By: Bakary Touray Jr
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), through the Vice President of the Gambia, Dr. Isatou Njie-Saidy, has donated some equipment to the National Coordination Mechanism for Migration (NCM).
The presentation ceremony which was held at the State House in Banjul, on Friday, 18 December 2020, saw the donation of four (4) laptops; four (4) desktops; four (4)tablets; four (4) executive chairs; four (4) executive desks; one (1) multipurpose printer; four (4) Internet dongle; 100 data storage-USB sticks; four (4) external hard drives; four (4) cell phones; 800 business cards; one (1) paper shredder; and some office supplies and stationery (boxes of white paper and color cartridges. The Vice President recalled NCM was launched in November of 2019 as a result of a long process of consultation among key government stakeholders working in the domain of migration management.
The country’s second-in-command told her audience the Gambia Government recognizes the contribution of migration and its inextricable linkages with sustained economic growth and sustainable development, and in observing commitment to harnessing the potentials that are embedded in migration, the Gambia government has recently spearheaded a national consultation on the review of the implementation of the Global Compact on Migration.
Dr. Touray reiterated that the government, through the NCM and its satellite coordinating outfits, is indeed committed to demystifying all misconceptions surrounding returning home after an unsuccessful attempt to realize one’s dream of making it big beyond the borders of Africa.
The VP avowed: “We would continue to partner with IOM and other development partners in making migration a potential driver of economic growth. I urge that we continue to strengthen the partnership through capacity building for government institutions, to independently take charge of their future interventions in the migration programs and engaging in other fronts to make migration a desirable venture for Gambians.”
Chief of Mission of IOM-The Gambia, Ms.Fumiko Nagano, informed the gathering that, the presentation also marked part of this year’s International Migration celebrations, while commending the Gambia Government for its continued commitment to strengthen its migration system, and the Vice President’s Office for playing a critical role in translating commitments into actions.
Ms. Nagano held that the equipment, made possible through the support of the UN Peace Building Fund, would not only enable NCM to have an active coordination cell, but also make further work on strengthening Gambia’s existing migration governance architecture “efficient and effective”.
