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New Vice President Joof Takes Over

The newly appointed Vice President of the Republic His Excellency Dr Alieu Badara Joof was earlier on today, May 5th at the Office of the Vice President (OVP) to formerly take over from the outgoing Vice President Dr Isatou Touray.

Dr Isatou Touray accorded His Excellency Joof a warm welcome to the OVP and introduced him to the staff.
She thanked HE President Barrow for the opportunity accorded her to serve and for the support throughout her stint in office.
Dr Isatou Touray was appointed Vice President on March 15th 2019.

Dr Alieu Badara Joof was the Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science, and Technology until his appointment yesterday by HE Adama Barrow as the Vice President of the Republic of The Gambia.

His Excellency Badara A. Joof obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education at Bristol University and a Master’s degree in Development Studies at the University of Bath. He later obtained another Master’s degree in Languages and Literature in Education at the London University.
Vice President Joof was also a qualified teacher who joined the Civil service of The Gambia and rose through the ranks as; Assistant Secretary, Senior Assistant Secretary, Principal Assistant Secretary and Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Office of the President, Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Youths and Sports, and Education. He has also served as Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Ministry of Agriculture, and Ministry of Local Government and Lands.
Dr Joof was a UNDP Consultant with a Liberian Professor, on Civil Service Reform and, also a World Bank Consultant with a Danish Consultancy firm, CONSIA International, on the Community Driven Development Programme (CDDP), before joining the World Bank, a month after. While in the World Bank he worked as a Liaison Officer, Operations Officer and later as an Education Specialist for West and Central Africa.
H.E Badara A. Joof is admired by his colleagues and officers under him. He is described as a visionary leader who is proactive and meticulous to details. He has created a culture where if you work with him, you have to be on your feet.
During his term in office as the Minister of Higher Education, H.E Badara Joof successfully spearheaded series of reforms in the Tertiary and Higher Education system of The Gambia. These include the transformation of Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI) into a University of Applied Science, Engineering and Technology (USET), the transformation of Gambia College into a Teacher Education University and the transformation of Management Development Institute (MDI) into Gambia Institute of Public Administration and Management (GIPAM).
In addition, the decentralization of Technical and Vocational Education and Training in different parts of the country was done during his tenure as Minister of MoHERST. These institutions include the newly established Julangel skills center in Basse, Mansakonko skills center, Ndembban Skills center, among others.

H.E Badara Joof is a firm believer that a skilled nation is a wealthy nation. It is no secret that TVET is very dear to his heart. Through his leadership, the Ministry has just concluded the development of a TVET Policy and Research Policy. For him, The Gambian youth requires relevant skills to fit in the labor market. Against this backdrop, the Ministry is implementing a policy on entrepreneurial education through which graduates will become job creators and not a burden to government and other stakeholders for employment.
H.E Joof is not only intellectually inclined but also a technician. He is a leader who loves to uplift others by building their capacities. At MoHERST, he has encouraged the capacity building of many of his staff such as cleaners, orderlies, drivers, technicians among others to attain degrees, diplomas and certificates.
His successor Professor Pierre Gomez has had a very good working relationship with the Higher Education Ministry. He was one of the authors of the Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology policies. Moreover, he has always been a participant in the ministry’s sector retreats providing vital inputs. The Higher Education fraternity welcomes Prof Gomez into his own family; congratulates and wishes the new Vice President well in his new assignment.

- Report by Info Officers at OVP & MOHERST

Gambia your new cabinet.

Vice president = Alieu badara joof
Minister of justice= Dawda A.jallow
Minister of foreign affairs Momodou tangara
4. Minister of finance= seedy Keita
5 minister of defense sering njie
6. Minister of interior saika sonko
7. Minister of tourism Hamad bah
8. Minister of lands Aba sanyang
9. Minister of agriculture Demba sabally
10. Minister of transport Ebrima sillah
11. Minister of health Dr samateh
12 minister of education Mrs Cole
13 minister of gender fatou kinteh
14. Minister of petroleum Abdoulie jobe
15 minister of fisheries musa drammeh
16. Minister of higher education pierre Gomez
17. Minister environment Mrs Jones manjang
18. Minister of youths and sport bakary badjie

The new Vice President of the republic of The Gambia 🇬🇲 Alieu Badara Joof.

MEDIA ALERT: OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEW CABINET BY 6PM GMT ON GRTS

The public and the media fraternity are hereby informed that The Gambia Government Spokesperson, Ebrima G. Sankareh, will be announcing the new cabinet appointed by His Excellency President Barrow today, Wednesday, 4th May 2022 by 6pm GMT on GRTS.

All are therefore urged to wait for the official communication on this crucial national matter through the national broadcaster.

Signed:
Prince Bubacarr Aminata Sankanu

GPU Condemns Pres. Barrow's Eid Remarks

The Gambia Press Union condemns President Barrow's Eid remarks insinuating the media is contributing to the destabilisation of the country by giving a platform to one of his leading critics.

Barrow’s statement accusing Gambian journalists of giving a platform to human rights activist, Madi Jobarteh, who criticised his government over mismanagement of public funds, a platform to "burn The Gambia" is unacceptable.

Giving voices to those who hold the government to account is fundamental to the media's watchdog role which is guaranteed by the Gambian Constitution.

Barrow had in the past accused journalists of bias, leading to physical assaults on journalists by his supporters and State House staff in 2018 and 2021 with impunity.

"We are reminding the president to uphold his responsibility to protect press freedom and freedom expression as guaranteed by the laws of the Gambia," GPU President, Muhammad S. Bah, said.

The GPU is also concerned that the the president's remarks and the personal attack on the human rights activist could have the potential to stifle freedom of speech and expression.

President Barrow on Madi Jobarteh - Whither the 'Never Again” Mantra?
By D. A. Jawo
President Adama Barrow has no doubt gained quite a lot of experience during his past five years in office. He is certainly no longer the rookie head of state that he was when he newly assumed office in 2017, but some of his recent statements and utterances seem to indicate that he has still got a long way to go before becoming the perfect leader that we all wish him to be.
There is no doubt that many people, including some of his own supporters, were disappointed by his unnecessary rantings against Madi Jobarteh in particular and the other perceived opponents of his regime during his traditional meeting with the Banjul Muslim Elders on Koriteh day. It was certainly out of place and context for him to single out Madi Jobarteh for special criticism, even to the extent of threatening that his government was going to deal with him. I think that was quite an unfortunate statement from President Barrow and it is likely to come back to haunt his regime in the future.
Therefore, instead of being cowed by such threats, it is likely that Madi Jobarteh is basking in glory for being singled out by President Barrow, which has not only suddenly made him a centre of national and international attraction, but the statement has also got the potential of making him the rallying point of opposition to the Barrow regime. Certainly, threatening to deal with Madi could boomerang on President Barrow and the regime as henceforth any harm caused to Madi could be attributed to the regime. It was therefore not a wise decision for President Barrow to make such threats. While he may not harbour any wish to cause any harm to Madi or any of the regime's perceived critics, but what would prevent an opponent of the regime, with ill intentions, seeking to harm Madi, knowing fully well that whatever happens to him henceforth could be attributed to President Barrow and his government.
As head of state, President Barrow is no longer any ordinary Gambian who can make unguarded statements at any time and anywhere and get away with it. He should always weigh every word that he utters as it could have some unpredictable consequences. Even the very fact that these threats against Madi came just a few days after the Minister of Lands and Regional Governments Musa Drammeh had threatened to sue Madi for criticisms he had leveled against him (Drammeh) seems to indicate some apparent official conspiracy against Madi, and probably a much wider conspiracy to 'open call' critics of the regime into submission.
President Barrow and members of his administration need to face reality and accept the fact that this is a different Gambia from the one that they inherited from former President Yahya Jammeh. Gambians have regained their freedom after living under a dictatorship for over two decades and therefore, they would never again allow anyone to return them to those dark days when the head of state would behave like a lord over them and do whatever he wanted without any consequences. Just like the TRRC mantra said; “Never Again” and the sooner President Barrow and his administration accept that reality, the better for everyone.

President Adama Barrow today joined Muslims in the country to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr marking the end of Ramadan. The President performed the Eid prayers at a mass congregation held at the King Fahad Mosque in Banjul led by the Imam Ratib of Banjul Alhaji Cherno Mass Kah.

The prayers were followed by the traditional Banjul Muslim elders’ courtesy call on the Head of State at the State House. They were joined by the leadership of the Supreme Islamic Council and others within the Greater Banjul Area.

President Barrow reassured the leaders of his Government’s commitment to fulfilling its promise of providing adequate public services to the people. He said the issue of electricity will soon be addressed since the country can now generate enough power to serve everyone.

On the issue of the high cost of goods, the President said the government is doing everything possible to ease the burden. He however called on people to work hard and avoid tardiness in order to contribute to national development.

President Barrow concluded by saying he will move on to implement tough decisions in his second term. He called for discipline and professionalism in the public service.