The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has asked the authorities in The Gambia to reverse a central bank directive that could cost 57 Nigerian professionals their jobs in the West African country’s banking sector before the end of the year.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, the commission said the order, which requires banks to replace non-Gambian employees with qualified Gambian nationals, was “deeply worrisome” and should be reconsidered urgently, according to reports by TVC News and The Sun.
What the Gambian directive says
The directive was reportedly issued by the Central Bank of The Gambia on September 16, 2026. It instructs banks operating in the country to replace foreign staff with suitably qualified Gambians, and sets a deadline of December 31, 2026.
According to NiDCOM, 57 Nigerians working in four Nigerian-origin banks in The Gambia stand to be affected. The commission said the workers hold valid residency and work permits. The names of the four banks were not given in the statement.
As of the time of writing, the Central Bank of The Gambia had not publicly responded to NiDCOM’s statement, and reports did not carry a comment from the Gambian government.
Why NiDCOM says the banks matter to The Gambia
To make its case, the commission pointed to the weight of the four Nigerian-origin lenders in the Gambian economy. Citing figures it attributed to the banks, NiDCOM said they together hold about 37.2 per cent of total deposits in the Gambian banking system, worth roughly D35.3 billion (Gambian dalasi).
It added that the banks account for about 32.6 per cent of loans (around D7.67 billion), 37 per cent of industry assets (about D44.78 billion) and roughly 34.5 per cent of investments in central bank bonds. The commission also said the banks reportedly provide about 90 per cent of the funding for the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC), the country’s state utility.
These figures come from NiDCOM’s statement and have not been independently verified by Flashinfong.
Dabiri-Erewa: local jobs, but respect existing permits
NiDCOM, led by its Chairman and Chief Executive, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said it recognised The Gambia’s sovereign right to promote local employment and build its own workforce. However, it argued that such policies should respect existing employment arrangements and lawfully issued work authorisations.
The commission warned that a blanket replacement order runs against efforts to promote African investment, regional economic cooperation and the free movement of people across the continent. Pushing out qualified African professionals, it said, could discourage cross-border investment at a time when African governments are trying to deepen trade under ECOWAS and the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The statement was signed by NiDCOM’s Head of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, Abdur-Rahman Balogun.
Background: Nigeria, The Gambia and ECOWAS
Nigeria and The Gambia are both members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), whose protocols allow citizens of member states to travel, live and work across the region, subject to national laws. Nigerian banks have expanded across West Africa over the past two decades, opening subsidiaries in countries including The Gambia, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Disputes over jobs for foreign workers are not new in the region. Governments under pressure to create employment for young citizens have periodically tightened rules on expatriate staff, while Nigeria has pushed back when its nationals or businesses feel targeted, most notably in long-running trade and retail disputes with Ghana.
The Gambia, mainland Africa’s smallest country, has a population of under three million and a small but growing financial sector, where locally trained bankers have been pressing for more senior roles.
What happens next
NiDCOM has asked the Gambian authorities to engage the Nigerian High Commission in Banjul, the affected banks and other stakeholders to reach what it called an equitable solution. It urged both countries to settle the matter through diplomacy, in line with ECOWAS integration principles and the long-standing friendship between Abuja and Banjul.
With the December 31 deadline less than two months away, the affected workers and their employers will be watching closely for any response from the Central Bank of The Gambia, or for talks between the two governments, in the coming weeks.
Sources: TVC News, The Sun, Vanguard, The Eagle Online.
