He stated this while answering a question read by Hon. Musa Cham on behalf of the Member for Sabach Sanjal highlighting a recent assessment by the Gambia Commission for Refugees, Gambia Food and Nutrition Association, UNHCR and partners, showing that 98.9% of Ghana Town residents consider The Gambia as their home, despite many seeing themselves as stateless due to unresolved documentation issues. Hon. Cham asked what concrete steps the ministry was taking to address their legal challenges.
Pressed further on how the process would be carried out, the Minister revealed that a dedicated taskforce is already in place. “There is a taskforce created, including our Ministry, the Gambia Refugee Commission, the Legal Department, Justice Department,” he said. He added that assistance from the UNHCR Dakar office particularly for funding was supporting the detailed assessment. “Once the assessment is done, then they will be giving citizenship. That’s our intent, and we want to do it as quickly as possible.”
He reminded lawmakers that this urgency is part of a commitment made to UNHCR in Geneva.
The Member for Wuli East asked whether the ministry had verified original citizenship, the Minister said many residents were born in The Gambia to parents also born in the country, and the taskforce’s job is to determine what the law allows.
Despite multiple interruptions and points of order, Minister Sanyang maintained a consistent message throughout the exchange that the government has begun the process, a taskforce is operational, partners are engaged, and the intention is to finalise citizenship decisions as quickly as possible.
