World Bank Calls on The Gambia to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture and Coastal Protection

By Fatou Sillah

The World Bank Group’s Resident Representative to The Gambia, Franklin Mutahakana, has identified climate-smart agriculture and coastal protection as critical priorities for addressing the country’s growing climate and development challenges.

Speaking in an interview with Kerr Fatou, Mutahakana referenced findings from the Country Climate and Development Report, noting that collaboration between the World Bank and the Gambian government is already underway across several sectors, particularly agriculture.

He emphasized that boosting agricultural productivity remains central to the country’s economic resilience, especially through climate-smart approaches that mitigate the effects of erratic rainfall and expand irrigation systems.

“We are looking at how we enhance productivity in the agriculture sector. To enhance productivity, you have to look at aspects of climate-smart agriculture,” he said.

Mutahakana also highlighted vulnerabilities within the tourism sector, warning that The Gambia’s heavy dependence on beach tourism exposes it to significant climate-related risks, particularly to coastal erosion.

“The current tourism model in The Gambia is mostly sun and beach. One of the key risks identified is the degradation of the coastal region,” he explained.

He noted that the World Bank is supporting government-led initiatives to address these risks through coastal restoration projects, including mangrove rehabilitation and shoreline protection measures.

“We work with government to try and restore some of the coastal erosion through coastal nourishment and mangrove restoration,” he said.

Mutahakana further outlined two potential economic trajectories for the country, depending on how climate risks are managed. According to him, failure to act could result in a contraction of the economy by approximately 9 percent.

“If we continue with business as usual without addressing these risks, the economy is set to shrink by about 9%,” he warned.

However, he added that proactive measures could significantly reduce the impact, limiting economic decline to around 2 percent while supporting sustained growth and job creation. “We could reduce that shrinking of the economy to about 2% and extend the benefits of economic growth and job creation,” he said.

He stressed that the report is intended to inform policy decisions and encourage forward-looking strategies, rather than to alarm the public.

“The main focus is not to create fear but to create the realization that these risks are there, and what can we do about them?” Mutahakana concluded.