The signing ceremony on 10th December 2025, was held in Mbour, Senegal, as part of a broader strategic move to position The Gambia at the forefront of scientific innovation in Africa.
The agreement, signed by MoHERST during an official visit to AIMS Senegal, also lays the foundation for establishing an AIMS Satellite Centre in The Gambia, with a long-term vision of evolving into a full-fledged AIMS Centre of Excellence.
In an effort to building a conduit for AI and data science excellence, the partnership is designed to catapult Gambian capacity in critical 21st-century fields.
Meanwhile, key components of the collaboration include an advanced training access where Gambian students and lecturers will gain enhanced access to AIMS’s world-class postgraduate programmes in mathematical sciences, data science, and artificial intelligence, not only in Senegal but across the AIMS network in Rwanda and South Africa.
In its drive to local capacity building, AIMS will support the training and professional development of Gambian university lecturers and secondary school teachers in mathematics and related fields.
The MoU paves the way for collaborative research projects, shared access to datasets and technological resources, and support for innovation and incubation in The Gambia.
Other components include Path to a Centre of Excellence where the initial satellite centre will serve as a nucleus for high-level training and research, with a clear roadmap to grow into an autonomous AIMS Centre, positioning The Gambia as a regional leader in advanced STEM education.
Reacting to the development, MoHERST officials lauded the agreement, emphasising that it is a strategic move to develop a resilient national STEM ecosystem and empower Gambian youth to solve complex local and global challenges.
Similarly, Professor Muhammed Faal and Professor Sam Yalla of AIMS Senegal welcomed the partnership, emphasising the power of South-South cooperation in building Africa’s knowledge economy.
