommended enhanced reintegration programmes for returnees through psychosocial support, skills training, livelihood assistance and job placement—crucially, measures to eliminate the stigma survivors face upon return to their communities.
Traditional leaders, religious figures, civil society and media were encouraged to intensify public messaging and support survivors’ reintegration, while families were urged to stop financing irregular migration.
West Africa remains a major source region for irregular migration to Europe, with tens of thousands of young people attempting the journey annually despite documented risks of drowning at sea, abuse in transit countries and exploitation by smugglers.
The migration crisis has strained resources in destination countries while draining skilled youth from origin countries.
The Parliament resolved to institutionalize similar citizen engagement across all ECOWAS member states to ensure community voices shape future migration policy.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings