Gambia bank sack order threatens jobs of 57 Nigerians – NiDCOM

NiDCOM DG, Abike Dabiri-Erewa. Photo: File

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission 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 to replace certain foreign employees with Gambian nationals.

The Chairman of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, raised the concern in a statement shared on her X handle on Tuesday, describing the directive as “deeply worrisome”.

The statement 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 affects 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 four Nigerian-origin banks operating in Gambia which could be affected by the directive.”

“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 said such policies should be implemented fairly and in a manner that respects existing employment arrangements and legitimate work authorisations.

She also called for the protection of the principles of African solidarity and regional integration.

Dabiri-Erewa highlighted the economic contributions of the four banks, saying they collectively account for approximately 37.2 per cent of total banking industry deposits, valued at 35.3 billion Gambian dalasis.

According to her, the banks 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.

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She added that the institutions account for approximately 34.5 per cent of investments in Central Bank bonds and reportedly contributed 90 per cent of the funding supporting the operations of the National Water and Electricity Company.

The NiDCOM chairman described the directive as contradictory to efforts to encourage 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.

She called on the Central Bank of The Gambia to “immediately reconsider and reverse the blanket replacement directive”.

Dabiri-Erewa also urged the Gambian regulator to engage the Nigerian High Commission in Banjul, affected financial institutions and other relevant stakeholders to reach an equitable resolution.

She further called on Gambian authorities to uphold the spirit of ECOWAS integration and the longstanding cordial relationship between Nigeria and The Gambia, urging constructive diplomatic engagement on the matter.

PUNCH Online had earlier reported that the Central Bank of The Gambia gave commercial banks operating in the country until December 31, 2026, to replace non-Gambian employees who were not covered by approved expatriate quotas.

The regulator said the directive followed an industry-wide review which found a relatively high number of foreign employees working in banks outside the formally recognised expatriate quota.

It cited the country’s Labour Act 2023 and Guideline 9 governing expatriate employment in the banking industry as the basis for the directive.