20,000 books for Gambia University Professor Nyang pledges 
by Lamin Jatta Head, Education desk 
Dr Sulayman Nyang, a Gambian professor at the Howard University in the US has 
pledged to donate 20,000 books from his personal library to the University of 
The Gambia (UTG). Prof Nyang, who is the head of African Studies at the 
Howard University made this pledge last Thursday at a reception organised in 
his honour by the vice chancellor of the University of The Gambia. Speaking 
at the reception Prof Nyang said, "I think the University of The Gambia has a 
humble beginning but like a mustard seed that is planted and cultivated 
properly, it could very well develop into a massive hope tree and there will 
be many birds building their nests on this tree. 
Those of you who are actively involved in helping plant, water and cultivate 
this seed of potential academic development in this country will be 
remembered by future generations of Gambians, Africans and human beings from 
the other parts of the world." Prof Nyang said the missing link in the 
Gambian education structure had always been the university and this had 
created the condition for Gambians to go abroad to acquire higher education. 
"This institution can help Gambians process data connecting with their past; 
the society at the moment is very oral and because of that much of its 
history is going through the historical shift and unless the oral history is 
transcribed and processed at a higher and more sophisticated level like the 
university, Gambians will not be enriched by serious social science analysis 
of the historical experience," Prof Nyang warned. 
Speaking earlier, the vice chancellor of the University of The Gambia, Prof 
Donald Ekong said one of the assignment of his administration was to look for 
Gambian academics abroad and to solicit advice and assistance from them as 
well as "try to interest them on what is happening at home and if possible 
bring them back home." Both Dr Tejan Sallah of the World Bank and Momodou 
Darboe of Shepherd University currently on a sabbatical leave with the UTG 
expressed happiness at the establishment of the Gambia University. Prof Nyang 
is the head of a team of American teachers who visited The Gambia last week. 
 

    
    

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