Ministry of Trade Announces Bread Price Hike Hours After President Barrow’s 2025 Address
Bread in the Gambia
By Edward Francis Dalliah
Just hours after President Adama Barrow addressed the National Assembly on 19th June 2025, the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration, and Employment (MOTIE) announced that the price of bread will increase from D10 to D12 starting in July 2025. This development comes as the country grapples with a rising cost of living, marked by increasing prices for necessities such as food, housing, and energy.
Bread remains a staple food for many Gambians, commonly consumed at breakfast and often at dinner. It also holds cultural significance during Ramadan, when it is frequently used to break the fast. Earlier this year, in February, the Gambia Bakers Union proposed raising the price of a loaf from D10 to D13. This proposal triggered government intervention and negotiations with the Union. In response, some bakers temporarily halted production, resulting in a short-lived bread shortage that left many struggling to meet their daily needs.
Now, five months later, the government, through MOTIE, issued a press release on 19th June 2025. The statement explained that, following the collection of data on bread production costs from bakeries nationwide, the Ministry, the Bakers Union, and the Gambia Competition and Consumer Protection Commission held consultations on 27th and 28th May 2025. These discussions focused on negotiating the price, weight, and quality of bread, taking into consideration the concerns of both producers and consumers. According to the release, all parties agreed on the following:
The average weight of ‘Senfur’ will increase from 133 g to 160 g, with its price rising from D10 to D12.
The average weight of ‘Tapalapa’ will increase from 165 g to 190 g, and its price will also rise from D10 to D12.
Over the years, bread prices have steadily risen, from D4 in the early 2000s to D6, then D8, and eventually D10. With the latest adjustment, the price climbs to D12. While the government has stressed the importance of maintaining these new weight standards, it remains uncertain whether all bakeries will comply. Even at the current D10 price point, inconsistencies in loaf size and weight are common.
In his 2025 State of the Nation Address, President Barrow stated that his government has adopted measures to stabilise the prices of essential goods, reduce the cost of living, maintain a market-driven exchange rate, and implement climate-sensitive policies for a sustainable future.
During his speech, President Barrow told parliamentarians that "inflation dropped significantly from 17.3% in 2023 to 10.2% in 2024” due to “solid growth in financial services, trade, construction, and mining.”
Inflation in The Gambian Economy © Askanwi
However, he acknowledged that “renewed global trade troubles, geopolitical tensions, and instability in commodity prices continue to pose significant risks to this outlook.” To mitigate this, he highlighted recent salary reviews for civil servants and the implementation of social protection programmes aimed at easing the burden on low-income earners.
According to the Central Bank of The Gambia’s (CBG’s) latest Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting and presser, headline inflation has dropped from 9.1% in March 2025 to 8.1% in April of the same year. This is still above the CBG’s inflation target of 5% for the first quarter of 2025.
Food inflation, which remains higher than non-food inflation, declined to 8.8% in April 2025, down from 12.7% in January. Non-food inflation, meanwhile, rose from 7.3% in January 2025 to 7.4% in April.
