By Ndey Sowe
The Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (MoHERST) on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, convened a validation workshop for the Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP) of two Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Centers of Excellence focusing on Fisheries and Agribusiness.
The initiative is supported by the World Bank through its Central Project Coordination Unit at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs (MoFEA).
The validation marks a key milestone under the World Bank-funded RISE Project, which engaged a consultant to craft a comprehensive SIP for the two TVET Centers of Excellence (CoEs). The SIP outlines measures to enhance training programs, governance structures, infrastructure, and professional development. It also places a strong emphasis on industry collaboration, entrepreneurship, and community engagement.
Professor Pierre Gomez, Minister of Higher Education, noted the significance of this development in advancing specialized technical education in The Gambia.
“We are now having the specialized TVET centers, which are the Agribusiness and Fisheries,” he said. “Last year, we sent over 10 students to Malawi and Turkey for training at master’s level to be trained in fisheries, others in BSc in Agriculture, and also in economics.”
He further announced that the Agribusiness Center of Excellence will be located in Ndemban, Foni, while the Fisheries Center of Excellence will be based in Tujereng—marking the first time The Gambia will establish such institutions in these fields.
Fatou Janneh, Principal Tertiary Higher Education Officer and TVET Focal Person at MoHERST, explained that the SIP seeks to make TVET more accessible and relevant to national development.
“Coming up with these two areas as the SIP focuses on will also create smaller centers. As time goes on, a lot of Gambians will dominate our seats, unlike the current situation where many are taken by non-nationals,” she said.
Janneh stressed the importance of the initiative in transforming the country’s education landscape. “We want to change the narrative,” she emphasized. “The SIP aims to strengthen governance, infrastructure, and capacity in fisheries and agribusiness. We make sure to have excellence in fisheries so that we can be the masters of our rivers and seas, as against what is happening today.”
She expressed hope that the centers would eventually attract students from across the sub-region, positioning The Gambia as a training hub in fisheries and agribusiness.
Omar Gaye, a participant representing the Artisanal Fisheries Cooperative and Vice President of the Non-State Actors in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector, described the validation as both timely and vital.
“In The Gambia, our marine resources have high productivity, and having such a program cannot be overemphasized,” he stated. “Our natural resources need regulation so that Gambians can have access.”
MoHERST continues to implement structural reforms in the TVET sector, with the aim of making technical and vocational training more impactful and responsive to the needs of Gambians.
