Over forty participants have received certificates from the African Advanced Level Telecommunications Institute (AFRALTI), after successfully completing a human capacity development training program organised by the institute.
The presentation of certificates to the participants was held on Friday at the Gambia Technical Management Institute (GTMI) in Kanifing.
The two-week course covered Huawei Certified Datacom Associate (HCDA), strategic marketing in telecommunications and organizational knowledge management.
In his remarks at the closing, the director of GTMI, Mam Ndery Touray, commended the graduands for their commitment and participation in the training.
He also urged them to put the knowledge gained from the course into good use.
For his part, Gamtel deputy managing director Sulayman Suso reaffirmed Gamtel management’s commitment to developing the human recourse base of the company.
He said they expect some of the graduands to be knocking on their doors to provide them with innovative ideas relating to the businesses of Gamtel/Gamcel.
Mr Suso said that since telecommunications in The Gambia is rapidly transforming and competition getting stiffer, Gamtel can no longer operate as usual.
He urged certified personnel to contribute meaningfully to the recipient institutions’ market demand and restoration of their lost glory.
Speaking earlier, Lamin Camara, deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure, said training and development initiatives have been part and parcel of the development of the telecommunications sector in The Gambia since in the early 60s.
The focus on human capacity development in the formative years of Gamtel contributed immensely to the development of the telecommunications sector in the country, he noted.
It is within this backdrop that Gamtel management approved earlier this year the reactivation of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that now exists between GTMI and the AFRALTI based in Nairobi, Kenya, DPS Camara said.
He added that the benefits of the MoU to GTMI/Gamtel and The Gambia at large are tapping knowledge from the training, capacitating AFRALTI for skills acquisition by the people and generating revenue for the two institutions for sustainability.
Dr Tom Kwayei of AFRALTI revealed his appreciation to the institution, saying knowledge has become a major factor of production.
He said the graduation of the trainees is of immense gain to both Gamtel and Gamcel, and would take the institution to another level.
