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Assembly approves 2026 budget with rising spending of D43bn

Dec 10, 2025, 12:04 PM | Article By: Jankey Ceesay

The Gambia’s 2026 national budget has officially been given the green light, closing six weeks of intense debate, long nights of scrutiny, and exchanges inside the National Assembly.

The Appropriation Bill, 2026, was passed on Tuesday, clearing the way for government operations from 1st January to 31st December 2026. The Bill essentially the country’s financial blueprint for the year sets out who gets what, and how the government plans to raise and spend money over the next twelve months.

This year’s budget comes with big shifts. Government expenditure will rise from D37.85 billion in 2025 to D43.49 billion in 2026, marking a significant jump in spending priorities. A few institutions are seeing dramatic increases:

The Independent Electoral Commission receives a whopping 115% boost; the Ministry of Agriculture gets 87% more; the Ministry of Higher Education enjoys a 42% rise, and Pensions and Gratuities increase by 22%.

On the other side of the equation, revenues, mainly taxes and non-tax earnings are expected to grow from D29 billion to D32 billion. This rise is tied to better collection efforts in key ministries such as Interior, Health, Fisheries, and Water Resources.

The budget’s journey to approval began on 31st October 2025, when the Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs laid the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure before lawmakers. What followed were weeks of bilateral meetings between the Ministry of Finance and various MDAs, as officials defended their needs and argued for adjustments.

The climax came on Friday, 5th December 2025, when the Finance Minister returned to the Assembly to deliver the official 2026 Budget Speech, as required by the 1997 Constitution and Standing Orders.

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