The Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (MoHERST) today, Friday, 17 April 2026, successfully awarded 30 scholarships to students from Tujereng, Pirang, and Faraba Banta at the inaugural Community Partnership Scholarship Awarding Ceremony held at the Ministry’s Conference Hall.
The event marked a key milestone in the Ministry’s efforts to expand access to higher education through strategic community partnerships. Delivering the keynote address, the Honourable Minister, Professor Pierre Gomez, reaffirmed Government’s commitment to honouring agreements established with communities that contributed land and support for national education projects.
The Minister highlighted that Tujereng’s contribution of land in May 2025 for the establishment of a Fisheries Centre of Excellence under the World Bank-funded RISE Project attracted a scholarship package valued at D4.48 million. Similarly, Pirang and Faraba Banta were each allocated scholarship packages worth D4.48 million in recognition of their support for the University of The Gambia Faraba Banta Campus.
MoHERST confirmed that implementation of these commitments is underway, with a combined allocation of D8.96 million for Pirang and Faraba Banta. Each community will benefit from five diploma slots and five bachelor’s or master’s slots annually over a five-year period.
In further advancing skills development, the Minister underscored the establishment of two Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Centres of Excellence Agribusiness in Ndemban and Fisheries and Aquaculture in Tujereng aimed at enhancing youth employability and supporting national development priorities.
The selection process, conducted in collaboration with the Governor’s Office of the West Coast Region, ensured transparency, fairness, and strong community participation. All three beneficiary communities fully utilised their allocated slots, resulting in 30 beneficiaries for the first year of the programme.
Over the five-year duration, the initiative is projected to benefit 150 students, with an estimated total investment of nearly D13.5 million.
While commending the successful rollout, the Minister encouraged communities to prioritise newly qualified students in subsequent selections and emphasised the need to increase female participation in the programme.
In closing, beneficiaries were urged to demonstrate academic excellence and serve as ambassadors of their respective communities, contributing meaningfully to national development upon completion of their studies.
The Community Partnership Scholarship Programme continues to stand as a model for effective collaboration between Government and communities in expanding equitable access to higher education in The Gambia.
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