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The Gambia’s Digital Economy: Unlocking Opportunities Amidst Challenges

As The Gambia looks to strengthen its public services, promote private investment, and empower civil society, harnessing the potential of digital transformation has become a crucial step towards inclusive growth and job creation. However, despite its strategic coastal location, the country’s digital economy remains in its infancy, leaving it ill-prepared to face the rapidly changing global landscape.

Challenges Facing The Gambia’s Digital Economy

A recent report by the World Bank highlights the urgent need for The Gambia to address critical bottlenecks in its digital infrastructure value chain, which have resulted in high prices, low quality, and unreliable broadband services. This has stifled the development of the digital economy, with access to basic services such as electricity reaching only 60 percent of the population.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated these vulnerabilities, putting pressure on the country’s digital infrastructure and highlighting the importance of affordable and reliable digital access. With a significant increase in bandwidth usage and congestion reported by internet service providers, households have struggled to honor their electricity and internet bills, leading to a learning crisis that threatens the productivity of future generations.

Encouraging Signs of Digital Adoption

Despite these challenges, there are encouraging signs of digital adoption among enterprises in The Gambia, particularly in the financial and ICT sectors. As the country looks to recover from the pandemic, the government’s National Development Plan 2018-2021 has identified digital transformation as a key strategy for accelerating growth and development.

Government Initiatives

The Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure has also presented a new ICT/digital roadmap “2020-2024 ICT4D” that aims to:

  • Upgrade last-mile network connectivity
  • Improve regulatory policies
  • Strengthen e-government and cybersecurity
  • Accelerate the rollout of regional ICT centers

Key Findings and Recommendations

Key Findings

  • The Gambia’s digital economy is in its infancy, with significant bottlenecks in its infrastructure value chain.
  • COVID-19 has exacerbated these vulnerabilities, putting pressure on the country’s digital infrastructure.
  • There are encouraging signs of digital adoption among enterprises in The Gambia, particularly in the financial and ICT sectors.
  • The government’s National Development Plan 2018-2021 identifies digital transformation as a key strategy for accelerating growth and development.
  • The Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure has presented a new ICT/digital roadmap “2020-2024 ICT4D” to support digital transformation.

Recommendations

  • Prioritize the upgrading of last-mile network connectivity to improve broadband services.
  • Strengthen regulatory policies to promote competition and investment in the digital sector.
  • Implement strategic directives to accelerate the rollout of regional ICT centers for communities/schools.
  • Improve digital literacy among civil servants and the entire population.
  • Create an enabling environment for MSMEs to adopt digital technologies.

By addressing these challenges and implementing these recommendations, The Gambia can unlock the full potential of its digital economy and drive inclusive growth and development.