Mustapha Sallah

Mustapha is the co-founder of Youth Against Irregular Migration which aims to save lives by raising awareness of the dangers of the “backway” route of irregular migration from his home country of the Gambia in West Africa.  His goal is to raise awareness of the dangers of irregular migration, challenge the reasons that cause the loss of a large proportion of the Gambia’s youthful population, and to advocate for greater youth employment opportunities and increased participation in decision-making platforms. 

His passion for activism and the subsequent formation of YAIM is borne from his personal experience of imprisonment while attempting to make the trans-Saharan and trans-Mediterranean journey that many of his fellow Gambians embark on.  Mustapha’s social activism and advocacy skills continue to grow through his grassroots engagement with communities through school outreach, roadshows, open dialogues, story-telling and social media, and the formation of partnerships with the National Youth Council in Gambia, and the UN’s International Organisation of Migration.

Mustapha’s fellowship will support his ongoing exploration and documentation of the underlying issues around irregular migration in the Gambia, counter these issues among young people through school programmes, and  help influence and shape the public narrative and messaging through positive social media messaging for young people and communities.