By Mariatou Ngum & Abdou Mbye
The UNICEF Country Representative to The Gambia, Nafisa Binte Shafigue, on Wednesday paid a courtesy call on Vice President Mohammed B.S. Jallow at the State House to discuss progress on the GIGA initiative aimed at digitally connecting schools across the country.
Speaking to OVP Media after the meeting, Ms. Shafigue explained that GIGA is a joint initiative of UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union designed to ensure that all schools around the world are digitally connected by 2030.
She noted that discussions on the initiative began earlier this year when a delegation visited The Gambia in February and met with the Vice President to deliberate on key areas requiring attention for the successful implementation of the programme.
“Since then, we have progressed a lot. Today’s meeting was mainly to update His Excellency on the progress made and the steps taken to ensure that GIGA works effectively in The Gambia,” she said.
Ms. Shafigue further revealed that The Gambia is now officially a fully GIGAengaged country, adding that discussions also focused on the way forward to ensure that all schools nationwide benefit from digital connectivity.
According to her, Vice President Jallow expressed strong support for the digitisation of the education sector and reflected on his longstanding commitment to ICT in education.
“He shared with us that as far back as 1998, when he was with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, he started initiatives around ICT in education. So today, after a few decades, it is almost like seeing his dream come true that eventually all schools in The Gambia will be digitised and digitally connected,” she stated.
Ms. Shafigue said the Vice President assured the delegation of his continued support in advancing the GIGA initiative in The Gambia to ensure that every child benefits not only from access to education but also from other essential social services enabled through digital connectivity.
She highlighted that the initiative could also support sectors such as civil registration and health, including birth registration systems and telemedicine services.
“Digitisation is the way to go, and the Vice President was very supportive of taking this initiative forward in The Gambia,” she added.
The UNICEF Country Representative described the initiative as a multi-sectoral effort requiring collaboration among government ministries, development partners, and the private sector to ensure sustainability.
She called on all stakeholders to support the initiative to ensure that The Gambia keeps pace with global digital transformation while expanding access to education and social services for children across the country.
