The formal establishment of these three boards was approved by President Adama Barrow which sets to mark a pivotal moment in the nation's commitment to strengthening tertiary education, fostering research and innovation, and securing sustainable educational financing.
In his inaugural statement, Minister Pierre Gomez described the initiative as a cornerstone for a future where no Gambian student is left behind due to financial constraints.
He described the initiative as a future where universities are citadels of excellence and engines of development; a future where Gambian minds pioneer solutions to Gambian problems. "This is the future that our tripartite funds are designed to build," he said.
He advanced that the SRLS is the ministry’s commitment to democratising education, while the THET Fund is their commitment to institutional sustainability and the NRIF as their commitment to sovereign ingenuity.
He noted that these three funds form an unbreakable chain of empowerment as they represent the government’s holistic and strategic approach to human capital development.
He challenged board members as the architects who will turn this blueprint into reality, referring to them as the guardians of these “national assets”.
Muhammed Jah, managing director of QCell, who is the chairperson of the Governing Board for the Tertiary and Higher Education Trust (THET) Fund, pledged that QCell would donate D5million to the Tertiary and Higher Education Fund. “QUANTUMNET will donate D5 million to The National Research and Innovation Fund and Agib Bank will donate D5 million to The Student Revolving Loan Scheme,” MD Jah promised.
He emphasised that potentials must be matched with access to quality education, technical training, and an enabling environment that connects skills to opportunity.
"We will build strong partnerships with the private sector, with development partners, and with our Diaspora. We will leverage technology and data to ensure impact and efficiency and we will ensure that gender equality and inclusion are at the heart of everything we do," he assured.
Dr. Ernest Aubee, chairman of the governing board of Student Revolving Loan Scheme (SRLS) revealed that as a board and management, their goal is to ensure deserving students benefit based on the clear guidelines that will be put in place.
He noted that they will work closely with their parent ministry to provide policy guidance and support while working with other partners in and outside government to make the scheme successful and beneficial to the Gambian people.
