by Mariatou Ngum
A two-man delegation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia last week paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment (MoTIE) Hon. Baboucarr O. Joof at his office in Banjul.
The Saudi officials, who were on a two-day working visit in the country, met the officials of the Ministry and other stakeholders to discuss modalities of the implementation of the Bilateral Labour Agreement between The Gambia and the Kingdom of Saudia, signed last year.
Upon receiving the delegation, Minister Joof thanked them for visiting the Ministry, and informed them that the Bilateral Labour Agreement is now a national issue.
He told the delegation that upon returning home from the Saudi Summit, President Barrow went on tour and informed the citizens about the Agreement, which affords Gambians the opportunity to go to the Kingdom of Saudi and work either as professionals or as domestic workers but in a formal setting that will ensure their rights and dignity are protected.
Minister Joof urged his team and the delegation to move faster so that by the anniversary of the signing ceremony of the Agreement they would already have some Gambians in Saudi Arabia.
He finally assured the delegates of the full support of the executive.
Permanent Secretary Lamin Dampha affirmed that the meeting enabled them to jointly discuss the modalities of the implementation of the Agreement. “Everyone is looking forward to it,” he said, and described the longstanding relationship between The Gambia and Saudi Arabia as cordial.
Dr. Wafi Assiri, Strategic Partnership Director, Musaend of the Kingdom of Saudi expressed delight for being in the country and for the long-standing relationship between the two countries.
While acknowledging that their main purpose of visiting The Gambia is about the implementation of the Bilateral Labour Agreement, the Director said in general their mission is to connect people together not only just for Umra, Hajj or visits, but also opening new opportunities for work and business. “We are proud to be part of this cooperation with your ministry. We are here just to make final touches - to make sure that the system is in place and the recruitment starts soon,” he stated.
After the courtesy call on the Minister, the delegation had a meeting with the stakeholders and members of the Joint Technical Committee, during which they explained the whole procedure required to take workers to Saudi Arabia.
Chairing the meeting, Deputy Permanent Secretary Ismaila Danso said the discussion also touched on the role of private recruitment agencies in the implementation of the Agreement.
The Saudi-Gambia Bilateral Labour Agreement was signed last year on the sidelines of the Africa-Arab Summit in Saudi Arabia. Two specific agreements were signed: the Bilateral Labour Agreement for the Recruitment of Domestic Workers, and the Bilateral Labour Agreement for the Recruitment of Skilled Workers. The Minister of Trade and his counterpart in Saudi Arabia signed the Agreement.
