His Excellency President Adama Barrow oversaw the distribution of the Skills, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (SIE) Fund Training Grants to 25 public and private Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions nationwide as part of the Gambia’s 60th Independence Anniversary festivities. The Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre in Bijilo hosted the award ceremony on Friday.
The goal of the GMD 396,761,321 program is to help Gambian youngsters develop their technical and entrepreneurial abilities. More than 1,087 students participating in TVET programs that support long-term economic growth and development—a priority of The Gambia’s Recovery-Focused National Development Plan—will directly benefit from the funding.
During the event, President Barrow reiterated his administration’s dedication to empowering young people via education and skill-building.
“I am pleased to declare that in order to empower our youth, my administration will distribute about 396 million, 761 thousand, and 321 Dalasis (GMD396,761,321. 00) from the SIE Fund. Today, thirty-one million Dalasis (GMD 31 million) will be distributed initially. There will be a total of 1,887 (1087) scholarships given by the government to 25 (25) public and private TVET institutes, he said.
The President underlined that the program is a component of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science, and Technology’s (MoHERST) continuous endeavours to generate a workforce that is capable and skilled and would propel the socioeconomic growth of The Gambia.
The SIE Fund is a part of the Resilience, Inclusion, Skills, and Equity Project (RISE), which is supported by the World Bank. In order to create a capable and skilled resource for the nation’s socioeconomic development, MoHERST is now working on this project. It partially aims to achieve one of the goals of the Recovery Focused on National Development Plan (2023-2027) and the Higher Education Sector Strategic Plan (2021-2025),” he said.
Prof. Pierre Gomez, Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science, and Technology, reaffirmed that the main goal of the SIE Fund is to increase Gambian youth’s access to technical, creative, and entrepreneurial training while enhancing the quality and relevance of TVET education. Additionally, he thanked the World Bank for its ongoing assistance with youth development programs.
Franklin Mutahakana, the World Bank’s resident representative in The Gambia, characterised the project as a calculated investment in the nation’s future. “It is an investment in The Gambia’s future and its youth.” Since a country’s greatest asset is its people, the World Bank is still dedicated to promoting the growth of human capital,” he said.
USET Regional Centres, Sterling Technical Centre, Media Academy for Journalism and Communications, Crab Island TVET Centre, Chamen Technical Training, Fajara Skills Development Centre, Gambia Telecommunications and Multimedia Institute, Gambia Tourism and Hospitality Institute, Hugs Training Centre, Insight Training Centre, Sass Cosmetology and Skills Training Academy, Gaye Njoro Skills Academy, Future Starts Now Gambia, Sahel Films Academy, and others are among the 25 recipient institutions.
