Love it or hate it, the University of The Gambia (UTG) will forever be linked with former President Yahya Jammeh.
Since its inception in 1999, the UTG has become an internationally recognised institution that prepares students to be professionals and scholars as well as the leaders of tomorrow.
According to an APRC supporter in the Diaspora, the former president, who now lives in exile in Equatorial Guinea, was committed to giving every young Gambian an education fit for the 21st century, as well as the opportunities they needed to become leaders in their fields.
“He has really succeeded in bring education to the doorsteps of the citizenry. Hundreds of students are enrolled at the UTG every year and during his presidency, those who couldn’t access their desired educational courses in the country were funded to go abroad. Most of them are now working in the civil service,” he said.
The APRC supporter added: “Irrespective of your tribe or your income, university education was accessible to everyone.”
Shortly before his election defeat last year, Jammeh was offered a special award by the alumni of the UTG for the role he played in making university education achievable in The Gambia despite strong public scepticism at the start.
Some former students described it as the country's greatest achievement since gaining independence from Great Britain in 1965.
For Besenty Gomez, , the first President of the University of The Gambia Students Union, the UTG could be compared to any other university in the world in terms of producing quality education.