{"id":91114,"date":"2025-11-30T18:18:43","date_gmt":"2025-11-30T18:18:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/madi-jobarteh-criticizes-government-amid-youth-migration-crisis"},"modified":"2025-11-30T19:17:39","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T19:17:39","slug":"madi-jobarteh-criticizes-government-amid-youth-migration-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madi-jobarteh-criticizes-government-amid-youth-migration-crisis","title":{"rendered":"Madi Jobarteh Criticizes Government Amid Youth Migration Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Gambia. <\/strong><\/span><b>A prominent civil rights activist has sharply criticized the Gambian government\u2019s handling of migration and youth employment after new data showed dozens of young Gambians disappearing in Spain while on a seasonal work program.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Madi Jobarteh, known for his outspoken advocacy on governance and human rights, said the latest episode underscores the desperation driving thousands of young people to seek better prospects abroad\u2014often through the perilous \u201cBackway\u201d route to Europe.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTen thousand applied. Thirty-nine were selected. Thirty-three absconded in Spain. Meanwhile, more youths are going on the Backway, and more are dying,\u201d Jobarteh wrote on his official Facebook page. \u201cWhat does this tell the government?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jobarteh wrote on his official Facebook account, referencing the recent news that 33 Gambian migrants absconded in Spain after being among the 39 selected for a seasonal work program.<\/p>\n<p>His comments came in response to reports that 33 of the 39 Gambians chosen for a Spanish seasonal labor scheme vanished upon arrival, presumably to remain in Europe illegally. The overwhelming number of applicants, he argued, reflects a stark lack of opportunities at home. \u201cYes, roads and buildings are important,\u201d he wrote. \u201cBut how to make them create jobs, hope, and dignity is the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The figures reveal the scale of frustration among young Gambians, many of whom see irregular migration as their only viable path to economic security. That 33 participants opted to remain abroad rather than return home has reignited debate about the country\u2019s development priorities.<\/p>\n<p>Jobarteh\u2019s remarks have drawn widespread attention online, fueling mounting calls for the government to invest more aggressively in job creation and long-term economic reforms aimed at addressing the root causes of migration.<\/p>\n<p>As his statement continues to circulate, the government has yet to issue a formal response. But the growing public outcry reflects a deepening sentiment: that for many of The Gambia\u2019s youth, hope and opportunity remain out of reach\u2014and the consequences are increasingly deadly.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Gambia<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Gambia. A prominent civil rights activist has sharply criticized the Gambian government\u2019s handling of migration and youth employment after new data showed dozens of young Gambians disappearing in Spain while on a seasonal work program. Madi Jobarteh, known for his outspoken advocacy on governance and human rights, said the latest episode underscores the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":91113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7,12],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-91114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-head-lines","category-policy","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Madi Jobarteh Criticizes Government Amid Youth Migration Crisis - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A prominent civil rights activist has sharply criticized the Gambian government\u2019s handling of migration and youth emp ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madi-jobarteh-criticizes-government-amid-youth-migration-crisis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Madi Jobarteh Criticizes Government Amid Youth Migration Crisis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A prominent civil rights activist has sharply criticized the Gambian government\u2019s handling of migration and youth emp ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madi-jobarteh-criticizes-government-amid-youth-migration-crisis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-30T18:18:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-30T19:17:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/11\/sm_1764517636.299992.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"940\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madi-jobarteh-criticizes-government-amid-youth-migration-crisis#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madi-jobarteh-criticizes-government-amid-youth-migration-crisis\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Madi Jobarteh Criticizes Government Amid Youth Migration Crisis\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-30T18:18:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-30T19:17:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madi-jobarteh-criticizes-government-amid-youth-migration-crisis\"},\"wordCount\":338,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madi-jobarteh-criticizes-government-amid-youth-migration-crisis#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/11\/sm_1764517636.299992.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"head lines\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madi-jobarteh-criticizes-government-amid-youth-migration-crisis#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madi-jobarteh-criticizes-government-amid-youth-migration-crisis\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madi-jobarteh-criticizes-government-amid-youth-migration-crisis\",\"name\":\"Madi Jobarteh Criticizes Government Amid Youth Migration Crisis - 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