U.S. Consul Tours (UTG) University of the Gambia

University of the Gambia

The University of the Gambia on Monday, March 26, 2013, received Mr. Andy Utschig, the Consular Officer of the United States Banjul Embassy, on a conducted tour of all UTG campuses. Upon arrival, he was received by Mr. Yankuba Mamburay, the Senior University Relations Officer and Dr. Abubacarr Senghore, the Acting Dean of the Law Faculty.

 Dr. Senghore showed the entourage the library, the classrooms, the Faculty Lounge, the computer lab, the moot court and the new building at the faculty that will house among other things, the legal clinic, conference hall and many more. After explaining how the faculty has metamorphosed into what it is today, the Consular Officer expressed his positive impression about how the faculty has evolved and grown so fast in just a few years.

Dr. Senghore explained that since he took the mantle of leadership of the University Professor Kah has totally uplifted and expanded both the physical and quality state of the Law faculty. The number of students has increased fivefold, new classroom blocs, a library, a moot court and now the construction of a three storey Law Clinic complex.

 Few years ago there were no full-time faculty members and now the faculty boasts of some 11full-time faculty, 10 adjunct lecturers, 7 members of the admin staff, visiting lecturers from the UK, India, South Africa, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, and a number of some other ancillary staff. The official was opportune to see lectures being conducted and speak with the students, who were surprised to see him on campus.

The consul proceeded to the nearby UTG campus, the School of Business and Public Administration where he was received by the Acting Dean of the School, Dr. Jainaba Kah and some of her staff, including Dr. Fanneh, Mr. Lang Sanyang and Mr. Muhammed E. Jammeh. Dr. Kah welcomed the Consul and explained to him that the School of Business, the largest school within the UTG, is hosted on the same ground as MDI (Management Development Institute).

MDI on the other hand has up to 1,700 total intakes. She explained the symbiotic coexistence between the two institutions; the sharing of both human and material resources. Among the other issues discussed was that concerning the UTG Consulting unit which does consultancy services. Dr. Kah led the entourage to go around the school and the embassy official once again got an opportunity to observe lectures being conducted. The American embassy official, from the School of Business, headed to the Brikama Campus which houses four of the university's schools; namely the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Education, the School of Information, Communication and Technology, and the School of Agriculture.

The VC welcomed the Consul and thanked him for taking interest in the affairs of the university. Professor Kah further informed the consul about the good work and the wonderful relationship that the UTG enjoyed with former US ambassadors to the Gambia, including Wells, White and now Alford. Prof Kah informed the official of the collaborations and partnerships with many US universities, prominent among which are Saint Mary's College of Maryland, University of Springfield, Illinois, Drexel University and University of Iowa.

Among the students were UTG Student Union executives and those of the various student associations of the various schools. After the introduction, the Consul advised the students to be steadfast and be serious with their studies. He said UTG is a very good university with very good reputation and has a dedicated Vice Chancellor. He said having a university here does not disqualify anybody from pursuing further studies in the US. He further posited that what qualifies one to get a student visa is to prove that he/she is a serious applicant.

The questions the students asked ranged from what the consul meant by "serious applicant", why so many student applicants were rejected visas, why the visa application fees keep going up, etc. The consul responded that serious student applicants are more specific in their answers and know what and where they intend to study, etc.

He further stated that "the visa application fee is mandated worldwide by U.S. law to recoup the cost of visa services. Many visas for Gambians are now valid for five years, in reciprocity with visas offered to U.S. citizens," and that the statistics he just mentioned explains the fact that the student visa issuance in the Gambia is highly competitive against other countries. From Brikama, the consul was accompanied by the Vice Chancellor and some members of the administration to Faraba Banta Science, Technology and Innovation Park.

There, he witnessed lectures by the likes of Mathematics Lecturer, Dr. Kathy Lewis, who is American. The Geo-Health Center, a joint project by the UTG and the University of Iowa, the administration offices, the Qcell donated tower, classrooms, the Taiwan donated computer labs and buses, etc., were also shown to the visitor. By 4pm the entourage, together with the Vice Chancellor, left Faraba Banta and headed to Banjul, to visit the School of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences at former RVTH now Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH).

Upon arrival they were met by the Provost Dr. Nyan and Dr. Khalil. Laboratories and classrooms were visited where students were found conducting research and doing their practicals. The new three storey building that is being constructed at EFSTH was also visited. Constractors were found on the ground and they took the team on a tour of the building.

At 5:00pm what was supposed to be a 3 hour tour, and turned into a 6 hour tour, came to an end. The consul was thanked by Professor Kah for having interest in the university and asked him to convey his gratitude to the ambassador. Professor Kah assured the Consular Officer of the university's readiness to work with the embassy.