The Gambia Immigration Department (GID) for the first time in its history collected a whopping sum of D64,000,000 revenue in just three months.
The Department is poised to surpass its revenue target of D150,000,000 of revenue for 2023.
The unprecedented development, according to its management, is due to the high commitment to supporting the government in achieving its national development priorities especially in resources mobilisation among others.
Speaking to The Point Newspaper in an exclusive interview, Seedy M. Touray, the director general of GID, said: "This extraordinary development is due to management's commitment in ensuring that it does not only meet their revenue target yearly, but also to surpass our target."
"When I was appointed as the GID boss in 2018, my top priority was to ensure that the country's immigration department is massively reformed with a view to ensure that they are up to standard. I can happily tell you that these reforms have paid dividends now. It's through the reforms and the repositioning of the GID to the right direction that we are able to make this huge amount of money in just three months," he posited.
Quizzed as to how the GID was able to collect the D64, 000, 000 in just three months, he said: "Apart from the reforms that we have undertaken at the GID, I have also made sure that the immigration officers adhere to approved financial practises at the office and also zero tolerance to corruption among others. I can assure you all that this trend will continue. As far as I am the GID boss, I will not entertain anything that has the potential of hindering revenue collection."
DG Touray added: "I also ensure that my staff embark on a vigorous sensitisation countrywide on the significance of payment of national documents, aliens among others. These are all geared towards ensuring that we create an environment where people will voluntarily come and pay for their documents. In fact, this is happening. People are now coming forward without even our officers going to them. This is a welcoming development," he stated.
"This massive revenue collection in just three months is also as a result of my intervention, the regional commissioners as well as stations and unit heads were advised and assisted to adhere to the approved financial practises, zero tolerance to corruption, intensified engagements for non-Gambians to regularise their status among others. Regular auditing exercises and follow-up throughout the country also helped in this unprecedented breakthrough."
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Karanlang Jarju, the officer in-charge of Statistics and Internal Audit at the GID, said: "This huge revenue collection is largely as a result of DG Touray's unwavering commitment to not only reforming the GID, but also due to his foresights in creating programmes and policies that are in line with international standards."
"We also make sure that we enforce immigration regulation in ensuring that non-citizens and citizens also regularise their status, hence that is why we make this massive revenue collection in just three months."
Mamanding S. Dibba, the spokesperson of the GID, said: "Since the appointment of DG Touray, there has never been business as usual. What he (DG Touray), always wants is to ensure that people adhere to his plan and policies that are geared towards the betterment and advancement of the GID. I am not surprised that we made this huge revenue collection. Again, with DG Touray at the helm of affairs of the Immigration, more of this revenue will be collected in subsequent years."
