EU Statement at the Trade Policy Review of the Republic of The Gambia, 04 February 2026
Thank you, Mr Chairman,
I would like to welcome the Delegation of The Gambia, led by Hon. Mod K. Ceesay Minister of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment, and my colleague H.E. Ambassador Muhammadou KAH and his team here in Geneva. I would like to thank the Discussant, Ambassador H.E. Mr. Hakan ÇAKIL (Türkiye) for his introductory remarks.
The European Union welcomes this opportunity to review the developments in The Gambia’s trade policies and practices. Let me start by highlighting that The Gambia has significant potential for socio-economic development, owing to its strategic geographical position with direct access to the sea and the Gambia River, its youthful population, and its rich marine resources. We also recognise the efforts undertaken by The Gambia to harness these assets in support of sustainable growth and development, while noting that the structure of the economy continues to reflect a strong reliance on tourism, remittances, and subsistence agriculture.
The Gambia’s real GDP growth averaged 5.2% per year since 2021. The services sector, mainly driven by tourism, accounts for over half of the country's GDP. Since climate change threatens the tourist activities’ long-term viability, we encourage The Gambia to proceed with its planned programmes to diversify in this sector.
The European Union notes the strategic importance of The Gambia’s long-term development goals, as set out in its Recovery-Focused National Development Plan (2023–2027), which positions trade as a key driver of economic transformation.
The European Union notes with interest the significant decrease in The Gambia’s export concentration, which fell from 0.520 in 2017 to 0.218 in 2024, according to UNCTAD’s merchandise concentration index, and would welcome further insights into the factors that have contributed to this encouraging development.
We welcome and appreciate The Gambia’s continued engagement in the multilateral trading system and its active participation in the work of the WTO. We would like to congratulate Ambassador Kah for his engagement, constructive spirit and active participation in WTO work. We are pleased to see The Gambia currently being the coordinator of the Group of Least Developed Countries. The European Union commends in particular The Gambia’s involvement in a number of WTO initiatives, including on E-commerce, and Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, as well as its participation in the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) and the Informal Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade. We also commend The Gambia’s ratification of key multilateral agreements, notably the Trade Facilitation Agreement in 2017 and the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies in 2023.
The European Union welcomes that The Gambia has sought to use its engagement at the WTO to support domestic reform priorities, including trade facilitation, digitalisation, MSME development, and the integration of gender and climate considerations into its trade policy. In this context, we welcome The Gambia’s participation in the WTO Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement, which provides a useful framework to support a more transparent and predictable investment climate and contributes to attracting more and sustainable FDI flows.
We invite The Gambia to join the Multi-party interim appeal arbitration arrangement (MPIA). The MPIA is an important stop-gap solution that preserves a fully functioning dispute settlement system, and contributes to rules-based trade, among the willing Members.
We take note of the progress achieved in trade facilitation and customs modernisation, including the implementation of ASYCUDA World, the gradual rollout of The Gambia National Single Window, and the introduction of complementary digital tools aimed at improving border procedures. At the same time, continued efforts to strengthen transparency and the timely fulfilment of WTO notification obligations would further support the effective functioning of the multilateral trading system.
The European Union is The Gambia’s main trading partner. In 2024, bilateral trade in goods reached EUR 281 million, and The Gambia continues to benefit from duty-free and quota-free access to the EU market under the Everything But Arms (EBA) initiative. We welcome the strong utilisation of these preferences, particularly in the fisheries sector.
Looking ahead, the European Union encourages continued efforts to further enhance the business and regulatory environment, with a view to attracting investment and supporting sustainable economic growth, industrialisation, and job creation. We look forward to strengthening our relations on trade and investment, including by supporting The Gambia’s efforts to diversify its exports, attract investment, and foster innovative and sustainable value chains, notably through closer cooperation with neighbouring partners within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
We welcome that The Gambia has continued to strengthen regional economic integration through the ratification of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Finally, we would like to thank The Gambia for replying to our written questions, which are demonstration of our great interest in The Gambia’s trade policies and practices.
On behalf of the European Union, I look forward to a constructive dialogue with The Gambia and wish you a very successful 4th Trade Policy Review. Thank you.