The Gambia - Industry

There is little industry in The Gambia. Industries include groundnut processing, building and repair of river craft, village handicrafts, and clothing manufacture. There are candle factories, oil mills, a soft drink factory, a distillery, a shoe factory and a soap and detergent plant. Although the government provides incentives for industrial development, progress on that front has been slow. The Gambia has no known oil or natural gas reserves, but hydrocarbon exploration is taking place offshore Bunjal. The Gambia produces industrial minerals for local consumption. Privatization has been slow, with the last successful privatization as of 2003 being the 1999 sale of the Atlantic hotel to the Libyan company Lafico.