Spain has pledged 1 million Euro on top of the 5 million package earlier pledge to cut illegal migration of Gambia youths to Europe.

This was disclosed yesterday by Mr. Jesus Caldera Sanchez-Captain, Minister of Labour and social Affairs, who is on a day visit in the country.

Mr. Sanchez made this revelation during a courtesy call on the vice president, Dr. Isatou Njie Saidy at State House.
He disclosed that this additional 1 million Euro is meant for the construction of skill centres.

“Some will be trained on agriculture, fishing and construction. Web will finance this new system with one million Euro. We think that this would be very useful for both countries, especially the Gambia to increase its economic activities and to open the possibility of hiring Gambia workers for the Spanish Companies,” he stated.

On the status of Gambians living in Spain, Mr Sanchez- Captain noted that there is an estimated 20,000 (twenty thousand) Gambians in Spain, noting that all of whom are good workers.
“They have not many crime profiles. This is very important because no Gambian is presently in our prison,” he said.
“So it is very important because it shows how the Gambian communities are doing. So we have to encourage the cooperation between the two countries”, he added.

He disclosed that vast majority of Gambians in Spain has their status regularized adding there are more than 10,000 Gambians working legally there.

For his part, Bala Jahumpa, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the Gambia said that the meeting was a follow-up to a series of meetings that the two countries had in order to strengthen the existing relationship between the two governments.
“As earlier said, they have pledged, 5 million Euros in the areas of Youth empowerment, Security, women empowerment,” he said.

In Mr Jahumpa’s view the construction of skill centres, where Gambian youths can be trained on Agriculture, fisheries, Tourism and construction will enable the country to skilled youths adding that in that they can go to Spain legally in order to work in Spanish Society.

It could be recalled a number of 75 Gambians were returned to the Gambia by the Spanish authorities.