Note: Advance written questions by WTO Members and replies provided by the Government of  
 The Gambia are reproduced in document WT /TPR/M/127/Add.1 and will be available online 
 at:  http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tpr_e/tp_rep_e.htm.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/TPR/M/127 
29 March 2004 
 (04-1414) 
Trade Policy Review Body 
4 and 6 February 2004  
 
 
 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW 
 
The Gambia 
 
Minutes of Meeting  
 
Chairperson:  H.E. Mrs. Mary Whelan (Ireland) 
 
 
   P a g e  
I. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 3 
II. OPENING STATEMENT BY THE RE PRESENTATIVE OF THE GAMBIA 4 
III. STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT 6 
IV. STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS OF THE TRADE POLICY REVIEW BODY 9 
V. REPLIES FROM THE REPRESENTATIVE  OF THE GAMBIA AND ADDITIONAL 
COMMENTS  12 
VI. CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 15 
 
  WT/TPR/M/127 
 Page 3 
 
 
I. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 
1. The first Trade Policy Review of The Gambia was held on 4 and 6 February 2004.  The 
Chairperson welcomed the delegation from The Gamb ia led by Hon. Edward Singhatey, Secretary of 
State for Trade, Industry and Employment, and the discussant, Mr. Neil McMillan (United Kingdom).  As usual, the discussant would speak in his persona l capacity and, in accordance with the established 
procedures, had circulated in advance an outline of  the main issues he intended to raise (document 
WT/TPR/D/105). 
2. The Chairperson recalled the purpose of the Tr ade Policy Reviews and the main procedures 
of the meeting.  The report by the Governme nt of The Gambia was contained in document 
WT/TPR/G/127 and that of the WTO Secretariat in  document WT/TPR/S/127.  The delegations of 
Japan; Hong Kong, China; the European Union; the Republic of Korea; Canada; and the United States 
had submitted written questions in advance, a nd these had been transmitted to the Gambian 
delegation.  These questions, and the replies pr ovided by the delegation of The Gambia are 
reproduced in WT/TPR/M/127/Add.1. 
3. The Chairperson noted The Gambia's unilatera l reform efforts, which had substantially 
liberalized its economy and made it a hub for re-exp orts to neighbouring countries.  However, recent 
policy slippages and the continued appreciation of th e euro had brought to the fore the vulnerability of 
the economy.  Continued structural and tax reform s, and improvement of multilateral commitments on 
goods would contribute to reduce the need for duty a nd tax concessions;  diversify the economy away 
from groundnut production a nd re-export activities by, inter alia , promoting processing activities;  
and ensure compliance by The Gambia with its multilateral commitments. WT/TPR/M/127 
Page 4  
 
II. OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPR ESENTATIVE OF THE GAMBIA 
4. The representative of The Gambia
 thanked the Chairperson and the WTO Secretariat for 
undertaking this early review of The Gambia’s trad e policy.  Aside from the role of the Trade Policy 
Review Mechanism in creating awar eness, The Gambia fully recognized the principle of adherence to 
the rules, disciplines and commitments under the multilateral trade agreements of the WTO, and 
encouraged the smoother functioning of the multila teral trading system for greater transparency 
purposes. 
5. The Gambia had made great efforts in trade liberalization since the mid 1980s, regardless of 
having to grapple with challenges of oil stocks, dec lining world prices, and worsening terms of trade, 
which continued to make its economy vulnerable to  exogenous shocks.  The first Economic Recovery 
Programme, had been one of the most comprehens ive economic adjustment programmes ever devised 
by any country in sub-Saharan Africa. The main obj ective had been to halt the deterioration of the 
economy and to lay the foundation for sustained growth, based on free-market principles.  Implementation of the programme was not easy as th ere had been so many reforms (macroeconomic 
and sectoral), entailed, among others, floating the Gamb ian dalasi, market determined interest rates, 
removal of quotas and other quantitative restrictions, el imination of price and ex change rate controls, 
and privatization of public enterprises.  
6. The Gambia further reformed its tariff in 199 8, by reducing the number of tariff bands from 
30 to 4, excluding the zero rate, to improve and mana ge the fiscal situation;  tight monetary policies 
were implemented in an effort to lower inflation.   Despite its limited natural resources and the absence 
of vibrant export activities, the ai m was to transform The Gambia in to a middle-income country as 
stated in its "Vision 2020" blue print.  This ca lled for improving the productivity of the agriculture 
sector, encouraging crop diversification, increasing share of manufacturing in GDP, and making The Gambia a hub for regional trade/transit, a major tourist destination, and a centre for teleport and 
financial services. Whilst pursuing the Vision 2020 objectives, The Gambia recognized the 
importance of maintaining an open trade and tran sparent trade regime to improve its growth 
prospects; it believed that international trade was a tool for poverty reduction. 
7. The Gambia was a net importer of industrial goods and had a low-level manufacturing sector.  
There was presently no industrial or commercial producti on of layout designs of integrated circuits;  
as such, there was no legal regime in place to provide protection.  However, the Government of The Gambia was in the process of fa r-reaching economic and legal reforms, partly funded by a World 
Bank Project.  The legal reform process was fo cussed on economic activities and enhancing the 
institutions of contracts, property rights (includi ng intellectual property rights), and provided for 
private sector development. 
8. The Gambia was establishing a Free Zone Area, which was expected to provide a 
manufacturing base for the economy.  The manufacturing processes would require protection if they involved intellectual property rights.  A legislativ e agenda, which included intellectual property rights 
protection, was being worked out. Legislation on pate nts, trade marks and industrial designs would be 
enacted in the omnibus Act.  Although there were c onstraint s in the publication of registered trade 
marks, efforts were under way to clear the backl ogs;  WIPO had provided assistance in this area. 
9. The Gambia was an active member of ECOWAS  and fully supported the implementation of 
its protocols; developments in th is area included a common external tariff, a second monetary zone in 
2005, and expected ECOWAS leadership in negot iations of the Economic Partnership Agreement 
with the EU. The Gambia’s reform  programme could serve to regist er its believe and support for free 
trade and liberalization.  WT/TPR/M/127 
 Page 5 
 
 
10. As an LDC member of the WTO, The Gambia would exercise its rights and fulfil its 
obligations so as to participate mo re effectively in the multilateral trading system, and also integrate 
into the global economy.  For a small player, th ere was no doubt that these efforts needed to be 
complemented by a package of t echnical assistance for greater understanding of the application of the 
trading rule and improving negotiating skills. 
11. The Gambia had been receiving technical assi stance from the ITC on capacity building under 
the Integrated Framework (with the other core donor agencies).  It would be difficult for The Gambia 
to integrate into the global economy unless enhanced  technical assistance was provided.  The Gambia 
had recognized the need for assistance in the areas of  customs valuation, standards, and trade-related 
intellectual property rights (TRIPs), and hoped that the WTO would assist in organizing a very 
successful donor round table on The Gambia’s techni cal assistance needs.  The representative thanked 
donor partners like DFID (United Kingdom) and UNDP  for having provided partial funding for The 
Gambia's participation in this TPR, and Comm onwealth Secretariat for its technical support. WT/TPR/M/127 
Page 6  
 
III. STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT 
12. The discussant
 focussed his statement on economic deve lopments, trade policies issues, and 
sectoral issues. 
13. In terms of economic environment the discussant welcomed and supported the strong 
commitment by the Government of The Gambia to  take forward its economic reform programme and 
improve the competitiveness of the country. At the macro level there were quite significant problems 
for exchange risk, reliance on basic commodities, an d vulnerability to commodity price fluctuations, 
as well as lack of infrastructure. This was not unique  to The Gambia as some of the poorer developing 
countries had these same characteristics.  
14. Tourism had traditionaly been an important service activity and foreign exchange earner. 
Unfortunately, it had declined since the 11 Septembe r attacks and due to economic downturns in some 
target markets, particularly in Europe.  
15. Agriculture was a major employer (70%) although it accounted for only 30% of GDP. 
Groundnuts still comprised the largest export, but w ith little value added, and with quality problems 
due to a lack of sophisticated processing facilities. World prices had fallen nearly 25% in the last few 
years, and there were also problems of yield due to lack of rainfall in The Gambia. While there was a 
large amount of subsistence farming, imports acco unted for a large proportion of some important 
basic foodstuff products, such as rice; this  also created a currency vulnerability. 
16. Production costs of the main crops and of the services that could be offered were 
comparatevely high for the region, which affected the important transhipment trade, and acted as a 
brake on building up new industries. Manufacturing w as still at a very low level, contributing only 6% 
to GDP. These basic infrastructure difficulties would al so need to be resolved  if The Gambia was to 
attract more foreign investment. 
17. The decline of the Gambian dalasi against the eu ro and the U.S. dollar had affected some of 
The Gambia's main markets. Foreign currency infl ows had slowed as investment had declined and 
some of the privatization plans had not proceeded as quickly as expected. Private sector activity had 
been depressed by credit costs and also by the deterioration in revenue collection. 
18. Through the Policy Framework and the Strategy for Poverty Alleviation, and plans to revise 
revenue and tax collection, the Government of The Gambia had identified possible solutions to some 
of these problems. Nonetheless, the discussant thought  that it would be useful to know how quickly 
the Government could implement them and accelerat e the mainstream integration of trade into these 
very ambitious poverty-reduction strategies. The second question concerned The Gambia's difficulties 
in implementing trade-enhancing policies and in  fulfilling its commitments under the various WTO 
Agreements. The Secretary of State had menti onned technical assistance and the discussant asked 
where this technical assistance help could be targ eted. Concerning the identification of areas that 
might need better exploitation in terms of existing preferences under AGOA and the Cotonou Agreement, the discussant wondered whether rules of or igin might play a part in the difficulties The 
Gambia's exporters were facing in this regard. 
19. With regard to The Gambia's trade policies,  the discussant found encouraging some of the 
plans to try to integrate The Gambia more closel y into the international trading system. However, 
there were difficulties in gaining a clear view of  the interest of all stakeholders and conducting 
consultations with them.   WT/TPR/M/127 
 Page 7 
 
 
20. Trade facilitation needed urgent attention. The report identified some useful modernization 
policies such as the use of compu ting to speeding up customs processes. Better and more effective 
procedures were needed in terms of revenue coll ection by customs. The discussant understood that 
The Gambia did not ask for a waiver under the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement (CVA) and was 
still using the old Brussels hybrid method of assessing  goods values. The Gambia would need to move 
to the transaction method, which was required unde r the CVA, and technical assistance would be 
helpful in this regard. 
21. The structure of some of The Gambia's tari ff created a disincen tive to export Gambian 
products, particularly when those products depe nded on imported inputs with high tariffs, or 
cushioned inefficient producers of primary products  whose production costs were above world prices. 
Negative tariff escalation had a depressing effect on such exports. 
22. There had been a useful expansion of the free port activity, but exemptions on products not 
involving free port operators did not help the objectiv e of growth in exports. More attention was 
needed to make sure that these exemptions did not have an adverse effect on the economy and on 
revenue collection. Another problem for fostering exports growth was the relatively high level of 
export taxes. 
23. With respect to The Gambia's trade policies he discussed and asked whether the Government 
had concrete plans on how to implement the CVA and what help donors could give in terms of 
technical assistance to achieve a tariff structure that  could be an incentive and a strong driver of 
increased export activity.  Another question concer ned the progress made on certain legislation such 
as on trade remedies, SPS, and standards. The di scussant also noted the comments made by The 
Gambia about the region's plans on IPR protection.  
24. On sectoral policies, basic utiliti es such as energy and telecommunications faced some major 
problems, and power cuts disrupted production and discouraged investment. The discussant asked whether the Government of The Gambia had plans to  invite foreign participation in basic utilities and 
in reviving the privatization programme. An area of a massive advantage for the country, but which 
had not been exploited sufficiently, was river traffi c to improve the transhipment of products and the 
export of products from The Gambia. The discussant  asked what help the donor community could 
give to aid the modernization and reduce costs in  some of the basic transport infrastructures. 
25. In agriculture, the donor community needed to he lp The Gambia to accelerate the codification 
of land tenure, and to improve th e groundnut industry, particularly in terms of more value added, 
more and better storage facilities to avoid problems of aflatoxin contaminati on, and to improve the 
level of activity in horticulture. 
26. Potential problems in fisheries included over-fishin g;  and the lack of storage, transport, and 
processing facilities meant that catches were going either to foreign operators or to foreign harbours.  
27. High transport costs and unreliable energy ressources were depressing growth in the 
manufacturing sector, and the discussant asked whethe r the Government of The Gambia planned to 
give priority to free port activities in terms of  better infrastructure development to encourage 
investment. This needed to be done without negl ecting the wider needs of the country in terms of 
infrastructure development. He also mentioned th e question of better exploitation of preferences under 
AGOA and Cotonou; the ending of the textile and cl othing quota regime could offer The Gambia a 
new area for exploitation. 
28.
 On services, The Gambia had a good record in  terms of its commitments under the GATS, 
much higher than many developing countries. But it needed to attract more investment in telecoms, WT/TPR/M/127 
Page 8  
 
transport, and financial services, which would also  benefit the competitiveness of other activities in 
The Gambia. 
29. The Gambia's advantages needed to be identified more clearly  for development and economic 
planning. In this regard, the provision of adequate and properly focused technical assistance was very 
important. The Gambia had taken part in the first phase of the Integrated Framework (IF) and the 
discussant believed that it would be extremely useful for The Gambia to be one of the countries for 
the second phase.  WT/TPR/M/127 
 Page 9 
 
 
IV. STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS OF THE TRADE POLICY REVIEW BODY 
30. Members welcomed the delegation of The Gamb ia and thanked the Hon. Edward Singhatey 
and the discussant for their statements, and the Gove rnment of The Gambia and the WTO Secretariat 
for their reports.  A number of Members referred to the questions they had submitted in writing and 
looked forward to receiving the replies by the Gambian delegation. 
31. The representative of Japan  stated that Japan had founded th e Tokyo International Conference 
for African Development (TICAD) in the mid 1990’s. Japan had been making serious efforts not only 
to assist African countries by means of ODA, but also  to support their own initiatives.  Furthermore, 
Japan's assistance to Afri ca was comprised of three pillars: "h uman-centered development";  "poverty 
reduction through economic growth";  and "consolidation of peace".  Besides providing grant aids and 
technical assistance, Japan had taken the decision to  examine the expansion of  coverage of its duty 
free treatment for LDCs products by revising the ta riff-related laws.  The decision wsas taken as from 
1 April 2003. 
32. Japan stressed that it was important to maintain  a stable relationship in trade and investment, 
in addition to economic co-operation, and Japan  encouraged the economic development of The 
Gambia in parallel with the regional integration process of West African countries. The Gambia was 
preparing to participate in the West African M onetary Zone, and Japan hoped that this initiative 
would be smoothly established and operated.  Japan  also hoped that The Gambia would continue to 
enhance the protection of intellectual property rights and would smoothly implement the TRIPS 
Agreement by 1 January 2006.  The Gambia had one  of the highest levels of GATS commitments 
among LDCs.  Japan hoped that The Gambia would continue to make progress in liberalizing the 
services sectors including through participating activel y in the services negotiations during this round. 
33. The representative of Hong Kong, China  stated that Hong Kong, China enjoyed smooth trade 
relations with The Gambia and ranked eight am ong The Gambia’s trading partners in 2001. He 
welcomed The Gambia’s efforts in liberalizing its  tariff regime and encouraged The Gambia to 
continue its trade liberalization efforts, such as by  further reducing its tari ffs, increasing the coverage 
of its tariff bindings, and reducing the gap between  bound and applied rates so as to enhance the 
predictability of its tariff regime. He also enc ouraged The Gambia to consider joining the WTO 
Government Procurement Agreemen t (GPA) or becoming an observer.  He hoped that The Gambia 
would participate more actively in the services negot iations, and encouraged The Gambia to table its 
initial offers as soon as possible. Regarding the ba nking subsector, he encouraged The Gambia to 
remove the remaining limitations from its GATS commi tments in its initial offers, so as to bring the 
commitments in line with the actual regime a nd to increase the predictability of the regime. 
34. The representative of the European Union  noted that The Gambia had adopted an ambitious 
strategy for poverty reduction. The EU was cooperating closely with The Gambia to assist it in fulfilling the aims of its ambitious strategy. Th e Gambia was party of the Cotonou Agreement and 
also enjoyed GSP-status vis-à-vis the EU market for all products but arms on si milar terms as all other 
least developed countries. Further, the EU had been giving aid to The Gambia for a number of years supporting the Government's develo pment strategy. However aid could not replace trade, and trade 
required optimal domestic conditions. The EU hoped th at The Gambia would continue to enhance the 
transparency and predictability of its import regime in general.  
35. The EU believed that a number of issues in th e Doha Development Agenda would be truly 
beneficial for The Gambia. An Agreement on trade fa cilitation would be of great value in a number of 
ways because The Gambia would also benefit from liberalization of both agricultural and non-agricultural products, as well as services. He encourag ed the Government of The Gambia to continue WT/TPR/M/127 
Page 10  
 
to address the challenges faced in a number of area s and recognized the need for further technical 
assistance. 
36. The representative of Korea
 noted that The Gambia had been closely linked to the multilateral 
trading system and that for a developing economy an efficient trade regime was all the more 
important.  In this respect, he commended the Gove rnment of Gambia for its reforms, and hoped The 
Gambia would continue to pursu e reform and overcome the recent economic slowdown. The Gambia 
had a relatively liberal trade regime in place comp ared with its level of development, and Korea 
commended the Government for that. Korea hoped that The Gambia would achieve substantial 
economic development by continuing its reforms. 
37. The representative of Canada  stated that Canada and The Gambia had signed a Memorandum 
of Understanding on Canada’s Market Access In itiative for Least Developed Countries. Canada 
encouraged the Gambian Government to promote aw areness of this improved access to its exporters 
as part of its efforts to stimulate economic growth a nd trade. Canada also contributed to international 
initiatives to assist developing and least-developed c ountries in participating in and benefiting from 
the global trading system. 
38. Canada was pleased by The Gambia’s recognition of the importance of trade and investment 
liberalization for its long-term development prosp ects, noting in particular, the adoption of "The 
Gambia Incorporated: Vision 2020" strategy. Cana da encouraged The Gambia to integrate trade 
policy objectives and measures into the overall de velopment strategy framework in its Poverty 
Reduction Strategy Paper, and to promote inter-ministerial coordination to allow development of a 
consistent and coherent national trade policy.  Th e Gambia was to be congratulated for the tariff 
revisions it had undertaken in recent years and but should consider the benefits of binding all its 
tariffs, at rates closer to its applied rates, in orde r to provide a degree of predictability which, in turn, 
could attract traders and investors. Canada co mmended The Gambia on its efforts to ensure 
compliance with WTO requirements in the area of in tellectual property law and urged The Gambia to 
take the necessary steps to bring its legal framework up to date. 
39. The representative of the United States  noted that The Gambia had traditionally demonstrated 
a strong commitment to open markets and free trade.   She noted the government’s restructuring of 
applied tariff rates in 2000 and its efforts to prom ote investment. Since The Gambia had qualified for 
the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) In itiative, in 2000, it had done a creditable job in 
meeting performance targets and in January 2003, it was declared eligible for benefits under AGOA. 
The Gambia still faced many challenges in improving  its trade environment and using trade to boost 
economic growth and development, and to alleviate poverty;  there were some trade policy measures 
the Gambian Government could take  to help address these challenges, such as the anti-export bias of 
the tariff structure. The United States was encourag ed by the Government’s efforts to establish free 
trade zones, as part of the World Bank-funded Ga mbia Trade Gateway Project, and would also be 
pleased to consult with the Gambian Government on means by which The Gambia might make better 
use of the preferential market access offered under AGOA. 
40. The United States recognized that, in order to im prove its trade environment and to participate 
more effectively in the WTO, The Gambia woul d benefit from trade capacity building programmes. 
The United States offered trade capacity building programmes and trade-related technical assistance 
through its West African regional USAID mission in Ghana and its regional trade competitiveness 
hub in Accra.  The Gambian Government did not appear to have given sufficient attention to 
intellectual property rights protection; legislation was antiquated and there was little indication of any 
significant enforcement action, which was of partic ular concern given The Gambia's re-export trade. 
The Gambia was involved in international trad e in diamonds and the United States urged the 
Government of The Gambia to consider participa tion in the Kimberley Process. Little had been done  WT/TPR/M/127 
 Page 11 
 
 
recently to continue the privatization process; re newed progress on privatization would go a long way 
toward helping to improve the G overnment fiscal situation and to improve the trade and investment 
environment. 
41. The representative of the Chinese Taipei  was pleased to note that The Gambia had made great 
progress in implementing a series of economic re forms in recent years. The new policies and 
programmes should soon boost outuput in many sect ors, which would help the economy to weather 
any further difficulties.  The economic outlook of Th e Gambia seemed to be very promising and its 
strong aspiration to become a middle-income count ry would surely be accomplished.  The Gambia 
was on the right track to fulfil the long-term goal of sustained economic growth.  Chinese Taipei had been exploring ways to strengthen bilateral trade and economic relations with The Gambia and it was 
its intention to achieve greater cooperation in the future. 
42. The representative of India
 noted that The Gambia had been continuing with its economic 
reform programme since 1985, which had contributed to its growth and devel opment.  However, there 
were evident vulnerabilities in its econcomic a nd trading regime.  The commitment of the 
Government to the reforms would help in a ddressing these difficulties, and India hoped that the 
ongoing reform process would impart strength and st ability to The Gambia's economic and social 
structure. The Government had been taking a nu mber of steps to reform its various laws and 
regulations so as to make them in conformity w ith the WTO rules, and The Gambia would require 
targetted technical assistance. The Integrated Framewor k could also play a crucial role in this context. 
During negotiations WTO Members should assume binding commitments commensurate with the 
level of their development. WT/TPR/M/127 
Page 12  
 
V. REPLIES FROM THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE GAMBIA AND ADDITIONAL 
COMMENTS 
43. The Chairperson invited the representative of The Gambia to focus his responses on three 
main themes:  (i) economic environment;  (ii) tr ade policies;  and (iii) sectoral policies.   
44. The representative noted that the economic  strategy of The Gambia, following the 
implementation of the Economic Recovery Progr am and Program for Sustained Development, 
continued to be aimed primarily at  substantially reducing the involv ement of the public sector in the 
economy, encouraging the development of the pr ivate sector, reducing domestic and external 
imbalances, and fosteri ng economic growth.   
45. To further enhance the potentials of the t ourism sector, The Gambia Tourism Authority 
(GTA) had established an international roots fo undation to promote tourism in the American 
Diaspora. Plans were also underway to negotiate and establish direct charter flights between the 
Gambia and the United States.  Additionally, th e GTA was working closel y with Gambian tour 
operators and Gambian embassies to promote tourism all over Europe particularly in non-traditional 
markets.  A Tourism Master Plan was underway to provide a planning tool for a hotel classification 
system and quality control and standard in the T ourism sector. He hoped that once implemented this 
plan would make The Gambia a more attractive destination and boost the industry. 
46. The Gambian economy remained, however, vulnerable to external shocks, changes in climatic 
conditions resulting in less rainfall, and heavy depe ndence on external assistan ce. The base of output 
growth remained fragile despite commendable prog ress already made in diversifying production and 
exports. Following a period of sustained growth, ec onomic output contracted by about 4.2% in real 
terms in 2002 owing to poor weather conditions, wh ich affected crop production.  In 2003, the 
economy grew substantially, by 8.6%, due primar ily to a rebound in agricultural production.  
Additionally, due to tight monetary stance, c oupled with a crack-down on unlawful moneychangers, 
the domestic currency appreciated against all th e major international currencies and inflation 
decelerated from 21% in August 2003 to 17% at the end of 2003.  To return the economy to 
macroeconomic stability, the Government was committe d to the implementation of prudent monetary 
and fiscal policies. 
47. To ensure sustainable growth in line with th e Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and 
Vision 2020, the Government of The Gambia was committed to adopting a nd implementing medium- 
and long-term strategies in the key areas of the economy.  In this regard, the Government wished to expand and deepen the financial sector through forei gn direct investment.  It was important, however,  
to note that The Gambia had an open capital account and therefore there were no restrictions on 
foreign direct investment in all sectors of the econom y, including the financial sector.  Gambians were 
allowed to open overseas accounts abroad and there were no restrictions on transfers. 
48. The Gambia, like most LDCs, was experiencing di fficulties in participating effectively in the 
multilateral trading system, and mainstreaming trade into development and poverty reduction 
strategies. The Gambia’s participation in the new IF  was crucial as this would enable The Gambia to 
mainstream trade into the PRSP. 
49. The delegation of The Gambia recognized th e importance of promoting the protection of 
intellectual property rights in order to encourage domestic creativity, facilitate the acquisition of 
foreign technology and promote diverse cultural, literary, and artistic innovation. Furthermore, to 
increase foreign direct investment, it was necessary for The Gambia to live up to its obligations and 
commitments under the multilateral trading system and update its laws relating to intellectual property 
rights.     WT/TPR/M/127 
 Page 13 
 
 
50. There was no industrial or commercial production of  layout designs of integrated circuits in 
The Gambia and thus no legal regime was in pla ce to provide protection. However, an important 
reform agenda of The Gambia was to put in place a legal framework for property rights in the area of 
patents, trade marks, and industrial designs under an Omnibus Act.  Efforts were being made to 
review and update The Gambia’s Copyright Act of 1916.  Plans were also under way to move from 
the Brussels Definition of Value to the WTO Cu stoms Valuation, as well as adopting a Single 
Administrative Document to modernize customs procedures and law.   
51. It was evident in the schedule of commitments th at The Gambia was one of the LDCs that had 
made full commitments in the GATS and The Ga mbia was determinated to live up to these 
committments.  Regarding the lack of competition in the market for cellular telephone and fixed line 
telephony, a Public Utility Regulatory Act was al ready in place and the Independent Regulatory 
Authority itself would be set up in 2004.  This w ould ensure effective regulation and competition in 
the telecommunication sector but in all other sectors as well, in order to level the playing field and 
ensure quality service delivery at affordable costs. 
52. Sectoral policies continued to aim at st imulating supply response of the economy and 
exploiting the development potential in the agricu lture sector, small-scale manufacturing, fisheries, 
tourism, and re-export trade. 
53. Given the importance of agriculture for the wellbeing of most of the Gambian population, 
special emphasis was placed on developing the sector.  In particular, policies were directed at enhancing efficiency in groundnut  production, processing, and marketing as well as diversifying into 
other cash crops, horticulture, and food crops.  A dditionally, the policy was aimed at moving away 
from subsistence to a more viable and commercia lly oriented agriculture, to enhance farmers’ 
livelihood.  In this regard, there had been lauda ble investments in agricultural mechanization and 
input acquisition to boost production and productivity in both the crop and livestock subsectors.  
54. In the case of groundnuts, the EU had assisted th e Government in the revitalization of the 
subsector to ensure increased value-added and im prove quality with a view to reducing aflatoxin 
levels.  Remarkable strides had also been ma de in household food security.  Cereal production, 
including rice, had increased significantly in 2003 , while horticultural production had more than 
doubled.  
55. The Government acknowledged the importance of infrastructure development as a vehicle to 
enhance trade and investment. Accordingly, massiv e resources had been invested to improve and 
expand the road network as well as the energy and transportation subsectors.  An increase in the 
supply of electricity was crucial in the effort to expand the manufacturing base.  The Gambia hoped to 
achieve this through joint ventures on IPPs and its  membership of the WAPP, an ECOWAS regional 
initiative.   
56. In conclusion, The Gambia had found this Trad e Policy Review very useful in its quest to 
participate fully in the multilateral trading system. The Gambia appealed to its development partners 
to assist in the areas identified during the review meeting. 
57. The discussant
 noted that the points he raised could be taken as encouragement for a very 
ambitious and useful plan to develop the Ga mbian economy. Plans such as Vision 2020 were 
extremely useful both in terms of technical assistance  and in concrete dates for particular projects that 
the Government was itself prepared to undertake. It  would be extremely useful if The Gambia could 
be given further support under the IF. He hoped that  priority would be given in terms of customs 
valuation, and on trade facilitation in customs fa cilities and formalities. The second area where donors 
should give The Gambia as much support as possible was on basic commodities. In fisheries and in WT/TPR/M/127 
Page 14  
 
groundnuts was some question whether The Gambia's  processing facilities were sufficient and modern 
enough to make value added worthwhile. In term s of energy and telecommunications, it was very 
encouraging to hear that the Government had put in place a regulatory authority for 
telecommunications. He hoped this would allow The Ga mbia to revive some of its privatization and 
liberalization plans in a way that would attract fore ign investment into those basic infrastructures. He 
was also very pleased that the Gambian Government had taken into account the comments made in 
terms of the implementation of the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement and the revision of the 1916 
IPR regulations. Donor countries should take the right a pproach in terms of the aid to allow recipients 
to further their involvement in WTO's activities; it was encouraging that the Government of The 
Gambia also acknowledged that there were things  that it could do to encourage that process. 
58. The representative of the European Communities
 noted that The Gambia was willing to 
modernize its customs administration as well as to implement the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement. The European Communities was alread y providing technical assistance and would remain 
engaged to do so in the future. He raised a qu estion concerning discrimination in taxation between 
imported food and beverages and the locally pr oduced goods, and asked whether The Gambia could 
specify more precisely by which date approximately  they expected to reach their final decision. 
59. The representative of the United States
 said that The Gambia had done a good deal in terms of 
the reforms that it had already put into place and th e reforms currently being contemplated and that 
would be adopted in the near future. These reforms had already started to bear fruit. He took note of 
The Gambia's request concerning the provision of tec hnical assistance for further reform efforts; this 
was something his Government wish ed to support and would assist.  
60. The representative of The Gambia,  responding to the question by  the European Communties, 
said that there was excise tax on food and bevera ges, which had recently b een removed for domestic 
products. This tax was still maintained on importe d food items, but was being reviewed and by the 
end of July 2004 his Government would be able to  provide the answers and clarifications on that 
point. With regard to technical assistance, The Gambia would like assistance in the review and 
alignment of laws and regulations to make them WTO compatible, especially in the area of TRIPS, 
and, on customs, to move from the Brussels defi nition to the WTO system. The representative was 
pleased to note that the European  Communities would offer assistance in  this area. The inclusion of 
The Gambia in the new IF would also be extremel y helpful to assist The Gambia in ensuring that 
trade policies were put into the mainstream polici es of poverty alliviation and national development.  
61. The representative of India  made some comments on the question raised on the first day of 
the TPRB meeting regarding the DG's Overviews issue.  WT/TPR/M/127 
 Page 15 
 
 
VI. CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON  
62. This first Trade Policy Review of The Gambia  has been fruitful and comprehensive and we 
now have a better understanding of The Gambia's trade policies and practices.  Our discussion has 
been facilitated by the informative contribution of  the Honourable Edward Singhatey, Secretary of 
State for Trade, Industry and Employment, and his delegation, as well as by the incisive comments by 
our discussant, Mr. Neil McMillan. 
63. Members welcomed the unilateral reforms taken by The Gambia since the late 1990s.  These 
have substantially liberalized the economy and contributed to real GDP growth rates of over 5% on 
average over 1998-01.  In light of recent policy slip pages that have accentuated the vulnerability of 
the economy, Members encouraged The Gambia to consolidate macroeconomic reforms with a view 
to promoting private investment and diversifying  production and exports in order to achieve its 
objective of becoming a middle-income country by the year 2020. 
64. Members stressed that The Gambia does not implement any tariff preferences and has fully 
relied on the multilateral trading system to promote its trade.  They shared Th e Gambia's desire to see 
progress in negotiations under the Doha Developm ent Agenda. Some Members pointed out that 
further tariff reform, including reduction of the margins between bound and applied rates, and an 
increase in the coverage of bound tariffs would e nhance the predictability of the tariff regime. 
Members encouraged The Gambia to implement the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement and to ensure that customs procedures do not generate extra costs for importers.  
65. Members noted that The Gambia's agricultura l policy objectives are to increase rural incomes 
and to achieve food security, and sought clarificati on about the codification of land tenure and efforts 
to increase value added in the sector.  They we lcomed The Gambia's plan to develop its 
manufacturing sector for poverty reduction and econom ic diversification purposes.  Some Members 
mentioned The Gambia's involvement in internatio nal trade in diamonds, and urged it to consider 
participating in the Kimberley Process. Members praised The Gambia for having taken substantial 
commitments in service subsectors, but urged it to  implement reforms to make its policies and 
practices further match its commitments. 
66. Members also asked questions on other issues,  notably: future economic reform programme; 
internal taxation; standards and SPS; government procurement; free zones; investment incentives; 
privatization; and protection of intellectual property rights. 
67. Members expressed their appreciation for the responses provided by the Gambian delegation 
and looked forward to receiving written an swers to any outstanding questions.  
68. In conclusion, it is my feeling that this Tr ade Policy Review has highlighted the commitment 
of the Gambian authorities to further liberalize their economy.  I am pleased that many Members identified ways in which they were providing trade- related technical assistance to The Gambia and 
have committed themselves to continue assisting it.  Nevertheless, I feel it important to call attention 
to The Gambia's supply-side constraints that s till need to be addressed.  Further assistance by the 
international community will help The Gambia to fu lly integrate into the multilateral trading system 
and I urge both the WTO Membership and the Secretariat to be receptive to this need. 
 
__________