By Kinteh Cham
The president of The Gambia, His Excellency Adama Barrow who doubles as the Chancellor of the University of The Gambia, over the weekend presided over the 15th convocation ceremony of the University of The Gambia.
The Convocation was held under the theme “Higher Learning Skills and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development.
He conferred degrees in various disciplines of the university on 1300 graduates for the 2021/23 cohort of academicians.
In his convocation speech, Adama Barrow said the ceremony marked another spectacular milestone in the history of education in The Gambia, noting it’s also a point of reference in the lives of the graduates and their families, as well as the University of The Gambia (UTG) and Gambians at large.
HE highlighted the significance of the event saying “The convocation signifies progress and underscores our collective commitment to educating our youths, whose skills and training we need badly for the socio-economic transformation of our country.”
He added that the ceremony symbolizes the dedication and determination of the youths to uplift themselves and their families by carving out careers and building on their past glories through academic pursuits.
However, President Barrow also applauded the university for choosing a befitting theme for this year’s graduation ceremony which his speech centered on. He added that for Gambia, skills, and entrepreneurship are critical enablers of speeding up socio-economic transformation.
“To realize this, however, higher education institutions must function as essential drivers for enhancing learning, skills development, and nurturing a culture of entrepreneurship for sustainable development,” he emphasized.
Meanwhile, President Barrow stressed that sustainable development implies working progressively to persistently meet the current and emerging needs of society, without compromises on the optimal advancement of future generations.
According to him, his government expects sustainable development programs to be suitably progressive in line with the economic, social, and environmental concerns of the nation, and to attain sustainable development goals, certain skills are fundamental and necessary to be applied which include skills for problem-solving, decision – making, team work and critical thinking.