Background. This is the first country programme evaluation (CPE) undertaken by
the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE) in The Gambia since IFAD began
operations in the country in 1982. This CPE covers IFAD’s cooperation from 2004 to
2014. It takes into account the evolving approaches and assesses the results and
impact of IFAD-supported operations since the approval of the country strategic
opportunities programme (COSOP) in 2003. The CPE analysed the five projects
approved and active during the period, two of which are ongoing, as well as the
2003 COSOP.
2. Since 1982, IFAD has supported 10 projects and programmes in The Gambia for a
total project/programme cost of approximately US$196.8 million, of which
US$73.1 million was provided as IFAD loans. Counterpart funding accounted for
US$24.1 million and cofinancing amounted to US$99.5 million.
3. The main objectives of this evaluation are to: (i) assess the performance and
impact of IFAD-supported operations in the country; and (ii) generate a series of
findings and recommendations to serve as building blocks for future cooperation
*between IFAD and the Government of The Gambia. This CPE should inform the
future country strategy for The Gambia.
4. Country context. The Gambia is a small, densely populated West African country
with an area of 10,689 square kilometres (km2). It had a population density of
190.5 inhabitants per km2
in 2014 and a population growth rate of 3.2 per cent in
2010. According to World Bank data, the gross domestic product (GDP) was
US$578 million in 2004, increasing to US$965 million in 2008, but decreasing to
US$914 million in 2013; for those same years, gross national income (GNI) per
capita moved from US$430 (2004), to US$530 (2008) and then to US$510 (2013).
5. Poverty in the country is pervasive despite the decline in overall poverty rates
during the last decade. An estimated 58 per cent of the population lived on less
than US$1 a day in 2003. According to the overall poverty headcount index, in
2012, an estimated 48.4 per cent of the population lived below the upper poverty
line (US$1.25 a day) and 36.7 per cent below the lower poverty line (US$1 a day). The rural poverty headcount ratio was 73.7 per cent in 2010, and the Human
Development Index value was 0.441 in 2014, ranking the country 175
th out of 188
countries.
6. Although the contribution of the agricultural sector to GDP has decreased from
28 per cent to 20 per cent over the last 10 years, it employs about 65 per cent of
the national labour force. The agricultural sector is characterized by subsistence
production of rainfed crops and semi-intensive cash crops. The country has a total
arable land area of 558,000 hectares (ha), of which some 320,000 ha (57 per cent)
are cropped annually. Within the agricultural sector, after crops, livestock accounts
for 34 per cent of production value, fisheries for 12 per cent and forestry for
4 per cent, making livestock the second-largest subsector.
7. The most important plan of action for the promotion of agricultural development is
The Gambia National Agricultural Investment Plan (GNAIP) 2011–2015. The GNAIP
is a requirement under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development
Programme, and its objective is to transform the agricultural and natural resource
sectors from subsistence to commercial production, with a focus on smallholders.
Another key document, the Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy 2009–2015, defined four strategic objectives to be pursued in 2015: (i) improved and
sustainable levels of food and nutrition security in the country in general, and
vulnerable populations in particular; (ii) a commercialized agriculture and natural
resources sector, ensuring competitive, efficient, and sustainable food and
agricultural value chains, and linkages to markets; (iii) stronger public and private
institutions to provide services and an enabling environment, reducing vulnerability
EC 2016/92/W.P.2/Rev.1
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to food and nutrition insecurity; and (iv) sustainable and effective management of
natural resources.
8. The Gambia’s development agenda goal, enshrined in the country’s “Vision 2020,”
is to ensure a transformation of: “The Gambia into a dynamic middle-income
country, socially, economically and scientifically, over a 25-year period.” The
National Youth Policy and the Gender and Women Empowerment Policy 2010–2020, both approved in 2009, show the Government’s commitment to youth and women.
9. Official development assistance in The Gambia rose from US$120 million in 2010 to
US$139 million in 2012, with the European Union, the Islamic Development Bank
(IsDB) and the World Bank accounting for more than US$60 million between 2011
and 2012. Other key donors include the African Development Bank (AfDB), Japan
and the United Kingdom