BRIDGING THE LEGAL GAP: HOW THE GAMBIA CAN LEAD WEST AFRICA'S RESPONSE TO CLIMATE-INDUCED MIGRATION

This policy analysis investigates the urgent legal protection gap facing climate-displaced populations in West Africa through the lens of The Gambia's potential regional leadership. Based on professional casework representing over a dozen climate-displaced persons and thorough review of regional legal frameworks, this paper discovers three essential mismatches between existing legal instruments and operational reality: attribution data gaps that prevent systematic protection responses, scale mismatches between adaptation programming and hotspot vulnerability, and institutional capacity constraints that undermine policy implementation. The analysis recommends that The Gambia's distinctive combination of climate vulnerability, compact governance structures, and active multilateral participation positions it to lead integrated climate-mobility legislation that bridges ECOWAS free movement protocols with climate adaptation funding. Based on comparative analysis of regional approaches in Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, the paper proposes a three-phase implementation plan that converts paper dedications into operational protection steps while addressing documented fiscal and institutional constraints.