By Mariatou Ngum
The Gambia Trade Union Bureau (GAMTUB) in partnership with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) last week, commenced a five-day capacity building for trade unionists. It was held at Sunset Beach Hotel on the theme, ‘The role of trade unions in the transition of informal to formal sector’.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Hon. Baboucarr Ousmaila Joof, the Minister of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment said that the purpose of training is to strengthen one of the constituents of the national tripartite committee, noting that it is an honour and a great pleasure to associate himself, the Ministry and the Government of The Gambia with this event.
He expressed hope that the event will impact and transform the constituent of the National Tripartite Committee by improving the operational efficiency and coordination among its members.
“I therefore take this opportunity to thank ILO for providing the funds for The Gambia Trade Union Bureau (GAMTUB) to organise this event,” he said.
He disclosed that under a technical assistance framework of the “Boosting post-Covid-19 economic recovery and resilience in The Gambia through the formalisation of informal enterprise and their workers (FORMGIS minis project)”, ILO supported the development of a National Formalisation Strategy for the first time in The Gambia, which has recently been validated.
‘‘With this strategy and the TVET policy and road-map, we hope the challenges of the huge informality particularly in the MSME ecosystem will be gradually addressed,’’ he asserted.
He informed the participants that the Ministry has finalised the National Employment Policy and Action Plan 2022-2026, and is currently being implemented.
To enhance the implementation of the policy and operationalisation of the Labour Market and Migration Information System, he revealed that the Ministry has proposed the establishment of a Cabinet Sub-committee, a National Employment Technical Committee, and Government Industry-Academia Tripartite Committee.
Minister Joof further expressed the his Ministry’s acknowledgement that The Gambia Trade Union is an important constituent of the national tripartite formation, and are aware of the significant roles trade unions play in the transition of workers from the informal sector to the formal sector. This transition effort, he added includes advocating for legal protection, organising and representing workers, providing education and training, supporting entrepreneurship and strengthening social dialogue.
