Gambia: Emigration, lifeline or family fracture?

In Gambia, emigration is becoming a near-vital recourse for thousands of families, driven by poverty, massive unemployment and an increasingly unpredictable climate. Nearly 10% of the population has left the country, leaving depopulated rural communities where women and the elderly struggle to survive. While the money sent by migrants helps cover basic needs, their absence leaves families broken, with children growing up without fathers, and dreams sacrificed for a hypothetical future.

The peril of exile

The migration routes taken, especially the "backway" , are infamous for their dangers . Crossing the Atlantic or the Sahara Desert, then facing the Mediterranean, has cost the lives of thousands of migrants, tragedies that do not stop young men in search of a better life. Suleyman Bah , a Gambian working in Germany, is one of the many who have braved these dangers. While he financially supports his family back home, his wife, Binta Bah , must face a life of solitude and romantic distance. The dilemma is cruel: must one choose between financial need and family tearing apart?

The economy of exile

Remittances make up a massive share of Gambia’s economy, reaching 25% of GDP according to the World Bank. These money transfers help buy food, pay school fees and even build homes. But this reliance masks the country’s deeper ills. The economy, largely based on expensive imports and aging agriculture, is failing to provide job opportunities for young people. The uncertain economic outlook only fuels the cycle of mass exodus.

The future suspended

While emigration remains a lifeline for Ghanaian families, it destabilizes local communities. The burden of agricultural work increasingly falls on the shoulders of women and the elderly, while young men continue to dream of a better future abroad. Despite efforts by European countries to curb migration flows, stories of success – however rare – continue to fuel these dreams of exile.