The week in one number: 6.1%: the annual rise in The Gambia's consumer prices in September, down from 7.0% in July and 7.6% in June, according to statistics agency GBoS and the Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG).
Consumer prices in The Gambia rose 6.1% year-on-year in September 2026, slowing from 7.0% in July and 7.6% in June, according to statistics agency GBoS and the Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG). On an index with January 2020 set at 100, food prices reached 208.06 in September, compared with 161.58 for non-food goods and services, GBoS figures showed.
Analysis: Annual inflation has eased 1.5 percentage points since June but remains 1.1 points above the central bank's implicit 5% target. Food prices have more than doubled since January 2020, compared with a roughly 62% rise in non-food prices, by our calculation. Household budgets therefore remain under pressure despite slower inflation. Transport operators face particular strain: transport inflation reached 16.5% in July, before another fuel price increase in September. The CBG, which held its policy rate at 14% in August, meets on November 25 and announces its decision the following day.
Source: Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBoS), GBoS data portal key-indicator ticker, September 2026; Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG), CBG Monetary Policy Committee Press Release, August 2026, July 2026; Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG), CBG Monetary Policy Committee Press Release, August 20, 2026, MPC meeting 19-20 August 2026; Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG), CBG Monetary Policy Committee press release, August 20, 2026, 2026 and July 2026; Press, CapMad / gambiana.com reporting the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy and Mines price structure, Effective 1 September 2026; CapMad, reporting the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy and Mines price structure, Effective 1 September 2026
The Gambia's goods trade deficit narrowed to $242.5mn, equivalent to 8.8% of GDP, in the second quarter of 2026, from $284.4mn in the first, the Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG) said on August 20. Exports rose 21.9% to $171.0mn, helped by re-exports and shipments of edible fruit and oilseeds, while imports fell 2.6% to $413.5mn.
Analysis: The trade gap narrowed by $41.9mn, or 14.7%, from the previous quarter, by our calculation, with exports covering 41% of imports. Some of the improvement came from re-exports, goods imported for shipment elsewhere, while cashew and groundnut exports typically peak in the first half. For banks and importers seeking foreign currency, the broader current account is more important: its deficit widened to $34.6mn from $29.7mn. GBoS customs data extend only to early 2025, making the CBG's update after its November 25 policy meeting the next useful source.
Source: Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG), CBG Monetary Policy Committee press release, August 20, 2026, Q2 2026 and Q1 2026 and Q2 2025; Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBoS), GBoS International Merchandise Trade Statistics, First Quarter 2025, Q1 2025
Gambian groundnut farmers have called for a higher producer price ahead of the 2026/27 buying season, which usually starts in December, Foroyaa reported on October 13. President Adama Barrow said on October 14 that the price had risen to 38,000 GMD (€450) per metric ton from 15,000 GMD and that the cost of a fertilizer bag had fallen to 1,100 GMD (€13), without specifying a season, The Point reported.
Analysis: The 1,850 GMD (€22) fertilizer subsidy cited by the president would cover about 63% of the cost of a bag, by our calculation. The groundnut producer price matters beyond farming: processors, purchasing agents and banks financing the harvest need it to budget for purchases, cash and storage. However, Barrow gave the figures during a campaign speech without identifying the season, and the agriculture ministry has not announced a price for 2026/27. Buying typically begins in December, the month of the December 5 presidential election.
Source: The Point newspaper (Banjul), The Point, reporting President Barrow's campaign speech at Manduar, 14 Oct 2026, Latest season (2025/26 implied) and 2026; The Standard newspaper, The Standard, reporting the 2027 estimates tabled 25 Sep 2026, FY2027
The Gambia opened its 2026/27 tourist season with a charter flight from London carrying 139 visitors, and the Gambia Tourism Board expects arrivals to rise 15% over the season, Foroyaa reported on October 12. Tourism contributes 18% to 20% of GDP, according to statistics agency GBoS. International visitor arrivals exceeded 235,000 in 2019, World Bank figures showed.
Analysis: The forecast is difficult to assess because the tourism board has not released last season's arrival figures and GBoS's monthly series ends in 2022. That leaves the more than 235,000 visitors recorded in 2019 as the latest available benchmark. The data gap complicates capacity planning for hotels, tour operators and airlines in a sector worth about a fifth of GDP. Hotels also face high generator costs following power cuts, although state utility NAWEC expects two new generators online by late October. Monthly visitor figures from the tourism board could indicate by December whether growth meets its forecast.
Source: Press, Foroyaa (via allAfrica), citing the Gambia Tourism Board Seasonal Forecast 2026, 2026/27 season; Foroyaa Newspaper (Serrekunda), Foroyaa (via allAfrica), 2026/27 season opening; Foroyaa Newspaper (Serrekunda), Foroyaa (via allAfrica), citing GBoS (2025), 2025 (GBoS, as cited); Foroyaa Newspaper (Serrekunda), Foroyaa (via allAfrica), citing the World Bank, 2019; National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC), NAWEC news post 'NAWEC Receives New 21MW Generation Capacity to Strengthen Electricity Supply', Received 5 October 2026
The Gambia has awarded a contract for a 50-megawatt (MW) solar plant at Soma, Ecofin Agency reported on September 9, citing President Adama Barrow's September 8 address. The government has not disclosed the contractor, project cost or commissioning date. Renewable energy supplied about 5% of electricity consumed in the first quarter of 2024, according to an IMF assessment cited by Ecofin.
Analysis: At 50 MW, the proposed plant would be equivalent to nearly half the 102 MW of available generation capacity estimated by the World Bank for 2024. It would be a substantial addition to a system where renewables supplied about 5% of consumption. But solar panels do not generate power at night, when NAWEC documents reported in June suggest demand peaks. Without storage, Soma would mainly reduce daytime fuel costs. Engineering companies and equipment suppliers could benefit from construction, although the government has not named the contractor, financier or cost. A contract notice would provide the first confirmation.
Source: Ecofin Agency, reporting President Barrow's address of 8 Sep 2026, Announced 8 September 2026 and Pledge of 8 September 2026; Ecofin Agency, citing World Bank data, 2024; Ecofin Agency, citing the IMF 2025 Climate Policy Diagnostic, Q1 2024
Chart of the week
Consumer price inflation, % change on a year earlier, September 2025–September 2026
7.4
7.0
6.6
6.4
7.0
7.5
7.6
7.0
6.1
September 2025October 2025December 2025January 2026April 2026May 2026June 2026July 2026September 2026
No checked figures for November 2025, February, March or August 2026. September 2026 is from the statistics agency GBoS's data portal; earlier months are from central bank CBG statements. Source: Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG), CBG Monetary Policy Committee press release, December 4, 2025, September 2025 and October 2025; Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG), CBG Monetary Policy Committee press release, February 26, 2026, December 2025 and January 2026; Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG), CBG Monetary Policy Committee press release, May 21, 2026, April 2026; Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG), CBG Monetary Policy Committee press release, August 20, 2026, May 2026 and June 2026; Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG), CBG Monetary Policy Committee Press Release, August 2026, July 2026; Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBoS), GBoS data portal key-indicator ticker, September 2026.
Tender of the week
Solar water systems for five fish landing sites
Buyer
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), The Gambia office
Scope
Supply and installation of solar-powered water systems at the Sanyang, Kartong, Tanji, Brufut and Bintang fish landing sites; invitation to bid, offers only through the UNGM portal.
Value
Not published
Funding
FAO (donor not stated)
Closes
Wednesday, November 11, 2026
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In Alama Pro this week
Deep dive: What Gambia's new generators and Soma solar plant mean for power cuts
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