Gambian Prison Officer Becomes First Female in Service to Earn International Journalism Degree

By Hadram Hydara

A Gambian prison officer has become the first female officer in The Gambia Prison Service to achieve an international bachelor’s degree, after funding her own studies abroad on unpaid leave.

Saruba Bojang, who enlisted in the prison service on January 2, 2013, self-funded her studies to pursue a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and journalism at Cavendish University Uganda without a scholarship or salary.

“Driven by the belief that education can transform institutions and change public perception, I took a bold step to pursue higher education,” Bojang said. “I left The Gambia on study leave without salary and without any scholarship to pursue a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and journalism at Cavendish University Uganda.”

Born on 1 January 1992 in Bwiam Village, Foni Kansala District, West Coast Region, Bojang attended St. Edward’s Primary School, St. Edward’s Junior School, and Daddy Jobe Comprehensive Senior Secondary School. Before her degree, she earned a Diploma and Advanced Diploma in International Relations from BIPS in The Gambia and completed the ASP Basic International Course at the Nigerian Correctional Staff College in Barnawa, Kaduna State, Nigeria.

Bojang said her ambition aligned with capacity-building efforts under the Security Sector Reform (SSR) blueprint aimed at strengthening national security institutions.

“This journey was not an easy one. I went on study leave without salary and without a scholarship. With nothing as a less privilege child who works with the gambia prison an institution where many chose to ignore, but hope, prayers, and determination,” Bojang said. “I said to myself the sacrifice was worth it, knowing the importance of investing in human capital and empowering fellow officers with the knowledge and skills needed to contribute meaningfully to institutional transformation.”

Now both a prison officer and a journalist, Bojang explained her decision to focus on human rights and public communication in correctional facilities.

“Prisons are often a center that many choose to ignore. But I believe education, professionalism, and storytelling can change that narrative,” she said. “I am not only a Prison Officer, but also a Journalist. I chose this path to contribute to the transformation and reformation of our prisons, with a strong focus on human rights and modern correctional service through communication.”

She expressed gratitude to God, her parents, the Mayoress of Banjul, Rohey Malick Lowe, and her husband, Superintendent Lamin Sambou, for supporting her throughout her academic journey.