Gambia’s President Adama Barrow, who’s is the Chancellor of The University of The Gambia (UTG), has approved the appointment of a Gambian national, Professor Herbert Robinson, as Vice Chancellor of the UTG on 30th November 2021, according to an official statement of the UTG.
It further indicated that the Professor’s appointment is the culmination of a rigorous and painstaking search process for an inspiring leader for the country’s only public university. He emerged as first choice in a highly competitive international group of scholars, the UTG disclosed.
Prof. Herbert Robinson has an outstanding track record as an academic and thought leader, who started his academic career at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom in 2000.
The UTG noted that he became a full Professor at London South Bank University (United Kingdom) in 2011 after he taught and led major academic programmes, including cutting-edge research and consultancy projects that benefited both international firms and public sector institutions such as the National Health Service of the UK, which collaborated with the university.
As Professor of Project Management and Sustainability Strategy, he’s said to have provided leadership in programme and curriculum development, research, building partnerships and mobilising resources, and strategic planning at faculty and university levels; that outputs from his research have been presented in international conferences and knowledge sharing events in Europe, USA, the Caribbean, Middle East, Asia and Africa.
The professor is also said to have authored a plethora of publications, including books, book chapters, technical papers, policy briefs and articles in leading international journals and conferences.
Prior to his appointment as Vice Chancellor, Prof. Robinson was Director of Knowledge, Research and Learning at the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), a specialised agency of the African Union, based in Harare, Zimbabwe.
In this capacity, the statement continued, he provided leadership in organising knowledge-sharing events such as the Africa Think Tank Summit, and in coordinating the production and dissemination of research publications to align the development priorities of African countries with key policy documents such as the African Union Agenda 2063, African Development Bank High Fives and UN SDGs 2030.
Professor Robinson also served as the Regional Advisor, Head of Capacity Development and Training Division and Acting Director, at the United Nations African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (UN-IDEP)/ UN Economic Commission for Africa based in Dakar, Senegal, from 2012 to 2015.
“Before embarking on his academic career, Professor Robinson worked in industry as a Quantity Surveyor at the London Office of Ove Arup, an internationally renowned consulting firm, and returned to The Gambia in 1991 as a United Nations National Expert to support the World Bank Second Highway Maintenance Project at the then Ministry of Works and Communications in The Gambia.
“Professor Herbert Robinson attended Saint Augustine’s High School (1978-83) and after completing his Sixth Form education at Gambia High School (1983-85), he worked at the Medical Research Council (Fajara) before pursuing further studies abroad.
“He holds a BSc (Hons) in Quantity Surveying (Construction Economics) from University of Reading, United Kingdom (1989), a Master of Infrastructure Planning from University of Stuttgart in Germany (1995), and a PhD in Infrastructure Economics from South Bank University (2001) in the United Kingdom.”
The statement concluded that the UTG “is pleased that a Gambian national will occupy the position of Vice Chancellor, to steer the direction of the university with effect from January 2022.
“On behalf of the University community, we heartily congratulate Professor Herbert Robinson”.
Mansa Banko Online could refresh that Professor Pierre Gomez was serving as Acting Vice Chancellor prior to Prof. Robinson’s appointment as the new VC of the UTG.
Previous holders of the position at UTG–which was established by an Act of the National Assembly (Parliament) in 1999 during the Jammeh regime–as records have it, were Professor Donald E.U. Ekong–Nigerian professor of Chemistry and the founding Vice Chancellor of UTG; Prof. Andreas L. Steigen; Professor Muhammadou M.O. Kah (Gambian); and Prof. Dr. Faqir Muhammad Anjum – who left in 2021.
