By Kebba AF Touray
The Minister of Fisheries told lawmakers on Wednesday that the country has no plans to renew its long-standing fishing agreement with the European Union, marking the end of a partnership that had shaped relations between the two sides for nearly four decades.
“The Gambia EU Fishing Agreement expired on the 30th July 2025 and has not been renewed,” Minister Musa Drammeh said during a question-and-answer session in Parliament.
The issue was raised by Hon. Musa Cham of Serrekunda, who asked: “Could the Minister update the assembly on the current status of the Gambia-EU Fishing Agreement?”
Drammeh’s response was unequivocal. “There is no intention of renewing it because the first contract was not favourable to us and even the EU is not interested in renewing the agreement, because they are also under pressure from their parliamentarians,” he told the chamber.
He added that European lawmakers had voiced dissatisfaction with the deal. “They are not getting the value from the money they are giving us,” he said.
The announcement brought closure to a fisheries partnership dating back to 1987. The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) between the EU and The Gambia, which entered into force on July 31, 2019, was designed to last six years with automatic renewal.
Its most recent protocol ended on July 30, 2025. Even before expiry, the agreement had been described as “dormant,” meaning that while the partnership formally existed, there was no active protocol governing catches and financial contributions. Under such conditions, the EU fleet was barred from fishing in Gambian waters, and direct licensing was prohibited under the exclusivity clause of the common fisheries policy.
Hon. Assan Touray of Bakau pressed the minister further, asking whether the agreement might still be renewed. Drammeh restated the government’s position. “There is no intention of renewing it,” he said firmly.
For The Gambia, the minister suggested, the agreement did not deliver enough benefits to justify its continuation. For the European Union, he added, pressure from within its own Parliament made renewal politically unattractive.
With both sides signalling disinterest, the end of the agreement seemed assured.
