VENUE: 28th February 2025

You may recall that in June 2024, I launched the Skills, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (SIE) Fund developed by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (MoHERST). This ceremony is the outcome of the hard work and technical guidance that followed that memorable launch.

The SIE Fund is a component of the World Bank-funded Resilience, Inclusion, Skills, and Equity Project (RISE). This is an ongoing project being implemented by MoHERST towards building a competent and skilful resource for the socio-economic development of the country. In part, it seeks to fulfil one of the targets in the higher education sector Strategic Plan (2021–2025) and the Recovery Focussed National Development Plan (2023 – 2027).

Through this component of the project, the student beneficiarieswill have the opportunity to be on scholarship and guided to adopt and utilise technical skills learned from the classroom to establish suitable business ventures. It is an opening for ouryouths and women to acquire skills and contribute meaningfully to the welfare of their families and communities, and to the economy.

Basically, this is another massive transformative initiative, through which scholarship grants will be delivered to different public and private Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions across the country, principally targeting the youth and women.

The project is in line with my government’s decentralisation and social inclusion drive. As planned, the awards will give muchprominence to submissions into programmes that target widening access to TVET within the regions. By doing so, enrolment will increase for the physically challenged and other disadvantaged persons.

Distinguished Personalities,

I have been reliably informed that today’s awards ceremony is the result of a detailed technical evaluation and assessmentexercise that ensured strict compliance with the criteria set for implementing Window Two (2) of the SIE Fund.

To clear any possible doubt on the impartiality of the selection procedure, let me allay your fears. The process included a publicinvitation for proposals, a pre-evaluation stage of the submissions by the Technical Advisory Committee of the Fund, verification visits to all the institutions that applied, and a final technical evaluation. These stages guided the allocation of the respective awards granted to each of the institutions. They were subsequently approved and endorsed by the Project Steering Committee of the Fund.

Precisely, the review involved assessing the institutions based on the agreed criteria. One of them is linked to the priority sectors identified in our Recovery-Focused National Development Plan (2023 - 2027).

The criteria are broadly aimed at guaranteeing employability and job creation, and they are all in compliance with the set quality and competency standards of the Gambia National Qualifications Framework.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am proud to announce that my government will disburse about three hundred and ninety-six million, seven hundred and sixty-one thousand, three hundred and twenty-one Dalasis (GMD396,761,321. 00) of the SIE Fund to empower our youth. Aninitial distribution of thirty-one million Dalasis (GMD 31 million) will be done today. Altogether, the Government will award one thousand and eighty-seven (1087) scholarships across twenty-five (25) public and private TVET institutions.

Each scholarship involves paying four hundred Dollars ($400)per student for tuition and stipends, with additional support for regional TVET centre students to cover transportation and accommodation expenses. This investment represents our commitment to nurturing the potential of our youth and supporting their educational journeys.<\p>

To commence the programme, my government will provide grants to both public and private TVET institutions across all regions of the country; however, they must be in operation and registered with the National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority.

These grants cover clear-cut accredited programmes at Certificate and Diploma levels in agriculture, engineering, tourism and hospitality, business, and creative and performing Arts.

Government, through the Ministry, will institute a rigorous monitoring mechanism to make sure there is an eighty percent (80%) employability rate among the student beneficiaries. This will ensure that the project targets are met, and that the intervention contributes to a genuine reduction of the unemployment rate among the youth and women in the country. 

Clearly outlined agreements will thus be signed between MoHERST and the benefitting TVET institutions. Theagreements will include specific indicators to be achieved by the institutions, in line with the SIE Fund Manual.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In addition to these grants to TVET students, supported throughWindow Two (2) of the SIE Fund,  my administration will soon launch Window One (1) of the Fund. This Window will provide grants for TVET institutions to get high-quality infrastructure and equipment. The objective of the support is to improve the technical and teaching capacity of vocational training centres.

A major target of this scheme is to strengthen the quality of the training on offer and the capacity of training responses to promote equal opportunities and wider equitable access to the resources available.

Window Three (3) will be launched to provide startup support and mentorship for the youth during the last quarter of 2025. The three Windows are meant to raise The Gambia’s TVET programmes to the right quality levels that match our labour market requirements.

Distinguished Personalities,  Ladies and Gentlemen,

We acknowledge that it is our task to responsibly utilise the support we receive from the World Bank Group and other development partners by wisely determining strategies and projects that would yield the desired development results. This initiative is an example of such targeted strategies to provide for the youth in the country.

I commend the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science, and Technology, the Projects Coordination Unit of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, and, quite notably,the World Bank for making this programme happen.

To build on this important intervention, I encourage the beneficiary TVET institutions to take this opportunity with seriousness. I urge all of them to support their students bymaking certain that they complete their programmes and getemployed or establish their businesses.

We also appeal to other development partners, the private sector, and civil society organisations to support us further to build a more robust human capital stock for the country.

I thank you all for your kind attention.