The Gambia
India and The Gambia share warm and friendly bilateral relations. The bilateral engagement stands on the pillars of amicable political relations, development partnership, trade and people-to-people contacts. The Gambia has been generally supportive of India in various international fora.
Cooperation to tackle the challenge of COVID-19 Pandemic
- Government of India has supplied 36,000 doses Covid-19 vaccine (Covishield) to Gambia under Covax scheme in March 2021 to fight against Covid-19.
Capacity Building & Other Exchanges
- Under ITEC scheme, India has allotted 75 slots to The Gambians.
- 25 Senior Civil Servants from The Gambia participated in the Special Training Programme held at National Centre for Good Governance, Mussoorie in June 2019 under ITEC+ programme.
- Under India's developmental support (capacity Building Measures) to Africa, 10 Solar Mamas (Illiterate women) were trained at Barefoot College in India during March-September, 2019. The training imparted covered solar electrification, solar panel & light installation/maintenance and entrepreneurial skills for a period of six months.
- India is exploring setting up in The Gambia a pilot solar hydel project under ISA (International Solar Alliance) framework.
- The Gambia joined India’s tele-education and tele-medicine platform eVBAB in March 2020; by October 2021, more than 80 Gambian students registered for tele-education courses under this scheme.
- The project 'Using of Drones and Early Warning Systems for Pre & Post Floods Disaster Management in The Gambia' is supported (2020-2021) by India under Commonwealth Window of the India-UN Development Partnership Fund.
- ICCR under its Africa Scholarship Scheme offers around 33 scholarship slots every year for pursuing higher studies in India.
Development Cooperation (Grants/ LoCs/ Assistance)
- The Government of India has extended several Lines of Credit to the Government of Gambia covering diverse areas including Tractor Assembly, construction of National Assembly Building Complex (inaugurated in October 2014), replacement of Asbestos Water Pipes with UPVC pipes; Electricity Expansion Project in Greater Banjul Area (inaugurated in November 2020).
- India created Vocational Training Center (VTC) and Incubation Center (IC) in Banjul and handed over to the Gambian authorities in September 2017. The Centre is imparting training in disciplines such as plumbing, welding, electrical, construction sector, carpentry, draftsman-ship, survey, plastic technology demonstration cum training, ICT, agro and food processing, gemstones cutting and polishing etc.
