Gambia: GID presents assessment report to address statelessness at Ghana Town
Published: 12/Feb/2025
Source: The Point (Banjul)
By: Jankey Touray
The Gambia Refugees Commission under the Gambia Immigration Department (GID) yesterday informed the National Assembly Select Committee on Health, Disaster, Humanitarian Relief and Refugees that Ghana Town residents faced significant risks of barrier to obtaining citizenship due to gaps in nationality law.
This came through the assessment conducted on the issue of statelessness in Ghana Town by the Commission and UNHRC targeting individuals aged 18 and above.
According to the assessment report presented by Omar T. Camara, the government focal person, the Ghana Town was established in the early 60s by Ghanaian migrants who have settled for over five decades with children born in the country without Gambian or Ghanaian documents thus making them outlawed.
He suggested for the government to simplify the naturalization process for Ghana Town community, if direct citizenship is challenging.
Camara explained that in 2014, former president Jammeh issued a directive allowing residents to receive Gambian ID cards, however, it’s claimed that the measure lacked legal backing which is why most of them could not renew their documents.
“If you are born here by non-Gambian parents, you are considered as a non-citizen of the country,” he stated.
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The assessment outlined that out of 686, only 53 had a Gambian passport with 634 born in the country and 47 in Senegal. If the document expired, GID would not renew it because they are from Ghana Town as the issues around them are not declared.
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Read further: https://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/headlines/gid-presents-assessment-report-to-address-statelessness-at-ghana-town