Bensouda Pledges Tuition Support, Transport Solutions for UTG Students Under Coalition 2026 Government

By Fatou Sillah

Talib Ahmed Bensouda, the mayor of Kanifing Municipality and presidential candidate of Coalition 2026, has pledged to address longstanding challenges facing students at the University of The Gambia (UTG), promising tuition assistance, improved public transportation, and access to essential services if elected president.

Speaking at a Coalition 2026 rally in Bakoteh, Bensouda outlined plans to introduce a tuition financing scheme that would allow university students to pursue their education without paying fees upfront. Under the proposed arrangement, the government would cover tuition costs, with beneficiaries required to repay the money after securing employment.

Bensouda said education would be a central priority of his administration, expressing his ambition to transform The Gambia into a leading educational hub in the subregion.

He also pledged to introduce public transportation for university students under Priority 66 of Coalition 2026’s development agenda, citing the difficulties students face commuting to the university’s Faraba campus.

The mayor’s remarks come amid plans by UTG students to stage a demonstration over inadequate government support for transportation and food services at the campus.

Bensouda criticized the decision to relocate university activities to Faraba without ensuring that students had adequate access to essential services.

“You can’t take the university to a far place and leave the students on their own,” he said.

He maintained that a Coalition 2026 administration would address these shortcomings by providing reliable public transportation and ensuring that essential services, including banking facilities and other public utilities, are accessible to students.

Bensouda said the proposed measures form part of his coalition’s broader commitment to improving access to higher education and creating a more supportive learning environment for university students across the country.