Government and power in the Gambia

Who leads the Gambia, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Unitary presidential republic.

Who leads the Gambia?

• Head of state: Adama Barrow (President of the Republic of The Gambia)
• Head of government: No Prime Minister
• Foreign minister: Sering Modou Njie (Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad of the Republic of The Gambia)

Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.

Governance scores

The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.

Voice and accountability

Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.

Political stability and absence of violence

Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.

Government effectiveness

Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.

Regulatory quality

Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.

Rule of law

Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.

Control of corruption

Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.

Official bodies that hold power in the Gambia

Government

• Government of The Gambia
  Ministry information, government announcements and public service information.
• Office of the President
  Presidential statements, cabinet news and official press releases.

Parliament

• National Assembly
  Bills, Hansard, committee reports and the list of members.

Elections

• Independent Electoral Commission
  Election results, voter registration information and electoral calendars.

Courts

• Judiciary of The Gambia
  Court information, cause lists and judgments of the Supreme Court and lower courts.

Public audit

• National Audit Office
  Audit reports on government accounts and public enterprises.

Public contracts

• Gambia Public Procurement Authority
  Procurement regulations, tender notices, procurement plans and contract award reports for Gambian public bodies.

Government below the national level

• Administrative regions (5) and the 2 municipalities: Regional governor appointed by the president
• Local government areas (8): Banjul and Kanifing municipal councils; Brikama, Mansakonko, Kerewan, Kuntaur, Janjanbureh and Basse area councils: Councillors elected by ward; mayors (municipal councils) and chairpersons (area councils) directly elected, for five-year terms
• Districts (43): District chief (seyfo) appointed by the president in consultation with the minister
• Villages: Alkalo appointed by the local government minister after consulting the governor and seyfo

How local power works in the Gambia

Places in the Gambia

• All 8 local government areas
• Official statistics for the Gambia

Sources

• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Births registered (SP.REG.BRTH.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f8d443034ba7…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.