By Lamin Kujabi
His Excellency President Adama Barrow last week received Professor Slim Khalbous, rector, and Professor Ouidad Tebbaa, West Africa Regional Director of Agence Universitaire de la Francophoni (AUF).
They were accompanied to State House by Honourable Mamadou Tangara, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Professor Pierre Gomez, Minister of Higher Education Research Science and Technology; and Professor Herbert Robinson, Vice Chancellor of the University of The Gambia.
After meeting with the President, Professor Slim Khalbous informed the press that they had updated the Gambian leader of their planned scientific events in the country and their other projects.
He also revealed they are on course to establish employability and entrepreneurship centre, where free trainings will be offered to students to enhance their employability in the job market.
Also part of their plan, according to Professor Khalbous, is to conduct coaching for teachers.
He expressed their commitment to improve cooperation with countries in the region; like The Gambia, noting that is important for south-south cooperation with France.
President Barrow welcomed the ideas of the AUF delegation and affirmed the need for pedagogical shift from a job-seeking learning approach to imparting entrepreneurial acumen in our university students.
Professor Herbert Robinson, Vice Chancellor of University of The Gambia, affirmed that AUF was spearheading two major conferences in the country: one on scientific publication with application to help development, and the other on university students’ access to mobility. “Mobility is important. We need to have the expertise around the continent to catch them young so that they can benefit, through the support of AUF, from access to mobility”.
The Vice Chancellor intimated that The Gambia will be the first country in Anglophone Africa to have an employability centre, which will be located in Brikama. “The aim of the centre is to transform our job market. Our students will have the opportunity to be trained on various aspects; particularly in creating their own job. That is the only way we can develop this country”.
He further revealed that it will be a state-of-the-art structure where students can make a big difference in the employment market.
