Gambia's education minister marked his visit to Turkey on Friday to call for support in building schools.

Aboubacar Abdullah Senghore called for Turkish schools and a cultural center to be set up in the west African state.

"We want new Turkish schools in Gambia," Senghore said during a meeting with Turkey's Education Minister Nabi Avcı. "We want our children learn Turkish."

Avcı said he would raise the issue with the chairman of Turkey's Higher Education Board.

"Our relationship's focal point is education," he said. "I hope we will do good things in the field of education."

Turkey currently offers 80 scholarships to Gambian students. "We will increase the number of Gambian students who are educated in Turkey," Avcı said.

Gambia became an independent republic in 1970 and is one of the most stable nations in the region. According to official figures, Muslims comprise 90 percent of its 1.5 million population.