From Community Investments to National Results: The Gambia Shares Its Development Financing Experience with Lesotho

October 16, 2026

In Kerr Wally, in The Gambia’s North Bank Region, the impact of development financing is best understood through the experiences of the people it is intended to serve. For community members, investments in local development are not simply budget allocations or policy commitments; they are opportunities to improve livelihoods, strengthen local initiatives and address priorities that matter to their daily lives.

During a visit to the community, a delegation from the Kingdom of Lesotho saw how the Programme for Accelerated Community Development (PACD), implemented with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), connects government investment with community-level development.

The visit formed part of a knowledge exchange between The Gambia and Lesotho, led by the Right Honourable Speaker of Lesotho’s National Assembly. The exchange provided an opportunity for both countries to explore how domestic resources, effective institutions and community participation can strengthen development financing and improve public service delivery.

The experience in Kerr Wally brought a central question into focus: how can governments ensure that resources mobilized nationally translate into meaningful improvements in people's lives?

PACD offers one approach by linking government financing with locally identified development priorities and community participation. Through this model, public investment can support initiatives that respond to local needs while encouraging communities to take an active role in managing resources and sustaining development gains.

For communities, the value of these investments lies not only in the resources provided but also in the opportunities they create to strengthen local livelihoods, build collective responsibility and support future development priorities.

The experience also highlights the importance of community ownership. When people participate in identifying their needs and managing development initiatives, investments can become a foundation for longer-term progress rather than isolated interventions.

For the visiting Lesotho delegation, Kerr Wally provided a practical perspective on how a nationally driven financing approach can be connected to community priorities. It demonstrated the importance of combining government leadership and institutional support with local participation to improve the relevance and sustainability of development interventions.

The lessons from Kerr Wally formed part of a wider exchange on Government Development Financing (GDF), The Gambia’s approach to advancing nationally defined development priorities.

During technical discussions hosted by the Ministry of Public Service, Administrative Reforms, Policy Coordination and Delivery, Gambian officials shared experiences in designing and implementing the country’s GDF model. Discussions explored how national leadership, sound public financial management, strategic partnerships and accountability mechanisms can strengthen public sector delivery.

The approach underscores the importance of mobilizing domestic resources and directing them towards priorities that respond to citizens’ needs. However, financing alone is not enough. Effective institutions, transparent systems and clear accountability for results are essential to ensure that public resources are used efficiently and deliver measurable benefits.

The delegation also engaged with the Honourable Minister of Public Service, Administrative Reforms, Policy Coordination and Delivery, and the Head of the Civil Service. These discussions focused on opportunities to strengthen public institutions, advance public sector reforms and improve government delivery.

The experience of PACD illustrates how the broader principles of national ownership and public sector effectiveness can be reflected at community level, linking financing decisions to the needs and aspirations of citizens.

Ensuring that development financing translates into results also requires strong oversight of public resources.

During engagements with the National Assembly of The Gambia, the Lesotho delegation exchanged experiences with the Finance and Public Accounts Committee on parliamentary oversight, public expenditure, representation and accountability.

The discussions highlighted the role of effective parliamentary scrutiny in strengthening transparency in public financial management, promoting the responsible use of national resources and ensuring that public investments serve the public interest.

A separate engagement with the Speaker of The Gambia’s National Assembly further underscored the importance of parliamentary leadership in strengthening democratic governance, oversight and representation in national development.

These institutional mechanisms are essential to building public confidence in how resources are allocated and used. They also reinforce the connection between national financing decisions and the results that citizens experience in their communities.

Group photo of people in colorful traditional outfits posing together.

The visit included a courtesy call on His Excellency President Adama Barrow, during which discussions reaffirmed the importance of domestic resource mobilization, African-led development solutions and stronger cooperation among African countries. The President underscored The Gambia’s commitment to financing its development priorities while delivering tangible improvements in people’s lives.

Beyond the institutional engagements, the exchange highlighted the value of South-South cooperation in addressing shared development challenges.

For Lesotho, The Gambia’s experience with GDF and PACD offers practical insights into how national financing models, community participation and institutional accountability can support public sector delivery. These lessons can inform the development of approaches suited to Lesotho’s own priorities, institutions and local contexts.

For The Gambia, the exchange provided an opportunity to share its experience while learning from another African country’s governance and development financing journey.

UNDP supports South-South cooperation by connecting countries, institutions and development practitioners to exchange knowledge, strengthen partnerships and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

Ultimately, the experience in Kerr Wally reinforces a fundamental lesson: development financing is not measured solely by the resources mobilized or the investments made, but by the difference they make in people’s lives.

When national resources are linked to community priorities, institutions are accountable for results and citizens participate in their own development, financing can become a powerful instrument for inclusive and sustainable progress.

Through continued cooperation and the sharing of practical solutions, African countries can strengthen their capacity to turn development commitments into lasting results for the people they serve.