Gambia’s Central Bank Orders Banks To Sack Foreign Workers, Faces Backlash

The Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG) has directed all commercial banks in the country to replace foreign employees not covered by approved expatriate quotas with qualified Gambian nationals.

The order was contained in a circular dated September 16, 2026, signed by Second Deputy Governor Dr Paul J. Mendy, and addressed to managing directors of all banks. It followed a meeting between the regulator and bank MDs on August 27 and an industry wide review of foreign staffing.

The CBG said its review found a “relatively high number” of non-Gambians working in banks beyond those formally recognised under expatriate arrangements, in violation of The Gambia’s Labour Act 2023 and Guideline 9 governing expatriate employment in the banking sector.

The regulator has given banks until December 31, 2026 to complete the transition. Banks were instructed to adopt a phased approach, identify qualified Gambian replacements, develop succession plans and ensure transfer of skills and institutional knowledge without disrupting banking operations.

The directive affects all 11 licensed commercial banks, including Nigerian subsidiaries such as Access Bank, FirstBank, Guaranty Trust Bank and Zenith Bank, as well as pan-African lender Ecobank.

Failure to comply with the Labour Act’s expatriate provisions attracts a fine of at least 500,000 dalasi upon conviction. The Act also requires every expatriate worker to be paired with a Gambian understudy and restricts quotas to roles where local skills are not available.

However, the move has triggered criticism. Gambian commentator Alpha Bah questioned why African countries pushing for free movement abroad would restrict fellow Africans at home, arguing such policy would be labelled xenophobic if done by Western countries.

Nigeria based financial analyst Chukwunonso Ihuoma also questioned whether The Gambia has enough qualified local talent to fill the roles without affecting banks’ efficiency, warning that rushed replacement could raise transition costs and affect critical functions like treasury, risk management, IT and compliance.