Senegal’s Groupe Supdeco Dakar has expanded its operations in The Gambia to meet rising demand for business and technology education.
The private university, one of West Africa’s largest business schools, confirmed the move in a Standard exclusive last week.
The Banjul campus will offer undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in management, finance, logistics, digital marketing, and computer science, with degrees accredited in Senegal and recognised by CAMES.
SUPDECO has operated a centre in The Gambia since 2021, but administrators said enrollment pressure and demand for French-West African curriculum options forced a full campus upgrade.
The Director of Supdeco Dakar’s Banjul campus, Abdou Faye said the institution is contributing to efforts to expand access to higher education in The Gambia.
Located along Kairaba Avenue, the private university, established in Senegal more than 30 years ago, has been operating in The Gambia for the past five years, offering a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
Mr Faye said the decision to establish a campus in the country was informed by both academic interest and the need to help address gaps in higher education.
“We opened this university in The Gambia because we have interest in English and we also want to close the education gap in the country,” he said.
He said the university enrols students from all backgrounds and provides courses at both bachelor’s and master’s levels. Undergraduate programmes include international relations and public administration, while postgraduate courses cover areas such as management, transport, maritime studies and diplomacy.
According to him, the institution obtained accreditation from the National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority before commencing operations, ensuring its programmes meet national standards.
Mr Faye added that the university has already graduated several cohorts of students and is preparing to graduate another group in October.
“We have graduated lots of students and we are hoping to graduate another batch in October,” he said.
He said bachelor’s programmes run for three years, while master’s degrees are completed over two years.
“We are not in competition with anyone but our mission is to contribute to the growth of education in this country,” Mr Faye said, expressing optimism that the university will expand further over the next five years.
