The Gambian government has announced plans to conduct a study tour of Nigeria’s Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) as part of efforts to strengthen its newly established higher education funding agency.

Gambia’s Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, Pierre Gomez, disclosed this when he led a delegation to the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.

The visit was disclosed in a statement issued by TETFund’s Director of Public Affairs, Abdulmumin Oniyangi.

Gomez said the delegation was in Nigeria to formally inform TETFund of the establishment of Gambia’s Tertiary and Higher Education Trust (THET) Fund, which was modelled after the Nigerian agency.

He said Gambian officials would undertake a study tour of TETFund to gain practical knowledge and seek technical cooperation as the country develops its own higher education intervention framework.

The minister said the Gambian government had followed TETFund’s activities and achievements over the years through its website, social media platforms and other media outlets.

He explained that the experience had convinced the Gambian authorities of the need for a dedicated intervention agency capable of supporting the development of tertiary institutions in the country.

Gomez called for closer cooperation between TETFund and THET, particularly in research and capacity development, saying such collaboration would contribute to strengthening relations between Nigeria and Gambia.

He noted that cooperation in the education sector would further deepen the longstanding diplomatic relationship between the two West African countries.

Receiving the Gambian delegation, Echono thanked the minister and his team for visiting TETFund and expressed the agency’s readiness to share relevant experience with its Gambian counterpart.

Echono also briefed the delegation on the evolution of TETFund, explaining that the agency had developed significantly from its origins as the Education Trust Fund (ETF).

He said the establishment of the intervention fund was driven by the funding challenges confronting Nigeria’s tertiary education system more than three decades ago.

According to him, the Federal Government, working with other stakeholders, established the mechanism to provide an alternative and sustainable source of funding for tertiary institutions and address critical infrastructure and development needs.