The defeat contributed to the Satellites' third-place finish in Group C, and they snuck into the quarter-finals as one of two best third-placed teams at the championship.
Ghana now await the winners of the second semi-final fixture between Tunisia and Uganda for a showdown in the final on Saturday.
Coach Zito made one change to Ghana's starting set-up, bringing back Mohammed Sulemana into the team in place of Matthew Anim Cudjoe.
Tournament joint-scorer Modou Bojang, who has two goals to his name, headlined Gambia's first XI.
After Ghana and Abdul Fatawu Issahaku saw a penalty shout in the sixth minute ignored, the midfielder fired a second attempt 10 minutes later but his shot was saved by Gambia goalkeeper Lamin Saidy.