There is a speculation that some ECOWAS citizens especially Nigerians and Sierra Leones amongst others pay more than their counterparts in The Gambia.
However, according to the spokesperson of the Gambia Immigration Department, Mamanding Dibba, all ECOWAS citizens in the country pay the same amount except three countries.
“All ECOWAS citizens pay the same amount of money for the purpose of a residential permit in this country,” Dibba told West Coast Radio.
The GID spokesperson mentioned three countries whose citizens are exempted from paying residential permits in The Gambia.
“With the exception of Senegalese, Bissau Guineans and Ivorians,” he clarified.
He said: “These are the three countries that have been exempted by the former administration but other than these three, rests of the ECOWAS member countries are all paying the same amount.
In a follow up interview via telephone with the GID Spokesperson to make further enquiries, this reporter has been informed of the payments the three exempted countries make to the department.
Dibba told this reporter: “Senegalese, Ivorians and Bissau Guineans are paying for non-Gambian ID which is D650 plus the application form that is costing D100 summing up to D750 for those three countries.”
Many ECOWAS citizens residing in The Gambia have complained about the increment on the residential permits from D1,500 to D1,900.
To this complaint, Dibba credited the increment on the production cost of the documents, citing their biometric nature. He further said even Gambians previously paid D200 to obtain a national ID but this has also been increased to D450.
He denied claims that Nigerians, Guineans or other ECOWAS citizens have been treated unfairly, saying his office does not condone such treatment.
