IMF Staff Country Reports

This Selected Issues paper investigates the drivers of headline inflation and the degree of exchange rate pass-through (ERPT) in The Gambia over the period 2014–2023. Stylized facts and the limited studies on The Gambia point to the role of both domestic and external drivers for inflation dynamics. The Gambia is indeed a net importer of essential foods and energy. The analysis highlights the decisive long-term roles of global prices of commodities (food, oil and fertilizer), the exchange rate, and the domestic output gap. The short-run dynamics of inflation points to the roles of global food price and the second-round effects of changes in food prices and the output gap. Monetary policy has the potential to tame inflation in the short run provided the monetary policy rate is adjusted rapidly and boldly. Lastly, there is evidence of an asymmetric ERPT to domestic prices, and the size of currency depreciation matters for inflation dynamics.