Fatoumata
Jallow-Tambajang has been named as the new vice president of The Gambia in the
government of President Adama Barrow.
She
was adviser to the first president of The Gambia, Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, on
women and children’s affairs, and Yahya Jammeh’s minister of health, social
welfare and women’s affairs, 1994-95.
She
had also worked with the United Nations Development Programme as a gender and
development expert.
Her
appointment was announced yesterday by Halifa Sallah, the spokesperson of the
Coalition government, at a press conference held at Kairaba Beach Hotel in
Kololi.
Madam
Tambajang has been instrumental in successfully bringing the fragmented
opposition parties to come together to form a formidable coalition to challenge
the entrenched and veteran president, Yahya Jammeh.
She
was later made the chairperson of the coalition,which eventually defeated
Jammeh in the 1st December 2016 presidential election, bringing an abrupt end to
Jammeh’s 22 years grip on power.
The
new vice president was born on 22 October 1949 in Brikama. She was schooled in The Gambia, Senegal and
France.
She
is a national female icon, mother of eight children and an award winning
UNDP-groomed development practitioner focused on gender mainstreaming.
During
her work with UNDP and other international women rights NGOs, she had manned
various leadership positions for more than 20 years including in challenging
environments such as in war-torn Mano River and Great Lakes regions.
She
is said to be a dynamic human rights defender, active in women’s and political
activism in The Gambia.
She
had chaired the Gambia National Women’s Council, and represented it at the
Gambia National Economic and Social Council for six years.
