Forty journalists, government communicators, civil society representatives and digital influencers have been trained on ethical migration reporting to promote responsible public discourse.
The two-day training held on October 27-28 was organised by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in collaboration with the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services and The Gambia Press Union.
The programme focused on ethical journalism, migration trends, fact-checking, responsible language, data use and reporting on vulnerable migrants. Participants also explored multimedia storytelling without exposing migrants to risks or discrimination.
DPS at the Minister of Information Madiba Sillah said media shapes public understanding of migration and must be accurate and responsible.
“As migration remains important aspect of our national development, reporting must be guided by facts, ethics and respect for human dignity,” he said.
He said partnership with IOM and GPU will strengthen capacity for balanced information and informed public discussions.
Migration is central to Gambia’s social and economic life, supporting livelihoods, entrepreneurship and diaspora ties as remittances accounted for 23.8% of GDP in 2025.
However, the country recorded growing boat departures since 2025, according to government and IOM monitoring.
As origin, transit, destination and return country, participants were urged to go beyond incidents and statistics to examine wider social, economic and regional factors.
IOM Officer-in-Charge Sibgha Ajaz said ethical, evidence-based communication is necessary to encourage informed discussions and counter misinformation.
“By strengthening capacity of media professionals and influencers, we seek to promote accurate narratives that counter misinformation and uphold dignity of migrants,” she said.
The training stressed informed consent, privacy protection and avoiding language and images that expose migrants to harm. Participants were encouraged to tell human-centred stories recognising migrants as individuals with rights and contributions, not only hardship.
IOM said it trained over 150 journalists across West and Central Africa in ethical migration reporting in 2026 to improve quality of coverage.
The Banjul training forms part of IOM support to government in implementing Global Compact for Migration, funded by IOM Development Fund.
