The Gambia’s National Laboratory Policy Unlocks Testing Potential for Trade Growth and Sustainable Development

Under the framework of the West Africa Competitiveness Programme – The Gambia (WACOMP-GM), UNIDO supported the Government of The Gambia in the development of the country’s first ever National Laboratory Policy, aiming at increasing the country’s trade growth aligned to its national development objectives.

Validated by stakeholders on the 25th April 2025, the Policy establishes a framework for laboratory standards, infrastructure, and regulatory mechanisms to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient laboratory practices.  

It will guide the development of the required laboratory competence to address identified needs and challenges in support of national and regional strategic priorities, which are of key importance in developing countries like The Gambia. The Policy also seeks to assist in balancing current laboratory capacities and provide guidance on the efficient allocation of the scientific and technical professional staff and other laboratory related resources within the Laboratory Infrastructure.

“The National Laboratory Policy can be, therefore, a valuable tool for the Government of The Gambia to unite all stakeholders around a common understanding of the current situation and the ways forward, by helping set the objectives for how the Laboratory Infrastructure should be changed, adapted and upgraded to address the identified needs in an even more coherent and effective way,” said Adalberto Viera, UNIDO International Quality Infrastructure Expert.

The National Laboratory Policy of The Gambia was elaborated following an integrated and collaborative approach, involving all the main The Gambia QI Entities. A committee was created, chaired by The Gambia Standards Bureau (TGSB) and a roadmap was prepared, taking into consideration the UNIDO recommended steps for the elaboration of the National Laboratory Policy. This was followed by an integrated assessment of the status of the existing laboratories, the co-drafting of the policy, and the pre- and final validation.

This laboratory policy support came on the hills of several milestones undertaken by the UNIDO WACOMP-GM project, which ended on 30 April 2025, to strengthen the country’s horticulture value chain and quality infrastructure system. Key achievements include equipping the food testing laboratory and constructing the country’s first ever onion curing, processing and storage facilities, directing benefiting over 1,200 women producers.

These strides reaffirm UNIDO’s unrelenting commitment to complementing the Government of The Gambia in its drive to attain Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). 

Link to Project Documentary is here.

For more information please contact Bernard Bau (b.bau [at] unido.org)