EU-IOM Joint Initiative

for Migrant Protection and Reintegration

In The Gambia’s Upper River Region, a dynamic group of returnees is beginning to work alongside members of their communities to set up small businesses, improve the socioeconomic conditions of their communities and serve as role models against irregular migration.

Haruna Sowe is one of them. Like many of his fellow returnees in the region, Haruna attempted to reach Europe through the backway journey in search of greener pastures for his family.

Since his return in May 2021, he received a 14-seater passenger vehicle as part of his reintegration assistance. The gray van, now customized with colorful stickers and Gambian flags, operates as needed by the community of Keneba Kantora, usually along the 50-kilometer distance between it and Basse, the Upper River Region’s capital.

“Things are going well with the project, and we don't have any major challenges at the moment," says Haruna, as he lowers the front seat window and waves to nearby families.

The proceeds from the vehicle are divided into three shares: 30 per cent goes to Haruna as the direct manager of the van; 35 per cent goes to the community association that ensures good maintenance of the vehicle; while the remaining 35 per cent goes to the Village Development Committee (VDC) that uses the extra income for priority initiatives, decided collectively by the community.

All in all, the van hits two birds with one stone: support Haruna’s reintegration process, while contributing to local development in his community.

“The reintegration assistance was intended for a group of returnees, but Haruna was the only returnee in his community at the time,” explains Yusupha Barrow, a member of IOM’s team of caseworkers that supports the reintegration of returnees. “He decided to join the community-based project with a community association specifically created to manage and oversee the project,” he adds.

In July 2021, Haruna and his partners, alongside other beneficiaries of community-based projects in the region, participated in a training on group management and record-keeping. This training aimed at enhancing their capacities to collaboratively set up projects, while learning from other groups’ experiences.

Ebrima Bah was another returnee present at this training. In 2017, he left for Morocco. After several failed attempts to cross the Mediterranean Sea, he returned home in early 2020. Together with a fellow returnee, Omar Sowe, and three community members, he began working on the construction of a bakery

Since its opening in December 2020, the bakery has been producing up to 300 tapalapa (local bread) every day, which has earned him the respect of his community. Ebrima alternates his work at the bakery with work on the farm to support his fellow community members during the rainy season, which falls between the months of July and September.

“It feels good to play such an important role in the community. Now, people do not have to walk far distances to seek bread, and they respect me more,” remarks Ebrima, who is more than happy to share his baking knowledge with the community.

As with other community-based reintegration projects, the bakery operates on a profit-sharing basis. With the money they already earned, the people of Sare Sandigie wish to improve different services, such as purchasing a multi-purpose milling machine or maintaining the community well to increase water access to everyone.

Meanwhile, ten kilometers away from Basse in the community of Kundam, Musa Fofana and other community members are working hard to address the same needs. After numerous attempts to cross the Mediterranean in 2018, Musa decided to return home in 2019.

Initially mocked by some of his peers because he did not reach Europe, he partnered with two other returnees and five community members to secure a milling and trimming machine and establish an income-generating project.

“Since I came back from the backway, I opted to work with my community on a milling machine to produce our own millet. Today, the project has expanded, and it’s supporting eight surrounding communities,” says Musa, who works at least six hours a day on the machine. 

Notably, the project has drastically reduced manual labor on community members, who used to have to buy maize or millet from distant communities. “We are very happy that the community now has machines that have reduced the women’s workload. Before, we had to rent donkey carts or take taxis to get millet in Basse,” says Mariama, a youth member of the VDC.

In a rural community where access to clean water is often challenging, the project profits have gone toward financing the extension of the water pipeline to another part of the village. “The new pump in the community has helped us have access to fresh water,” says Musa, washing his hands at the end of his work shift.

Happy that the milling machine is now running with limited supervision, Musa is now focused on diversifying his skills. “I would like to engage in other things like tailoring or auto-mechanics, moving forward,” he says, reflecting on the IOM-organized business management training he participated in.

Whether through the passenger van, the bakery or the milling machine, Haruna, Ebrima and Musa share an unwavering desire to persevere and work with their communities to improve their conditions.

“Community-based projects show that reintegration can positively influence development, especially at the local level where the drivers and impacts of irregular migration are most strongly felt,” says Etienne Micallef, IOM’s Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) Programme Manager in The Gambia. “Local authorities can play a key role in supporting the reintegration of returnees and aligning it with local development priorities.”

Where there was once a prevalent narrative that returnees come home as failures with little to contribute to society, Haruna, Ebrima and Musa are certainly proving otherwise.

Between 2017 and September 2021, over 6,200 Gambians received return and/or reintegration assistance through the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration. The Joint Initiative is the first comprehensive programme to save lives and protect and assist migrants along key migration routes in Africa. The project supports the reintegration process of returning migrants through an integrated approach, which addresses economic, social, and psychological dimensions and fosters the inclusion of communities in the process.

 This story was written by Alessandro Lira, IOM’s Communication for Development Officer in The Gambia.