The African Development Bank (AfDB) had 14 projects in The Gambia with commitments of about $170mn as of May 2026, the bank said on November 3. A revised improvement plan for March 2026 to February 2028 sets out 19 corrective actions to speed delivery, it said, after a four-day workshop in Banjul on procurement and financial management for more than 60 participants from executing agencies, ministries and the private sector.
Analysis: For both lenders, project delivery rather than financing appears to be the constraint. The AfDB's commitments equal about 27% of the roughly $624mn World Bank portfolio reported at a joint review in September, by our calculation, although the two totals may not cover the same items. The World Bank's five operations under review had disbursed 47.2% of $357.95mn, the finance minister said then, leaving about $189mn to spend. The AfDB gave no disbursement rate. For contractors and suppliers, procurement speed decides when tenders and payments reach them. The plan runs to February 2028, and the bank published no interim disbursement target.
Source: African Development Bank Group (AfDB), AfDB press release, 'African Development Bank Group Strengthens Project Delivery in the Gambia', November 3, 2026, As of May 2026 and March 2026 to February 2028; Gambiana (gambiana.com), Gambiana, 'Government and World Bank review $624m development portfolio to accelerate projects', September 22, 2026, September 2026; Gambiana (gambiana.com), Gambiana, September 22, 2026, September 2026