At
least 15 students have recently completed a semester-long course on animal
welfare at the University of The Gambia (UTG), for the first time.
The
students are mainly staff of the Department of Livestock Services, and the
Ministry of Education.
Lecturer
of the course, Dr Kebba Daffeh, who is also the Local coordinator for WTG-VETS United,
said the students took the animal welfare course as part of their bachelor’s
degree programme.
It
is an open course at the college, meaning it is a free course that is not part
of the curriculum and that any student who is interested can attend it.
Dr
Daffeh said recently, 45 people have successfully completed the programme at
the college.
“So
we think this is a good move in the improvement of animal welfare in The
Gambia,” he said. “The course has
positioned The Gambia in a more favourable way in order to address animal
welfare, which is one area where there is huge capacity gap in The Gambia.”
He
said the partnership between VETS United, and UTG and Gambia College is geared
towards strengthening the national capacity in animal welfare.
He
said the animal welfare course is designed in such a way that it has both
theoretical and practical aspects, and students are examined on both areas at
the end of the course.
Dr
Daffeh said improvement in animal welfare has the potential to improve farmers’
wellbeing and livelihood, and food security.
He
said already 54 students have registered for the animal welfare course for the
next semester.
Bubacarr
Jobarteh, a final-year UTG student, and Basiru Jatta, an assistant livestock
officer working at the Department of Livestock Services, thanked Dr Daffeh for
“this very important training course”.
They
said the course has better positioned them to professionally sensitise the
masses about the welfare of animals.
