The alliance is aimed at fostering innovation, professional education and training, science and technology as enabler to economic growth, healthcare and human and environmental sustainability.
Suntu Jarjou, GIMA co-founder and registered nurse in US, said GIMA is formed by a group of young researchers, engineers, doctors, nurses, architects, designers, and business administrators who are interested in fostering innovation and professional education and training.It includes Gambian professionals in different fields in the US.
Mr Jarjou said their vision is to contribute to creating a healthy, well informed society with enhanced economic, social and environmental sustainability.
He explained that at GIMA Academy, they are going to use innovative ideas to raise the awareness of Gambian people.
The academy will use innovation to provide continuing education and training courses designed to build competence, mastery of new skills and raising awareness in all works of public service.
GIMA co-founder said they will use the concept of innovation to address health and socio-economic needs of the society.
“The clients we intend to serve will use innovative ideas to achieve a healthier workforce and demonstrate a strong commitment to quality service delivery,” he affirmed.
The GIMA Academy offers courses in corporate compliance training, maintaining professional boundaries, fraud, abuse and waste of company resources, ergonomics, anger management, time management, customer service, team work fundamentals, and other general courses.
GIMA healthcare courses include patient assessment, safe blood transfusion, risk management and medical error prevention, and infection control including transmission based precautions.
James Gomez, principal researcher at the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (MoHERST), said the ministry sees the formation of GIMA as a “commendable initiative” and “a laudable venture” that the rest of Gambians in the diaspora should emulate.
“It is important that we applaud this initiative because they are ready to work on expertise,” he said.“Their entrepreneurship will undoubtedly add value to Gambians and non-Gambians in terms of promoting healthcare, environmental sustainability as well as development of competent civil servants.”
Mr Gomez said innovation is not only about designing new products but also focusing on existing business processes and practices at various working environments to inspire efficiency, cutting down waste and increasing quality of the service provided within.
“On this note, at the level of the ministry, we hope that GIMA will hold on to that true principle of innovation to better the lives of Gambian people,” the principal researcher at MoHERST said.
