By Aminata S Kuyateh
The Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science, and Technology (MoHERST) recently held its first quarterly sector retreat for 2025 in Kanilai. The five-day event, which began on February 10, focuses on evaluating 2024 milestones and setting strategic priorities for 2025.
The retreat aims to strengthen synergies, share best practices, and develop actionable strategies to achieve key performance indicators (KPIs) for the year. It also aims to enhance operational capabilities, improve coordination, strengthen service delivery, foster collaboration, facilitate the exchange of ideas, and adopt best practices for effective program implementation.
Addressing participants at the retreat, Minister Pierre Gomez underscored the significance of the retreat in shaping the future of higher education in The Gambia. He emphasised the need for continuous engagement and innovative approaches to address emerging challenges.
“This retreat comes at a crucial moment as we seek to consolidate our gains from 2024 and strategically plan for 2025. It is an opportunity for us to engage in critical self-reflection, to assess the challenges we have encountered, and to collectively find solutions that will enhance our sector’s efficiency and impact,” he said.
Minister Gomes reaffirmed his ministry’s commitment to fostering an inclusive and robust higher education system that responds to the demands of national development.
“Therefore, the outcomes of this retreat are expected to inform future policies and initiatives aimed at strengthening The Gambia’s higher education landscape,” he added.
Mustapha Fanneh, the UTG governing council chairperson, reiterated the importance of such engagements in strengthening collaboration across institutions.
“We must work together to ensure that our policies and programs are not only effective but also sustainable in meeting the educational needs of our youth and workforce,” he remarked.
