By Biran Gaye
Spain’s migration agreement with Gambia will see 300 Gambians recruited to work in Spain in the pilot project.
In a quarterly meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) at the State House in Banjul presided over President Adama Barrow on Tuesday, officials of the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Employment and Regional Integration reported on the state of the migrant workers scheme agreements with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and the Kingdom of Spain.
By offering temporary work opportunities, the agreement seeks to address Spain’s labour shortages while providing legal pathways for Gambian migrants.
With the applications for the pilot project already closed, the government says selection will be jointly conducted by the Gambian and the Spanish authorities.
In August, 2024, Spain Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez signed an agreement and Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Gambia to establish a formal framework for circular migration following the surge of irregular migrant arrivals in the Canary Islands.
Spanish law enforcement officers, including police officers and civil guard members, are currently deployed in The Gambia to assist with border enforcement.
Under the agreement, migrants from Gambia will be granted temporary work visas to fill labour gap in Spain. These visas allow workers to stay in Spain for a specified period, before returning to their home countries.
While appearing before the committee of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the National Assembly in February, 2025, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment, Mod A.K. Secka, said: “We have not yet agreed on the wages, the agreement is such that the farmers will come from Spain when we are doing the final selection. So we will shortlist a certain number and they will come and pick out of that number, then wages will be discussed from there.”
Through this framework, Spain’s government is hoping the new circular migration plan will help to manage the rising number of arrivals while also addressing current labour shortages in the country.
In the first eight months of 2024, Spain saw a 62.8 percent increase in migrant arrivals (35,456), according to reports, with 25,524 coming via the archipelago, a 123 percent rise from the previous year. Migrants include those fleeing violence in Mali and the Sahel Region, as well as young people from Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, and other West African nations seeking better opportunities abroad.
What is circular migration?
Circular migration is a policy structure that allows individuals to move from their home countries to another country for work or study on a temporary basis.
It potentially offers a safer alternative to irregular migration, reducing the risks of exploitation and dangerous journeys that migrants often face when seeking to enter Europe.
Gambia, a coastal African country, has become a key departure point for migrants trying to reach the Canary Islands. The Atlantic route has been the scene of countless tragic events, including the recent capsizing of a boat carrying 300 migrants off Mauritania, resulting in numerous deaths and disappearances.
Unlike permanent migration, circular migration involves a cyclical pattern where individuals return to their country of origin after completing a fixed-term contract abroad.
Potential Impact
The agreements with Spain can have significant implications for the countries of origin. For example, remittances from migrants working in Spain contribute to the economies of Gambia and Mauritania.
According to the Central Bank of The Gambia, remittance stood at 130.3 million Dalasis in the first two months of the year 2025.
These funds can support local development, education, and healthcare initiatives.
In addition, migrants could return home with new skills and experiences, which can benefit their communities and contribute to local economic development. This skill transfer can foster entrepreneurship and innovation.
If carried out successfully, circular migration could provide an organized alternative to irregular migration, potentially alleviating pressures on these countries to manage large numbers of people attempting to migrate irregularly.
With these agreements, The Gambia could also seek to enhance diplomatic and economic relations with Spain, paving the way for further cooperation in various sectors.
However, experts like Madeleine Sumption from the Migration Observatory are concerned that that circular migration programs might only have a limited impact, reports say.
“If work visa programs are very large and target the same groups of people who would otherwise move without permission, they may have an impact,” Sumption posited as quoted by news reports. “If the programs are small, however, they risk rapidly becoming oversubscribed and those who don’t get a place may still decide to take unauthorized routes.”
A recent study published in April 2024 by the Peterson Institute found that legal visas can reduce illegal crossings but not drastically, noting a modest correlation between legal and illegal migration.
While legal migration provides an alternative to migrants seeking to reach Europe, it does not address the root causes of migration such as poverty, conflict and political persecution.
