Africa-Press – Gambia. The Gambia’s Minister of Trade, Regional Integration, and Employment, Babucarr O. Joof, has expressed satisfaction with the ongoing Labour Migration Partnership between The Gambia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, stating that the program is progressing successfully despite a few early voluntary returns among the initial batch of deployed workers.
Speaking during an interview with Peter Gomez on Coffee Time, Minister Joof confirmed that 61 Gambian workers were sent to Saudi Arabia under the scheme. Of these, six have voluntarily returned home, citing personal or health-related reasons.
“The most interesting thing, Peter, is that unlike the noise we were hearing before the scheme started, all those who are coming have decided themselves that they want to come home—voluntarily repatriation. None of them has been forced to come back,” he said.
The Minister explained that the first lady who returned from Saudi Arabia did so because she claimed to be tormented by demons while there.
“The first one that came was just a week after she arrived. We all know that in this country, these are things that we believe in. These spiritual fights she had with demons while she was in the country here. She went to Saudi. These demons were restricted while she was here. When she got to Saudi, they resurfaced. According to her, this is the story. And she was not comfortable being alone because she feels isolated. This thing can degenerate, and she can get back to situations of collapsing in the streets and all that. Her own people bought her a ticket, and she returned. Now we got her a replacement,” he said.
He explained that the other young lady was sent back due to her refusal to work outside her designated city of employment.
“She was recruited to work in Riyadh and cannot work in Makkah and when they got to the center, she got sick, and when she got tested, she was found to be pregnant, prompting her return to the Gambia.
“They went to Makkah for Umrah. While they were in Makkah, the landlady suggested that she should clean the room that they were occupying. The girl said no. She was recruited to work in Riyadh and cannot work in Makkah. The matter was reported to the agency back and forth. They agreed that the girl was right. She was recruited to work in Riyadh, not Makkah. Notwithstanding, the lady bought her a mobile phone SIM card. It was moving beautifully. But when they got back, the lady returned her to the center because they had disagreed,” he said.
The minister also mentioned that one of the girls returned home because she missed her mother and felt she couldn’t stay there any longer. “One of them returned because she is just missing her mother,” He Said.
He added that the remaining participants in Saudi Arabia are doing well and are in regular contact with the agency to update them on their well-being.
“The 55 or so that are stable are enjoying their stay; workers are in regular contact with Gambian Agencies. I have the girls dancing and enjoying themselves in there,” he said.
The minister noted that Saudi employers are increasingly looking for skilled workers, which is creating broader opportunities.
“In fact, one of them has started requesting skilled workers in driving and in cleaning,” he said.
He also shared another case involving similar issues. In that situation, a domestic worker would accompany her employer to visit her mother on weekends. Upon arriving, the host—her employer’s mother—expected her to continue working as she did back in their home in Riyadh. The worker refused, highlighting the importance of the pre-departure training she had received.
“To say you have your rights. These are things. And when we were talking with them, they were able to communicate to the agency back to say, Look, when I go on the weekend with her, she wants me to work there. And I know I’m supposed to work in her house and serve her and her children. It was resolved through the embassy in Saudi Arabia that she was not supposed to work when they went on the weekend. The landlady wasn’t happy, and she took her back to the center,” he said.
He added that the woman felt that, despite the passage of time, no new opportunities had come her way. Even after being deployed three times, nothing had changed. She remained unhappy and ultimately decided to return home.
The minister admitted that at one point, he feared the entire agreement might fall apart due to the increasing number of people returning.
“At some point, I was even scared that we were going to lose this. Because the reputation of the country goes round. Gambians do not want to stay. One of them returned because she’s just missing her mother. I’m going home because I cannot stay here. I want to see my mother. I’m missing my mother. These kinds of things make it difficult for the Gambia to earn a reputation that will bring in a lot of these girls out. Will you now consider canceling for future interviews? You know, we did that,” he said.
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