Enterprise Geography and Spatial Inequalities in The Gambia: Urban Bias, Informality, and Inclusive Development in a West African Microstate

Enterprise geography offers a critical lens for understanding how the spatial distribution of businesses shapes socio-economic inequalities. Drawing on the 2024 Economic Census of The Gambia, this study provides the first systematic national analysis of enterprise geography in a West African microstate. Results reveal pronounced urban–rural disparities: enterprise density, diversity, and foreign ownership are concentrated in Kanifing and Banjul, while rural Local Government Areas remain sparse, small-scale, and narrowly specialized. The predominance of sole proprietorships (91.8 percent) underscores limited employment creation and scaling potential, exemplifying the “missing middle” problem characteristic of African enterprise structures. Sectoral analysis highlights retail trade dominance alongside emerging diversification in finance, ICT, education, health, and construction, particularly in urban hubs. Employment data show 138,614 persons engaged, with sharp gender disparities (73.7 percent male, 26.3 percent female) reflecting exclusionary dynamics. Closure rates—2.3 percent permanently closed and 1.6 percent temporarily inactive—illustrate enterprise fragility and vulnerability to shocks. These findings contribute to debates on urban bias, informality, and institutional weakness, positioning enterprise geography as both a diagnostic tool for inequality and a guide for inclusive development. Policy recommendations emphasize strengthening rural enterprise ecosystems, supporting SME scaling, advancing gender-inclusive strategies, and balancing foreign and local ownership in alignment with Sustainable Development Goals 8, 9, and 11. The Gambian case demonstrates how enterprise geography can illuminate pathways toward resilience, inclusivity, and balanced urban–rural development in African microstates.