Mod K Secka, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Trade.
By Ramatoulie Jawo
The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Trade, Regional Integration, and Employment, Mod A.K. Secka, disclosed to the National Assembly that Gambian migrants participating in the circular migration agreement with Saudi Arabia are set to earn $200 per month. However, he noted that the government is actively negotiating for higher wages.
Secka made these remarks during a meeting with the National Assembly’s Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade regarding the implementation of the circular migration agreement.
When questioned by Hon. Fatou Cham, the Member of Parliament for Sannehmentereng, about the expected salary for migrants travelling to Saudi Arabia, Secka explained: ”for Saudi we are looking at around $200 per month, but the government is trying to negotiate for more but the $200 excludes your food, medication and housing because all those are covered in the scheme,” he said.
Regarding the situation in Spain, Secka stated that discussions are still ongoing, and no agreement has yet been reached regarding the wage structure for migrants to that country.
He went on to elaborate on the progress of the Saudi agreement, highlighting the involvement of private recruitment agencies from Saudi Arabia that are collaborating with their Gambian counterparts. So far, 16 private recruitment agencies have been enlisted in The Gambia, though only three are currently in the process of recruiting due to technical issues.
Secka explained that the recruitment process involves Saudi Arabia’s Mosanet system, which has created some challenges for local agencies. These agencies must be trained and granted access to the system, and as of now, only three agencies have successfully completed the required training.
“In addition to that the recruiting agencies have started the recruiting process in which two of the agencies have gone very far and one of them is GAM Jobs so far they have enlisted eight thousand one hundred and thirty-nine potential participants but giving the process is only twelve of them who has now got visas and forty have already been on the Mosanet, and they were process. The other agency is called Outsource and with Outsource they have enlisted one thousand, three hundred and thirty-five Gambians out of that so far the process has started for the visa and there are ten visas that have been given while fifty-five are in processing,” he said.
He informed members that his Minister traveled to Saudi Arabia with the aim of engaging Saudi counterparts on ways to implement the agreements and address issues related to access.
He explained that access to Mosanet is crucial, as it serves as a platform for Saudis to collaborate with their agencies on capacity-building efforts.
“There are also opportunities that were extended during this meeting before each agency in the Gambia was allowed to work with four sub agents, but now it has been extended. Each agent can work with seven sub agencies now. Having said that, there would also be capacity building training. Some Saudis will come over and help the agencies who are registered to build their capacity,” he explained.
He stated that the ministry has signed a framework agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources.
He emphasized that their goal is to ensure the necessary capacities are in place for the smooth implementation of the agreements.