By Seedy Jobe
The Gambia Teachers’ Union Cooperative Credit Union celebrated 30 years of service on Saturday, paying tribute to the educators and cooperative leaders who helped build what has grown into one of the country’s leading financial institutions.
The event, held at the Baboucarr Ousmaila Joof Conference Hall in Brikama, drew Vice President Muhammed B.S. Jallow, cabinet ministers, education officials, veteran teachers, cooperative leaders, and members of the media.
Founded by teachers seeking a member-owned financial institution, GTUCCU has expanded over three decades to provide savings, loans, and other financial services to educators across the country. Organizers said the anniversary was both a recognition of the cooperative’s founders and a reaffirmation of its commitment to sound governance, innovation, and financial inclusion.
“We gather not only to honour the visionary men and women who laid the foundation of GTUCCU, but also to celebrate a legacy that has become a source of pride for our nation,” Saidykhan said.
Mr. Saidykhan described the institution’s growth as the product of resilience and sacrifice by its founding members, who established the cooperative with limited resources but a shared belief in collective self-help.
Ismaila S. Ceesay, president of the Gambia Teachers’ Union, traced the origins of GTUCCU to 1992, when a small group of teachers began developing the idea of a financial institution owned and managed by educators. He said the group drafted bylaws and loan policies during evening meetings, without external financing, permanent offices, or institutional support.
Mr. Ceesay singled out Baboucarr Ousmaila Joof, the minister of defence and a former leader of the cooperative, for his role in its expansion. Under Mr. Joof’s leadership, he said, GTUCCU grew from an institution with minimal resources into one managing assets worth billions of dalasis.
“You took an idea and turned it into an institution that has paid for teachers’ hospital bills, funded their children’s school fees, purchased motorcycles that carried teachers to remote schools at sunrise, and provided retirement cushions that the government alone could not offer,” Mr. Ceesay said.
Foday A. Sanyang, the chief executive of the National Association of Cooperative Credit Unions of The Gambia, described GTUCCU as a central force in the country’s cooperative movement. He said it had maintained representation on NACCUG’s board since 1996 and had contributed to efforts to improve governance, accountability, and oversight in the sector.
GTUCCU now has 46,795 members, Mr. Sanyang said. He also recognized former leaders, including Baboucarr Jeng, for helping raise the profile of The Gambia’s cooperative movement internationally.
Mr. Joof reflected on the cooperative’s transformation over the years and praised its current leadership for introducing new initiatives while preserving the principles established by its founders. He said the slogan, “Credit Unions, Happy Family,” had gained recognition beyond The Gambia, including in training programs in the United States and Canada.
Vice President Jallow, a former teacher, called GTUCCU an example of community-led development and self-reliance. He said its support for home ownership, education financing, savings and investment complemented the government’s broader development agenda.
“By mobilising domestic savings and converting them into productive investment, we have demonstrated that Gambians possess the capacity to finance their own development,” Jallow said. “A decent home is more than a shelter. It provides dignity, security, stability, and hope.”
The celebration ended with awards for pioneering members whose efforts helped establish the credit union. Organizers said they intended to make the anniversary an annual occasion to honor veterans of the union and renew its commitment to unity, self-help and shared prosperity.
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