Africa-Press – Gambia. The Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (MoHERST) on Tuesday convened a high-level strategic partners’ breakfast meeting aimed at strengthening partnerships, mobilising resources, and coordinating support for priority initiatives in the higher education sector.
Held at Bakadaji Hotel in Banjul, the meeting brought together key stakeholders to deliberate on strategies to transform higher education and enhance its contribution to national development.
Speaking at the forum, Minister of Higher Education Professor Pierre Gomez said The Gambia stands at a defining moment, noting that about 64 percent of the population is under the age of 25.
“This demographic dividend can either propel us into prosperity or become a source of profound instability,” he said, adding that the choices made today would determine the country’s future.
Professor Gomez said Gambian youth are talented and ambitious but warned that the lack of opportunities at home continues to fuel irregular migration, resulting in the loss of lives across the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea.
He outlined plans to transform the University of Education into a modern teacher-training institution equipped with 21st-century infrastructure, ICT-integrated classrooms, and enhanced research capacity.
“Quality education begins with quality teachers. The estimated 15 to 20 million US dollars required is an investment in every child who will ever sit in a Gambian classroom,” he said.
The minister also highlighted financing mechanisms, including the Tripartite Funds, the Student Revolving Loan Scheme, the Tertiary Higher Education Trust, and the National Research and Innovation Fund, describing them as sustainable, nation-building institutions rather than dependency-creating mechanisms.
For his part, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sering Modou Njie said the initiatives align with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which calls for a skills revolution across the continent.
“Education investments have documented multiplier effects that exceed most other development sectors. Every dollar invested in tertiary education generates between 10 and 15 dollars in lifetime earnings,” he said.
Minister Njie stressed that investing in another country’s education system goes beyond development assistance, as it builds long-term partnerships and shared understanding.
He commended development partners for supporting efforts to transform Gambian youth into productive global citizens and reiterated that irregular migration remains one of the most pressing challenges facing the country.
“Young people do not risk their lives in the desert because they seek adventure. They do so because they seek opportunity,” he said, adding that the Turning Tides Programme seeks to make migration a choice rather than a necessity.
The foreign affairs minister assured full diplomatic support for partnerships emerging from the MoHERST engagement, noting that government access for monitoring missions would not impede collaboration.
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