ANNUAL EXTERNAL TRADE STATISTICS REVIEW OF THE GAMBIA - 2015
Table of Content
1. OVERVIEW OF THE GAMBIA’S EXTERNAL TRADE 2
2. DIRECTION OF IMPORTS 4
2.1 The Main Imported Products 5
2.2The EU Region 6
2.3 The ECOWAS Region 7
2.4 The Asia Region 8
2.5 The Americas 9
3. DIRECTION OF EXPORT 10
3.1The Main Domestic Exported Products 10
3.2 The ECOWAS Region 11
3.3 The Asia Region 12
3.4 The EU Region 13
3.5 The Americas Region 14
1. OVERVIEW OF THE GAMBIA’S EXTERNAL TRADE
The Gambia’s external trade for the year 2015 indicates an increase in total trade compared to 2014. The total trade figure increased from D19.8 billion in 2014 to D20.9 billion in 2015 indicating an increase of 6.2%. The total value of imports increased slightly by 6.6% whiles the total value of exports decreased by 11.4%. This decrease in total exports was attributed to a drop in the re-exports trade to the ECOWAS region.
However, the value of domestic exports for the period under review increased from D656 million in 2014 to D668 million in 2015 up by 1.7% mainly due to the increase in the export of fish and fisheries products which increased from D79.3 million in 2014 to D90.6 million in 2015.
Table 1.1: Summary of The Gambia’s external trade in D’ 000 (2012 2015)
Trade / 2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / %ChangeTotal Trade / 16,687,912 / 16,201,935 / 19,772,215 / 20,995,589 / 6.2%
Imports / 12,898,329 / 12,394,622 / 16,105,573 / 17,164,892 / 6.6%
Domestic export / 590,351 / 426,688 / 656,713 / 668,108 / 1.7%
Re-export / 3,199,232 / 3,380,625 / 3,666,642 / 3,162,589 / -13.7%
Total exports / 3,789,583 / 3,807,313 / 4,323,355 / 3,830,697 / -11.4%
Trade Balance / -9,108,746 / -8,587,309 / -11,782,218 / -13,334,195 / 13.2%
Source: MOTIE Trade Information Centre
Note: The average exchange rate in 2015 was D42.69 per US Dollars
The share of imports as a percentage of total trade increased from 81% in 2014 to 82% in 2015. The total exports constituted 22% of the total trade in 2014 against 18% in 2015.
Domestic exports represented 3.3% of the total exports in 2014 a little more compare to 3.2% in 2015. As for the re-exports,it accounted for 19% of total trade in 2014 compared to 15% in 2015.
Figure 1: Gambia’s import and export flows (2012 – 2015)
The Monthly imports values on average are above D1 billion, with the highest import values recorded in June 2015 at D2.58 billion. The Minimum imports is recorded in May and November at D1 billion.The trend of the monthly imports for 2015 is shown in figure 2 below.Figure 2: Monthly imports - 2015
An analysis of total exports showed that the monthly domestic exports in all the months of the year 2015 were consistently below the average of D55 million except in March and June when domestic exports were above D100 million. The monthly re-exports were much stronger and on average above D200 million for most of the months, despite the overall drop in re-export trade in 2015. Table 1.2 and Figure 3 below showed the monthly performance of domestic exports and re-exports in 2015.
Table 1.2: Monthly Domestic exports and Re-exports (D’000) –2015
Months / Domestic exports / Re-exports / Total ExportsJanuary / 13,794 / 188,464 / 202,258
February / 69,953 / 226,010 / 295,963
March / 222,620 / 388,973 / 611,593
April / 38,077 / 256,748 / 294,825
May / 44,970 / 239,942 / 284,912
June / 115,548 / 275,080 / 390,627
July / 87,727 / 263,620 / 351,347
August / 21,823 / 332,234 / 354,056
September / 7,146 / 169,849 / 176,995
October / 20,018 / 287,442 / 307,460
November / 6,393 / 195,964 / 202,357
December / 20,041 / 338,262 / 358,303
Total / 668,108 / 3,162,589 / 3,830,697
Source: MOTIE Trade Information Centre
Figure 3: Monthly Domestic Exports and Re-exports – 2015
Source: MOTIE Trade Information Centre
2. DIRECTION OF IMPORTS
The value of the Gambia’s total imports increased from 16.1 billion in 2014 to 17.2 billion in 2015 representing a rise of 6.6%.Asia, ECOWAS and the EU continued to be the main sources of Gambian imports representing 81% of total imports.
The share of import from EU in 2015 remained the same compare to 2014 at around 24%. The share of imports from Asia dropped from 31% in 2014 to around 25% in 2015. This was mainly due to drop in the imports of edible oil and rice from Asia in 2015. The share of imports from ECOWAS increased slightly from 26% in 2014 to 33% in 2015.
2.1 Main imported products in 2015
The main imported products in 2015 were petroleum products, cements and related products, vehicles and spare parts, rice and sugar. These products constituted 56.3% of total imported products.
Table 2.1 Top 10 imported products in 2015
Products / CIF Value(D'000) / As % of total Imports
Petroleum Products / 3,220,629 / 18.8
Cement and Related Products / 2,160,261 / 12.6
Rice / 1,765,933 / 10.3
Sugar / 1,290,658 / 7.5
Vehicles and Spare Parts / 1,218,533 / 7.1
Edible Oil / 905,769 / 5.3
Others Cereals ( Mainly Wheat) / 536,514 / 3.1
Electrical Machinery and Equipment and Parts / 505,839 / 2.9
Products of the Milling Industry / 445,453 / 2.6
Machinery and Mechanical Appliances and Parts / 410,660 / 2.4
Pharmaceutical Products / 343,951 / 2.0
Source: MOTIE Trade Information Centre
Table 2.2 and figure 4 below showsthe directions and share of imports by region in 2015respectively.
Table 2.2: Direction of imports by region (D'000) - 2015
Regions / 2014 / 2015 / % ChangeEU / 3,914,909 / 4,041,838 / 3.2%
Asia / 4,904,287 / 4,223,348 / -13.9%
ECOWAS / 4,212,934 / 5,718,811 / 35.7%
Americas / 2,215,330 / 2,536,760 / 14.5%
Others / 858,113 / 644,136 / -24.9%
Total Imports / 16,105,573 / 17,164,892 / 6.6%
Source: MOTIE Trade Information Centre
Figure 4:The Share of imports by region (2014-2015)
2.2 The EU
The value of imports from the EU indicated a slight increase from D3.9 billion in 2014 to D4 billion in 2015. However, the share of imports from EU slightly went down from 24% in 2014 to 23% in 2015. The main imported products from EU were vehicles and spare parts and cements and related products. These products are mainly from United Kingdom (19.9%), Spain (15.4%), France (12.8%) and Germany (12.2%).
Table 2.3: Direction of imports from the EU by country in 2015
Country / CIF Value (D'000) / As % of importsfrom EU
United Kingdom / 805,042 / 19.9
Spain / 621,358 / 15.4
France / 516,399 / 12.8
Germany / 493,418 / 12.2
Netherlands / 462,048 / 11.4
Belgium / 457,614 / 11.3
Denmark / 201,948 / 5.0
Poland / 142,912 / 3.5
Latvia / 111,240 / 2.8
Italy / 87,265 / 2.2
Portugal / 47,260 / 1.2
Others / 95,333 / 2.4
Total EU / 4,041,838 / 100.0
Source: MOTIE Trade Information Centre
Table 2.4: Main imported products from the EU in 2015
Products / CIF Value(D'000) / As % of imports from EU
Vehicles and Spare Parts / 711,821 / 17.6
Cement and related Products / 409,246 / 10.1
Products of the Milling industry / 318,847 / 7.9
Printed books and Newspapers / 286,339 / 7.1
Cereals( Mainly Wheat) / 262,598 / 6.5
Pharmaceutical Products / 233,729 / 5.8
Machinery and mechanical appliances and parts / 230,605 / 5.7
Electrical Machinery and Equipment and Parts / 226,202 / 5.6
Edible Vegetables and certain Roots and Tubers / 131,778 / 3.3
Glass and Glassware / 131,357 / 3.2
Dairy Products / 121,084 / 3.0
Source: MOTIE Trade Information Centre
2.3 ECOWAS Region
The ECOWAS region continued to be the main source of Gambia’s imports of petroleum and cement. The value of imports from the ECOWAS region has increased from D4.2 billion in 2014 to D5.7 billion 2015, representing an increase of 35.7%. The ECOWAS region constituted 33% of total imports which is significantly more compared to 26% in 2014. Petroleum products and cement were the main imported products mainly from Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal respectively. These two countries represent 98.7 % of the value of imports from ECOWAS and 31% of the value of total imports in 2015. The value of imports of petroleum products however decrease from D3.5 billion in 2014 to D3.1 billion in 2015, whiles the value of cement has increase substantially from D3.3 million in 2014 to D1.7 billion in 2015.
Table 2.5: Direction of imports from ECOWAS by country in 2015
Country / CIF Value(D'000) / As % of imports
from ECOWAS
Cote d'Ivoire / 3,070,183 / 53.7
Senegal / 2,570,823 / 45.0
Guinea / 33,649 / 0.6
Nigeria / 19,373 / 0.4
Ghana / 15,704 / 0.3
Togo / 2,857 / 0.1
Benin / 1,554 / 0.0
Mali / 1,521 / 0.0
Others / 3,147 / 0.1
Total ECOWAS / 5,718,811 / 100.0
Source: MOTIE Trade Information Centre
Table 2.6: Main imported products from ECOWAS in 2015
Products / CIF Value(D'000) / As % of imports
from ECOWAS
Petroleum Products / 3,137,193 / 54.9
Cement and related Products / 1,723,969 / 30.1
Cereals( Mainly Broken Rice) / 425,549 / 7.4
Vehicles and Spare Parts / 68,834 / 1.2
Wood and Articles of Wood / 53,513 / 0.9
Electrical Machinery and Equipment and Parts / 49,651 / 0.9
Tobacco Products / 36,524 / 0.6
Edible Oil / 33,631 / 0.6
Plastics and Articles thereof / 16,850 / 0.3
Source: MOTIE Trade Information Centre
2.4 Asia Region
The value of imports from Asia together with Middle East decreased from D4.9 billion in 2014 to D4.2 billion in 2015 representing a drop of 14%. This is mainly due to a decline in the imports of edible oil, electricalmachinery, equipment and parts from the Asian region. The share of imports from Asia as a percentage of total imports also decreased from 30% in 2014 to 25% in 2015.
The main sources of imports from Asia continued to be China (28.7%), Pakistan (14.7%), Malaysia (12.4%) and India (12%). These Countries constitute 67.8% of the value of imports from Asia and 16.7% of total imports.
The main imported products from Asia in 2015 were rice, accounting for 30% of total imports from Asia. Other imported products from Asia included edible oils and clothing and textiles.
Table 2.7: Direction of imports from Asia by Country in 2015
Country / CIF Value(D'000) / As % of imports
from Asia
China / 1,211,831 / 28.7
Pakistan / 621,845 / 14.7
Malaysia / 524,335 / 12.4
India / 505,730 / 12.0
United Arab Emirates / 349,941 / 8.3
Indonesia / 264,608 / 6.3
Thailand / 232,236 / 5.5
Turkey / 146,561 / 3.5
Singapore / 111,873 / 2.6
Others / 254,387 / 6.0
Total Asia / 4,223,348 / 100.0
Source: MOTIE Trade Information Centre
Table 2.8: Main imported products from Asia in 2015
Products / CIF Value(D'000) / As % of imports from Asia
Rice / 971,663 / 22.9
Edible Oil / 808,677 / 19.1
Clothing and Textiles / 332,495 / 7.8
Electrical Machinery & Equipment and Parts / 197,480 / 4.7
Plastics and Articles thereof / 177,811 / 4.2
Vehicles and Spare Parts / 148,953 / 3.5
Dairy Products / 138,192 / 3.3
Machinery and Mechanical Appliances and Parts / 131,449 / 3.1
Iron and Steel / 118,558 / 2.8
Preparations of Vegetables, Fruit and Nuts / 107,224 / 2.5
Ceramic Products / 98,199 / 2.3
Source: MOTIE Trade Information Centre
2.5 The Americas
In 2015 the total value of imports from the Americas increased from D2.2 billion in 2014 to D2.5 billion in 2015 representing an increase of 14.5%. This was due to an increase in the import of rice and sugar mainly from Brazil. The main imported products were still sugar (48.7%) and rice (14.7%).
The direction of imports and the main imported products from the Americas are shown in tables 2.8 and 2.9 below respectively.
Table 2.9: Direction of imports from the Americas by country in 2015
Country / CIF Value(D'000) / As % of imports
from Americas
Brazil / 1,621,656 / 63.9
United States / 805,170 / 31.7
Paraguay / 35,179 / 1.4
Belize / 17,085 / 0.7
Canada / 15,705 / 0.6
Guadeloupe / 10,211 / 0.4
Peru / 4,500 / 0.2
Argentina / 1,013 / 0.0
Others / 26,241 / 1.0
Total Americas / 2,536,760 / 100.0
Table 2.10: Main imported products from the Americas in 2015
Products / CIF Value (D'000) / As % of imports from AmericasSugar / 1,235,640 / 48.7
Rice / 364,910 / 14.4
Vehicles and Spare Parts / 240,024 / 9.5
Meat and Edible Meat Offal / 198,808 / 7.8
Ships, Boats and Floating Structures / 180,316 / 7.1
Products of the Milling Industry / 124,248 / 4.9
Electrical Machinery and Equipment and Parts / 26,116 / 1.0
Machinery and Mechanical Appliances and Parts / 23,408 / 0.9
Other made up Textile Articles / 22,309 / 0.9
Dairy Products / 16,323 / 0.6
Source: MOTIE Trade Information Centre
3. DIRECTION OF EXPORT
In 2015 the value of the Gambia’s total exports dropped from D4.3 billion in 2014 to D3.8 billion in 2015 representing a decrease of 11.4%. This was due to a fall in the value of re-export to the ECOWAS region. The value of re-exports thus decreased from D3.6 billion in 2014 to D3.1 billion 2015.
For the period under review, the EU and the Asia continued to be the main export Market for Gambian domestic products. The share of exports to EU increased significantly compare to 2014 from 3% to 12%. This increment resulted from the strong exports of Groundnut and Fish and Fishery products to the EU Markets. The share of exports to Asia has also increased from 5% in 2014 to 7% in 2015. However, the share of exports to the ECOWAS region was dropped from 91% in 2014 to 81% in 2015 mainly due drop in re-export trade to the ECOWAS region.