The President of the Republic of The Gambia, His Excellency Mr Adama Barrow, will officially open the WACREN 2026 Conference as the special guest of honour. The President will also formally launch the Gambia Research and Education Network (GAMREN). The involvement of the Presidency highlights the value of WACREN and GAMREN in revolutionising research, science and innovation in the Republic of The Gambia. The launch of GAMREN marks the expansion of this regional ecosystem, strengthening WACREN’s mission to connect national systems into a trusted, globally integrated research and education space. WACREN 2026, hosted by GAMREN, will convene NRENs, university leaders, policymakers, technologists, researchers, development partners, and private sector actors to advance dialogue on resilient digital infrastructure, federated identity, cybersecurity, Open Science, AI for digital education, climate research infrastructure, and digital sovereignty. The event will also welcome distinguished ministers of state, including the Honourable Professor Pierre Gomez, the Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (MoHERST), and H.E. Dr. Aminata Zerbo/Sabané, the Minister of Digital Transition, Posts and Electronic Communications, Burkina Faso. Representatives from the European Union Delegation, diplomatic missions in The Gambia, government agencies, and important development partners will also attend. The Conference is funded by the European Commission through the AfricaConnect programme under its Global Gateway initiative, reinforcing long-standing Africa–Europe cooperation in building trusted, high-performance research and education infrastructure.
