The Gambia

The government has highlighted infrastructure development as a key element of The Gambia’s National Development Plan, 2018–21. After a spurt in the early years of the millennium, public investment slowed down and since 2008 has averaged only about 6 percent of GDP, around two percentage points lower than the average of sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. Public investment has been constrained by tight fiscal constraints and high debt levels. The need for increased public investment in the Gambia should be balanced against potential fiscal risks related to future Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) and State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) investments. These risks should be carefully managed to mitigate any negative impact on the government’s fiscal and debt management strategy.