Diaspora Engagement Strategy Review Consultant

Banjul

Organization: IOM - International Organization for Migration
Location: Banjul
Grade: Senior Executive level - Assistant Director - General level - Internationally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
- Operations and Administrations
- Legal - International Law
- Human Rights
- Migration
- Refugee rights and well-being
- Peace and Development
Closing Date:

Job Description

Project Context and Scope

The Gambia has demonstrated a strong commitment to engaging its diaspora for national development, aligning its efforts with the principles of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) as well as other continental frameworks and initiatives on the topic. This strategic focus is driven by the significant role Gambians abroad play in the nation's economy; approximately 10% of the population resides overseas, and their financial remittances constitute a remarkable 20% of the country's Gross Domestic Product by the end of 2024 (WB, 2024).

In pursuit of this strategic goal, The Gambia has undertaken a comprehensive array of practical measures aimed at harnessing the full potential of its diaspora for national development. The government has diligently worked across all ten action points outlined in the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) Objective 19, establishing various frameworks and initiatives to facilitate, enhance, and optimise diaspora contributions, and alignment with the AU Migration Policy Framework for Africa and its action Plan 2018-203O and the indicators included under the pillar on Diaspora engagement. A landmark in this effort is the development of the Gambia Diaspora Strategy (GDS) in 2017. This marked the country's first formal approach to engaging its diaspora and was incorporated into the 2018-2021 National Development Plan. Launched in January 2018 by the President, the strategy was informed by extensive research, consultations, and case studies. Its implementation, spanning from 2018 to 2022, outlined 14 commitments across four key policy areas, many of which saw significant progress, including the establishment of the Gambian Diaspora and Migration Directorate, capacity-building initiatives, reductions in remittance transfer costs, and active participation in global migration dialogues. Nonetheless, several initiatives faced obstacles such as delayed cooperation among government agencies, resource limitations, and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. These challenges hindered the full realisation of projects like diaspora investments, the issuance of Diaspora Bonds, the establishment of a Diaspora Development Fund, and increased diaspora participation in local governance. Recognizing these setbacks, the government extended the National Development Plan into 2022 and began reviewing and updating the GDS to align with the new recovery-oriented NDP 2023-2027.

Acknowledging the critical importance of diaspora contributions to socio-economic development, The Gambia has embedded diaspora engagement as a core component of its broader development strategies. Beyond the standalone GDS, diaspora engagement has been mainstreamed into several key policy documents, including the Recovery Focused National Development Plan (RF-NDP), the National Migration Policy (NMP) for 2020–2030, the National Employment Policy and Action Plan, and the Labour Migration Strategy and Plan of Action (2022–2026). The RF-NDP explicitly recognizes diaspora engagement as a ‘critical enabler’ of development, emphasizing priorities such as developing diaspora bonds, creating conducive conditions for diaspora investments, enhancing consular and protection services, conducting diaspora skills mapping exercises, and establishing a Diaspora Development Fund. The NMP further integrates diaspora engagement and remittances within its Pillar IV: Human Capital Development, setting broad objectives to facilitate the transfer of knowledge, skills, and resources from the diaspora to support national progress. These comprehensive policies collectively reflect The Gambia’s strategic commitment to leveraging its diaspora’s potential as a vital driver of sustainable development.

However, the current Gambia's Diaspora Strategy is yet to be validated and has been noted to have various gaps in its scope and implementation, particularly in its inclusivity and representation of diverse diaspora groups. While the strategy aims to leverage the Gambia’s global diaspora for national development, it often emphasizes certain segments, such as professionals and investors, overlooking other groups like youth, women, and marginalized communities. This selective focus limits the potential for broad-based engagement and fails to harness the full spectrum of skills, ideas, and resources that different diaspora segments can offer.

Additionally, there are gaps related to institutional coordination and policy consistency. The strategy lacks a cohesive framework that clearly delineates roles and responsibilities among government agencies, diaspora organizations, and private sector actors. This fragmentation hampers effective communication, resource mobilization, and the implementation of diaspora initiatives. Without a centralized coordinating body or clear policies, efforts tend to be disjointed, resulting in underutilized opportunities for meaningful engagement and sustainable development projects.

Furthermore, the strategy falls short in establishing robust mechanisms for implementation, feedback, monitoring, and evaluation. There is limited emphasis on creating channels for the diaspora to participate actively in decision-making processes, share their experiences, or provide input on strategic priorities. This gap undermines the adaptability and responsiveness of the engagement strategy, risking stagnation and reduced diaspora trust. Strengthening these mechanisms is essential to foster accountability, measure impact, and continuously refine approaches to effectively integrate diaspora contributions into national development plans.

To ensure coherence of the Strategy with the national commitments as outlined in the RF-NDP and to have clear actionable commitments, IOM is closely working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad (MOFA) to update the Diaspora Strategy and draft a comprehensive Plan of Action for effective implementation. This revised Strategy will aim to strengthen mechanisms for effectively and efficiently harnessing the human and professional capital of the diaspora, focusing on the potential of the diaspora for transferring knowledge and skills.

The activity will be conducted within the framework of the tripartite project between IOM, African Development Bank (AfDB) and the African Union Commission (AUC) titled “Streamlining Diaspora Engagement to Catalyse Private Investments and Entrepreneurship for Enhanced Resilience’ (SDE4R) project.” The project seeks to support socio-economic development in eight African transition states, including South Sudan, Somalia, The Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Togo, Madagascar and Zimbabwe, by reviving the domestic private sector, building climate resilience and recovery from political or humanitarian crises by leveraging the expertise and networks of diaspora groups, including identifying the best methods for effectively mobilizing the diaspora’s social, human and economic capitals.

Key Objectives of the assignment:

The overall objective of this consultancy is to support the update of a Diaspora Strategy (now referred to as the “Diaspora Engagement Strategy”) and an Action Plan that aligns with national and local development strategic plans, programmes, and other relevant initiatives in The Gambia. The specific objectives of the assignment are as follows:

Conduct a feasibility study that will chart the course for the development of an efficient and effective strategy for the successful engagement of members of the Gambian Diaspora.

Develop a comprehensive strategy build to effectively engage, empower, and strengthen relations with the Gambian Diaspora through targeted outreach and development initiatives.

Create a detailed action plan with specific activities, timelines, roles, and monitoring mechanisms to ensure effective implementation of the Diaspora Engagement Strategy and sustained engagement.

Give recommendations on defining roles, relationships, terms of reference, and procedure for the appointment of honorary consuls to aid with diaspora engagement. Target Audience: Government of Gambia, Private Sector, Civil Society Organizations, individual members of the Gambian Diaspora, Gambian Diaspora organizations and other international organization.

Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing

The assignment will be managed by Migration Management Unit (MMU) of IOM The Gambia in close coordination with IOM’s Regional Office in West and Central Africa (RO WCA) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad. The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Programme Coordinator (Migration Management Unit) IOM The Gambia, in coordination with the Regional Thematic Specialist based at RO WCA.

Responsibilities

Tasks to be performed under this contract

In line with the above objectives of the assignment, the consultant will conduct the following activities:  

The specific tasks of this assignment are to:

Conduct an assessment on Gambian diaspora relations by performing a desk review of relevant research studies and policies regarding diaspora engagement (such as The RF-National Development Plan (2023-2027) Gambia’s Migration Profiles and the National Migration Policy, Labour Migration Strategy, etc.) to obtain a more in-depth understanding of the relationship between The Gambia and its diaspora.
Conduct meetings with representatives of the Government of The Gambia, diasporic organizations, and Gambian diaspora members with a view to explore and confirm the priorities for the different sectors, as it relates to diasporic contributions and engagement.
Arrange and conduct meetings with private sector and civil society groups to identify opportunities for diaspora investment and partnerships that support The Gambia's national development priorities.
Develop a feasibility study to examine the most appropriate and effective means of coordinating and encouraging diaspora contributions based on information obtained from desk review and stakeholder meetings, ensuring the inclusion of gender considerations.
Draft an effective strategy for the successful engagement of the Gambian diaspora including recommendations of potential synergies with other existing sectoral policies (ex: trade and investment, etc.)
Create a detailed action plan with specific activities, timelines, roles, and monitoring mechanisms to ensure effective and sustained implementation of the Diaspora Engagement Strategy.
Participate in the launch event for the final report and handover of the strategy both in soft and hard copies, including a slide deck presenting the summary of the strategy.
Participate in meetings, workshops, and other events linked to this assignment as necessary.

Tangible and measurable outputs of the work assignment:  

Inception report and consultancy methodology

Draft strategy and its plan of action after data collection, summarizing the study’s methodology and specifying any limitations/complications and changes to the initial design.

Pre-validation

Final Draft

Validation

Key Activities and Deliverables  

The Consultancy will submit the following reports within the designated timeframe. The receipt and approval of each deliverable are subject to approval by the Government of The Gambia and IOM:

Deliverables	Timeline
Submit inception report in preparation for The Gambia Diaspora Policy and/or strategy	within 7 days of signing the contract
Conduct consultations with NCM TWGs, relevant stakeholders and IOM The Gambia in preparations for Gambia’s Diaspora Policy.	Within 30 days after signing the contract
Interview with key stakeholders based in The Gambia (IOM The Gambia will support in making an appointment for the consultant)	Within 40 days after signing the contract
Interview with diaspora identified by IOM / MoFA (either email, telephone, visit)	Within 50 days after signing the contract
Present the first draft of the Updated Diaspora Strategy and its Plan of Action to the Migration and Development Technical Working Group.	Within 65 days after signing the contract
Revised the draft Updated Diaspora Strategy and its Plan of Action based on the inputs of the Migration and Development Technical Working Group and other relevant stakeholders	Within 70 days after signing the contract
Present the final draft to high level officials, mainly those from the NCM.	Within 90 days after signing the contract
Submit the final The Gambia Diaspora Policy and slides deck presenting its summary to IOM	Within 100 days after signing the contract

Performance indicators for the evaluation of results

Satisfactory completion of tasks indicated.

Quality of elaborate analysis.

Timely delivery of outlines and the final draft.

Compliance with IOM/MoFA House style Guidelines.

Delivery of any other charges shown above

Qualifications

Education

Advanced university master’s degree in international relations, Political Science, and International Development or other relevant fields.

Experience and Skills

Minimum of 10+ years of relevant professional experience in migration and development within West and Central African Region.
Experience in provision of policy or strategic plan advisory services to government counterparts

Demonstrated substantive experience in conducting research in the field of diaspora engagement, youth employment, skills development, vocational education, and/or training for sustainable development.

Strong knowledge of migration dynamics in The Gambia.

Existing network and engagement with The Gambian diaspora in Spain will be considered an asset

Good interpersonal and communication skills.

Ability to work independently after consultations.

Personal commitment, efficiency, and desire to achieve results.

Prior experience of working with the UN and/or international organisations will be considered as an asset.

Languages

Excellent written and spoken English; along with fluency in local languages

IOM’s official languages are English, French and Spanish.

Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.

Required Competencies

IOM’s competency framework can be found at this link. Competencies will be assessed during the selection process.

Values - all IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these three values:

Inclusion and respect for diversity: Respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion.
Integrity and transparency: Maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
Professionalism: Demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.
Courage: Demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance.
Empathy: Shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected and fairly treated.

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators

Teamwork: Develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
Delivering results: Produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner. Is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.
Managing and sharing knowledge: Continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.
Accountability: Takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own actions and delegated work.
Communication: Encourages and contributes to clear and open communication. Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

Notes

Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.
Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, verification of residency, visa, and authorizations by the concerned Government, where applicable.
IOM covers Consultants against occupational accidents and illnesses under the Compensation Plan (CP), free of charge, for the duration of the consultancy. IOM does not provide evacuation or medical insurance for reasons related to non-occupational accidents and illnesses. Consultants are responsible for their own medical insurance for non-occupational accident or illness and will be required to provide written proof of such coverage before commencing work.
IOM has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and IOM, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities.
IOM does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, processing, training or other fee). IOM does not request any information related to bank accounts.
IOM only accepts duly completed applications submitted through the IOM online recruitment system. The online tool also allows candidates to track the status of their application.

For further information and other job postings, you are welcome to visit our website: IOM Careers and Job Vacancies

Required Skills

Job info

Contract Type: Consultancy (Up to 11 months)
Initial Contract Duration: 4 months
Vacancy Type: Consultancy
Recruiting Type: Consultant
Grade: UG
Alternative Required Language 1: English

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