By Amadou Manjang
Dr. Isatou Touray, the Vice president of The Gambia, has recognised the importance of having a well-managed migration that would serve as an engine for economic growth which she believes will improve lives and livelihoods.
The vice president added that a well-managed migration will help the government in responding to the challenges of returning migrants.
“The government recognizes the link between migration and development in improving the lives and livelihood and the social economic development of our country,” she said.
She made this remark during the opening ceremony to update the National Voluntary Review Report of the Gambia’s progress on the implementation of the Global Compact for Migration (GCM).
VP Touray added that the government is aware of the challenges of irregular migration, including the human and social cost of it to the country.
She said a lot of young Gambians have fallen victims of irregular migration from violations, exploitations and abuse on their journeys as well as facing difficulties in accessing services to address their needs when they return to the country.
“We will be evaluating ourselves on the progress made in addressing these challenges and maximizing the opportunities migration offers through the implementation of GCM,” she added.
Madam Touray said some of the challenges the government faced are being addressed through the implementation of the GCM objectives, adding that the government is taking opportunities to address unemployment among the youths to address the root causes of irregular migration.
“We are very pleased that these challenges and opportunities are well reflected in the Global Compact for Migration,” she said.
