When Sainabou Jack learned that, according to the records of the UK’s architectural regulator, she was the first and only Gambian woman registered as an architect in the UK, she felt two emotions at once.
There was pride. And there was concern.
Jack had already experienced what it meant to be an outsider in architecture. During her undergraduate studies in the United Kingdom, she was the only Black woman in her cohort.
Later, during a professional placement in The Gambia, she noticed another form of underrepresentation: very few Gambian women working in architecture and the wider built environment.
By the time she qualified as an architect in the UK, the pattern had followed her into professional life. The Architects Registration Board told her that, based on its records, she was the first and only Gambian woman registered with the board.
“I was incredibly proud and humbled by that,” Jack says. But the achievement made her think beyond herself.
“Being the first was a significant personal milestone, but the fact that I was the only one highlighted to me that more Gambian women needed to be encouraged and supported to enter the industry.”
That realization became the foundation for Tabaxh, a scholarship initiative Jack founded in 2021 to support Gambian women pursuing education and careers in architecture, construction, planning, design, and the wider built environment.
The organization awarded its first scholarships in 2022. Since then, 12 women have received support. Ten have completed their courses; one is studying an HND in Building Technology, and another is pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Planning and Design.
For the women receiving that support, the scholarship is not simply financial assistance. It is helping turn ambitions that might otherwise have been constrained by cost into professional careers.
‘It has made life very easy’
Fatoumatta M. Bah is a third-year UTG student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Planning and Design under the School of Engineering and Architecture.
Her interest in the built environment began with a fascination for design, creativity, buildings, and the ways spaces can be created to improve people’s lives.
“I chose architecture because I enjoy designing spaces that are functional, comfortable, and beneficial to people,” she says.
For Bah, studying architecture is also connected to a larger ambition: contributing to The Gambia’s development. “It has always been my dream to be in the construction industry.”
She learned about the Tabaxh scholarship through a friend and a link shared on her school’s group chat. The support, she says, has reduced the financial pressure associated with university and allowed her to concentrate more fully on her studies. “It has helped reduce my financial burden and allowed me to focus more on my education.”
For her family, the impact has also been significant.
“It has made life very easy for me and my parents because of the benefits it comes with,” she says.
The financial relief has given her greater peace of mind and motivated her to work harder towards her career goals. Her experience illustrates one of the central issues Jack identified when establishing Tabaxh: academic ability and ambition can exist alongside financial barriers.
Ramou Gomez is another beneficiary of the Tabaxh scholarship. She studied Technician in Building Construction at the then Gambia Technical Training Institute between 2023 and 2024 and is now a construction professional. She is currently pursuing her civil engineering qualifications at Shaykh Mahfous of Technology under a different opportunity.
A student may have the determination to pursue a technical profession but still struggle with tuition, equipment, transport, and other costs associated with training. Scholarships can therefore become a bridge between aspiration and opportunity.
From scholarship recipient to graduate
Rohey Kah has already crossed that bridge.
She holds a diploma in Architectural Draftsmanship from the Gambia Technical Training Institute and recently completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Planning and Design at the University of The Gambia. She is now looking towards a career contributing to the country’s development.
Her motivation for entering architecture and construction comes from an interest in creating “sustainable, functional, and resilient spaces” suited to The Gambia’s local context. For Kah, architecture is not simply about putting up buildings.
“Architecture and construction are not just about erecting buildings; they form the physical framework of our communities,” she says.
She is particularly interested in issues such as passive cooling, sustainable building materials, and infrastructure for agriculture and urban development.
“Building in The Gambia means playing a direct role in how our towns, agricultural facilities, and human settlements sustainably evolve for future generations.”
Kah discovered Tabaxh during her first day at university. During orientation, her head of department announced that a foundation was willing to sponsor women interested in construction and related fields.
Kah went to the office, received the information, and applied. The scholarship, she says, became a turning point. It removed much of the financial pressure associated with university and allowed her to focus on demanding coursework and research. But she says its impact extended beyond tuition.
It gave her “peace of mind” and reinforced the importance of community support in helping young professionals develop.
“Tabaxh scholarship didn’t just help me graduate,” she says. “It equipped me with the professional competencies needed to contribute meaningfully to infrastructure, urban planning, and development in The Gambia.”
Still a male-dominated field
The experiences of Bah, Gomez, and Kah also demonstrate why Jack believes representation matters. Bah says women are increasingly participating in the built environment, but there is still considerable room for greater representation and opportunity.
Architecture and construction have traditionally been viewed by some as male-dominated fields, she says, and that perception can discourage young women from pursuing them. She also says women can face discrimination, particularly from men, within society.
But she sees signs of change. More women are studying architecture, engineering, construction, and related disciplines.
With greater encouragement, mentorship, equal opportunities, visibility, and scholarships, she believes more young Gambian women can enter and progress within the industry.
Kah similarly describes women’s participation as gradually evolving.
Historically, she says, areas such as architectural drafting, site construction, and structural planning have been heavily male-dominated. But she is now seeing more talented young women entering architecture, engineering, and planning.
For both women, the presence of others matters. A woman entering a technical field is more likely to see a possible future when she can identify people who have already taken that path. That is precisely the representation gap Jack encountered during her own career.
Meanwhile, the 2018 Gambia Labour Force Survey, produced by GBoS and catalogued by the ILO, found women accounted for only 0.7% of employment in construction, compared with 12.5% for men, illustrating the severe gender imbalance in the built-environment workforce.
More recently, the Government has sought to widen the pipeline: MoHERST/USET introduced a 30% tuition-fee discount for female students enrolling in Engineering and Construction Technologies, while the National Youth Policy 2019–2028 calls for expanded skills, employment, and entrepreneurship opportunities for young women.
Beyond tuition
Tabaxh’s current scholarship package includes tuition fees, uniforms, and essential protective equipment, while Jack also provides guidance and support to scholars where possible.
Bah says the package has been particularly valuable. She believes scholarships of this kind can help address part of the educational barriers faced by girls and young women in The Gambia. But she also believes more support is needed beyond tuition.
She calls for greater involvement from government, philanthropists, private organizations, and wider society in providing scholarships, internships, mentorship, training opportunities, and financial assistance.
Universities and organizations, she says, can also provide more opportunities for students to gain practical experience.
Kah makes a similar argument. Even with Tabaxh’s support, she says, students and young professionals can face other obstacles, including the cost of specialized software, access to hands-on site experience, and the financing needed to start professional ventures or acquire tools.
She believes the government can fund internships for graduates and strengthen vocational training. Philanthropists and sponsors could expand grants to cover practical learning tools, research materials, and post-graduation support. Society, meanwhile, needs to challenge gender stereotypes surrounding technical professions.
A pipeline, not just a scholarship
For Jack, the ultimate ambition is to build a pipeline of Gambian women who can qualify, work, and lead in the built environment. That requires sustained funding. Funding remains Tabaxh’s biggest challenge. There are often more strong applicants than the organization can support.
The organization has therefore chosen to grow cautiously, prioritizing the ability to properly support each scholar rather than increasing the number of recipients beyond its financial capacity.
Its funding comes from corporate donations, individual fundraising, and personal contributions. Donors can make one-off or recurring contributions, including sponsoring a scholar for the full duration of her course.
Jack hopes eventually to expand the package to include transport assistance, stipends, and laptops. The aim is not simply to help women enter university. It is to help them stay, graduate, and build careers.
Kah’s journey provides an early example of what that can look like. She entered the programme as a student and has now completed her degree in Planning and Design.
Her message to future applicants is direct: “Do not hesitate to apply, just go for it.”
For Bah and all Tabaxh scholars, the scholarship represents an opportunity to keep pursuing dreams that began with a fascination for buildings and design.
For Jack, their experiences offer a glimpse of the future she imagined when she learned that she was the first and only Gambian woman architect registered in the UK. Her achievement once highlighted how few Gambian women had reached that point.
Tabaxh is an attempt to change what comes next. Twelve women have so far received support. Ten have completed their courses, while others are still studying. The numbers remain modest, and funding continues to limit how quickly the initiative can grow.
But each graduate adds another woman to a profession where women have historically been underrepresented. And each student still studying represents another potential architect, planner, designer, engineer, or construction professional.
The significance of Jack’s story may therefore not ultimately lie in being the first. It may lie in what she does with that distinction. She encountered a door that very few Gambian women had passed through. Instead of closing it behind her, she is trying to hold it open for others.
