IGDMM launched to reshape migration policy

By Alieu Jallow

Muhammed Lamin Dibba has launched the Institute for Governance, Development, Migration and Mobilities (IGDMM), a new think‑tank that aims to recast migration as a strategic tool for development rather than solely a humanitarian or security problem.

Dibba, the institute’s founder and executive director, said IGDMM will tackle what he called the continent’s “Hope Deficit” by promoting Systems Literacy, institutional reform and “strategic mobility” so young Africans can engage global opportunities on equal terms.

“In my journey across borders, from the heart of The Gambia to the diplomatic hubs of Switzerland, I have seen one recurring truth: migration is not just a movement of people; it is a complex global system,” he said.

Positioned with bases in Switzerland and The Gambia, IGDMM plans research and field work to ensure African migration experiences shape policy rather than being reduced to statistics. Dibba argued current responses are too reactive: “For too long, our approach to this system has been reactive rather than proactive. We have dealt with the tragedies at sea and the silence of the displaced, but we haven’t always mastered the mechanics of the system itself.”

A central plank of the institute’s strategy is a Circular Migration and Reintegration Model inspired by Switzerland’s dual‑education system. The model seeks to recast returnees as “National Pioneers” and to support them through an Asset‑Based Reintegration approach — offering technical tools, skills transfer, and micro‑equity rather than one‑off cash payments.

Dibba said the aim is to convert skills gained abroad — from irrigation techniques to hospital grid maintenance — into drivers of domestic innovation and growth. “We are building an institution that doesn’t just ask ‘Why do they go?’ but provides the ‘How’ for navigating mobility with dignity, safety, and strategic advantage,” he added.

IGDMM has already begun research activities and expanding field engagement as it seeks to train a new generation of what Dibba calls “high‑value System Negotiators” able to navigate labour markets and education systems worldwide.