Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The National Assembly has approved a visa exemption agreement between The Gambia and Gabon, but lawmakers questioned why the deal benefits only diplomatic and service passport holders rather than ordinary Gambians.
The agreement, tabled by Foreign Affairs Minister Sering Modou Njie, allows holders of diplomatic and service passports from both countries to enter, exit, transit and stay in each other’s territory without a visa for up to 90 days within any 180-day period.
Minister Njie told the Assembly the agreement is designed to strengthen relations between The Gambia and Gabon and ease official travel and government-to-government engagement.
It was signed during a four-day State Visit to The Gambia by Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, held from July 30 to August 2, 2026, at the invitation of the Gambian government. President Oligui Nguema was hosted by President Adama Barrow, and the visit marked the first State Visit by a Gabonese leader to The Gambia in recent years.
According to Minister Njie, removing visa requirements for eligible officials would ease diplomatic exchanges, official visits, and consultations while supporting cooperation in trade, investment, tourism, education, and culture.
But lawmakers turned their attention to those left outside the agreement.
The Member for Foni Berefet, Amie Colley, questioned how ordinary Gambians stood to benefit from the arrangement and raised broader concerns about visa barriers that continue to restrict movement between African countries.
The Member for Jokadu welcomed the agreement but urged the government to work towards extending visa-free travel to ordinary passport holders, particularly given the number of Gambians living, working, and doing business in Gabon.
Sheriff Sarr, Member for Serrekunda West, argued that diplomatic and service passport holders make up only a small fraction of the population and called for a broader approach to mobility between the two countries.
Sulayman Jammeh, Member for Bundung, urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to begin discussions on a second phase of the agreement that would extend coverage to ordinary passport holders. He argued that wider visa access could boost tourism and business and strengthen people-to-people ties between the two nations.
The Assembly ultimately approved the agreement, though the lawmakers’ concerns have placed the question of wider visa-free movement between The Gambia and Gabon firmly on the table.
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