A 4-day Commonwealth-organised workshop trained University of The Gambia educators in Python and AI fundamentals via applied case studies, aiming to cascade AI teaching capacity as a pilot for wider Commonwealth replication.
Details
Maturity
Pilot
Promoter
University of The Gambia / Commonwealth Secretariat / QCIF
Period
2024
Keywords
higher education, research capacity, AI/ICT skills
Context
From 6-9 August 2024, the Commonwealth Secretariat and Australia's Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation (QCIF) ran a four-day 'Train the Trainers' workshop at the University of The Gambia (Serrekunda), teaching Python programming and AI fundamentals to university educators through case studies in environmental management, infrastructure and transport.
Activities
The workshop forms part of the Commonwealth AI Consortium (CAIC, launched 2023), which aims to build digital and AI skills across Commonwealth countries. Dean Dr Mbemba Hydara and Deputy Permanent Secretary Abodulie Jammeh welcomed it as a milestone for national research capacity, and organisers positioned it explicitly as a pilot for replication in other Commonwealth regions.
Results
Neither the Commonwealth Secretariat's nor Commonwealth Union's coverage reports the number of educators trained, any assessment of skills gained, or subsequent classroom application — the evidence available is organisational/promotional reporting rather than an independent evaluation.
Implementation
Indicative cost
Low (< €50k)
Time to results
Short (< 1 year)
Staffing & skills
Commonwealth Secretariat, Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation (QCIF), University of The Gambia leadership and educators
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