On 24th March 2026, the Gambia Immigration Department (GID), with support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), commenced a four-day validation workshop of its Draft Smuggling of Migrants Training Manual at the Senegambia Beach Hotel.
The activity is attended by officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service led by Deputy Comptroller General Blessing Brodrick; GID personnel and representatives of other security agencies.
The workshop seeks to “validate, refine, and secure institutional endorsement of the draft SOM Training Manual, Facilitatorsโ Guides, and National Roll-Out Plan under the PROMIS V Project, ensuring alignment with national legislation, Standard Operating Procedures, and international human rights standards.” Its conceptualisation draws on a UNODC-OHCHR Assessment in May 2025, which highlighted an institutional gap in structured guidance for GID to identify and respond to smuggling of migrants (SOM) in a manner consistent with international human rights standards.
In her opening remarks, Assistant Commissioner Binta K.J. Barrow hailed the exercise as both timely and relevant in strengthening officers’ capacity to prevent, detect, investigate, and respond effectively to migrant smuggling. Ms Abimbola Adewumi, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer of UNODC Regional Office in Dakar, reaffirmed UNODC’s commitment to supporting institutional reforms within the GID.
Regional Commissioner of Kanifing Municipality, Omar Fofana, speaking on behalf of DG Mboob, extended his gratitude to partners for the unwavering support in combating irregular migration. His remarks were further complemented by the Deputy Permanent Secretary of Administration of the Ministry of Interior, Jerreh Sanyang, who outlined the importance of the engagement, noting that it aligns with the government’s commitment to strengthening migration governance and enhancing national security.
The ongoing validation of the SOM Training Manual reaffirms the GID’s commitment to integrating gender-sensitive and human-rights-based standards in handling migrant smuggling, supporting strategic institutional reforms relative to the development of the GID Training Curriculum, currently under review.
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