By: Hassoum Ceesay, ORG
Mr. Devanney who died Monday 13th January, at his home in Halifax, Canada, aged 86, was a true friend of The Gambia. In his forty years of association with our country and Africa, Mr. Devanney brought passion and dedication to his work as a founding lecturer at The Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI), created the Nova-Scotia-Gambia Association NGO, and introduction of university education in The Gambia in the University Extension Programme(UEP) of St.Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada.
It was in 1994, just after the army coup led by former President Jammeh, that Mr. Devanney floated an innovative approach to introduce a university degree awarding scheme in the country to the then Education Minister, the highly efficient Satang Jow. In a few months, the AFPRC Junta and its Cabinet gave the green light for the start of the program. The junta was eager to legitimize itself and wanted to be seen in ardent speed towards availing Gambians university education at home. But above all, The Gambia urgently needed it.
In one of his memoirs titled The Gambia Saga (2017), Mr. Devanney gave riveting behind-the-scenes shenanigans by the Mandarins at the Education Ministry who were not convinced of this brave project but dared not say so openly as Jammeh, keen for results, would have fired them; and the utter willingness of Minister Jow and her boss Jammeh to start the University Extension Programme. History tells us that by October 1995, the first cohort of 50 scholarships was out for 50 students admitted into the first-degree awarding program in our Republic.
The arrangement was dizzyingly complex: St.Mary’swould send out lecturers to teach for 21 days (75 contact hours) and Mr. Devanney’s Nova-Scotia-Gambia Association would be the vendor paid by The Gambia Government to pay St.Mary’s university for the lecturers and textbooks. Mr. Devanney faced a lot of doubts about the sustainability of this fraught experiment: people asked him questions like ‘What if the Professors from St. Mary’s miss their flights out of Halifax? Or ‘what if the Professors catch Malaria in The Gambia and die mid-course?
To such doubters, he had several ready clear answers: Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone had a 91-year extension program with the University of Durham until 1969, when it started to award its degrees! Sadly, a few lecturers died soon after returning to Canada.
Luckily, the lecturers started well and continued to improve over the five years the UEP lasted. Top-notch Professors were brought in to teach. Moreover, they came with the latest editions of cutting-edge textbooks in their subjects: History: Professor Pachai: Economics Professor Dunn; Chemistry: Professor John Young, etc. The student enrolment doubled by the spring of 1996. The Gambia Government doubled its scholarships, and Mr. Devanney successfully lobbied for bursaries from well-meaning Canadians.
To cement this beautiful start for university education in The Gambia, he started to hire Gambians as Assistant Lecturers and Teaching Assistants: Dr. Saidou Jallow (Geography); Dr. J. Kah(economics); Dr. M. Kah (Math) etc. When students started to moan about conditions and stipends, Mr. Devanney worked hard to solve it. For five years, not a single strike was registered by students or lecturers. Maybe the people teaching or learning or leading at the UTG should learn a brief lesson in such Spartan stoicism.
In February 1999, 61 students graduated from the University of St.Mary’s Extension Programme with majors in nine different subjects. His Excellency President Dr. Alhaj Yayha A.J.J Jammeh presided and was awarded a honorary Doctorate which he carries with gusto till today. A year later, the University of The Gambia was created right on the strong foundations laid by the UEP. Such was the fruit of Mr. Devanney’s foresight and toil. In recognition of his strong role in national development, he was inducted Order Republic of The Gambia (ORG) in 2000.
When he finally retired to Canada, Mr. Devanney would visit Banjul regularly and would beam with joy hearing that the students he brought up were doing their postgraduate degrees at Oxford, Cambridge, Havard, and the Sorbonne; more, that his former students at the UEP are now running the country in the public service and private sector. This made him proud whenever he visited The Gambia. He took particular interest in, and supported, my work on Gambian history and collected my books dutifully. He wrote many books including two memoirs of his long years in Africa.
Mr. Devanney was a good friend of The Gambia. He sincerely believed in the ability of Gambians to do the best for their country accompanied by well-meaning friends like himself. In his demise, our country has lost a fast friend eager and ardent for its prosperity.
To his highly helpful wife, Louanne, his son Mathew and daughter Sara, and colleagues at the Nova Scotia-Gambia Association like Briane Horne, Adama Suwarreh, the long-suffering but graceful secretary; Kantong Jallow, driver; Alhaji Karamo Bojang, Abdou Kanteh and his illustrious students Yankuba Darboe(GRA); Omar Gibba(OP); Momodou Sabally (OP); Rohey Bittatye(MoD); Saffie Lowe Ceesay (Ambassador), and many others, I convey sincere condolences and pray that his soul rest in perfect peace.
(Burris Devanney (ORG): A Canadian Teacher, Development Worker, and Philanthropist Who Pioneered University Education In The Gambia, born 1938 in Haligonian, Canada, died 13 January 2025, Halifax, Canada).
Hassoum Ceesay, ORG
