The Gambia Threshold Program

The Gambia is the smallest country on the African mainland. In 2021, the population reached approximately 2.5 million, with a majority living in urban areas in the districts surrounding the capital, Banjul. The Gambia is one of the most urbanized countries on the continent with both high internal mobility and external migration, especially to Europe. More than 79 percent of the population is under 35 and youth unemployment, at 38 percent, is one of the highest in the region.

In recent years, the electrification rate has increased to over 50 percent and The Gambia has committed to an ambitious goal of achieving universal electrical access by 2025. The Gambia has also committed to reduce CO2 emissions in alignment with the 2015 Paris Accords, with a focus on imports from Senegal, Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire, and domestic solar generation.

In November 2021, MCC and the Government of The Gambia signed a $25 million Threshold Program. The grant will support The Gambia’s biggest constraint to economic growth: the unreliable and inadequate supply of electricity. The investment will focus on two projects: Power Sector Governance and Power Sector Operations.

Financials

Financials as of June 30, 2023

Program Budget

Milestones

  • Signed:
     November 16, 2021
  • Entry Into Force:
     June 29, 2022

Program Projects

Power Sector Governance Project

The objective of the Governance Project is to develop more effective, accountable, and
transparent power sector governance in The Gambia. The Governance Project will use a
“learning by doing” adaptive approach in which teams of stakeholders work to identify the
underlying causes of regulatory, administrative, and operational challenges, and then work to
solve those problems through a disciplined, iterative, and action-oriented approach.

Power Sector Operations Project

The objective of the Operations Project is for NAWEC to reduce the frequency and duration of
outages and improve its capability to operate a power system that is adequate to meet existing and growing demand, in an inclusive manner consistent with The Gambia’s stated Nationally Determined Contributions under the 2015 Paris Climate Accords.