Market Access
The Gambia, located in West Africa, occupies an area of 11,300 square kilometres. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, south, and east, and has an 80-kilometre coastline along the Atlantic Ocean to the west.
PREFERENTIAL MARKET ACCESS AND KEY TRADE PARTNERS
Free trade agreements and membership organizations which enable such market access for The Gambia include the following:
AfCFTA
In March 2018, African nations signed the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA), a landmark trade pact designed to create a single African market. The agreement aims to:
- Eliminate tariffs on 90% of goods
- Liberalise trade in services
- Address non-tariff barriers
If fully implemented, AfCFTA will create a single African market of over 1 billion consumers, with a combined GDP exceeding USD 3 trillion, making it the largest free trade area in the world.
The Gambia is a signatory to the AfCFTA agreement, which significantly enhances its access to continental trade opportunities.
ECOWAS
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is the primary political and economic bloc for West Africa. Established in 1975, ECOWAS is a regional organisation comprising 15 member countries, including: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
ECOWAS is a cornerstone of the African Economic Community (AEC) and aims to achieve collective self-sufficiency for its members.
As a founding member of ECOWAS, The Gambia benefits from numerous international Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), such as the ECOWAS–EU EPA, which facilitates the progressive removal of trade restrictions between the EU and ECOWAS countries.
Gambia's strategic positioning and extensive trade partnerships offers significant market access advantages to businesses and investors.
