By Yunus S Saliu
The Employment and Labour Units of the Ministry of Trade, on Thursday, 14th December 2023 continued his sensitization and awareness raising on the new Labour Act 2023, National Employment Policy and the Action Plan 2022-2026 at the Upper River Region (URR)
The forum which has received large turnout participants was organized by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment in partnership with German Agency for International Cooperation and Development (GIZ) and was held at the URR Governor’s Office in Basse.
Like other Regions, shortly after the opening of the forum, Mr. Fabba Jammeh, Director of Employment at MOTIE handed over the hard copies of the National Employment Policy, Action Plan 2022-2026 and the National Labour Act 2023 to the URR Governor Samba Bah for documented and reference purposes.
Governor Samba Bah, in his remarks thanked the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment for the repealed and reviewed of this documents which meant to channel good ways and better relations between employees, employers and as well make things easy for the government.
The Governor spoke extensively over these new documents and advised participants to keep the messages and discussions in a better place in their mind for future references especially now that the President of the Gambia, His Excellency Adama Barrow has declared operation creating 150,000 jobs to the people with equal opportunity for everyone.
Speaking earlier, Mr. Fabba Jammeh said employment issues have surfaced prominently on both the global and domestic scenes as serious developmental challenges that require urgent and collaborative efforts to address,
This he said, “The government of the Gambia has recognized the threats these issues pose to national stability, economic growth and development and has shown commitment to its obligation to provide decent work for all.”
He explained that, in The Gambia, the critical role that employment can, and must play in ensuring growth and poverty reduction is increasingly being recognised. Employment promotion or job creation has become an important objective in the National Development Plan (NDP) 2018-2021. Strategic priority 8 of the NDP, is to leverage The Gambia in making the private sector and trade the engine of growth, transformation and job creation through modernising manufacturing, industrialization, improving trade and services, for accelerated economic growth and job creation.
However, Sida B Sanneh, Deputy Commissioner at the Department of Labour, Mukhtar Drammeh, Labour Officer, However, Mr. Basiru Secka, Deputy Director of Employment, Immigration Officer Darbo and Supt Musa Manneh, Officer Commanding Expatriate Quota Secretariat made comprehensive explanations on the new Labour Act 2023, National Employment Policy and the Action Plan 2022-2026.