Pew Research and other international studies confirm this reality. While remittances now account for close to 27 percent of our GDP in sustaining families and providing critical foreign exchange, the constant outflow of talent undermines our own national capacity to deliver health care, education, infrastructure, and innovation.
The challenge before us is not whether Gambians should move abroad - they always will - but how to ensure that this mobility becomes a source of national strength, not weakness. Other small countries have succeeded in turning their Diaspora into an engine of development. So can The Gambia.
The Opportunity
Migration has created what experts call a “brain drain.” Our best nurses, teachers, engineers, and ICT specialists are leaving, and our young people see emigration as their only hope. Yet, the same migration also generates billions in remittances, entrepreneurship, and global connections. If we can convert this “brain drain” into brain circulation, then migration can become one of the pillars of our economic transformation.
A Compact for the Diaspora
Mr President, what we need is a Diaspora and Talent Compact for the next five years, built on four strategic pillars:
1. Retain critical skills – Provide retention packages for nurses, teachers, and technicians through housing loans, allowances, and professional development. Tie government scholarships to national service obligations so that graduates contribute at home before moving abroad.
2. Leverage remittances and capital – Launch a Gambia Diaspora Bond tied to visible projects such as housing, agro-processing, or digital infrastructure. Establish a one-stop Diaspora Investment Window at GIEPA to fast-track business registration, land, and permits. Encourage remittance-backed mortgages and SME credit.
3. Circulate skills through partnerships – Negotiate circular migration compacts with Europe and the Gulf, allowing Gambians to work abroad for 3–5 years and return with new skills and savings. Launch a “Come-Home Fellows” program for diaspora experts to serve in hospitals, universities, and digital platforms on short-term assignments.
4. Build exportable services at home – Create a Digital Services Hub to capture opportunities in BPO, medical coding, accounting, and ICT. With our English-French bilingual advantage, The Gambia can become a competitive outsourcing hub for ECOWAS and beyond.
Why This Matters
The benefits are clear. Retaining and circulating skilled workers will strengthen our hospitals, schools, and industries. Redirecting even a fraction of remittances into investment can fund factories, farms, and mortgages. Building service exports will create jobs for young Gambians at home. Above all, it will change the national narrative—from a country that exports its people to one that exports knowledge, services, and innovation.
Conclusion
Mr President, migration is not a curse but an opportunity. If managed with vision, transparency, and accountability, it can become the very foundation of our future prosperity. The Gambian Diaspora is willing and able. What they need is clear, compact, credible institutions and your leadership to channel their talent and capital into national development.
It is also good to know that the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports staggering numbers of African migrant deaths in the Sahara and Mediterranean, with over 20,000 deaths/disappearances in the Central Med since 2014, and estimates suggesting twice as many deaths in the Sahara as at sea, though land figures are severely underreported due to remoteness and lack of documentation.
Key data points include 2,000+ deaths across Africa in 2024 (mostly Sahara/Canary route), with the Sahara alone seeing over 1,100 documented deaths from 2020-2024, and thousands lost at sea annually, highlighting the immense human cost of these routes.
Mr President, appropriate and essential actions need to be taken by the authorities to change this dire situation to our advantage as a nation.
Good day!