Import Export in the Gambia - Business & Trade Investments in West Africa

West Africa has a potential market of over 270 million consumers, and offers real business opportunities for manufacturing and exporting companies wishing to build a market share in the emerging markets of Africa.

The Gambia is blessed with a long and glorious tradition of trade. It is strategically situated at the African end of the Atlantic Trade Triangle, a trade route dating back into centuries between Africa, Europe and the USA, Central and Latin America.

The Gambia has the nearest harbour on the African continent to both Europe and the Americas and within West African countries, Banjul Port in The Gambia is unrivalled, turning around vessels much faster than the regional competition. The Port of Banjul is also widely recognised for its safety, service reliability and unrivalled management system and has become the port of choice for the shipping, importation and distribution of products, goods and commodities to the whole of West Africa.

The Gambia has become an important West African business centre and an ideal launch pad for trade with neighbouring West African countries Senegal, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau and Mauritania. and also further afield to import and export to English speaking Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia and to French speaking Benin, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger,and Togo and Portuguese speaking Cape Verde.

The Port of Banjul is continuously being upgraded and modernised to meet the needs of a growing trade sector stimulated by the Gambia Trade Gateway Project.

Africa Free Trade Zones - The Gambia Trade Gateway Project

The Gambia Trade Gateway Project is aimed at establishing free trade zones at sites around the seaport, airport and other strategic locations around the capital city, Banjul, and designed to operate within a tax and duty-free environment with fiscal and other incentives accorded to investors.

A free trade zone (FTZ) or export processing zone (EPZ) is an area of a country where some normal trade barriers such as tariffs and quotas are eliminated and bureaucratic requirements are lowered to attract new business and foreign investments.

Investing inside the Gambia Free Trade Zones

The Free Zones Act in The Gambia provides the legal framework for setting up Free Tade Zones and their efficient management. The main thrust is to create a world-class investment climate in The Gambia for businesses engaged in manufacturing, processing and export oriented activities.

Activities authorized for the purpose of investing within the Free Zones include warehousing, breaking bulk cargo, processing and manufacturing opportunities such as assembling, storing, grading, cleaning and mixing goods and products and their subsequent labelling, packaging and repackaging.

Other opportunities include telecommunication and information technology, energy, financial services and off shore services, health and veterinary services and transportation, logistics and distribution services.

Gambian Business Investments: How We Can Help?

We can advise on the following.

Raising finance, formation of companies, registration of businesses for tax, social security etc, acquisition of land, buildings and other assets, immigration, visa & work permit difficulties, employment issues, drafting standard terms and conditions of business, dealing with commercial problems, contract disputes, mediation, power of attorney, court cases, process serving, enforcement of judgments, debt collecting, taxation of the business and its shareholders..