29 September 2026 – Helping Hands Academy e.V. has written to German Foreign Minister Dr Johann Wadephul regarding the continuing difficulties faced by people in The Gambia in accessing recognised German language examinations.
There is currently no examination centre in The Gambia offering recognised German language examinations. Learners who wish to take such an examination therefore often have to rely on examination opportunities outside the country. In practice, this frequently means travelling to Dakar in Senegal. This creates additional organisational and financial barriers, regardless of how well candidates have prepared linguistically for their examination.
A further reason for writing at this particular time was Foreign Minister Dr Johann Wadephul’s visit to the Goethe-Institut and his comments on the importance of the German language and international exchange. For Helping Hands Academy, this provided an appropriate opportunity to raise the situation of Gambian learners of German directly once again.
Helping Hands Academy already has its own educational and examination infrastructure in The Gambia. Our education centre can provide language courses and digital learning opportunities. A functioning examination structure for Italian language examinations is already in place. From our perspective, this experience demonstrates that practical solutions for recognised German language examinations in The Gambia could also be possible in principle.
By writing to the Foreign Minister, Helping Hands Academy is not seeking to pre-empt any political decision. Rather, we want to draw attention to the current situation and encourage a professional and open-ended review. At the same time, we have expressed our willingness to contribute existing infrastructure and practical experience to any potential cooperation.
HHA is expressly not asking for preferential treatment or for any organisation to be instructed to cooperate. The aim is an open-ended assessment of how reliable and practically accessible opportunities to take recognised German language examinations could be created for people in The Gambia.