Gambia: Building Stable Growth and Jobs – Mirage News

World Bank Grant to The Gambia: A Strategic Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Overview of Development Policy Financing

On November 24, 2025, the World Bank Group’s International Development Association (IDA) approved a $45 million grant for The Gambia. The financing is designed to support the government’s reform agenda, which is aligned with its Recovery-Focused National Development Plan (2023-2027). The operation’s primary objective is to lay the foundations for inclusive, sustainable, and resilient growth by addressing structural economic weaknesses and climate vulnerability.

Core Pillars and SDG Linkages

The development policy operation is structured around three interdependent pillars, each directly contributing to the achievement of multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

1. Strengthening Fiscal Stability and Governance

   This pillar focuses on enhancing domestic revenue mobilization by broadening the national tax base and rationalizing tax expenditures. These reforms are critical for creating the fiscal space needed for public investment in essential services.

   • SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals): Directly supports target 17.1 by strengthening domestic resource mobilization to finance development priorities.
   • SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions): Enhances the effectiveness and accountability of public finance institutions.
   • SDG 1 (No Poverty): Increased government revenue can be allocated to social programs and services that directly benefit the most vulnerable populations.

2. Fostering Inclusive Economic Growth

   The second pillar aims to stimulate private sector-led growth by tackling systemic bottlenecks in key enabling sectors, including energy and telecommunications. It also prioritizes improving the business environment and advancing human capital, with a specific emphasis on expanding economic opportunities for women and youth.

   • SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): Promotes sustained, inclusive economic growth and productive employment by fostering a more dynamic private sector.
   • SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure): Addresses critical infrastructure gaps to support economic diversification and productivity.
   • SDG 5 (Gender Equality): Directly targets the empowerment of women by creating enhanced employment opportunities.
   • SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): Aims to reduce inequality by providing youth with better access to the labor market.

3. Enhancing Climate Resilience and Environmental Sustainability

   This pillar is dedicated to strengthening The Gambia’s resilience to climate change. It involves establishing a robust institutional and legal framework to guide national climate action and improve coastal zone management, ensuring that development planning integrates climate adaptation and disaster risk management.

   • SDG 13 (Climate Action): Builds the foundational governance structure required to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
   • SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): Supports the integration of disaster risk management into territorial and sectoral planning.
   • SDG 14 (Life Below Water): Strengthens coastal zone management, which is crucial for protecting marine and coastal ecosystems from climate-related hazards.

Expected Outcomes and Impact

This operation is expected to yield significant progress toward a green, resilient, and inclusive development pathway for The Gambia. Key anticipated outcomes include:

• Improved fiscal capacity to fund essential public services and development projects.
• An enhanced business environment that facilitates private sector investment and job creation.
• Increased economic participation and opportunities for women and youth.
• A strengthened national framework for managing climate risks and promoting environmental sustainability, ensuring long-term progress toward the SDGs.

Analysis of SDGs in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  The article explicitly mentions the program’s focus on “expanding opportunities for women” and aiming to “enhance women and youth employment opportunities,” which directly aligns with the goal of achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  The core of the program is to foster “private sector-led growth” and create jobs. The article details efforts to improve the “business environment,” develop “human capital,” and enhance “youth employment opportunities,” all of which are central to promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

  The second pillar of the program aims to lay “key infrastructure” foundations by “tackling bottlenecks in key enabling sectors such as energy, telecom.” This directly supports the development of quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The third pillar is entirely dedicated to strengthening “climate resilience.” The article highlights the goal of “strengthening the foundations for The Gambia’s resilience to climate challenges” by establishing a “robust institutional and legal framework to guide climate action and coastal zone management.”

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  The first pillar focuses on strengthening the government’s financial capacity through “domestic revenue mobilization,” specifically by “broadening the tax base and rationalizing tax expenditures.” This is a key aspect of strengthening the means of implementation for sustainable development.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.

   The article’s emphasis on “expanding opportunities for women” and enhancing “women… employment opportunities” as part of fostering private sector-led growth directly contributes to increasing women’s economic participation.

2. Target 8.3: Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises.

   The program’s focus on laying “foundations for private sector development” and improving the “business environment” is designed to stimulate the economic activities described in this target.

3. Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value.

   The stated goal to “enhance women and youth employment opportunities” is a direct effort towards achieving this target.

4. Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all.

   The project aims to tackle “bottlenecks in key enabling sectors such as energy, telecom,” which is a foundational step in developing the reliable infrastructure mentioned in this target.

5. Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.

   The article states that the program supports this by “establishing a robust institutional and legal framework to guide climate action” and “ensuring that territorial and sectoral planning integrate climate adaptation and disaster risk management.”

6. Target 17.1: Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection.

   The first pillar of the operation, which seeks to “increase government revenue by broadening the tax base and rationalizing tax expenditures,” is a direct implementation of this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article does not mention specific, quantitative SDG indicators. However, it implies several areas of measurement that align with official indicators:

• Implied Indicator for Target 17.1: The goal to “increase government revenue” implies a measurement of government revenue as a proportion of GDP, which is directly related to Indicator 17.1.1: Total government revenue as a proportion of GDP, by source.
• Implied Indicator for Target 8.5: The objective to “enhance women and youth employment opportunities” implies that progress would be measured by tracking unemployment rates for these groups, which relates to Indicator 8.5.2: Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons with disabilities.
• Implied Indicator for Target 9.1: The effort to tackle “bottlenecks in key enabling sectors such as energy, telecom” suggests that progress could be measured by access to and reliability of these services, which is a qualitative aspect measured in infrastructure development indices.
• Implied Indicator for Target 13.2: The action of “establishing a robust institutional and legal framework to guide climate action” is a direct measure of progress. This aligns with Indicator 13.2.1: Number of countries that have communicated the establishment or operationalization of an integrated policy/strategy/plan which increases their ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: miragenews.com