The Gambia has advanced a significant overhaul of telecom oversight, validating new ex-ante tools at a regulator-led workshop on November 4, 2025. The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority partnered with the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and WARDIP to convene the session in Banjul.
Participants reviewed a proposed framework to regulate wholesale and retail services before harms emerge, using competition diagnostics, pricing models and benchmarking. The initiative responds to a year of volatile pricing and public scrutiny. The tools target persistent price volatility and disputed promotions.
Ex-ante framework targets market power
Ex-ante oversight allows the regulator to curb market abuse by setting rules and thresholds before anti-competitive conduct can take root. Officials highlighted structural shifts, citing over 112 percent mobile penetration and a sector contribution above 5 percent of GDP in 2023. Telecom revenues reached about D9 billion (C$170 million) last year, reinforcing the stakes for rule clarity and consumer protection.
As PURA’s director of economic regulation, Burama Jammeh said, “The need for a robust regulatory framework has never been more urgent.” The study underpinning the tools proposes cost models, tariff benchmarks and guardrails for floor and ceiling pricing to balance affordability and sustainability.
Price floor dispute frames context
The validation arrives months after a dispute over a D50 per 1GB data price floor, introduced amid aggressive promotions by mobile operators. In late August 2025, President Adama Barrow set up a high-level committee to review those measures and advise on competition and consumer impacts.
The policy debate surfaced reputational risks for the regulator, and underlined the value of formal ex-ante tools to steer price interventions. If adopted, the new framework could channel future decisions into transparent criteria, subject to consultation and evidence.
Data and assurance rules advance
PURA is also consulting on gateway traffic measurement and revenue assurance rules to monitor cross-border communications, fraud and quality of service. These efforts aim to improve data for decision-making and align oversight with regional practices. Against this backdrop, PURA’s director general, Njoku L. Bah, said, “As the telecommunications sector evolves, so too must our regulatory approach.” Predictable rules on floor and ceiling pricing, benchmarking against ECOWAS peers, and infrastructure sharing could lower disputes and stabilise returns. The combination of targeted ex-ante tools and transparent audits would aim for affordability without undermining network investment.