Working in partnership with the Gambian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the MSDG Project will undertake research and consultations, and design the structure of a Gambia Diaspora Directorate (GDD). The consultations will include negotiations with the Ministry of Finance, other relevant government bodies, and international development partners. GDD will be a service-delivery directorate that facilitates the optimum participation and contribution of the diaspora in Gambian development.

One of the Deputy Permanent Secretaries of MOFA has been appointed as Focal Point for the MSDG Project and the creation of GDD. The Directorate will take the lead in implementing many aspects of the Diaspora Strategy, through direct service delivery, as well as liaison and coordination of actions and activities with different governmental and non-governmental and international bodies. It will also coordinate the Gambia Diaspora Month (15 December to 14 January).

GDD will also work closely with the Ministry of Interior to facilitate effective intergovernmental and inter-agency collaboration regarding the Gambian Migration Policy. The MSDG Project, through GDD will support the implementation of a national migration policy that reflects the provisions of the Sustainable Development Goals, and the emergent Global Compact on Migration, with the ultimate aim of ‘migration being a choice, not a desperate necessity for Gambians’.