by Hassan Jallow
When mentioning the best high schools in The Gambia, Saint Peter’s Senior Secondary Technical School, located in Lamin, cannot be left out. It has so far produced heavyweight products since the inception of the school.
These alumni are contributing to all spheres of development within and outside the country. One such sector is the field of economics where you have a certain Dr. Yero Baldeh, who is currently a Lead Policy Adviser to the Vice President for Sector Operations at the African Development Bank (ADB), serving in the Bank as a Chief Socio-Economist responsible for task managing several inclusive growth and social protection related projects within the Bank’s Human Development Department.
Another ex-pupil of St. Peters is the current Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Abdou Kolley, who has held several roles in the Cabinet of The Gambia and had worked with the United Nations system as well.
The current Director General of The Gambia Radio & Television Services (GRTS), who also doubles as the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of the Observer Company, Momodou Sabally, is another product of the renowned school.
Momodou Sabally was an ardent Economist/Statistician at the Research Department of the Central Bank of The Gambia; then served as national Budget Director at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs. He was later appointed Secretary General and Minister of Presidential Affairs.
On February 16th 1999, Momodou Sabally graduated as valedictorian with the country’s first batch of home-grown university products with a major in Mathematics and a minor in Economics.