By Olimatou Coker
Supdeco-Business School of Senegal in partnership with the Management Development Institute (MDI) of The Gambia has recently held an orientation forbusiness students pursuing Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes at MDI campus.
The oriented students are set to start Bachelor’s degree programmes in business administration, BA in transport and logistics as well as Master’s degree in Management.
The inter-institutional collaboration between Supdeco- Dakar and MDI was initiated by the Ministry of Higher Education,Research, Science and Technology (MoHERST)and was aimed at adding value to the country’s higher education system.
In December 2018, the management of Supdeco visited The Gambia on a study mission to explore ways to work on modalities of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)for possible collaborations with MDI.
Mod Secka, Representative from Ministry of MoHERST, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Higher Education Research Science and Technology described the partnership between the two institutions as genuine and practicable, saying it would minimise cost of sending students overseas for training.
He commended the management of Supdeco-Darkar for responding to the call of MoHERST to add value to Gambia’s higher education while assuringof his Ministry’s support to both institutions.
Abdoul Aziz Sy, deputy CEO of Supdeco – Dakar said the move aims to produce skillful and practical business personnel that the business sector needs to ensure effective service delivery for all industries.
He said the Supdeco-Dakar management expanded its institution to The Gambia to contribute to the country’s educational development vision, particularly in the area of French language. “We want to make Gambia a hub of education in the sub-region,” he said.
Sy revealed that Supdeco-Dakar has partnered with top universities and business schools worldwide, citing certain educational institutions in Canada and France as their partners.
Salifu Jobe, registrar at MDI said the partnership would enable Gambian students pursue qualifications on Supdeco-MDI programmes without making enormous expenditures on overseas educations.
Jobe said the initiative would also enable in-services students to have the opportunity to do their work and pursue qualifications simultaneously, adding this programme is quicker because it is fast track, and takes only three years for a Bachelor’s programme.
Dr Gibril Jaw, CEO of National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority (NAQAA)acknowledged thatthe staffing, teaching and learning facilities of Supdeco- MDI programmes have all met the national minimum standards for higher educational institutions.
He urged the two institutions to make sure students have the needed skills, knowledge and competency to deliver well.
He assured of his institution’s support to make sure that both institutions deliver quality education to students in The Gambia.
