At least 20 Government Information Officers on Wednesday, June 2nd 2021 started a 15-month long training program on Migration Communication at Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center in Bijilo.
The training is organized by the Department of Information Services in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Gambia office.
Director of Information Services, Aisha Davies declared the 15-month training opened on behalf of the Permanent Secretary (PS), Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure, Amie-Njie-Joof.
In her statement read by Madam Davies during the opening ceremony, the Permanent Secretary reminded that Government Information Officers were appointed in 2019 and 2020 to promote government development agenda by providing credible information about their respective ministries, policies and programs, among others.
“To ensure greater output of Government Information Officers, it is important that their capacities and skills are built on diverse areas to enable them communicate authoritatively on various aspects of national development,” she said.
The PS went on: “It is in recognition of this fact that her ministry in collaboration with IOM, Gambia Office, initiated this 15-month training program through the ‘Strengthening Communication on Migration in The Gambia’ project, which is geared towards building the capacities of government stakeholders on migration”.
The Permanent Secretary further explained that the training is informed by a capacity Needs Assessment that was conducted by a consultant with the active participation of the various institutions.
She therefore expressed her Ministry’s appreciation of IOM’s commitment to the partnership and in general, its enormous contributions to migration governance in The Gambia.
PS Njie-Joof also expressed her Ministry’s commitment to working closely with the IOM Gambia Office and other relevant partners to make sure that the project is a total success.
“My special commendation goes to the Department of Information Services (DOIS) under the leadership of Madam Aisha Davies for their commitment and effective coordination of this project,” she concludes.
Miko Alazas, Media and Communication Officer at IOM Gambia Office, expressed delight that the training is finally happening after a long planning and preparation process.
He noted that the objective of the training is to enhance the knowledge of Gov’t Information Officers on migration and strengthen their technical communication capacities.
He affirmed that the training will be sequenced in phases for a duration of 15 months.
By Lamin B. Darboe
Information Officer, MoBSE
