By Maimuna Sey-Jawo
The Medical Research Council The Gambia Wednesday organised a festival to showcase achievements of its young scientists.
Invitees were taken on a conducted tour of all MRCGs units and exposed to its many different activities.
The director of the MRCG said MRCG unit is committed to staff capacity building and career development.
He hinted that this forum will take participants on a journey where they will be able to explore research activities through interactive demonstrations and innovative infographics.
Mafugi Dibba, also from the MRCG, said the Council commits close to half a million pounds each year to support staff training and career development including placements for learning and professional enrichment.
Dibba recalled that in 2016/17, the unit supported 168 staff to undergo training for PHD, MSc/MPHil, BSc, and other professional short-term courses that includes epidemiology and statistics, bioinformatics, quality management, biobanking, clinical trials and data management.
A good number of those who took part in these programmes were Gambians, he noted.
“During the same period over 320 individuals benefitted from our internship program, which is open to all individuals who aspire to gain experience in clinical, field or laboratory among others,” he said.
Ngange Kebbeh, one of the presenters, talked on the importance of nutrition in pregnancy and early life.
He took the moment to advise mothers to rest during the last three months of their pregnancy and the first month after given birth and said they must not feed their 0-6 months babies.
Dr Kevin Opondo, on his presentation on malaria, said “great successes” has been reported in the last ten years with cases of the deadly disease or deaths falling to below 1 million.
Other presenters at the event where Bakary Darboe, Amadou Jallow, Dr. Helen Brotherton, Dr. Bully Camara, Joseph Mendy, Sainabou Njie and Owolabi Olumuyiwa.
