mission & Model
about
the Gambia academy
Mission
Our mission is to build a new model of education for Africa by decolonising our education systems, restoring cultural identity, and equipping young people with practical skills, critical thinking, and self-belief. We are rewriting what education means - raising a generation empowered to lead, innovate, and build Africa’s future from within.
Story
The Gambia Academy began in 2015 not with a campus, but with a belief - that African education should empower young people to lead their own nations. We screened students village-by-village, selecting 21 young people to begin learning in a rented building with just tables and chairs.
​
From day one, we prioritised wellbeing as the foundation for learning -
providing daily meals, support, and stability where systems had failed to do so. But it soon became clear that the larger issue was not access to education, but the education model itself - outdated, disconnected from culture, and leaving graduates without the skills or confidence to build their futures at home.
​
We made a defining choice: we would not replicate the system, we would rebuild it.
​
Today, The Gambia Academy is designing a new model for African education - one rooted in cultural identity, practical skills, innovation, and self-determination. From grassroots beginnings, we are now developing a scalable curriculum, building a dedicated campus, and preparing a generation to create industries, lead communities, and transform Africa from within.
​
When Vision Becomes Infrastructure
The mission of the Academy is not confined to a single school. Our mission is to scale this curriculum across the continent, setting a new standard for African education, empowering millions of young people with the tools and confidence to lead, innovate, and transform their nations.
To achieve this vision, we are
Our Core Curriculum
Our curriculum is built around five core pillars, each crafted to blend academic depth with the practical disciplines essential to nation building from the foundation up.
Mathematics
More Than Just Equations
Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Environmental Engineering, Construction, Economics, Infrastructure Development and IT
Literacy
More Than Just Reading And Writing
Politics, Public speaking, Management, Advocacy, Business Skills, Ethics, and Governance
Science
More Than Just Textbook Formulas
Renewable Energy, Healthcare, Agriculture, Recycling, Catering
and Computing.
HISTORY
More Than Just Dates
Tracing the arc from the study of African Civilisations, to the critical impact of historical events on the modern day politics and economic environments of Africa.
Culture
More Than Just A Tourist Attraction
Music, Dance, Art, Drama, Film, Photography, Graphics, Fashion & Design and Music Technology taught with real career pathways
STAFF DIRECTORY
I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It’s easy. Just click “Edit Text” or double click me to add your own content and make changes to the font.
.jpg)
%20(2).jpg)
Phase I Academy Campus Complete
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
Describe your image
Describe your image
Describe your image
Describe your image
student showcae
This is your Team section. Briefly introduce the team then add their bios below. Click here to edit.
The Problems We Are Addressing
Despite more than a decade of schooling, Africa’s youth often graduate unprepared for employment, enterprise, or leadership.
Education Failing Africa’s Needs
​
Education in Africa, though often spanning more than 12 years of a student’s life, continues to produce graduates with paper certificates who lack the practical skills, specialist training and mental orientation to secure employment, establish businesses and contribute meaningfully to national development from the ground up.
.png)
The Gambia Academy exists to break this cycle. Our curriculum prepares young people not just to find jobs, but to create jobs - cultivating entrepreneurs, leaders, and nation builders who will drive Africa’s transformation from within.
Personal Commitment
Dr Sona Jobarteh has not only worked tirelessly to run the Academy at every level from teaching classes, to developing the curriculum, to planning its construction projects. For the past ten years, she has almost single-handedly funded the Academy, investing the proceeds of her international music career to pay for every aspect of its operation.
This has included:
1
STUDENT & STAFF
SUPPORT
-
Daily food for all staff and students
-
Daily food for staff & students
-
Student uniforms
-
Monthly salaries for 18 member of staff
-
Healthcare costs for all students
2
LEARNING AND
GROWTH
-
Books and learning materials
-
Stationary and supplies
-
Start up costs for student ventures
-
Specialist equipment (sound systems, studio equipment, instruments etc)
3
INFRASTRUCTURE
& LAND
-
Purchase of 5 plots of land for the academy campus sites
-
Staff accommodation building
-
International student accommodation
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