Gambia

The Africa Regional Migration Program (ARMP) focuses on enhancing the capacities of host governments and civil society to support the resilience of local communities. Its primary objective is to strengthen migration governance, promote partnerships, and enhance preparedness for crises. This program will enhance the coordination and cooperation of governments in addressing migration challenges and leveraging multiple opportunities associated with well-managed migration for both migrants and host societies. 

The pilot phase of MSDG was implemented from  August 2017 to December 2018, during which a Gambian Diaspora Strategy (GDS) was developed and incorporated in the Gambia National Development Plan (NDP 2018-21).

Between 2021  and 2023, France has funded a project called “Migration dialogues” which aims to promote a responsive discourse on migration. This project targets mainstream medias (journalists, bloggers and influencers) as well as journalism schools through training activities to support content development and information-sharing on migration issues.

As part of the Migration and Sustainable Development in the Gambia Project (MSDG), on 23 September 2017, the President of The Gambia declared that a Stake in the Nation Forum (SNF) will be held annually in The Gambia. 

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the African Union Commission (AUC have signed an agreement for $3.9 million in grant financing to strengthen investment, human capital and philanthropic engagement from the diaspora in eight African countries.  

As part of the MSDG Project, on 23 September 2017, the President of The Gambia declared that a Stake in the Nation Forum (SNF) will be held annually in The Gambia. The Gambia Diaspora Strategy (GDS) and the Gambia Diaspora Directorate (GDD) were launched at the first SNF on the 13th of January 2018. The SNF is a practical mechanism for diaspora engagement in policy development. It is also an innovation to improve general development policy and practice in the New Gambia. SNFs will include high level plenary sessions and thematic workshops.

The UK Safety, Support and Solutions programme aims to protect migrants from harm. Migrant journeys, particularly via the Central Mediterranean Route, are extremely perilous, with migrants facing risks of violence, exploitation and abuse. This programme provides critical humanitarian and protection support to migrants at key junctures along the route. Assistance is offered to migrants in transit and upon return, with a particular focus on victims of trafficking, unaccompanied children, and migrants in very vulnerable situations.

The West Africa Network for the protection of children focuses on ensuring a continuum of services are delivered across the region within and eight-step procedure, ranging from the identification of a vulnerable child and provision of emergency care to their successful social re-integreation.

The Migration Dialogue for West Africa or MIDWA was designed as a platform to encourage the Member States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to discuss, in a regional context, such common migration issues and concerns for which immediate solutions may not be forthcoming at a national level. Its objective is to promote and ensure high quality cooperation among ECOWAS Member States, third countries and other international consultative forums on Free Movement and migration by:

The Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional group of fifteen countries, founded in 1975. Its mission is to promote economic integration in "all fields of economic activity, particularly industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, commerce, monetary and financial questions, social and cultural matters .....".

ECOWAS has introduced the ECOWAS Passport and APEC has put in place an APEC-visa for certain categories of people to facilitate their movement in these groupings' member States.