By Ousman Saidykhan
At the opening of the conference component of NAYCONF, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Bakary Y. Badjie, unveiled a partnership he has signed with Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management in the United States of America to launch the “Najafi 100 Million Learners Global Initiative” in The Gambia.
The Signing of this partnership means Gambians—both young and old—could register and attend online courses in different fields of study for free once the initiative is launched in the country. The minister has not mentioned when the initiative will be launched in the country.
“And the additional advantage is if at any time you opportune [sic] to go to the US to study any course, whether it is an associate degree or a full degree, that course that you did in this online programme would be used as additional credits for you to start your university; which means instead of doing 120 credit hours for a degree, you would do less because you have already secured some credits from this programme you have done,” said Bakary Y. Badjie.
The youth minister described the partnership as a “milestone” for the Gambia’s education and development agenda and a testament to the country’s commitment to advancing youth development, education, and innovation.
“So that is the essence of this program, and we are glad that we are partnering with the University of Arizona and bringing in this great opportunity to Gambian young people, and that is why we also want to appreciate the Embassy of The US in The Gambia for being part of this whole process,” said Minister Badjie.
He said the ministry invites everyone, especially young people, to embrace the opportunity to enhance their knowledge, skills, and future prospects. The initiative offers leadership, management, entrepreneurship, and civil rights.
“Like I said, it is free; it is limitless. The target is 100 million around the world. So, The Gambia is targeting to at least get as many as we can, but the target is about a hundred thousand people. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be young people. Anybody can go online and register.
“We are glad as a ministry that Gambian young people are given this opportunity to do that. And I, please, want all of us to take advantage of it and try to get something out of it,” Badjie said.
The Najafi 100 Million Learners Global Initiative was launched in January 2022. It offers free online global education in 40 languages. Thunderbird School of Global Management, on its website, says the initiative aims for 70% of the learners to be women and young women who strive to have a “significant” impact on gender equality in education.
