Gambia celebrating science week to improve qualities

By Pa Modou Cham

As Africa celebrate science week from 23th to 30th  September, 2018. Gambia is also celebrating the week in order to improve in the development of science, technology and innovation. This was revealed in a press conference held today at the Higher Education Ministry, along Bijilo highway. 

The Gambia NEF Ambassador David Jeng explained that the science week is gears towards science, technology and innovation across the continent.  He added that Africa science week is a weeklong celebration of science, technology and innovation in different ways across the continent.

 “This year is the first time Gambia is partaking in this initiative. We have series of activities and among them is the press conference, science exhibition at the university of the Gambia, two day hakaton which will be focusing on identifying different problems in which we facing and the idea is to provide an environment where innovation can really grow in the youths. There will be an entrepreneurship boot camp and the idea is to introduce entrepreneurship to scientist and innovators and the fifth activity will be robotics where we look at kids. We want to introduce technology to the younger generation where they will build robots and the robots can expose them to certain things that are really helpful for them when they grow up,” he explained. 

The representative of  the Minister for Higher Education and Infrastructure Muctar Darboe lamented that science and technology are key priority for the government and his ministry has been responsible for the design and the implementation of policies related to science, technology and innovation.

“The Einstein science is here to compliment the government efforts to promote the appreciations of science and technology. We should have this kind of activities in order to build capacities of your own people,” he said.

“We have a big ahead, for most part government struggle to addresses challenges both social and economic of a particular country.  Science, technology and innovation have a very pivot role to play in addresses of social challenges, we talk about poverty, unemployment, and good health and science step in to fill the gaps,” he pointed. 

Mr. Darboe stressed that in order to achieve our development objectives, there is need to prioritize investment in science, technology and innovation, saying we need to invest in our Universities, in the private sectors through continues support programs from all innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly in the industries.

The CEO of PointClick Technologies Muctar Khan reiterated that by looking at the developing nation, they are ahead of us because they invest in science and technology. 

“Gambia has smart individuals here and sometimes they are not empowered enough and they do not have the enough resources.  When we look at the Gambian budget this year it’s about 330 million dollars. Gambia have a pollution about two million and if you divide the two, meaning each individual is budgeted hundred and fifty dollars which is about seven thousand dalasis. That’s no enough for government to solve all the problems, so we as individuals or Organization that are successful, we have to take it upon ourselves and give the government a helping hand,” he highlighted. 

Sering Modou Bah representative from the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology thanked the organizers and affirms his office commitment to support science, technology and innovation.