By Arret Jatta
Trust Bank Plc on Tuesday honoured the 10 best-performing students in the 2025 GABECE examination during its annual Excellence in Millennium Awards ceremony, with speakers emphasising academic excellence, discipline and investment in education as key pillars for national development.
Held at Dunas Hotel in Kololi, the ceremony brought together education officials, parents, teachers and students to celebrate outstanding academic achievements across the country.
Delivering the welcome statement, Amie Kolleh Secka, Head of Sales and Public Relations at Trust Bank, described the event as a celebration of “excellence, discipline, perseverance and the limitless potential of Gambian youth.”
She said the initiative forms part of the bank’s continued commitment to education and national development through the recognition and rewarding of exceptional students.
“To our awardees, today you are being honoured not only for your outstanding results, but also for your determination, sacrifice and commitment to success,” she said.
Speaking on behalf of the West African Examinations Council, Sang Gomez, Head of National Office, commended Trust Bank for continuously recognising excellence in education.
“These students deserve all the resources needed to mould and guide them because they exhibit great potential,” Gomez said, while also calling for stricter laws against examination malpractice.
Managing Director Ngilan Senghore described the awards as the bank’s “favorite flagship programme,” adding that the students represented the future leaders, doctors, engineers and innovators of The Gambia.
She told the students that their achievements were the result of sacrifice, perseverance and commitment to success.
“Every late night of studying, every sacrifice, every challenge overcome and every ounce of effort has brought you here. Today, the entire Gambia celebrates you,” Senghore said.
The Trust Bank boss also paid tribute to parents, guardians and teachers for the role they played in supporting the students throughout their academic journey.
Representing the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Deputy Permanent Secretary Ousman Bah said the outstanding performance of girls reflected years of government investment in promoting equity in education through scholarship schemes and other interventions.
He commended Trust Bank for supporting government efforts to celebrate academic excellence and encourage young people to strive for success.
The overall best-performing student, Ebrima Ngum of Mansa Colley Bojang School, received a tablet, D20,000 and an additional D15,000 cash prize for emerging as the top student nationwide.
The remaining awardees each received D20,000, certificates of excellence and learning materials.
Brikama based Mansa Colley Bojang School emerged as the most outstanding school, receiving two separate awards of D25,000 each for producing the highest number of outstanding students and the overall best-performing student, bringing the school’s total cash award to D50,000.
Other individual recipients included Absa Ken Joof, Manjor Peace Mariama, Maram Mendy and Nyimasatou Cham, all from Mansa Colley Bojang School; Kaddijatou Ceesay from Bright Star Basic Cycle School; Elizabeth Mary Leigh from Methodist Academy and Habsatou Jallow from Charles Jaw Memorial School.
Speakers at the event highlighted the strong performance of girls, noting that seven of the top 10 students were female.
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