By Dr Sidi Sanyang
In The Gambia, as in many developing nations, the prevailing economic model for development and prosperity can be better harnessed through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those aimed at reducing poverty in rural and urban communities, enhancing food and nutrition security at the household level, ensuring healthy lives for the population, providing quality education, and guaranteeing peace, justice, and safety for all.
To achieve societal wellbeing, prosperity, and justice across the board, there must be systematic coordination of evidence-based policy actions, strategies, and programmes that address institutional reform, food and housing inflationary pressures, climate resilience, and equitable prosperity for the poor, working class, and the rich. These elements should form the hallmark of The Gambia’s sustainable development pathways. An economic model for prosperity must therefore be guided by a people-centric way of life, grounded in social and environmental safeguards embedded in systemic change, rather than the cosmetic re-branding of state institutions in the hope of amplifying their purpose or effectiveness.
The re-branding instead of institutional reform of the Ministry of Agriculture, for example, through the addition of “food security” to its brand, mirrors approaches adopted by countries already experiencing deep social and economic crisis including food and nutrition insecurity. Perhaps this reflects the current state of affairs in The Gambia. Similarly, the Ministry of Higher Education has proposed renaming the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences as the Akinwumi Adesina School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. While honouring distinguished public servants is commendable, this vogue is not an appropriate strategy for institutional development and organisational strengthening.
It is acceptable to name key edifices and initiatives — such as fellowship programmes, lecture theatres, laboratories, and public infrastructure — after renowned traditional, national, or international figures. However, an institution itself, as a bastion of knowledge generation and innovation, should remain clearly identified with its core purpose and function. Some argue that institutions such as Purdue University in the United States are named after individuals; yet, in that case, the naming was tied to a substantial founding endowment of land and financial resources by the benefactor, which directly enabled the establishment and location of the university as a public land-grant institution. Such historical contexts reflect material contributions that strengthened institutional capacity rather than symbolic rebranding.
It is my hope that a respected professional, such as Minister Gomez, will interrogate this trend, which risks diminishing the stature, prominence, and agility of the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. Notably, all other schools within the University remain firmly aligned with their academic missions rather than individual identities.
A meaningful institutional reform process must prioritise the knowledge, skills, and productivity of the working class, including farmers, livestock herders, and fisherfolk. When a skilled and well-mentored workforce is properly incentivized, businesses benefit from increased demand for quality goods and services, ultimately enhancing household wellbeing and societal prosperity.
Unfortunately, this is not the prevailing reality. The current economic model relies heavily on high taxation and public spending concentrated on physical infrastructure, particularly roads. While these roads often take years to construct, they tend to drive socio-economic development in only one direction — facilitating how people and goods move from villages and towns to markets. The critical reverse linkage; how quality services such as healthcare delivery, educational materials, agro-processing, and value addition at the farm gate reach rural producers and connect them to higher-value urban markets remains weak, inadequate, or altogether absent.
Even the proposed Central Bank-catalysed road bypass project to ease transportation to and from Banjul is unlikely to attract meaningful diaspora investment in the absence of strong market demand created by a planned physical presence of private-sector operators near the bypass corridor. The presence of the University of The Gambia and civil servants alone cannot serve as the primary catalyst for such investment. Government policy must deliberately encourage the establishment of manufacturing, processing, ITC and logistics hubs around such infrastructure projects to maximize economic returns and diaspora participation.
Worse still, many strategic infrastructure assets, both new and existing, are effectively being “mortgaged” while contributing little to sustainable job creation. Adversely, they are associated with job losses and capital flight through the outflow of scarce foreign exchange in the form of US dollars and euros, thereby exerting further pressure on the Gambian Dalasi (GMD).
Socio-economic development strategies that prioritize wealth creation almost exclusively through concrete-based infrastructure will not climate-proof The Gambia. On the contrary, they increase vulnerability to heat waves and flooding. Research evidence demonstrates that concrete and asphalt surfaces exacerbate urban heat and disrupt natural water absorption. A recent study in Banjul identified Urban Heat Island (UHI) hotspots reaching 36°C around areas such as the KG5 Mini-Stadium, the Sewage Plant, and Crab Island, while surface temperatures on asphalt and concrete rose to as high as 57°C. Furthermore, increased flooding has been observed in urban areas following the construction of concrete roads. This approach raises a fundamental question: does this development model offer rational, climate-resilient socio-economic progress for the population? The answer: certainly not!
Closely linked to this challenge is the continued over-reliance on cement and coastal sand in housing and construction. The extraction of sand from beaches and coastal ecosystems accelerates erosion, weakens natural climate defenses, and degrades tourism and fishing livelihoods. A more sustainable alternative exists in the form of stabilised red bricks produced from laterite soil, gravel, and reduced cement content. These bricks are durable, cost-effective, climate-appropriate, and significantly reduce pressure on fragile coastal ecosystems. Promoting their use in housing and public infrastructure would lower the environmental footprint of construction, reduce carbon emissions associated with cement production, and stimulate local value chains and employment. However, widespread adoption will not occur without deliberate government policy incentives, including revised building codes, tax relief, subsidised inputs, public procurement preferences, and access to affordable financing for local producers.
A cumulative assessment of recent developments — including the cement shortage, the depreciation of the Gambian dalasi against major currencies (and regrettably even against the CFA franc), and the rising cost of living suggests that poverty and hunger will continue to undermine lives and livelihoods unless there is a purposeful shift in policy direction and coordination. Evidence of this is visible in persistent food inflation, stagnant agricultural productivity, minimal investment in processing and value addition, and enduring structural inefficiencies at the Port of Banjul and across government institutions.
Empirical data indicates that the Gambian dalasi has depreciated by approximately 50 percent over the past decade, severely eroding purchasing power. Nearly half of the population struggles to meet the basic cost of living, estimated at D1,503 per person per month in 2025. Translate this into household needs, the pain and suffering is enormous and unbearable for an average Gambian. This reality renders the current economic model obsolete and unfit for purpose, demanding strategic repositioning.
Despite the much-anticipated Gambia Ports Authority–Albayrak Concession Agreement, inefficiencies at the Port of Banjul persist. A case in point is the recent cement saga, which arose because the Port of Banjul could not accommodate larger vessels. In response, the GPA rushed to dredge and deepen the seawater channel from approximately nine metres to 11 metres — a reactive, short-term ‘fire-fighting’ measure rather than a deliberate, long-term strategy to modernise the port and strengthen The Gambia’s position in regional trade.
Across the region, deep-water ports in Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon operate or are being developed with depths ranging from 11 to 25 metres. This begs critical questions: What depth is planned for the GPA–Albayrak Deep-Sea Port in Sanyang? How will policy coordination ensure that The Gambia can compete effectively in an increasingly integrated regional market, particularly in serving landlocked Sahelian countries? What lessons can be drawn from First Republic re-export trade policies, and how can the envisioned Ecowas trade corridor be optimised while managing simultaneous investments in Banjul and Sanyang?
Reactive, fire-fighting approaches alone cannot deliver holistic socio-economic transformation. Moreover, multinational operators and, to some extent, domestic private sector partners often hand over ‘junk infrastructure’ to governments near the end of concession agreements, having neglected proper maintenance in the final years. Without deliberate, coordinated policy action, these recurring patterns threaten The Gambia’s ability to leverage strategic infrastructure for sustainable growth and regional competitiveness.
Thus, is the economic model for social entrepreneurship and environmental safeguards stupid? The lived experience of Gambians makes the answer painfully clear: yes, people are hurting, and the country is hurting. Rising tax burdens, when not reinvested in productive sectors that generate jobs and broaden the tax base, deepen poverty and household food insecurity.
What does it truly mean to be educated if our knowledge does not relieve the burdens of poverty and hunger in our communities? In every village and town across The Gambia, communities should thrive not merely because of what people know, but because of how they act. True education is measured not only in grades or certificates, but in the ways we apply our knowledge and skills to make life better for ourselves and others. Let our success inspire others. Let our character be a model. Let our presence be a blessing wherever we go and lead.
As we move forward on the path toward sustainable development that is fair and just for all, let us remember:
• When we become teachers, let us teach with patience and love.
• When we become nurses or doctors, let us treat with compassion.
• When we become farmers, let us feed not only our families, but our neighbours.• When we become leaders, let us lead with humility, integrity, and fairness.
Dr Sidi Sanyang is senior scientist and manager with vast experience in agriculture and international development.
