Read about the current govenment´s development plan 2018-2022 on :
https://moici.gov.gm/national-development-plan-0
From this hompage, the following is taken just to show their back ground figures,
“Furthermore, at the household level, the recently released Integrated Household Survey of The Gambia(IHS 2015/16) shows that poverty has remained flat in the last decade (48.4 per cent in 2010 and 48.65 in2015) with the 3 per cent GDP growth barely keeping up with a population growth of 3.1 per cent. The number of poor Gambians has risen by over 150,000 in the period. Poverty has also been a push factor that triggers young Gambians to leave the country by irregular means to Europe and other destinations.
There is a rising rural poverty and a growing gap between rural and urban Gambia illustrated by the fact that while the proportion of the households living below the poverty line is 31.6 per cent in urban areas, the proportion rises to 69.5 per cent for the rural Gambia. The rural areas account for 42.2 per cent of the country’s population, but they hold 60 per cent of its poor. In addition, key indicators related to access to health and education, basic services, all show this East-West divide. The government intends to act decisively to close this growing gap between the predominantly urban western part of the country, and the rural poor predominantly found in the east of the country.
However, there are positive factors; Government is committed to serious economic reforms and the historic transition to democracy opens many possibilities, that could spur growth and assist the country to restore economic stability.”
Gambian Women 