Emerging Economic Markets: The Gambia, West Africa.

Investing in your future in The Gambia. We can help you to find the right property or place for your investments or ideas.

Investment in The Gambia: Political & Economic Indicators

The Gambia is an investment haven. This potential and promise is predicated upon sound and consistent macroeconomic polices, constitutional guarantees against expropriation of investment and for theprotection of investments.

'National resolve and commitment to transform The Gambia into a middle income country by the year 2020'

The Gambia has an investment policy, which is premised on six important pillars / premises. These pillars essentially include:

Liberal, free market economic environment together with appropriate political and social policy and programme framework;

Adherence to the principles of democratic governance, constitutional guarantee of rights to freedom and liberty, welfare, property ownership and protection. In this regard, the country is constitutionally obliged to encourage, promote and protect beneficial investment as the enabler of socioeconomic change and progress.

Full integration into the wider global economy through her membership of and adherence to charters and principles of Economic Community Of WEST AFRICAN STATES, ORGANISATION OR AFRICAN UNITY, World Trade Organisation, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), African Development Bank, The World Bank Group, ACP-EU Convention, Islamic Development Bank and a host of bilateral trade agreements among others. These testify to the national resolve at participation and integration in the global economy.

Articulation of policies and strategies to make The Gambia a trade and investment gateway to the Western Africa sub-regional and the larger African regional market. The uniqueness of the country's location on the Atlantic coast of West Africa, proximity to European and North American markets, a highly efficient port system, state-of-the-art telecommunication infrastructure, high water table and ideal climate for horticulture, unrivalled rich climate and sea resource for tourism and sea resource exploitation amongst a host of other qualities, have placed the Gambia at a comparatively advantageous position to become the sub-regional hegemony in trade and services;
Conducive legal and institutional framework with labour laws that support and encourage collective bargaining in line with the stipulation of the Labour Act;

Gambia and the Internet

The world is witnessing an information technology (IT) or digital revolution that is transforming traditional ways of business and service delivery. IT is becoming a leading enabler in the new economy and through content and distribution it is bringing about efficiency, productivity and employment. It is transforming social service delivery in health, education, culture and environmental management. Web and internet-based exchange of information is fast changing the global landscape and revolutionizing trade, governance, business, human rights and the myriad of things that are of concern to governments and citizens.

Yet a gulf is emerging between developed and developing countries with regards to access and use of IT thus creating a new development gap through the so-called digital divide. In response countries like The Gambia seek to transform the digital divide into a digital opportunity and put in place strategies to promote the use of IT to boost efficiencies, productivity and service delivery in all sectors of the economy. The Government of The Gambia realizes the liberating potential of the new information technology for improving overall service delivery, good governance, etc. Another aspect of this strategy is providing up-to-date information about The Gambia's economy, business and other relevant information through this new medium hence the launching of this website:

To transform The Gambia into a financial center, a tourist paradise, a trading, export-oriented agricultural and manufacturing nation, thriving on free market policies and a vibrant private sector, sustained by a well-educated, trained, skilled, healthy, self-reliant and enterprising population, and guaranteeing a well-balanced eco-system and a decent standard of living for one and all, under a system of government based on the consent of the citizenry

Gambia Trade Policy

The Trade Policy for The Gambia: Proposal Towards a New Trade Regime

The Gambia has an open-door, liberal trade policy. The country is seeking an export led growth through value added productivity and, to that end, the government is committed to elimination of tariff and non tariff barriers. There are no quantitative restrictions on imports and tariffs have been reviewed and lowered. Consequent upon this review a tariff rationalisation has been effected and includes tariff reduction to a maximum of 18% and the reduction of tariff bands to four (4) economic groupings. Tariff levels in The Gambia will be subject to further review in order to ensure that The Gambia remains competitive.

Tariff Regime in The Gambia

The tariff regime of The Gambia is based on the Harmonized System (HS). Only eight (8) of the tariff lines are specific, whiles the rest are all ad-val orem rates. Most rates are below 30%,and only 0.5% of all the lines have a rate which exceed 40%.

The current tariff rates range from 0% (duty free) for some capital equipment, raw materials and goods imported by the government, to 90% on luxury goods. There are 31 rates in the HS-tariff schedule. There still exists much scope for refining certain areas of the tariff regime in order to evolve a more competitive schedule towards improved and liberal trade development in The Gambia.

The Trade Gateway Project

The Government of the Gambia is at an advanced stage of preparations for the implementation of the Trade Gateway Project, whose overall objective is to develop and promote The Gambia to become the regional center for processing, manufacturing, assembly, and distribution in West Africa. The project will facilitate the establishment of Free Zone Authority (FZA) and the creation of export processing zones, specially developed for activities that are export-oriented and involve warehousing, sorting, packing, minor processing and assembly. Investors will benefit from a number of one-stop-shop services and facilities, including the entire infrastructure they need for operating profitable investment undertakings.

Gambia Investment Promotion and Free Zones Agency

The Agency is established to promote investments and manage designated Free Zones in The Gambia.

It serves as the link between investors and national authorities connected with business operations, and other support facilities associated with investing in The Gambia.

Additionally, GIPFZA has the responsibility to: