GAMBIA · ECONOMY
Key Facts
- The country The Gambia is a small West African nation whose budget year runs from 1 January to 31 December.
- Why it matters Debt service takes a third of government-funded spending, ahead of schools, clinics and power.
- What happened Lawmakers passed a D48.6 billion (US$666.5 million) 2027 spending bill on Tuesday 27 October.
- What it means for you Investors and aid donors face a budget where debt costs outrank education and health combined.
- Still open The bill takes effect on 1 January 2027, but no presidential assent is yet listed.
The Gambia’s National Assembly passed the 2027 Appropriation Bill on Tuesday 27 October, authorizing D48.6 billion (US$666.5 million) of government-funded spending from 1 January 2027. National debt service takes D16.17 billion (US$221.8 million) of that total, a third of the budget and more than education and health combined.
For US readers, the numbers show how much of a small West African state’s money goes to creditors rather than services, and the bill text was posted on the Assembly’s website on Thursday 29 October. All conversions here use the central bank’s official rate of D72.92 per US$ on 30 October 2026, and the country guide explains the wider setting.
In Plain English
An appropriation bill is the law that lets a government spend money from its main public account for one year. The Committee of Supply is the whole Assembly sitting as a committee to approve each ministry’s amount.
National debt service is the money a government pays each year as interest and repayment on what it has borrowed. The Parliamentary Budget Office is the Assembly’s own unit that tracks how the government actually spends.
What the Assembly Passed
The Assembly’s records show that Finance Minister Seedy Keita laid the 2027 estimates on Friday 25 September and brought the bill and budget speech on Friday 23 October. Debate was adjourned to Monday 26 October, when no member spoke and the second reading passed unanimously, and on Tuesday 27 October the whole Assembly approved each ministry’s amount and read the bill a third time.
The bill’s own text says it comes into force on 1 January 2027 and caps spending at D48,599,453,916 (US$666.5 million) from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, the government’s main public account. The Assembly’s bill tracker still lists the bill at Third Reading, with no presidential assent shown on Friday 30 October.
Where the Money Goes
National debt service is the largest line at D16,174,300,372 (US$221.8 million), or 33.3 percent of the total, against D10.24 billion (US$140.4 million) for basic and secondary education and health together. Basic and secondary education receives D6.13 billion (US$84.1 million) and health D4.11 billion (US$56.4 million), or 12.6 percent and 8.5 percent of the total.
The Interior Ministry gets D2.38 billion (US$32.7 million), Foreign Affairs D2.23 billion (US$30.6 million), Defence D1.88 billion (US$25.7 million) and Agriculture D1.77 billion (US$24.2 million). The Independent Electoral Commission gets D607.8 million (US$8.3 million) for a calendar that includes National Assembly elections on 10 April 2027.
The comparison with 2026 comes from the Assembly’s Parliamentary Budget Office, which lists the approved 2026 Government Local Fund budget at D43.49 billion (US$596.4 million), a base that would make the 2027 total about 11.7 percent higher. The same office found that the government executed only 21.4 percent of that 2026 budget in the first quarter against a 25 percent benchmark, with 25 of 30 budget entities under-executing their capital budgets.
Power and Fuel Costs
In the budget speech on Friday 23 October, the minister announced D1 billion (US$13.7 million) to subsidise electricity tariffs in 2027, the same amount as in 2026, after D2.4 billion (US$32.9 million) in 2025. Of the 2026 allocation, D500 million (US$6.9 million) has been paid so far, in a year in which President Barrow declared the power crisis a national emergency in September.
He said President Adama Barrow has set up a task force led by the vice president on the power crisis, and that the government is exploring more electricity imports from Guinea, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire. The speech also targets an overall fiscal deficit of 1 percent of gross domestic product across all funds and 0.05 percent for government local funds.
A local press summary of the speech puts fuel subsidies at D827.59 million (US$11.3 million) for March to September 2026, with diesel taking about 95 percent of the bill. It adds that retail prices still rose by 33.1 percent for petrol and 41.8 percent for diesel over those months.
What It Means for You
US exporters, aid donors and investors should read the budget as a sign that debt service will shape public spending in 2027, with D16.17 billion (US$221.8 million) going to creditors. The budget sits alongside the country’s heavy reliance on money sent home.
Travellers and remittance senders feel a budget indirectly, through the dalasi, power supply and prices. The central bank’s rate of D72.92 per US$, its policy rate of 14 percent confirmed on 20 August 2026 and inflation of 6.5 percent in August 2026 are the figures to watch.
What Is Not Known
It is not known when President Barrow will assent to the bill, because the Assembly’s tracker lists it at Third Reading with no assent shown on Friday 30 October. The bill’s second clause also refers to the period 1 January to 31 December 2026, while its title and first clause say 2027, an inconsistency visible in the published text.
It is also unclear how much of the D48.6 billion will be spent as planned, since the budget office found a shortfall in early 2026 spending, especially on capital projects. The bill authorizes spending only, so how the government will raise the money, and whether tax targets will be met, is not part of the text.
The budget speech text could not be read directly, so the electricity and fuel figures rest on press summaries of the minister’s remarks. The full 2027 estimates laid on 25 September are a separate document from the bill, so the size of donor financing and borrowing for 2027 is not confirmed here.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is the Gambia 2027 budget?
The National Assembly approved D48.6 billion (US$666.5 million) of government-funded spending for 2027 on Tuesday 27 October. The figure comes from the Appropriation Bill, which covers spending from the Consolidated Revenue Fund only.
How much of the Gambia budget goes to debt?
National debt service gets D16.17 billion (US$221.8 million), or 33.3 percent of the total. That is more than education and health receive together.
When does the Gambia 2027 budget take effect?
The bill says it comes into force on 1 January 2027. The Assembly’s bill tracker showed no presidential assent on Friday 30 October.
What exchange rate applies to the Gambian dalasi?
The central bank’s official rate was D72.92 per US$ on 30 October 2026. At that rate D1 billion is about US$13.7 million.
Sources: National Assembly of The Gambia, Appropriation Bill, 2027, bill tracker and text, 28 to 30 October 2026; National Assembly, Votes and Proceedings, sitting of Tuesday 27 October 2026; National Assembly, Votes and Proceedings, sitting of Friday 23 October 2026; National Assembly, Votes and Proceedings, sitting of Monday 26 October 2026; National Assembly, Votes and Proceedings, sitting of Friday 25 September 2026; National Assembly, Parliamentary Budget Office, First Quarter 2026 Budget Execution Brief; Central Bank of The Gambia, official exchange rates, 30 October 2026; Central Bank of The Gambia, policy rate decisions; Independent Electoral Commission, Electoral Calendar 2026-2027.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error