Punctuality

Punctuality is not often observed in The Gambia and the business concept of ‘time is money’ is approached in a very relaxed and flexible manner. You need to be very patient here. People can arrive for a meeting or function up to four hours later than originally scheduled. People appreciate it, but it may not be returned, so keep that in mind when scheduling meetings. A good idea is to first call to check if someone is at his or her office before leaving for the meeting, or advise people to come on time. Otherwise, you might waste your time in the Gambia.

You shouldn't be surprised if timings differ from the published schedule because Gambians are very lax about keeping to time. As a result, things don't run exactly like they do at home. In the Gambia, it's a running joke that GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) really stands for Gambia Maybe Time.