Overview
The Gambia is the smallest country within mainland Africa, and with a population of 2,7 million people is one of the most densely populated countries on the continent. The low-income country experienced a democratic transition in 2016. Its economy is mainly relying on the agriculture and tourism sectors.
Our partnership
The EU supports The Gambia’s democratic transition and development efforts, in line with the country's commitment to democratic change since December 2016 and the EU’s Global Gateway strategy.
EU actions build on The Gambia’s dedication to fostering democratic governance, promoting sustainable development, and enhancing human rights. The EU and its Member States have invested extensively in The Gambia's democratic transition to help propel the process forward.
The EU has allocated €193 million in grant funding towards the partnership in 2021-2027. The Gambia also benefits from several multi-country EU-programmes.
EU-The Gambia partnership programming documents can be found in the ‘Related documents’ section below.
Our key initiatives
- Democratic transition and consolidation
The EU partners with The Gambia on several key initiatives aimed at supporting constitutional reform, consolidating transitional justice, supporting security sector reform, and promoting a framework for peace and security. These efforts are crucial for fostering a stable and democratic environment in The Gambia. Initiatives include:
- Supporting legal reforms, reconciliation post-dictatorship, and enhancing local governance.
- Contributing to the legitimacy of the transitional justice.
- Promoting peace and stability by empowering national mediators.
- Supporting the Office of National Security in making work processes more efficient and coordinating the implementation of the Security Sector Reform.
- Sustainable growth and jobs
EU initiatives in The Gambia are focusing on fostering sustainable growth and creating jobs by promoting tourism and creative industries, developing agri-value chains for sustainable food systems, and enabling digitalisation in business and public administration. These focus on:
- Improving investment, market access, and job creation in the tourism sector and creative industries with a focus on youth.
- Accelerating the sustainable and inclusive transformation of agri-food systems towards resilient, climate-smart and nutrition-sensitive food systems in The Gambia.
- Supporting the production and use of organic fertilisers.
- Energy
The EU supports The Gambia on modernising the energy sector of the country and ensuring Universal Access to electricity. This includes improving access to electricity to about 18,500 households, 1000 schools and 100 hospitals by supporting solar power generation.
- Human development
The EU and the Gambia are working together to support the educational systems, improving access to and quality of education,and strengthen social protection systems coverage, Initiatives focus on:
- Enhancing The Gambia’s social protection by supporting the National Social Protection Secretariat.
- Supporting secondary education with a focus on reducing the gender gap in completion rates and among educators.
- Migration management
The EU is committed to improving migration management, fighting against migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings, and promoting protection and reintegration. Initiatives include:
- Supporting The Gambia and regional partners investigate human trafficking and smuggling and present irregular migration.
- Supporting the return and reintegration of migrants and displaced people.