August 25, 2021
By: Aruna Kamara (BO)
The Minister of Labour and Social Security, Alpha Timbo has categorically stated that emigration should be regularized in the country.
He made this statement on AYV Wake Up Sierra Leone Program on Monday
He said that migration is a trend that nobody can stop as it is part of human nature where people want to explore for various reasons, among them is seeking for greener pastures.
“That is why I have always maintained that it does not make sense for any country to put restriction on migration but rather to find ways and means to regularize the way people search for greener and pastures,” he pointed out.
Mr. Timbo said that most of the people who migrate and meet their tragic death go through irregular means and such people do not go through the right systems put in place to have the regular means of migrating into other countries.
He however said that human beings think differently as some people even though there is an established structure but because it goes with pre-conditions and they do not want to fulfill them, they find the shorter means.
“As a nation, we took a conscious decision at cabinet to lift the ban on emigration and for Sierra Leone our labour migration agenda has three components ,comprising the transfer of skills, knowledge and money back home to help in the transformation processes,” ‘’Minister Timbo said.
He noted that the way the migration policy is structured, it has a mutual benefit, adding that he has engaged the Journalist International Forum for Migration to help the journalists in Sierra Leone to be knowledgeable about the benefits and the challenges associated with migration.
Mr. Timbo said that they have entered into bilateral relations and agreement with countries so that they can understand in clear terms their policy on migration.
Some Civil Society organizations have lauded the migration policies of the SLPP led government, particularly in the area of skills acquisition by youths to discourage them from embarking on illegal migration and working with international institutions or organizations like international Organization for Migration and the Japan Government.
At least 2,000 Sierra Leonean youths are facing chronic unemployment or underemployment will receive market-driven vocational training over the next three years under a project funded by the Government of Japan.
“IOM has a long-standing experience addressing issues related to youth, migration and employment,” said Sanusi Savage, Head of the IOM Office in Sierra Leone.
“We hope that through this new initiative, we can unlock the entrepreneurship potential of Sierra Leonean youths and help them contribute to the development of the country,” he explained.
More than 60 per cent of Sierra Leonean youths are unemployed or underemployed. The West African country has been slowly recovering from the devastation caused by an 11-year civil war (1991 – 2002) and the recent Ebola crisis (2013 – 2016), which has led to massive rural-urban mobility, especially among young people.
This population growth in urban areas has impacted infrastructure and essential service delivery, including housing, schools, jobs, water, health, electricity, sanitation, etc.