By Seedy Jobe
The Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) on Tuesday officially launched the Kanifing Migrant Resilience Hub, a $450,000 initiative designed to support the social and economic reintegration of returning migrants and young people considering irregular migration.
The facility, launched at the KMC office grounds in Westfield, is the council’s first dedicated center for migrant reintegration. The two-year project is funded through the Mayor’s Migration Council’s Global Cities Fund 2025.
According to KMC, the initiative will directly support 40 young people, with particular attention to women and single parents.
The Hub will provide entrepreneurship training, business incubation, seed funding, psychosocial support, mentorship, market linkages, and early childhood development services. It will also serve as a central point for connecting beneficiaries with resources and opportunities to rebuild their livelihoods.
Delivering the keynote address, KMC Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda said the initiative seeks to address some of the economic and social factors driving young Gambians toward irregular migration rather than simply discouraging them from leaving.
“Our responsibility as leaders is therefore not to simply tell young people, ‘Don’t go,’” Bensouda said. “Our responsibility is to help create a country where they can say, ‘I can stay, I can build, and I can succeed here.’”
Bensouda said migration is often discussed through statistics, but each number represents an individual seeking employment, economic independence, and a better future.
He said the Hub would respond to those aspirations by combining skills development and economic opportunities with mentorship and psychological support.
“This $450,000 project, which will benefit 40 young people over two years, is of utmost importance,” he said, adding that the initiative was made possible through collaboration among several institutions and development partners.
The mayor noted that some returning migrants face trauma, stigma and financial difficulties after coming home, making it necessary for reintegration programs to provide psychological and social support alongside economic assistance.
Bensouda thanked the Mayors Migration Council for financing the initiative through the Global Cities Fund, saying the project was initially pitched in New York alongside proposals from the mayors of Milan and Freetown.
He also acknowledged support from the governments of Spain and Germany, United Nations agencies, civil society organizations, including the Voluntary Returnee Migrants Association and Safe Home, as well as religious and community leaders.
Bensouda said local governments are particularly well positioned to understand the impact of migration at the community level but stressed that municipalities must work with the central government, development partners, the private sector and young people to create viable economic opportunities.
Addressing returnees, the mayor urged them not to view their migration experiences as failures, saying many return with skills, experience and resilience that can contribute to their communities.
He said the Hub’s success would ultimately be measured not by its launch, but by the number of businesses created, livelihoods restored and families that no longer view irregular migration as their only path to opportunity.
“Today, Kanifing is not simply opening a hub,” Bensouda said. “We are opening a door — a door to skills, a door to opportunity, a door to dignity, a door to entrepreneurship and a door to hope.”
KMC said the Hub will serve as the municipality’s central point for reintegration support, helping returnees and other beneficiaries access services and opportunities to rebuild their lives.
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