GAMBIA: The Challenge of Francophony in English-Speaking Zone
To demonstrate its commitment to supporting the influence of the French language and Francophony throughout sub-Saharan Africa, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to finance a 24-month "Academic and Digital Capacity Building and Digital Capacity Building" Gambia program with a view to opening Gambia, an “English-speaking country to the French language in order to facilitate regional integration and economic and educational cooperation with French-speaking neighbours”.
The University of Caen Normandy, which won FSPI "Academic and Digital Capacity Building and Digital Capacity Building" will partner with the University of Gambia, supported by the Gambian Ministry of Higher Education for the implementation of the two-year program.
The program will be financed as part of the Solidarity Fund for Innovative Projects - FSPI, with local support from AUF and Alliance Française.
The program’s focus will be on strengthening the skills of French language teachers as well as training of trainers in the French language, building of a doctoral school in The Gambia in the long term to promote and elevate academic and pedagogical autonomy, according to a Press Release by the University of Caen Normandy. The program will see French teachers being trained in The Gambia, attending courses at the University of Caen Normandy and through hybrid courses.
"The combination of incoming mobility, face-to-face training in The Gambia as well as hybrid courses will help maintain the momentum during the two years of the project. A first cohort of Gambian trainees is also expected in Caen from the summer of 2023 to follow an intensive program of language training and didactics of French as a foreign language – FLE and in French for specific objectives – FOS, in hotel and restaurant tourism." Caen stated.