OHIO delegation travels to The Gambia and Senegal to advance West African partnerships

An Ohio University delegation traveled to The Gambia and Senegal this summer, meeting with government officials, university leaders and OHIO alumni across both countries to strengthen partnerships that have connected OHIO to West Africa for decades.

The delegation included College of Arts and Sciences Dean Matthew Ando, Patton College of Education Dean Lisa Harrison, Patton College Associate Dean Danielle Dani and African Studies Program Director Tom Smucker. Haley Duschinski, senior advisor to the provost on global affairs and director of the School of International Studies and Languages, led the group.

In Banjul, the delegation met with Dr. Pierre Gomez, Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (MoHERST), and with leadership at the University of The Gambia (UTG), The University of Education, The Gambia (UEG) and The Gambia University of Applied Science, Engineering, and Technology (USET).  The conversations focused on higher education development and on the ways Ohio University might contribute to The Gambia's transformation agenda.

The delegation met with principal officers of the National Research and Innovation Fund (NRIF), including Executive Director Dr. Momodou Sallah, and attended the launch of the Student Revolving Loan Scheme (SRLS), directed by OHIO alumnus Dr. Samba Bah. These are two of the three national funds established under MoHERST to support research, innovation and higher education in The Gambia.

The delegation also met with Chargé d'Affaires Robert Anderson at the US Embassy in Banjul to discuss educational exchange opportunities between the United States and The Gambia. The Embassy team described their work to provide educational advising to Gambian students and outlined areas where Ohio University can contribute to the country's workforce development and technical education priorities.

"Our partnerships in West Africa were built over decades through intentional and sustained investments by faculty and students," said Duschinski. "It’s incredibly energizing to see The Gambia's ambitious commitment to expanding access to education and building a knowledge economy that serves the whole country. We have a great deal to learn from our colleagues doing that work in The Gambia, and their efforts make Ohio University a stronger institution."

A relationship built through African Studies

OHIO's connections to The Gambia are sustained through the African Studies Program in the School of International Studies and Languages, which has cultivated relationships with Gambian scholars, institutions and government agencies over many years.

The Africa Studies Program offers undergraduate and graduate coursework including an MA in African Studies. Among the program's distinctive assets is instruction in Wolof, one of West Africa’s most widely spoken languages. OHIO is the only university in the state and one of the few in the nation that offers Wolof.

The African Studies Program maintains the relationships that enroll Gambian graduate students across the University. In fall 2025, OHIO enrolled 23 students from The Gambia, all of them graduate students. In spring 2026, 10 Gambian students graduated in mathematics, applied linguistics, international development studies, history, African studies, computer education and technology, business administration, public administration and environmental science.

"Our Gambian students continue to be vital contributors to academic life at Ohio University across a wide range of disciplines, including in the African Studies program,” said Smucker. “In the School of International Studies and Languages, they enrich our understanding of the deepening interdependence that connects the United States and Africa, from mineral supply chains to expanding trade and investment.”

“Every day, OHIO students from the US and around the world engage critically with these questions and what they mean for economic and social development, environmental sustainability, and language and cultural change," said Smucker.

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Alumni in national leadership

The delegation's meetings were facilitated by OHIO alumni now serving in senior positions across Gambian government and higher education.

Dr. Ousainou Sarr, who earned his Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Administration in 2021, his MA in Public Administration in 2016, and his MA in International Affairs (African Studies) in 2015, serves as Acting Dean of the School of Education at the University of The Gambia. He plays a central role in the development of the University of Education, The Gambia, the country's new public university dedicated to preparing teachers and educational leaders.

Dr. Samba Bah serves as executive director of The Gambia's Student Revolving Loan Scheme, one of three national funds established to finance higher education. He completed his PhD in Higher Education Administration in 2018 and his MA in International Development Studies in 2013.

Education and the arts and sciences

For the Patton College of Education, the visit centered on teacher preparation and educational leadership at a moment when The Gambia is building new institutional capacity in both.

“Our students and alumni from The Gambia are an important part of the Patton College community, and this visit was a powerful reminder of the lasting impact of those relationships,” Harrison said. “ It was especially meaningful to see our alumni serving in significant leadership roles and helping shape the future of higher education and educational access in The Gambia.”

“Our conversations with university leaders, government officials and other partners also reinforced the importance of continuing to build relationships that create opportunities for students, strengthen institutions, and foster learning across our countries. We are proud of our longstanding connections to The Gambia and excited about what we can continue to accomplish together,” Harrison said.

The Gambia's transformation agenda also includes significant investment in applied science, engineering, and technology — fields where Ohio University has research depth as well as a long record of training West African graduate students. These students have excelled in the College of Arts and Sciences and in a wide range of academic programs at OHIO.

“Students from Ghana and The Gambia contribute wonderfully to graduate programs across the college and University, and they return to become leaders in their home countries,” Ando said.

“Both countries have ambitious plans for transformation of higher education. It was exciting to see those plans under way in The Gambia, often with OHIO alumni in the lead,” Ando said. “I am excited to explore how we can find new ways to partner with them for our mutual benefit.”

Dakar and the West Africa Research Center

From Banjul the delegation traveled overland to Dakar, Senegal to meet with leadership of the West Africa Research Center, a longstanding partner that supports faculty and graduate student research, scholar mobility, and study abroad development across the region.

Ohio University maintains memoranda of understanding with the University of The Gambia, Cheikh Anta Diop University, and the West Africa Research Center.

The delegation's visit to The Gambia and Senegal followed several days in Ghana, where OHIO faculty met with partners at the University of Cape Coast and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, as well as alumni.