By Binta Jaiteh
The Gambia Immigration Department (GID) in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Friday laid three foundation stones of new Immigration Border Posts worth $2.2 Million Kerr Ali, Amdalai in the North Bank Region, and Giboro in West Coast Region.
The laying of the foundation stones are activities implemented under an Immigration and Border Management project titled “Enhancing Border Management Capacities of The Government of The Gambia to Promote Peace, Stability and Security”. It is a project funded by the People of Japan and implemented by IOM in partnership with the Gambia Immigration Department.
This Project primarily aims at transforming and enhancing the operational systems, human resources, and administrative technical capacities of border management authorities to facilitate orderly, safe, regular, and responsible migration and mobility of people; mitigate security threats, transnational organized crime, and irregular migration. Also, positively promotes peace, stability, and security along important transport corridors of the country and within the sub-region.
Speaking during the opening ceremony held at Farafenni, the Regional Immigration Commissioner of North Bank Region, Mustapha Seghore welcomed everyone to North Bank Region and said these new structures will make the expansion of their MIDAS Systems possible and go a long way in greatly enhancing their overall border management system in achieving international best practices.
He thanked the Government of Japan for its generous funding of this project, as well as the Gambia Immigration Department’s high command for the effective implementation of the project.
Ambassador of Japan Izawa Osamu said the ceremony is the outcome of the exchange of notes between the Government of Japan and the IOM Mission to The Gambia, signed on December 9 2022 in Banjul.
He said Japan’s support to The Gambia in the security sector aims at strengthening its capacity to address all types of threats in particular, border management is critical in maintaining the peace and stability of countries.
The Ambassador noted that peace and stability are the cornerstones of any economic and social development in Africa. “That is why Japan has traditionally emphasized this area as one of the three pillars of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).
The North Bank Region Governor Lamin Saidykhan extended the government’s profound gratitude to the government and the People of Japan for sponsoring these projects, saying “The Gambia and Japan have a long history of good friendship and His Excellency President Adama Barrow reaffirmed that relationship.”
He noted that his region has experienced lots of challenges in acquiring the land, especially from those who were occupying the sites, but through an impeccable dialogue with them “we came to agree that the interest of the Gambia must come first before an individual interest, a reason I ordered for the demolition for this two sites.”
The governor said their communities have important roles to play when it comes to controlling the reducing crimes and enjoined them to work together have faith in the country’s security forces and report any suspicious activities in the communities to security personnel, “by doing this regularly will make our regions and our country a safer place to live.”
Chief of Mission International Organization for Migration, Mr. Emmanuel Murwisi said since March of 2018 to date, with substantial financial support from the Government of Japan and IOM has been working closely with the Government of The Gambia, with GID as the lead Government agency in border management operations, to facilitate safe and orderly migration; mitigate security threats and cross-border organized crime; enhance inter-agency border coordination, while positively contributing to socio-economic development.
According to him, with generous funding from the Government of Japan, IOM is honored to have supported the Government of The Gambia – and in particular GID – in delivering interventions that have resulted in remarkable improvements in border management operations as well as in the lives of border communities in The Gambia.
He highlighted the key achievements realized since 2018 on the border management front in close coordination with GID while thanking the generous support of the Government of Japan.
Minister of Interior, Hon. Seyaka Sonko highlighted the significance of this initiation saying it is indeed a welcome development and a step in the right direction.
He noted that the three border posts are the busiest in terms of the flow of people, goods, and services “thereby immensely contributing their quota to the socio-economic development of the country.”
Deputy Director General of Gambia Immigration Department, Hulay Jallow Cham representing the Director General GID said the construction of these magnificent structures and the expansion of their accompanying MIDAS system and as well as the three vehicles being handed over today, are all activities conducted under a project entitled
“Enhancing Border Management Capacities of the Government of The Gambia to Promote Peace, Stability and Security”.
She underlined that migration in Africa is mainly characterized by cross-border movements mainly through intra-African movement of persons from one region of the continent to the other for a variety of reasons, noting that it is estimated that 80 percent of the migration takes place within the continent.
However immediately after the ceremony the Gambia Immigration Department was handed over with three brand new vehicles.