Musa Njie, who participated in a Port Of Harlem Gambian Education Partnership program aimed at connecting Gambians with Americans, recently provided 30 Gambians a farewell talk as they made plans to join him and other Gambians studying in China. Njie, who is an electrical engineering student, was part of the first group of 12 Gambians that left the West African nation for China in 2016.

The Asian powerhouse began the program after The Gambia broke ties with Taiwan and resumed diplomatic relations with Beijing in 2016. The Gambia and China severed bilateral ties in 1994.

In high school, Njie focused on studying physics and had worked as a car electrician for about nine years. Upon arrival in China, the native Wollof speaker spent one year learning Chinese at North East Normal University in Changchun before beginning his electrical engineering studies at the University of Science and Technology Beijing.

The opportunity has changed Njie’s life forever and he “thanks God for giving me the chance to seek knowledge.” In addition to Wollof and Chinese, Njie also speaks English and some Mandinka.