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Gambia News: Spain gives more aid to Gambia to curb illegal migration

Sanchez-Captain, who is on a three-day visit, disclosed this while making a courtesy call on Vice President Isatou Njie Saidy.

He said the additional money will be used to construct centres to train Gambian youth in the fields of agriculture, fishing and construction.

"This would be very useful for both countries, especially The Gambia to increase its economic activities and to open the possibility of hiring Gambian workers for Spanish companies,” he said.

Sanchez-Captain, who is accompanied by the Foreign Affairs Vice Minister Bernadino Leon Gorss and several officials, said the 5 million euros already pledged is for youth and women empowerment and security.

There are presently approximately 20,000 Gambians in Spain all of whom, he said, are good workers.

"They have not many crime points. This is very important because it shows how the Gambian communities are doing. So we have to encourage the cooperation between the two countries.”

He said most Gambians in Spain have had their status regularized and more than 10,000 are working there legally.

Gambian Minister of Foreign Affairs Bala Garba Jahumpa, who accompanied the Spanish delegation to the vice president’s office, said the meeting was a follow-up to a series of meetings the two countries have had in order to strengthen the existing relations.

He said the centres to train the Gambian youth in agriculture, fisheries, tourism and construction will enable the country to have skilled youths who can go to Spain legally in order to work there.