Gambia Ranks Third in Sub-Saharan Africa for Budget Transparency, but Significant Gaps Persist

The Gambia placed third among Sub-Saharan African nations assessed in the 2025 Open Budget Survey, achieving a transparency score of 36 out of 100, according to findings released by Gambia Participates on 25 August 2026. Sierra Leone led the regional comparison with a score of 50, followed by Senegal at 42. The Gambia ranked ahead of Nigeria (24) and Ghana (22).

The result marks a substantial improvement for The Gambia, which scored only four points in the 2019 survey, placing it last among its regional peers. The 2025 score represents the country’s highest transparency rating since it began participating in the assessment. However, the survey classifies the current level as insufficient, noting that the country remains 25 points below the 61-point threshold considered necessary to support informed public debate on the national budget.

The Open Budget Survey, now in its 10th edition, evaluated 83 countries using 106 equally weighted indicators. It measures public access to central government budget information across three pillars: transparency, budget oversight, and public participation. The Gambia has participated in four survey rounds since 2019.

Under the transparency component, the survey examines the availability, timeliness, and comprehensiveness of eight key budget documents, including the Executive’s Budget Proposal, Pre-Budget Statement, Enacted Budget, Citizens Budget, In-Year Reports, Mid-Year Review, Year-End Report, and Audit Report. A score of 61 or above indicates a government is likely publishing enough material for meaningful public scrutiny.

Despite its third-place regional ranking, The Gambia’s transparency score of 36 signals that public access to budget information remains limited. The survey also assessed institutional oversight, awarding the National Assembly a score of 50 out of 100 for budget oversight, while the supreme audit institution scored 78. The audit oversight score stands significantly higher than the legislature’s performance.

Public participation scores varied widely across the budget cycle. The Gambia scored 20 during budget formulation, 44 during approval, 17 during implementation, and 33 during the audit stage. Budget implementation recorded the lowest participation score, while the approval phase saw the highest engagement.

The survey issued several recommendations to improve transparency. It urged the government to publish the Pre-Budget Statement online at least one month before the Executive’s Budget Proposal is submitted to the National Assembly, and to release Audit Reports within 18 months of the fiscal year’s end. It also called for the timely publication of the Mid-Year Review (within three months of the fiscal midpoint) and the Year-End Report (within 12 months of the fiscal year’s close).

On oversight, the survey recommended greater legislative involvement, including consulting the National Assembly before shifting funds between administrative units or reducing spending due to revenue shortfalls. It also advised that a legislative committee examine and publish findings on the Audit Report.

To enhance public participation, the survey called for expanded opportunities for civil society and the public during budget formulation and implementation, with active engagement of vulnerable and underrepresented communities. It further recommended that authorities provide feedback on how public contributions are used during formulation and in monitoring budget execution.

The 2025 findings position The Gambia among the top three Sub-Saharan African countries in the survey, while underscoring persistent gaps in budget transparency, parliamentary oversight, and citizen participation in public financial management.

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