Gambia: technology regulation at a glance

Framework: No dedicated crypto or digital-asset framework exists; general financial supervision by the Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG) under the Financial Institutions Act; AML/CFT obligations under Gambia's Anti-Money Laundering Act administered by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU); FATF standards assessed by GIABA in 2022 Mutual Evaluation

Gambia has enacted no legislation or regulation specifically addressing cryptocurrencies or digital assets, and the Central Bank of The Gambia has issued no formal guidance on the legality, licensing, or permissibility of virtual assets. Crypto is neither explicitly permitted under a licensing regime nor formally prohibited, a regulatory vacuum exists. Gambia's 2022 FATF Mutual Evaluation (conducted by GIABA) assessed AML/CFT compliance including FATF Recommendation 15 on virtual assets, reflecting nascent international-standard awareness but no implemented VASP supervisory regime.

Framework: No dedicated AI law or strategy; AI-adjacent governance provided by the Personal Data Protection and Privacy Act 2025 and the National Digital Economy Master Plan 2024-2034, under the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy (MOCDE) and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA)

The Gambia has no dedicated artificial intelligence law, national AI strategy, or standalone AI guidelines as of May 2026. AI-relevant governance operates indirectly: the Personal Data Protection and Privacy Act 2025 (assented to 7 November 2025) covers automated personal-data processing, and the National Digital Economy Master Plan 2024-2034 includes AI adoption among its development objectives. No AI-specific regulatory body or enforcement mechanism exists.

Framework: Personal Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2025 (PDPP); supervised by the Information Commission (established under the Access to Information Act, 2021)

The Gambia enacted its first comprehensive data-protection statute, the Personal Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2025, passed unanimously by the National Assembly on 29 September 2025 and signed into law by President Adama Barrow on 7 November 2025. The Act establishes GDPR-aligned data subject rights, controller and processor obligations (including 72-hour breach notification), and cross-border transfer rules, designating the existing Information Commission as the independent supervisory authority. The law entered into force immediately with no transitional grace period.

Framework: Electronic Payments System Act 2013; Mobile Money Regulation 2011; Central Bank Act 2018, regulated by the Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG)

The Gambia has an established licensing regime for digital payments and mobile money, anchored in the Electronic Payments System Act 2013 and CBG Act 2018, with the Central Bank of The Gambia as sole regulator. Mobile money operators and payment service providers must obtain CBG authorisation under the 2011 Mobile Money Regulation. In 2025 The Gambia launched BANTABA 2.0, a real-time interoperable instant payment system built on Mojaloop, significantly upgrading national payment infrastructure.

Framework: Gambia Immigration Act, administered by the Department of Immigration (Gambia Immigration Department, gid.gov.gm) under the Ministry of Interior

Gambia has no dedicated digital nomad or remote-work visa. Remote workers may seek a Type A Residential Permit (residence without local gainful employment, covering retirees and students) or pursue the business/investment residency route by establishing a local enterprise. No formal golden-visa or minimum-investment threshold program exists, but a flexible business-backed residency pathway is available.

Framework: Information and Communications Act 2009 (amended 2013); Cybercrime Bill 2023 (pending enactment); Personal Data Protection and Privacy Act 2025; National Cybersecurity Policy 2022-2026; regulator: Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA)

The Gambia's online safety regime is anchored in the Information and Communications Act (ICA) 2009, which contains cybercrime and online-speech provisions but falls well short of a comprehensive online-safety or platform-liability law equivalent to the EU DSA or UK OSA. A Cybercrime Bill 2023 was tabled in the National Assembly in March 2024 and remains under committee review as of 2025, while a Personal Data Protection and Privacy Act was signed into law in November 2025. Freedom House rates Gambia 'Partly Free' (score 56/100) on internet freedom, citing growing arrests of online critics.

Framework: Information and Communications Act 2009 (cybercrime provisions); Personal Data Protection and Privacy Act 2025; National Cybersecurity Policy & Strategy 2022-2026; PURA/gmCSIRT as operational authority

The Gambia's cybersecurity regime is built on sectoral instruments rather than a single comprehensive law. The Information and Communications Act 2009 criminalises computer misuse and cybercrime, while the Personal Data Protection and Privacy Act (assented November 2025) introduces 72-hour breach-notification duties and criminal sanctions for concealment of breaches. A standalone Cybercrime Bill 2023 and a broader Communications Bill 2025 are both at various stages of parliamentary consideration but not yet enacted.

Framework: Companies Act 2013 and Single Window Business Registration Act 2013, administered by the Registrar of Companies under the Ministry of Justice; Gambia Investment and Export Promotion Agency Act 2010 (GIEPA)

The Gambia permits 100% foreign ownership with no mandatory local-equity requirements, and company registration can in principle be completed within one business day via the Single Window Business Registry online portal or at offices in Banjul and KMC. Despite these liberal formal rules, practical barriers including a GMD 500,000 minimum share capital for private limited companies, a USD 250,000 threshold for incentive certificates, endemic corruption, and the market influence of established local interests moderate the overall ease of entry for foreign entrepreneurs.