Get Guardian on GoogleThe Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has raised concerns that 57 Nigerian professionals working in four Nigerian-origin banks in The Gambia could lose their jobs following a directive by the country’s central bank requiring commercial lenders to replace certain foreign employees with Gambian nationals.
NiDCOM Chairman, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, expressed concern over the directive in a statement shared on her X handle on Tuesday, describing it as “deeply worrisome”.
The concern follows a circular issued by the Central Bank of The Gambia on September 16, 2026, directing commercial banks operating in the country to replace non-Gambian employees who are not covered by approved expatriate quotas with qualified Gambian nationals by December 31, 2026.
The directive applies to all commercial banks operating in the country, including Nigerian-origin lenders such as Access Bank, FirstBank, Guaranty Trust Bank and Zenith Bank.
Dabiri-Erewa said information available to the commission indicated that 57 Nigerian professionals employed by the four banks could be affected.
“These professionals reportedly hold valid residency and work permits and have contributed significantly to the Gambian banking sector,” she said.
While acknowledging The Gambia’s right to promote local employment and develop its workforce, the NiDCOM chairman urged the authorities to ensure that such policies were implemented fairly and in a manner that respected existing employment arrangements and legitimate work authorisations.
She also called for the protection of African solidarity and regional integration, warning against measures that could undermine the contribution of skilled African professionals across the continent.
Dabiri-Erewa highlighted the economic contributions of the four Nigerian-origin banks to The Gambia’s financial sector.
According to her, the institutions collectively account for approximately 37.2 per cent of total banking industry deposits, valued at 35.3 billion Gambian dalasis.
They also account for 32.6 per cent of loans, valued at 7.67 billion dalasis, and 37 per cent of the industry’s assets, worth 44.78 billion dalasis.
She added that the banks account for about 34.5 per cent of investments in Central Bank bonds and reportedly provide 90 per cent of the funding supporting the operations of the National Water and Electricity Company.
The NiDCOM chairman argued that the directive ran counter to efforts to promote African investment, regional economic cooperation and the free movement of people.
“It is contradictory to encourage African investment, regional economic cooperation and the free movement of people while adopting employment measures that could lead to the indiscriminate displacement of qualified African professionals,” she said.
Dabiri-Erewa called on the Central Bank of The Gambia to “immediately reconsider and reverse the blanket replacement directive”.
