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Gambia: Rural-Urban Migration
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The Daily Observer (Banjul)
EDITORIAL
17 July 2008
Posted to the web 17 July 2008
Migration is an old age problem that is not in any way limited to the developing world alone. Brought about by a series of problems, migration unravels a whole lot of societal constraints in its wake.
It, however, remains a subject of argument as to who suffers more from its sweeping effects; the losing community or the recipient community.
While problems of migration in some communities manifest themselves on the work force as affected settlements turn into mere deserted pieces of land, as can be seen with rural-urban migration, (which is more common in developing countries like The Gambia); in some other quarters, the impact is felt on the social services.
This is quite obvious in the recipient communities, and it is common in both the developed and the developing world. Criminality in all its manifestation as well as overcrowding, among a host of other problems, are all common phenomena in such places. These create an added burden for the authorities responsible for such communities. This is why African governments have taken it upon themselves to stem this deep-rooted phenomenon.
In The Gambia, the government's development agenda caters for migration. Suffice it to say that the process of decentralization is on track. Take, for instance, the rural electrification project, which aims at not only enhancing the ground for business opportunities, but also to bring about a better living condition for the inhabitants in the provinces by providing them with the basic social services that go with electricity.
The renewed vigor with which government is promoting agricultural production takes into consideration the overall effort of stemming internal migration. If the people can take care of themselves through agricultural production, they will have no reason to migrate to the urban centers only to hang around and become liabilities. Instead, they will become true servants to their nation rather having to depend on government, as has been the routine.
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Besides electricity supply and agriculture, there has also been improvement on availability of portable water supply. In most major towns in the country, you can find just as much facilities as one would expect in big cities like Serekunda and Banjul. The Gambia government is by no means relenting in its effort to making sure that Gambians, wherever they are, enjoy equal opportunities and quality livelihood.
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