On November 20, 2023, the World Bank Board approved a $60m grant for The Gambia Boosting Resilience and Unlocking Productive Potential Development Policy Finance (DPF 1) with a catastrophe deferred drawdown. According to the Project Information Document (PID), the development objectives are to support The Gambia’s efforts to unlock its productive potential, strengthen macro-fiscal stability and governance, and strengthen adaptation and resilience to climate change. The DPF program is aligned with the priorities of the Country Partnership Framework 2022-2026 and the National Development Plan (2018 - 21) developed in 2017. The DPF complements those supported by other development partners, including the French Development Agency, African Development Bank, United Nations Development Programme, and the European Union in areas such as energy and agriculture, social protection, public finance management, and adaptation and resilience to climate change.
As per the November 27, 2023 Financing Agreement, The Government of Gambia had issued all the required regulations under the three DPF pillars, which consist of eight prior actions. In 2023, BIC partnered with Open Society Platform the Gambia (OSPG) to assess the efficiency and transparency of stakeholder engagement and inclusion of all relevant stakeholders in the reform processes, particularly marginalized groups (persons with disabilities, women, and youth). It demonstrated good practice that the government ministry and World Bank task team engaged with a broad range of stakeholders, including civil society, on the priorities of the DPF, as consultations are encouraged but not required by Bank policy governing DPFs.