mission & Model
About
Our Mission
Our mission is to build a new model of education for Africa — one that actively decolonises our education systems, restores cultural identity, and equips young Africans with the practical skills, critical thinking, and self-determination needed to build their nations. We are rewriting what education means: raising a generation rooted in their culture, confident in their abilities, and empowered to shape Africa’s future from within.
Our Story
The Gambia Academy began in 2015 not with a campus, but with a conviction: that African children deserve an education designed for their realities, identities, and futures. We travelled village to village, selecting 21 students who began learning in a small rented building with nothing more than tables, chairs, and a vision.
From the beginning, we placed wellbeing and dignity at the centre of education — providing daily meals, stability, and a sense of belonging where systems had long fallen short. Yet it quickly became clear that the deeper issue was structural: African education was inherited, outdated, culturally disconnected, and failing to prepare young people to build their lives and industries at home.
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So we made a defining choice:
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We would not repair the old system;
we would create a new one.
Today, the Gambia Academy is building a transformative model of African education: culturally grounded, technically rigorous, entrepreneurial, and built around the realities of national development. From grassroots beginnings, we are now designing a scalable Pan-African curriculum, developing a dedicated campus, and preparing a new generation to create opportunities, strengthen communities, and lead Africa’s transformation from within.
Our Journey Highlights So Far
2015
Academy Opens
Academy founded in a rented building with 21 students
2016
Land Secured
Dedicated land purchased in Kartong for rural campus
2017
UNICEF Invitation
​Students invited to Italy to represent The Gambia for UNICEF
Founder
Dr. Sona Jobarteh
Dr. Sona Jobarteh is an internationally acclaimed musician, educator, and cultural visionary who founded The Gambia Academy in 2015. For over ten years, she has self-funded the Academy through the income from her global music career, using every tour, performance, and creative project as a means to keep the school running and its students supported. Alongside this personal investment, she leads the Academy’s strategic direction and the development of its decolonised, skills-based curriculum. Driven by a belief in African self-determination, cultural identity, and education that builds nations, Dr. Sona continues to transform learning for the next generation while championing African excellence worldwide.
