By: Alieu Ceesay
Scores of young Gambians packed a seminar hall over the weekend, declaring that the climate emergency threatening their country will not force them to migrate; instead, they will be the engine of national transformation.
Organised by Global Platform Gambia, the national youth seminar brought together students from the University of The Gambia, civil society activists, youth movements, and unemployed young women to confront the devastating effects of climate change and map a path forward through green enterprise.
“The green economy is not an environmental agenda – it is a national development agenda,” declared renowned environmental activist Kemo Fatty. “If you lead it, The Gambia will not only catch up with the world, it will surprise the world. The ball is in your court.”
With agriculture employing the majority of Gambians and the country ranked among the 100 most climate-vulnerable nations on earth, the stakes could not be higher. Erratic rainfall, rising sea levels, and creeping saltwater intrusion are already destroying crops and livelihoods, pushing youth toward economic despair and, potentially, migration.
“By 2050, 85 million people are expected to leave the Sahel for Europe and America,” Fatty warned. “We are the generation that will decide whether The Gambia adapts or collapses, whether we prosper or migrate, whether we complain or create.”
The room erupted in agreement. Speakers highlighted a growing wave of youth-led climate solutions – from climate-smart farming and solar energy start-ups to large-scale ecosystem restoration. Yet success remains blocked by limited access to land, credit, insurance, and start-up capital.
“The problem is not lack of talent, but lack of opportunities,” one participant stressed. “Democratise funding and resources, and small green businesses will scale up overnight.”
Local organisations are stepping into the gap. The Gambia Environmental Alliance, GreenUp Gambia, Mbollo Association, and the Green Wall Initiative are already delivering training, micro-grants, and business incubation. The Green Wall Initiative alone has supported 25 young agro-forestry entrepreneurs this year.
“Provide technical skills and climate literacy, and communities can turn youth from victims into powerful agents of resilient development,” said environmentalist Haddy Ceesay.
Participants issued an apparent demand to policymakers: remove bureaucratic barriers, reform land access, improve credit and insurance for green enterprises, and redirect climate finance toward youth-led initiatives.
As the seminar closed, the message was unanimous – The Gambia’s future will be decided by how quickly it empowers its young people to build a green economy. The youth present made one thing clear: they are ready to lead, and they will no longer wait for permission.
