What Happens After the Gambia Teacher Prize? Meet Malang Sanyang

When Malang Sanyang received the 2025 Gambia Teacher Prize Regional Award, the recognition came with an opportunity to do something meaningful for himself and his family.

A year later, that opportunity has taken root on a farm.

Malang teaches in the last village in The Gambia before the Senegalese border, a remote community where many teachers are reluctant to serve. With his prize money, he decided to invest in farming, establishing a farm and fencing it with wire.

Today, he grows groundnuts, beans, cassava, okra, watermelon and cucumber, using the farm to support his family and create an additional source of livelihood.

During the school term, Malang travels to the farm on weekends to tend to his crops. When schools close for holidays, he spends more time there, caring for the farm and ensuring it continues to produce.

For Malang, the 2025 Teacher Prize was not simply a moment of recognition. It provided an opportunity to invest in something that continues to benefit him and his family, while he remains committed to teaching.

The award may have been given in 2025, but its impact continues to be felt today.