Gambia: Gid Lays Foundation for U.S.$2.2m Immigration Border Posts / U.S.$2.2m Foundation Stone for 3 Immigration Border Posts Laid By

7 March 2024
The Point (Banjul)
By Makutu Manneh

In a bid to enhance border management and promote peace, The Gambia Immigration Department (GID) with funding from the government of Japan and implemented by IOM on Thursday laid the foundation stone for the construction of US$2.2 Million immigration border posts at a ceremony held at Kerr Ali, Farafenni.

The three Immigration border posts namely: Kerr Ali in Farafenni, Amdalai in Lower Niumi and Giboro in the West Coast Region, are part of a project dubbed 'enhancing border management capacities of the Gambia Government to promote peace, stability and security.

The event also witnessed the handing over of three vehicles to the Gambia Immigration Department.

At the event, Emmanuel Murwisi, IOM Chief of Mission in The Gambia, recalled that since 2018 to date, with substantial financial support from the Government of Japan amounting to a cumulative sum of US-D 4,627,776, IOM has been working closely with the Gambia Government, through GID in border management operations.

This project, he added, seeks to facilitate safe and orderly migration; mitigate security threats and cross-border organised crime and enhance inter-agency border coordination, thus positively contributing to socio-economic development.

Hulay Jallow, deputy Director General of GID said the overall migration governance of The Gambia including effective border management in recent years has registered significant progress through various support from local and international development partners most especially from the IOM through funding from the good people of Japan.

Under the Global Compact for Migration, she outlined that the Government of The Gambia has made commitments among many other issues to manage the national borders in a coordinated manner to promote bilateral and regional cooperation.

That, she added, seeks to ensure security for States, communities, migrants and facilitating safe and regular cross-border movements of people while preventing irregular migration.

Mrs Jallow pointed out that in order to address challenges in the dynamics of migration flows in The Gambia, comprehensive policies should be developed that will harness the benefits of migration and contribute to national development.

This, she affirmed, would also ensure national security especially through effective border management.

For his part, Seyaka Sonko, Minister for Interior, underscored the importance of constructing the border posts, saying it would positively transform the border management system in a way that will be unprecedented in the annals of the history of border management in The Gambia.

"Without the proper border management system in place at the three border locations, which equally have the potential to serve as conduits for transnational organised crime and other forms of cross border criminal activities, thus, the importance of this project to the development of our border management system and most especially to national security cannot be over emphasised."

Izawa Osamu, ambassador of Japan said their support to the Gambia is aimed at strengthening the capacity of the security sector to address all types of threats as border management is critical in maintaining peace and stability which are the cornerstones of any economic and social development in Africa.

Lamin Saidykhan, Governor of NBR, Mustapha Senghore Immigration commissioner for NBR, and Alieu Bittaye, Alkalo of Farafenni, all spoke at the ceremony.

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