The LEADER Network has issued a strong call to African media to confront and dismantle the dangerous illusions fueling irregular migration among the continent’s youth.
At a workshop in Accra on August 22, 2025, the organisation warned against manipulative recruitment systems and exploitative practices that prey on the desperation of young Africans seeking opportunities abroad.
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The event, themed “The Role of the Media in Addressing the Illusions and Realities of Youth Migration in Africa,” gathered journalists, migration experts, and institutional partners. A follow-up session is scheduled for September 22, 2025, also in Accra, to deepen discussions and strengthen media collaboration.
Nana Bafour Odefour Boamh Darko, Mawerehene of Akyem Adadientam, delivered one of the workshop’s most forceful interventions. He cautioned that thousands of African youth are misled daily by exaggerated success stories from Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, many of which end in abuse, exploitation, or even death.
He cited the controversial “Alabuga Start” programme in Russia, where young African women recruited under the guise of training were allegedly subjected to harsh, exploitative conditions. He also highlighted the plight of African domestic workers in the Middle East, trapped under the kafala system — facing passport confiscation, withheld wages, poor living conditions, and physical or psychological abuse.
“These are not isolated cases,” Nana Bafour stressed. “They represent a troubling pattern where young Africans are exploited through opaque and dangerous migration routes.”
The LEADER Network urged journalists to take up their historic responsibility by fact-checking, debunking deceptive narratives, and exposing trafficking and exploitation schemes.
“Trapped migration is not only an individual tragedy; it is a collective threat to the future of our continent,” the organisation stated.
Dr. Jean Emmanuel Gnagnon, president of LEADER, called on young Africans to redefine their understanding of success. “Success is never instant. Pursuing it solely through illusions of life abroad risks destroying the very life one seeks to improve,” he cautioned.