Africa-Press – Gambia. The Center for Research and Policy Development (CRPD), in collaboration with the Future Migration as Present Fact (FUMI) project, on Wednesday unveiled the findings of a new survey exploring migration aspirations, daily realities, and pressing concerns among urban Gambian youth.
The report was presented at the University of The Gambia’s Faraba campus and is intended to inform policymakers, researchers, and community initiatives seeking to better address the conditions shaping young people’s decisions about migration.
Sait Matty Jaw, CRPD’s executive director, told attendees that after more than two decades of authoritarian rule, The Gambia continues to confront the challenge of building institutions capable of producing credible, contextually grounded research.
Under the former regime, he said, information was tightly controlled, independent inquiry was discouraged, and evidence rarely guided policy. With the country’s democratic transition, CRPD was created to help cultivate a culture of rigorous and independent knowledge production—one committed to amplifying the voices and experiences of citizens.
The study, he said, brings the migration debate “closer to home,” examining not only the structural drivers of mobility but also the hopes, frustrations, and ambitions that shape the lives of young Gambians and their peers across the region. “This is not a competition of who did what,” Mr. Jaw said. “It is a dialogue about who we are becoming as a society and how we can support our young people to realize the future they imagine for themselves.”
Dr. Jørgen Carling of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), which led the research, said the project seeks to expand scientific understanding of migration by examining how personal reflections, emotional experiences, and perceptions about mobility are formed—and how they influence broader life choices.
“The research takes place in three locations: Gambia, Cape Verde, and Ghana, all of which are within West Africa. We chose to work in this region because it is the region in the world with the highest level of migration aspirations,” he noted.
Representing the University of The Gambia, Dr. Safiatou Drammeh welcomed the initiative, saying it offers a deeper perspective on migration that goes beyond visible movement. “We often focus on migration itself, rather than on the aspirations and motivations that precede it,” she said.
The broader project aims to build a more holistic understanding of young people’s lives, examining their dreams, pressures, and opportunities before turning to the role migration plays within that larger landscape.
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