The Gambia is moving toward ECT accession. Since signing the International Energy Charter and becoming an Observer to the Energy Charter Conference in 2017, The Gambia has participated in the Energy Charter process and has completed one of three reports which are necessary for accession to the Treaty. The next two reports are expected this year and ECT accession looms on the horizon for 2020. 

The workshop exposed Gambian energy stakeholders from multiple competent agencies to the fundamentals of the Energy Charter process, including regulatory authorities for electricity and water, the Gambian Investment and Export Promotion Agency (GIEPA), the Ministries of Justice, Trade, and Finance, as well as the private sector, the Delegation of the EU in The Gambia and some energy-related NGOs. The Secretariat’s team of officials, which comprised experts from the Expansion and Legal Units, also took the opportunity to hold more than ten bilateral meetings with these and other stakeholders relevant for The Gambia’s accession to the ECT.