One hundred and eighty one million dollars.
That’s the total amount of money Gambians in the diaspora, fondly known as semesters, sent back home last year, making them the country’s most important citizens.
In a recent report released by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), The Gambia is the 2nd African country that heavily relies on remittances, just below Liberia.
Money sent by semesters make up more than 20 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Apart from the remittances they send, semesters tend to spend more lavishly than the locals whenever they visit The Gambia.
“During my last visit I spent more than D200, 000, and I know friends who spent more than that for less than one month holiday,” said a UK-based semester.
A What’s On-Gambia investigatio revealed that semesters are also the biggest donors to political parties, especially those in the opposition with limited sources of revenue.
The Opposition Coalition that succeeded in ending former president Jammeh’s 22-year-old rule received more than D1m from semesters during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Photo credit: Da Mogul Photography