By Nelson Manneh and Mariama Marong
Professor Pierre Gomez the Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology on Monday, 1 July disclosed that the Kingdom of Morocco has this year awarded over one hundred and twenty scholarships to the government of the Gambia.
Professor Gomez made this statement during a ministerial engagement between his ministry and delegates from the Kingdom of Morocco.
The purpose of the visit is to further strengthen the already existing bilateral ties between the two countries.
The two ministries also signed a draft agreement on higher education, scientific research, and technological innovation.
Minister Gomez said it is noteworthy that the Gambia has benefitted from numerous capacity-building initiatives from the Kingdom of Morocco.
He said: “One of the priority areas of the Ministry is the construction and equipping of a multipurpose TVET centre and this would be discussed during the official visit of the delegation.”
Mr Ahmed Belhadj, the Ambassador of The Kingdom of Morocco to the Gambia, said higher education is one of the areas in which they wish to work more for a better future for the next generation.
“Education is a fundamental pillar of human development, playing a crucial role in shaping individuals, societies, and nations. For centuries, the value of education has been recognized as a transformative force, enabling individuals to acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for personal growth, economic prosperity, and social progress,” he said.
He said that the Moroccan education system was a priority to the Moroccan government for a long time and in this regard has undergone several reforms while searching to improve the quality of learning.
He added: “This reform has affected the pedagogical design and granted more openness and autonomy to the Moroccan university.”
He said that the new agreement signed by the Government of the Gambia and the Kingdom of Morocco will serve as a new instrument to cooperate to develop a new partnership for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
Prof Abdellatif Miraoui, the Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Innovation of the Kingdom of Morocco, said Morocco and The Gambia share a long history of cooperation and friendship demonstrated by The Gambia’s firm support for Morocco’s territorial integrity.
“We are here today to reinforce these ties in areas of higher education, scientific research, and innovation, following the directives of His Majesty King Mohammed VI that place education at the heart of Morocco’s cooperation ventures with our fellow African nations,” he said.
He said education is the basis of the development and prosperity of the future of our nations.
“The Kingdom of Morocco has made significant progress in this domain in line with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and we are delighted to share our experience with The Gambia,” he stated.
“As Morocco has shown interest in supporting the implementation of the country’s National Development Plan 2023-2027 (Yiriwa) through a series of signed agreements across various sectors, we are pleased today to sign the first memorandum of understanding between our respective ministries.
“This specific MoU related to higher education, scientific research, and innovation renews the commitments signed in Rabat in October 1977 and shall adapt our partnership to the respective evolutions of our higher education ecosystems,” he said.
He said the enrollment of 131 Gambian students in Moroccan universities in 2023 and 56 co-publications during the last 10 years leave room to exploit the high potential of inter-university cooperation.
“Our visit to The Gambia reflects our commitment to working together for a better future for our young generations. We strongly believe that investing in education is one of the most effective ways for a successful and sustainable future for our peoples and our continent,” he said.
