Debt in Gambia

The Gambian dalasi, abbreviated GMD, is the currency used for local loan amounts and repayments. Formal credit providers include licensed commercial banks, finance companies, Islamic microfinance providers, Village Savings and Credit Associations (VISACAs) and credit unions associated with the National Association of Cooperative Credit Unions of The Gambia (NACCUG). Eligibility usually depends on income, repayment capacity, identification, previous records, collateral or a guarantor. The Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG) lists and supervises relevant financial institutions, but no universal public eligibility rule, interest-rate cap or standard consumer-loan rate has been established. Access to credit is uneven. The Gambia Bureau of Statistics household survey for 2015/16 recorded credit access at 14.4%, while 85.6% reported no access. Among reported credit sources, 38% were formal and 62.2% informal. Microfinance institutions accounted for 20.5% and commercial banks for 8.2% of sources; relatives and friends accounted for 28.7% and traders for 21.4%. Formal access was more common in urban areas, while informal borrowing was more common in rural areas. These figures are not a current household-debt series, so they should not be treated as a present national debt rate. Agriculture, trading income shocks and household emergencies can make informal and small-business borrowing particularly relevant. Osusu is a rotating informal savings pool and is not itself a debt product. The Consumer Protection Act 2014 requires consumer-credit information before a contract is concluded. The lender should disclose the cash price, interest and the annual or periodic rate, arrears interest, the number and frequency of instalments, the total amount payable and additional fees. The contract should be clear and understandable, use the required English form, and be explained on request in a language the consumer reasonably understands. Consumers can challenge unfair terms and receive fair, non-discriminatory treatment. A seven-day retraction right applies only to a supplier-initiated off-premises contract, not to every loan. Complaints to the Gambia Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (GCCPC) generally have a two-year limit and may require a prescribed fee; Consumer Tribunals operate in each administrative region, with appeals to the High Court generally due within 30 days. A borrower who expects difficulty should preserve the contract, receipts and repayment schedule and contact the creditor early. Rescheduling or settlement takes effect only when the creditor agrees to it. The Gambia has no evidenced general consumer-debt moratorium, centralized repayment-plan system or standard consumer debt-forgiveness scheme. Interest, arrears charges and other fees therefore depend on the contract and applicable rules. There is also no general standardized debt-counselling tariff or universal collection timetable identified for all lenders. A lender with registered movable security may be able to realize that security through the Collateral Registry without first obtaining a court judgment. The borrower may challenge the process in court. Negotiation, mediation, conciliation or arbitration through the Ministry of Justice Alternative Dispute Resolution Secretariat can provide additional routes, while civil courts handle contractual and security disputes. The insolvency and bankruptcy framework covers individuals and companies, including arrangements, liquidation and receivership, and creditors may petition. Public sources cite different statutory dates, and the current consolidated text, consumer eligibility and discharge timetable require case-specific legal verification. Public debt is separate from household or business debt. At the end of 2024, The Gambia's public and publicly guaranteed debt was reported at about US$1.85 billion, or GMD 129.47 billion: 65.75% external and 34.25% domestic, with debt at 74.7% of GDP. The 2025 debt sustainability assessment classified the country as being at high risk of debt distress, but not in default. The 2025 gross financing need was reported at GMD 36.95 billion, including GMD 34.141 billion in principal repayments and GMD 6.04063 billion in interest. The stated strategy emphasizes concessional external borrowing and longer domestic maturities. Treasury bills, bonds and Sukuk Al-Salaam belong to public borrowing when discussed in this context, not automatically to personal debt. Banking indicators such as the non-performing-loan ratio, reported at 14.6% in December 2024 and 8.9% in the second quarter of 2025 after a bad-asset transfer, describe the banking sector and do not measure household debt prevalence.