mission & Model
About
Our Mission
Our mission is to build a new model of education for Africa — one that actively decolonises our education systems, restores cultural identity, and equips young Africans with the practical skills, critical thinking, and self-determination needed to build their nations. We are rewriting what education means: raising a generation rooted in their culture, confident in their abilities, and empowered to shape Africa’s future from within.
Our Story
The Gambia Academy began in 2015 not with a campus, but with a conviction: that African children deserve an education designed for their realities, identities, and futures. We travelled village to village, selecting 21 students who began learning in a small rented building with nothing more than tables, chairs, and a vision.
From the beginning, we placed wellbeing and dignity at the centre of education — providing daily meals, stability, and a sense of belonging where systems had long fallen short. Yet it quickly became clear that the deeper issue was structural: African education was inherited, outdated, culturally disconnected, and failing to prepare young people to build their lives and industries at home.
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So we made a defining choice:
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We would not repair the old system;
we would create a new one.
Today, the Gambia Academy is implementing a transformative model of African education: culturally grounded, technically rigorous, entrepreneurial, and built around the realities of national development. From grassroots beginnings, we are now designing a scalable Pan-African curriculum, developing a dedicated campus, and preparing a new generation to create opportunities, strengthen communities, and lead Africa’s transformation from within.
Our Journey Highlights So Far
2015
Academy Opens
Academy founded in a rented building with 21 students
2016
Land Secured
Dedicated land purchased in Kartong for rural campus
2017
UNICEF Invitation
​Students invited to Italy to represent The Gambia for UNICEF
Founder & Director
Dr. Sona Jobarteh
Dr. Sona Jobarteh is an internationally acclaimed musician, educator, and cultural visionary who founded The Gambia Academy in 2015. For over ten years, she has self-funded the Academy through the income from her global music career, using every tour, performance, and creative project as a means to keep the school running and its students supported. Alongside this personal investment, she leads the Academy’s strategic direction and the development of its decolonised, skills-based curriculum. Driven by a belief in African self-determination, cultural identity, and education that builds nations, Dr. Sona continues to transform learning for the next generation while championing African excellence worldwide.
