By Mahzouba Maya Faal
The Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (MOHERST) in partnership with the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy (MoCDE) and The University of The Gambia (UTG) through the World Bank-funded WARDIP Project, last week organised a two-day stakeholder workshop on the establishment of The Gambia’s first Research and Education Network (GAMREN), at Bakadaji Hotel.
The National Research and Education Network (NREN) is a specialised network infrastructure designed to provide high-speed and reliable network connectivity to academic and research institutions within a particular country or region. These are established mainly to support the needs of the research, education, and innovation communities, enabling them to collaborate, share resources and conduct data-intensive research and high-performance computing activities.
The Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, Professor Pierre Gomez said that the project is in line with the MoHERST’s Strategic Plan (2021 – 2025) which drives to provide computers, e-libraries and e-journals, video conferencing, internet connectivity, and renewable energy services to training and research institutions.
“This GAMREN project is a manifestation that the government, through the help of its partners, is on track,” he said.
Prof. Abdoukarim Jallow, Director General of Gambia Information and Communication Technology Agency (GICTA), spoke on behalf of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy. He said the establishment of GAMREN will bring significant benefits to the tertiary and higher education fraternity in the country. Thus, he assured the commitment of his Minister to enhancing the ICT infrastructure of The Gambia, and his agency’s support to all ICT projects in the country.
The World Bank Representative Mr. Alieu Bah, commended the collaboration between the two Government Ministries who are working together to achieve a common objective. “This is a laudable initiative,” he said, and assured the continued support of the World Bank to the initiative for the development of education and research activities in The Gambia.
Dr. Boubakar Barry, Chief Executive Officer of WACREN expressed delight at working with The Gambian authority in ensuring that Gambia’s research and education institution joins their counterparts in the world community of research and education. He informed that they are in the procurement process to connect GAMREN to the WACREN community.
At the end of the opening ceremony, various presentations were made, followed by a question-and-answer session.
Key recommendations from the workshop included the following: GAMREN to coordinate with the ICT Agency for technical support no matter what model of governance is chosen; MoHERST to set up a technical team that includes all key stakeholders to facilitate the establishment of GAMREN and its connection to WACREN; GAMREN not to depend solely on Government funds for its financing.
Delivering the closing remarks, the Permanent Secretary at MoHERST, Dr Yusupha Touray, who chaired the occasion, thanked everyone present for their time and valuable contributions during the two-day session, and expressed excitement over the establishment of GAMREN and assured that MoHERST is committed to supporting this initiative to the latter.