2. SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILE OF THE GAMBIA
Table: 1 and Figure 1 illustrate the population of The Gambia by age and sex distribution based on the 1993 population census. The Gambia has a very high population growth rate of about 4.1% per annum. The majority of the population is within the ages ‘0–19’, forming over 50% of all the populace. The high rate of population growth has serious socio-economic implications, including forest depletion both from establishment of settlements and other economic activities.
TABLE: 1. POPULATION BY AGE AND SEX, 1993.
|
AGE GROUP |
MALE COUNT |
% OF COUNT |
FEMALE COUNT |
% OF COUNT |
BOTH SEXES COUNT |
% OF COUNT |
|
ALL AGES |
665530 |
100 |
663284 |
100 |
1328814 |
100 |
|
0-4 |
108414 |
16.29 |
106876 |
16.11 |
215290 |
16.20 |
|
5-9 |
104836 |
15.75 |
104789 |
15.80 |
209625 |
15.78 |
|
10-14 |
78683 |
11.82 |
78292 |
11.80 |
156975 |
11.81 |
|
15-19 |
67198 |
10.10 |
71695 |
10.81 |
138893 |
10.45 |
|
20-24 |
57269 |
8.61 |
59666 |
9.00 |
116935 |
8.80 |
|
25-29 |
52381 |
7.87 |
60306 |
9.09 |
112687 |
8.48 |
|
30-34 |
39052 |
5.87 |
44476 |
6.71 |
83529 |
6.29 |
|
35-39 |
31902 |
4.79 |
31389 |
4.73 |
63292 |
4.76 |
|
40-44 |
27062 |
4.07 |
26302 |
3.97 |
53364 |
4.02 |
|
45-49 |
21239 |
3.19 |
15931 |
2.40 |
37170 |
2.80 |
|
50-54 |
18329 |
2.75 |
15199 |
2.29 |
33528 |
2.52 |
|
55-59 |
11572 |
1.74 |
7403 |
1.12 |
18975 |
1.43 |
|
60-64 |
12485 |
1.88 |
10763 |
1.62 |
23248 |
1.75 |
|
65+ |
22383 |
3.36 |
20484 |
3.09 |
42867 |
3.23 |
|
N/S |
12723 |
1.91 |
9550 |
1.44 |
22273 |
1.68 |
|
N/S: implies |
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The GDP (gross domestic product) is the most important single economic indicator. From the Table 2 below, it can be seen that agriculture accounts for over 20% of the GDP, with industry contributing only about half this amount. Trade, including trade in agricultural produce under services, accounts for 36.9%.
Income levels have fuel consumption implications. To some extent, high income means more options for alternative fuel usage for cooking. Highest income population can afford gas and electricity for their domestic fuel needs. For the urban dweller however, an income level below a certain level means less fuel consumption because of affordability.
TABLE: 2 GDP AT CURRENT PRICES BY INDUSTRY
|
Economic Sector |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
% Contribution |
|
1. AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION |
727239.7 |
655144.1 |
669040.3 |
804857.1 |
20.4 |
|
2. INDUSTRY |
293051.0 |
447593.8 |
336973.1 |
382675.3 |
10.4 |
|
2.1. Mining and Quarrying |
822.0 |
889.0 |
962.0 |
1041.0 |
0.0 |
|
2.2. Manufacturing |
155980.1 |
160536.3 |
167669.7 |
172056.8 |
5.0 |
|
2.3. Electricity & Water Supply |
21104.8 |
26060.2 |
32274.9 |
39971.6 |
0.8 |
|
2.4. Building & Construction |
115144.1 |
260108.4 |
136066.5 |
169605.9 |
4.7 |
|
3. SERVICES |
2180629.1 |
2338687.2 |
2437467.1 |
2645879.4 |
69.2 |
|
3.1. Trade |
1205725.3 |
1248445.1 |
1284985.5 |
1424795.3 |
36.9 |
|
3.1.1 Groundnut |
73947.0 |
69593.0 |
69678.0 |
73370.9 |
1.2 |
|
3.1.2 Others |
1131778.3 |
1178852.1 |
1215307.5 |
1351424.4 |
35.7 |
|
3.2. Hotels & Restaurants |
98717.0 |
176438.0 |
185180.0 |
212169.0 |
4.9 |
|
3.3. Transport |
199720.0 |
205312.0 |
217014.0 |
228299.0 |
6.8 |
|
3.4. Communications |
123422.0 |
127523.0 |
148068.0 |
157798.0 |
3.8 |
|
3.5. Finance & Insurance |
113827.4 |
114304.2 |
118967.8 |
123946.1 |
3.2 |
|
3.6. Real Estate & Business Services. |
218826.0 |
226703.7 |
234865.1 |
243320.2 |
6.4 |
|
3.7. Other Services |
66804.7 |
69610.5 |
72534.1 |
75580.6 |
2.0 |
|
3.8. Public Administration |
209237.0 |
226234.0 |
234016.0 |
240568.4 |
6.8 |
|
3.9. Less IMP. Bank Charges |
55650.2 |
55883.3 |
58163.4 |
60597.2 |
1.5 |
|
4. GDP AT MARKET PRICES |
3200919.7 |
3441425.1 |
3443480.5 |
3833411.8 |
100.0 |
Source: Central Statistics, National Accounts.
The climate of The Gambia is "sudano-sahelian" with a short rainy season and a long dry season. Average annual temperature is about 28oC and average annual rainfall is about 880 mm. During the dry season, the relative humidity is about 68% along the coast and 41% in land, but generally above 70% throughout the wet season. An analysis of the historical climate data (1951-1990) of The Gambia indicates a slight warming and about 25-30% decrease in rainfall during this period.
Table 3 gives the annual rainfall at some major rainfall stations of the country. Generally, the wet season begins in June and ends in October. Most of the rain occurs during the months of August and September.
TABLE: 3. TOTAL RAINFALL IN THE GAMBIA BY STATION (MM), 1992 TO 1997
|
YEAR |
1992 |
1993 |
1994 |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
AVERAGE |
|
YUNDUM |
1075.9 |
659.7 |
1107.5 |
887.0 |
684.0 |
959.5 |
904.7 |
|
KEREWAN |
733.1 |
681.9 |
871.8 |
810.4 |
728.0 |
622.0 |
735.6 |
|
JENOI |
557.7 |
683.0 |
905.2 |
670.8 |
713.0 |
728.2 |
712.3 |
|
JANJANBUREH |
820.9 |
811.7 |
1023.4 |
847.7 |
702.0 |
603.5 |
773.2 |
|
BASSE |
892.7 |
627.0 |
1018.3 |
925.2 |
889.0 |
759.3 |
838.7 |
|
TOTAL |
4675.9 |
4256.2 |
5908.0 |
4893.5 |
3716.0 |
3712.5 |
3964.6 |
|
AVERAGE |
779.3 |
709.4 |
984.7 |
815.6 |
619.3 |
742.5 |
792.9 |
Source: Planning Unit, Department of Agriculture
2.4. Land use and land use change
Tables 4.1 to 4.3 below give the distribution of land in The Gambia. This country is agricultural which is also reflected in Table 4.1. Almost half of the land (42.94%) is for grazing, 16.36% is cultivated and 6.36% is under various forest covers. This variable is one of the most relevant in the use of fuelwood. The more extensive our forest cover, the less expensive firewood becomes and an increased tendency for using fuelwood.
TABLE 4.1. LAND USE DISTRIBUTION IN THE GAMBIA
|
TYPE OF LAND USE |
AREA (KM2) |
% OF LAND |
||
|
Total Area of The Gambia (km2) |
10689 |
100.00 |
||
|
Cultivated Area in (km2) |
1751 |
16.38 |
||
|
Grazing Area in (km2) |
4590 |
42.94 |
||
|
Wood and Forest in (km2) |
680 |
6.36 |
||
|
Other Land in (km2) |
3668 |
34.32 |
||
Source: Planning Unit, Department of Agriculture
TABLE 4.2. LAND-USE AREAS, FOREST STOCKS AND ANNUAL INCREMENTS 1980
|
No |
Land – use |
Area (000 ha) |
Timber Stock (000 m3) |
Fuelwood stock (000 m3) |
Total stock (000 m3) |
|
I ii iii iv v vi vii viii ix x xi xii xiii xiv xv |
High mangrove Low Mangrove Gallery Forest Closed woodland Gmelina Stands Open Woodland Tree and Shrub Savanna Fallow land Wooded upland crops Upland crops Swamps cultivated Swamps uncultivated Barren flats Water surface Town villages |
15.0 51.9 7.1 20.9 1.2 62.7 347.7 102.1 18.0 274.1 33.5 70.7 21.8 74.5 14.7 |
2,140 - 74 311 45 682 743 184 93 357 - - - - - |
600 - 307 1064 27 2,779 4,627 871 258 1,456 - - - - - |
2,784 - 381 1375 72 3,461 5,370 1,055 357 1,807 - - - - - |
|
Total |
1,114.7 |
4,630 |
11,990 |
16,620 |
Table 4.3: Wood Stock and Annual Increment in the Potential Woodfuel Supply for Greater Banjul Area.
|
Division |
Forest Area (ha) |
Stock (m3/ha) |
Total stock in million m3 (million tonnes) |
Annual increment in m3/ha (tonnes/ha) |
Total annual Increment (tonnes) |
|
WD |
149,000 |
29.2/(20.4) |
3.04 |
0.7/(0.5) |
73.000 |
|
LRD |
115,370 |
28.9/(20.2) |
2.33 |
0.7/(0.5) |
56,530 |
|
CRD |
253,000 |
13.0/(9.1) |
2.30 |
0.6/(0.4) |
102,260 |
|
URD |
178.859 |
9.8/6.9 |
1.75 |
0.2/(0.14) |
25,000 |
|
Total |
9.4 |
260,790 |
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|
NB: Values in Brackets refer to increments. Source: Forster. H (1983) |
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