International
and local researchers on Friday gathered in Banjul to attend a two-day
international conference on research.
Held
at Manduar Development Hub in Brikama, the conference was organised by De
Montfort University Leicester in collaboration with Global Hands Gambia.
Speaking
on the occasion, Hassoum Ceesay, deputy director-general at the National Centre
for Art and Culture (NCAC), said the Gambian economy is based on tourism,
agriculture and the re-export trade.
“This
is a country that lacks the human and financial wherewithal to maintain a
robust pro-pan African policy,” he said.
Mr
Ceesay, a historian, said a study on Gambia and the Pan Africanism struggle,
1900-1965, revealed that despite the little resources, The Gambia has never
shied away from pursuing a robust pan-African outlook since the 1920s when the
National Council for British West Africa (NCBWA) was established to pursue
economic, political, social and rights for the four British colonies in West
Africa.
Prof.
Faqir Muhammah Anjum, vice chancellor of the University of The Gambia, said
there were several factors that influenced the government of The Gambia to
start university education in 1999.
“It
was believed to be cost effective according to the planned budget,” he said,
citing factors that led to the establishment of the UTG.
Another
was because universities in the West African sub-region were becoming
unreliable centres of learning due to frequent student and civil unrest.
