Country profile the Gambia 2016

Abstract

The Gambia has achieved positive but highly volatile economic growth in recent years. Annual real GDP growth averaged 3.1 per cent between 2005 and 2015, resulting in an overall GDP of 39.9 billion dalasi ($938.8 million) in 2015. This translates to a GDP per capita of $476 in 2015. Agriculture and services are the most important sectors and employ the majority of the workforce. Being highly dependent on rainfall, crop yield is subject to frequent variations, which directly affect the economy as a whole. Despite these difficulties, the Gambia has made advances in poverty reduction. Overall, poverty decreased from 58.0 per cent in 2003 to 39.6 per cent in 2010, when the measure of $1 per day was used. The country’s population, of almost 2 million, is young and has been growing by more than 3 per cent in the last decade. Poverty, low educational levels and poor health outcomes, as well as high population growth, are all associated with rural agriculture. This implies a key role for agriculture in improving the livelihoods of the poor. The Gambia has a history of developing sound agricultural policies; however, executing those programs is a daunting challenge. The final section of this report contains an analysis of the Gambian agricultural policy landscape and a discussion of its different development plans.