The event held on Wednesday at Bakadaji Hotel in Kololi, brought together various stakeholders to review and endorse three critical instruments designed to strengthen national research regulation and governance.
Addressing the gathering, Prof. Pierre Gomez, Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology spoke highly of these documents, which he said, represent a transformative step in their collective mission to establish a robust, ethical, and forward-thinking research and innovation ecosystem in The Gambia.
Minister Gomez explained that these instruments address the urgent need for clarity, coordination, and consistency in research governance, a need that has long been evident in the nation.
He observed that in recent years, The Gambia is faced with significant challenges in research, including limited funding, inadequate regulatory oversight, and the detrimental effects of unregulated research publications.
These issues, he said, have underscored the necessity for decisive action, and that The Gambia government, through MoHERST, has responded by drafting these instruments to foster a future built on trust, transparency, and research-driven development.
Through these pillars, he said, MoHERST has provided strategic direction, united diverse stakeholders from academia, government, and civil society, and laid the foundational framework for research excellence and innovation.
He assured that MoHERST is committed to fostering collaboration across borders, sectors, and disciplines and will continue to build partnerships with universities, innovation hubs, industry stakeholders, and international research networks.
"This collaborative approach will integrate research into every facet of national development, ensuring it is a cornerstone of our sustainable future."
Ambassador Jainaba JAGNE, Permanent Secretary at MoHERST, revealed that MoHERST has a National Research Policy (NRP 2024–2029), which establishes the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of national research regulation.
These three research governance frameworks, she added, are strategically aligned to the NRP and clearly outline the "how" they regulate, assess, support and collectively ensure the highest standards of research excellence, ethics, and innovation.
James Gomez, Director of Research at MoHERST revealed that the validated documents are interlinked and were developed in alignment with the goals and strategic priorities outlined in the National Research Policy 2024–2029, the latter which envisions a well-governed research landscape anchored on regulated and well-established research ethics, excellence, innovation, and inclusivity.
