By: Binta Jaiteh
The Gambia Immigration Department (GID) has generated two hundred and twelve million dalasi(212m) in 2023 against 2022 year’s D104 million collections.
Speaking during a presentation at GID’s Office in Banjul, Karanlang Jarju, Officer in Charge of Finance stated that GID was not only a key security agency of the government but a security provider and a revenue-generating outfit.
“Despite the economic challenges that the country is experiencing, The Gambia Immigration Department will work around the clock to ensure that this positive trend is carried over to next year, with more revenue measures being put in place,’’ he promised.
‘’These measures include strengthening operational efficiencies, improvement and modernization of systems, opening more Issuing Centers, building and opening more new stations, and provision of mobility,” he contended.
According to him, the projected revenue for the year 2023 was D150, 000,000.00 and the total revenue generated was D212, 454,000.00 registering a favorable variance of D62, 454,400.00 which represented about 41.64% over and above the administrative projected figure for the period.
“By the close of the year 2024, we are expecting to score more than 170 million dalasi. We are confident that if the department obtains its share of the nation’s budgetary allocation it willperform better in 2024,” he stated.
“This enviable mark was achieved due to reflection of the massive increase in persons accessing immigration services over the period under review and also guaranteed effective monitoring of our financial processes and procedures leading to the blocking of revenue leakages and further ensuring that all monies collected at the various revenue collection points are paid into the various designated accounts and vigorous enforcement,” he explained
Highlighting their current challenges, Jarju saysthe institution faces low budgetary allocation over the years, saying the department has been among the highest contributors to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF). Still, he goes on, it is the least-resourced agency under the Ministry of the Interior.
“The GID as a growing institution, requires major budgetary allocation to help it develop its infrastructure to a level that will enable it to improve upon its efficiency and effectiveness in this dynamic world where migration has become very complex and evolving,” Jarju pointed out.