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PRESS/TPRB/227 
6 February 2004 
 
(04-0385) 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW: THE GAMBIA 
Reforms need to aim at diversific ation of production and exports 
The trade policy reforms of The Gambia, a hub for re-exports to neighbouring countries, need to 
address anti-export biases resulting from its tariff structure with a view to contributing to the 
diversification of production and exports. This  could provide durable prospects for growth and 
promote investment, according to a report on the trade policies and practices of The Gambia released by the WTO Secretariat. 
 
The report notes that The Gambia’s ability to bene fit from its membership to the WTO is hampered 
by capacity constraints, which affect both its participation in negotiations and implementation of 
trade reforms entailed by its multilateral commitments. The Gambia would therefore benefit from 
specific support designed to help it meet its multilateral commitments, and to disseminate information regarding preferential market access opportunities and satisfy procedural 
requirements attached to them. 
 The report also says that The Gambia could impr ove the predictability of its trade regime by 
increasing the coverage of bound tariffs, and by reducing the gap between bound and applied 
rates. Further tariff reforms would also reduce the need for duty exemptions and concessions.  
The WTO report, along with a policy statement by  the Government of The Gambia, will be the 
basis for the first Trade Policy Re view (TPR) of The Gambia by the Trade Policy Review Body of the 
WTO on 4 and 6 February 2004. 
 
The following documents are available in MS Wo rd format on the WTO web-site. They can be 
downloaded at http://www.wto.org/english/ tratop_e/tpr_e/tp227e.htm  
 
• Secretariat report 
> Contents and summary observations  
> Economic environment  
> Trade and investment regimes  > Trade policies and practices by measure  
> Trade policies by sector  
> Appendix tables  
• Government report  PRESS/TPRB/227 
Page 2 of 2 
 
 • Chairperson’s concluding remarks  
• Minutes of the meeting (available appr oximately six weeks after the meeting). 
 
Note 
Trade Policy Reviews are an exercise, mandated in the WTO agreements, in which member countries’ trade and related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. Significant 
developments that may have an impact on the global trading system are also monitored. For each 
review, two documents are prepared: a policy stat ement by the government of the member under 
review, and a detailed report written independently by the WTO Secretariat. These two documents are then discussed by the WTO’s full membership in  the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB). These 
documents and the proceedings of the TPRB’s meetings are published shortly afterwards.  
 Print copies of the TPR publications are available for sale from the WTO Secretariat, Centre William 
Rappard, 154 rue de Lausanne, 1211 Genève 21 and through the on-line bookshop at 
https://secure.vtx.ch/shop/boutiques/wto_index_boutique.html  or follow this path :  
www.wto.org >resources > publications > trade policy reviews  
 
The TPR publications are also available from our co-publisher Bernan Press , 4611-F Assembly Drive, Lanham, MD 20706-4391, United States 
 
Next reviews: 
Sri Lanka : 3 and 5 of March 2004 
Rwanda : 10 and 12 May 2004 
Singapore : 14 and 16 June 2004 
 
For a full list of previous trade policy reviews and the full programme of future reviews go to 
http://www.wto.org/english/trat op_e/tpr_e/tpr_ e.htm#reviews 
or follow this path : www.wto.org > trade topics > trade policy reviews 
 
 
END