The Government of The Gambia has announced plans to undertake a study tour of Nigeria’s Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) as part of efforts to strengthen funding for tertiary education in the West African country.

The announcement was made on Monday in Abuja when Gambia’s Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, Prof. Pierre Gomez, led a high-powered delegation to the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono, at the Fund’s headquarters.

Gomez disclosed that The Gambia had established the Tertiary and Higher Education Trust (THET) Fund, modelled after Nigeria’s TETFund, and would soon send officials to Nigeria to understudy the Fund’s operations.

He said Gambian authorities had closely followed TETFund’s activities and achievements through its website, social media platforms and other media outlets, prompting the country to adopt a similar intervention model to support its higher institutions.

The Gambian minister said the proposed collaboration would focus particularly on research and capacity development, adding that it would also deepen diplomatic relations between Nigeria and The Gambia.

He said: “We have followed the activities and achievements of TETFund carefully and found it necessary to establish a similar agency in The Gambia.”

Responding, Echono welcomed the Gambian delegation and provided an overview of TETFund’s evolution from the Education Trust Fund (ETF) into the country’s foremost intervention agency for tertiary education.

He explained that TETFund was established against the backdrop of the funding crisis that confronted Nigeria’s tertiary education system more than three decades ago, necessitating the creation of an alternative funding source for public institutions.

According to him, until the introduction of the new Development Levy by President Bola Tinubu’s administration in 2026, TETFund was primarily funded through a three per cent Education Tax on the assessable profits of companies registered in Nigeria.

Echono said only public tertiary institutions were eligible for TETFund interventions, which are designed to address critical needs across the institutions.

He listed the areas of intervention to include physical infrastructure for teaching and learning, instructional materials and equipment, research and publication, academic staff training and development, as well as other areas critical to improving and maintaining standards in higher education.

The Gambian delegation included the Permanent Secretary, MoHERST, Isatou Auber; Deputy Permanent Secretary (Technical), Dr Samba Sowe; and Project Coordinator, CPCU, Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Ndey Anta Taal.

The planned study tour is expected to provide officials of the newly established THET Fund with first-hand knowledge of TETFund’s structure, funding model and intervention strategies.