The Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) has officially launched a $450,000 Migrant Resilience Hub aimed at supporting returning migrants and young people considered vulnerable to irregular migration through economic opportunities, skills development and psychosocial assistance.
The facility was inaugurated on Tuesday at the KMC office grounds in Westfield and represents the municipality’s first dedicated centre for migrant reintegration.
The two-year initiative is financed through the Mayors Migration Council’s Global Cities Fund 2025 and is expected to directly support 40 young people, with particular emphasis on women and single parents.
According to KMC, the Hub will provide entrepreneurship training, business incubation, seed funding, mentorship, psychosocial support, market linkages and early childhood development services.
It will also operate as a central referral point where returning migrants and other beneficiaries can access services and opportunities intended to help them rebuild their livelihoods and reintegrate into their communities.
Delivering the keynote address at the launch, KMC Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda said tackling irregular migration requires addressing the economic and social circumstances that push young people to leave the country, rather than simply warning them against undertaking dangerous journeys.
“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.’”
The mayor said discussions surrounding migration often focus heavily on statistics while overlooking the personal ambitions and difficulties behind individual journeys.
He said many young Gambians migrate in search of employment, financial independence and better prospects, making it necessary to provide credible opportunities at home.
Bensouda said the new Hub was designed to respond to those challenges by combining business and skills development with psychological support, mentorship and access to economic opportunities.
“This $450,000 project, which will benefit 40 young people over two years, is of utmost importance,” he said.
The mayor also highlighted the difficulties faced by some migrants after returning home, including financial hardship, trauma and social stigma. He said effective reintegration programmes must therefore go beyond financial support and address the psychological and social needs of returnees.
Bensouda thanked the Mayors Migration Council for funding the initiative through the Global Cities Fund, noting that the project proposal was initially presented in New York alongside initiatives from the mayors of Milan and Freetown.
He also acknowledged the governments of Spain and Germany, United Nations agencies, civil society organisations, the Voluntary Returnee Migrants Association, Safe Home, and religious and community leaders for their support.
According to Bensouda, municipalities are well placed to understand how migration affects families and communities because local authorities operate closest to the people.
He nevertheless stressed that local governments cannot tackle migration challenges alone, calling for greater collaboration between municipalities, the central government, international development partners, the private sector, civil society and young people.
Addressing returning migrants directly, Bensouda urged them not to regard their experiences abroad as failures.
He said many returnees come home with valuable skills, knowledge, experience and resilience that could be harnessed to support their families and contribute to national development.
The mayor said the true measure of the Hub’s success would not be the inauguration ceremony but the outcomes it produces over time, including the number of businesses established, livelihoods restored and families that no longer see irregular migration as their only route to economic 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 Migrant Resilience Hub will now serve as the municipality’s main centre for reintegration support, connecting returning migrants and vulnerable young people with services intended to strengthen their economic independence and improve their prospects at home.
