The Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG) has directed commercial banks, including Nigerian lenders’ subsidiaries Access Bank, GTBank, FirstBank, Ecobank and Zenith Bank, to begin replacing non-Gambian employees with suitably qualified Gambian nationals by December 31, 2026.
The directive was contained in a September 16 circular signed by the CBG’s Second Deputy Governor, Dr. Paul J. Mendy, following a meeting with bank managing directors and an industry-wide review of non-Gambian employment in the banking sector.
The CBG said the study found a “relatively high number” of non-Gambians employed beyond staff formally recognized as expatriates, describing the practice as contrary to The Gambia’s Labour Act 2023 and Guideline 9 on expatriate employment in banking.
“Consequently, all banks are required to adopt a phased approach to replacing existing non-Gambian staff with suitably qualified Gambian nationals, with appropriate arrangements for skills transfer and continuity of operations,” the CBG stated.
