UTG Lecturer Ahmed Manjang Delivers Powerful Presentation at International Water Conference in Senegal
- Gunjuronline.com
- 6 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Ahmed Manjang, Gunjur-born Lecturer in Medical Microbiology at the University of The Gambia (UTG) Medical School, is representing The Gambia at a three-day international conference themed “Water in All Its Forms in a Globalised World.” The event, held from November 25–27, 2025 in Saint-Louis, Senegal, is organised by the Institute of Advanced Studies of Ndar/Saint-Louis in partnership with Gaston Berger University, the National Academy of Sciences and Techniques of Senegal, and UNESCO’s National Commission under the Ministry of National Education.
The conference brings together leading academics, policymakers, researchers, and environmental practitioners from across West Africa and France, predominantly from Francophone countries. Manjang is the only participant from The Gambia and delivered the sole English-language presentation, which generated extensive discussion and strong interest.
His presentation, titled “Genesis of Our Struggle for the Heart of Our Ocean and Livelihood Against Fishmeal Factories: Successes, Disappointments, and the Way Forward,” explored the environmental, economic, public-health, and social implications of fishmeal production along The Gambian coastline.
“Our waters - meant to be our greatest blessings from Allah - are becoming nightmares,” he told delegates, citing severe air and water pollution, ecological degradation, and the removal of vital animal protein sources from coastal communities. “This nightmare scenario is making us hungrier, poorer and unhealthy.”
Despite challenges posed by politically connected industrial actors, Manjang highlighted meaningful gains achieved through community mobilization and legal advocacy. He referenced the halt of Golden Lead factory’s ocean waste dumping, blocking its encroachment on women’s vegetable gardens, and the acquittal of the “Gunjur Six” environmental activists.
“Our ultimate goal is to see that all fishmeal factories in The Gambia are permanently closed,” he stated.
He also presented recently published fisheries data revealing that 77% of all small pelagic fish landed at Sanyang and Gunjur between March and November 2025 were juveniles, warning that such extraction threatens long-term food security, biodiversity, and marine sustainability. “We have no doubt this catastrophic scenario is fueled by fishmeal factories,” he added.
Manjang urged West African academic institutions to take leadership in confronting illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, rather than leaving the responsibility solely to activists. He further called on the Gambian government to enforce existing environmental and fisheries regulations: “We have sound laws against IUU, but there is hardly any implementation. This cannot continue.”
About Ahmed Manjang
Lecturer in Medical Microbiology, University of The Gambia Medical School
Principal Laboratory Scientist, Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital, Banjul
Coordinator, Gunjur Conservationists and Ecotourism Association (CETAG)
Consultant on Environmental and Social Impact of Fishmeal Production in The Gambia
Founder & CEO, 100% Organic Farm, Gunjur, The Gambia
The conference continues through November 27, covering scientific, environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic dimensions of water management in a rapidly globalising World.