By Olimatou Coker
The European Union (EU), in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the government of The Gambia, has launched a four-day capacity development training to strengthen national systems for monitoring, evaluating and reporting on migration governance under the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM).
The workshop brings together government officials, civil society and key stakeholders from the National Coordination Mechanism on Migration (NCM), its eight Thematic Working Groups (TWGs) and the Regional Coordination Mechanisms (RCMs). Funded by the EU Cooperation Facility and the IOM Development Fund, the training advances evidence-based, gender-responsive migration governance.
Since adopting the GCM in December 2018, The Gambia has taken a leadership role in migration governance. Designated a GCM Champion Country in March 2022, the country actively participated in regional reviews, including the Second Regional Review in Addis Ababa in 2024. The Gambia recently submitted its Second National GCM Progress Report to the International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) 2026 and committed to producing a gender-responsive GCM Implementation and Monitoring Plan covering all 23 GCM objectives, aligned with the Recovery-Focused National Development Plan (2023–2027) and the National Migration Policy.
Ndumbeh Saho, Director of Diaspora and Migration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, said The Gambia treats migration as “a force for development and human dignity.” She added: “This training equips our institutions to move beyond activity lists toward genuine accountability that measures real outcomes for Gambians at home and abroad.”
The training targets a documented capacity gap: shifting from activity reporting to systematic measurement of results. Sessions provide practical tools for data collection, verification and analysis, and build skills to design gender-responsive indicators and a harmonized national migration indicator framework. Simulation exercises and peer-learning sessions will enable participants to apply lessons immediately and cascade them to regional counterparts.
Immaculada Roca i Cortés, Ambassador of the European Union to The Gambia, said the EU supports translating global commitments into national results. “Effective migration governance requires robust data, clear evidence and transparent accountability. Strengthening institutional capacity across national and regional coordination mechanisms ensures migration policies deliver sustainable benefits to all Gambian communities,” she said.
IOM, as Coordinator and Secretariat of the UN Network on Migration, provides technical expertise and peer facilitators from regional GCM indicator processes. By the training’s conclusion, participants are expected to produce a draft indicator list and a reporting workflow aligned with the RF-NDP, the National Migration Policy and GCM objectives.
Sibgha Ajaz, IOM Officer-in-Charge in The Gambia, reiterated that reliable data, strong coordination and evidence-driven action are essential to good migration governance. “This training will strengthen national systems for informed decision-making and accountability while ensuring migration policies leave no one behind,” she said. IOM remains committed to supporting The Gambia’s whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach and to operationalizing the gender-responsive GCM Implementation and Monitoring Plan.