Gambia, The

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The Gambia is the smallest nation in mainland Africa in size with a population of over 2.7 million people (World Bank, 2022).

COL’s work in The Gambia is in the areas of open schooling, teacher education, lifelong learning for farmers and skills for work. It is part of the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) network and benefits from programmes offered by COL’s regional centre, the Regional Training and Research Institute for Distance and Open Learning (RETRIDOL). Learners from The Gambia are also benefitting from COL’s free online courses and other openly available resources.

Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 15-64 years old¹
15.3%		17.4%
Female (2018)		Male (2018)

Completion rate, lower secondary education for the school year ending in 2020¹
48.7%		48.6%
Female		Male

Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education for the school year ending in 2012¹
2.2%		3.2%
Female		Male

Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications in secondary education¹
62.8%		75.5%
Female (2021)		Male (2021)

1. UNESCO Institute for Statistics Data Centre, retrieved in May 2023

Highlights

COL is supporting the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MOBSE) in establishing an open school.
A national ODL policy for Higher Education in The Gambia was developed in June 2023.
The Ministry developed an ODL policy for Basic and Secondary Education in November 2023.
COL met with the President of The Gambia, HE Adama Barrow to apprise him of the advantages of lifelong learning for farmers (L3F).
Two national food security strategies were developed related to sheep and poultry production.

Partners

Partnerships are fundamental to COL’s work. Strategic partnerships allow COL to broaden its reach and engage at global, regional and national levels, while implementation partners support COL’s work in communities and institutions across Commonwealth Member States. Partners include multilateral organisations, regional bodies, national governments, government agencies, foundations, civil society organisations, public and private (not-for-profit) institutions and the private sector. COL partnerships assist in improving and extending teaching and learning services to people in the developing Commonwealth.

COL’s partners in The Gambia include:

Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MOBSE)
Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (MHERST)
Gambia College
Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI)
National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority (NAQAA)
University of The Gambia
West Africa Livestock Innovation Centre (WALIC)
National Enterprise Development Initiative

Key Contacts

Focal Point

Mr Anthony G. Mendy
Director of Tertiary and Higher Education
Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology

Literacy rate (2022)¹
52.3%		65.3%
Female, Adult (15+)		Male, Adult (15+)

Economic Activity – Labour Forces Participation (2023)¹
46.7%		51.1%
Female, Ages 15-64		Male, Ages 15-64

Political Decision Making (2022)¹
8.6%
Share of seats held by women in national parliament

Life expectancy (2023)¹
67.7		63.4
Female		Male

1. COL gender country profile October 2023

33	100
Individuals using the internet (%)¹	Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹

0.19	50
Fixed-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹	Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹




1. International Telecommunication Union (ITU), retrieved in May 2023.

Gambia, The

Highlights

Partners

Key Contacts

Focal Point

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