Africa-Press – Gambia. The Gambia’s Minister of Trade, Regional Integration, and Employment, Babucarr O. Joof, has announced significant progress in the implementation of the circular migration agreement with Spain, noting that the successful completion of the first recruitment phase could pave the way for thousands of Gambian workers to access employment opportunities in Spain.
Speaking during an interview with Peter Gomez on Coffee Time, Minister Joof described the agreement as a crucial pilot initiative. He emphasized that the overall success and future expansion of the program depend on the effective management of this initial phase.
“This is a very important agreement we have, this circular migration with Spain. We have maintained all along that this is the pilot phase. The final performance of the country in terms of the numbers we send to Spain will depend on how we handle the pilot phase. If we are able to get this one right, and we have started very well, I can see a situation where all the 11,000 and others will even be allowed to go to Spain and work,” Minister Joof said.
Under the terms of the agreement, a joint panel comprising representatives from both countries is responsible for interviewing and selecting candidates for the program. Minister Joof confirmed that this process has been successfully completed for the first phase.
“In our agreement, we are required to have a joint panel to interview and select participants in the scheme. We have done this. The first phase has gone very successfully,” he said.
The Minister further explained that the initial request from a Spanish employer was for 39 workers. The ministry provided a shortlist of 117 candidates, from which the employer selected 39 individuals.
“The agreement was that we will always give them three people for one position for interviews and selection. We gave them a list of 117. And all of them came except one. And out of the 116, they were able to select their 39 and even had some collateral benefits,” he said.
Among the selected candidates were skilled tractor operators from the Upper River region, highlighting the diversity of the workforce.
“And these guys did not even hesitate to say, You are not going to pluck fruits. You are going to drive our tractors. So they have already identified skills among those people that they are going to definitely take. Also, there is a company that is looking for only ladies. And there were so many girls among these 116. This company has already identified some ladies that they are also going to take immediately after they are done,” he said.
He expressed hope that the final number of workers sent to Spain will exceed the initial 39, including additional female candidates identified by the employer.
“So we are hoping that from this interview of 116, instead of sending 39, it will be 39 plus the ladies that this company is looking for,” he asserted.
For More News And Analysis About Gambia Follow Africa-Press
