TVET Education: ECOWAS Host Training Workshop to Strengthen Institutional Capacitities in Gambia.
By Raymond Enoch
In a bid to align skills development with labour market demands and improve youth employability, a high-level national training workshop was held in Banjul from September 16–18, 2025, focusing on strengthening the institutional capacities of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) stakeholders in The Gambia.
The three-day workshop, organised by the ECOWAS Commission in partnership with the Government of The Gambia, is part of the broader Regional TVET Strategy for Skills and Employability Improvement (ETSSIE). It convened educators, policymakers, and industry experts to chart a forward-thinking action plan for improving TVET governance, fostering public-private partnerships, and modernising teaching approaches.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ms Aisha Usman of the ECOWAS Commission underscored the urgency of developing dynamic and innovative TVET institutions, especially amid rapid global shifts. “Technical skills are essential for competitiveness and development in a constantly changing world,” she said, calling on stakeholders to collaborate for impact-driven reforms.
Mr Mucktarr M. Y. Dabo, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Technical) at the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, reiterated the government’s commitment to TVET as a national priority. He stressed the value of strategic partnerships, declaring, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”
The workshop marks a critical step in ECOWAS’ regional efforts to create more inclusive, efficient, and market-responsive training systems across West Africa. For The Gambia, it represents a renewed push to harness technical education as a catalyst for socio-economic transformation, particularly for its growing youth population.
