Education
Nigeria’s Intervention Paying Dividends in Our Education Sector-Prof.Gomez,Gambian Minister for Higher Education
Joel Ajayi
Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology of The Gambia,Prof.Pierre Gomez has conveyed the gratitude of the Government of The Gambia to the Federal Government of Nigeria, saying Nigeria’s intervention in the education sector of their country is paying dividends.
The Minister,who disclosed, Wednesday, during a visit to the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps in Abuja,how pleased the President of their country is at the glaring impact of the injection of some Engineering Professors of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps into the running of the University of Applied Science, Engineering and Technology (USET) of The Gambia,also revealed that the Nigerian Professors have changed the narrative in the country’s higher education with regards to skills, innovation and enterprise development,such that enrollment at the USET has increased from 47 to over 200 in the last academic season.
While commending the professional astuteness of the TAC Volunteers currently serving in The Gambia,Prof. Gomez informed that the Engineering Professors were championing a new wave of thinking out of the box that are aimed at fashioning out self- funding initiatives for Universities that had , hitherto ,depended solely on government’s subvention.
The Minister,who also informed of the establishment of a new University of Education in his country, said they had looked towards the direction of Nigeria to help in fostering the University into a place of excellence,since all Universities must be seen as places of excellence and Nigeria has all it takes to foster such demands.
He also added that apart from coming to demonstrate appreciation to Nigeria,the delegation specifically had another reason for the visit.He said:
“Today we are here again to request the help of our big brother, Nigeria.This is because your Volunteers have performed greatly well in our country. The great dynamism they have brought into our country’s higher education is changing narratives everywhere and we cannot but request for more hands to mentor our teachers and administrators to get things right.
“You gave us all we needed before. The Engineering Professors you gave to our country are more than anyone can ever ask in terms of their productivity and results on ground. But here we are again,we are begging your professionals to come and mentor our people in the area of Education,a different area from what the Engineers are already doing.”
While assuring the people of The Gambia of the continuous support of Nigeria in the area of her educational needs,the Director General of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps,Rt.Hon.Yusuf Buba Yakub said the whole idea of NTAC was to fill such gaps among brother nations in the ACP countries.
He congratulated the Government and people of The Gambia on the roles Prof.Gomez has continued to play to make better the higher education sector of the country,adding that the new University of Education would aid in no small way in producing the needed crop of teachers that would deepen education and research in the West African nation.
Buba pledged to immediately set in motion the process of offering the requested assistance to The Gambia in the weeks ahead, stressing that the impact of today’s decision on the country ‘s teaching and learning needs would reverberate positively in the sector in the next twenty years.
Among those who were part of the Minister’s delegation were:Dr.Alieu B.Senghore, Chairman of the University of Education,The Gambia;Mr.Aboubacarr Jallow,Provost of the University,as well as Mr.Siaka Saidilzigh,a Principal Assistant Secretary at the country’s Ministry of Higher Education and Mr.Babucarr Dumbuya,First Secretary at the High Commission of The Gambia in Abuja.
From the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps were the Director of Programmes at the Agency,Amb.Zakari Usman and Mr.Lawandy Bala, Special Assistant to the Director General on Protocol Matters,among others.
Education
Athena Centre Appointed to NGREN Board as Federal Government Deepens Data-Driven Governance
Joel Ajayi
The Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership has been appointed to the Governing Board of the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN)/Tertiary Education Research Applications and Services (TERAS). NgREN -Nigeria’s national research and education backbone – provides high-speed connectivity, shared digital services, and collaboration infrastructure for universities and research institutions, while TERAS powers the digital applications that support research, data exchange, and digital learning across the tertiary system.
In a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by the center’s Media and Communications Officer Paul Liam.
The new NgREN/TERAS Board was inaugurated by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, at the Nigeria National EdTech Strategy Mid-Term Co-Creation Workshop, hosted with support from Mastercard Foundation and the World Bank Group.
The Board includes the Executive Secretaries of NUC, NBTE, NCCE, and TETFund; representatives of vice chancellors, rectors, and provosts; and major digital infrastructure stakeholders such as NCC, Galaxy Backbone, and USPF. The Athena Centre joins the Board as the civil society voice.
In his remarks, Dr. Alausa acknowledged the Centre’s role in shaping national transparency reforms, noting that the Ministry’s Federal Tertiary Institutions Governance Transparency Portal (FTIGTP) drew inspiration from Athena’s research and advocacy.
He expressed confidence that the reconstituted Board will deliver measurable improvements within two years to strengthen Nigeria’s research ecosystem and digital readiness.
Representing the Centre on the Board, its Chancellor, Chief Osita Chidoka, OFR, commended the Ministry’s commitment to transparency and evidence-based reform.Reaffirming the Ministry’s digital direction, Dr. Alausa stated: “For the first time, Nigeria is building a unified data architecture for basic, secondary, and tertiary institutions. You cannot reform what you cannot measure, and we are determined to measure what matters.”
Echoing the need for interoperability, Dr. Tijani emphasised the importance of shared digital infrastructure, noting:“Digital transformation fails when systems operate in silos. Our priority is a national architecture where platforms talk to each other and every school is connected.”
Chidoka welcomed the digital innovation underway but stressed the importance of deeper inclusion of state governments, who own and manage most Nigerian schools, in planning, implementation, and financing.
According to him:“For education to succeed, states must invest, lead, and commit. The Federal Government must coordinate and support, but it cannot carry the burden of school management alone.”
The Athena Centre reaffirmed its commitment to supporting federal and state governments in strengthening education data systems, digital governance, and transparent accountability.Media Contact:
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