Barrow urges UTG to link research to policy, jobs at 18th Convocation
President Adama Barrow has challenged The University of The Gambia to become a “strategic bridge for policy, innovation, and job creation” as the institution held its 18th Convocation Ceremony Saturday.
Addressing the Class of 2025, the President and UTG Chancellor said higher education must move beyond training graduates for employment to actively shaping national policy, driving industrialisation, and creating jobs.
“Our institutions must now strengthen the public sector and energise the private sector, support the creation of new industries and generate sustainable employment,” Barrow told graduates, faculty, and dignitaries including former AfDB President Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina and Senegal’s Higher Education Minister Prof. Daouda Ngum.
On policy and research
Barrow said universities should serve as “Centres of Excellence for policy research, dialogue, and support” to reduce The Gambia’s reliance on external expertise. “By integrating research into national policy frameworks, universities can help shape the direction of the country,” he stated, calling for stronger collaboration between Government, universities, industry, and development partners.
Innovation push
Citing artificial intelligence, climate disruption, and shifting labour markets, the President said innovation is “indispensable for national competitiveness.” He urged universities to nurture “creative, adaptable and solution-driven” graduates and to build incubation hubs with the private sector.
Government, he said, is laying the foundation through the Tertiary and Higher Education Trust Fund, the National Research and Innovation Fund, and the Students’ Revolving Loan Scheme to finance research and infrastructure.
Jobs beyond government
Barrow stressed that “the capacity of the formal sector to absorb graduates remains limited,” challenging UTG and other universities to prepare graduates who can “create new opportunities through innovation-led entrepreneurship.”
“Job creation cannot be left to government alone. It requires a dynamic ecosystem in which higher education institutions play a central role,” he said.
The President noted that over the past decade, the higher education sector has produced teachers, doctors, lawyers, engineers, and — for the first time — “home‑grown dentists” among Friday’s graduates. He cited the creation of specialised public universities: the Civil Service University, USET, and the University of Education, alongside private institutions.
Faraba as symbol
Holding the ceremony at Faraba Banta was “spectacularly meaningful,” Barrow said, calling the campus “a national symbol of aspiration, strategic investment, and educational transformation” following its inaugural ceremonies in December 2025.
He commended the Ministry of Higher Education, UTG Governing Council, management, staff, and partners for advancing the institution, reaffirming government support to position higher education as a bridge for national development.
To graduates, he said: “Let your education be impactfully visible both on paper and in your communities. Be a generation that builds bridges, transforms ideas into action, and links education to national purpose.”
Source: The Point
