Hello and a warm welcome to yet another scintillating edition of Personality of the Week, your weekly column aimed at bringing prominent Gambian top notches and achievers into the limelight.
In today's edition, we bring you the profile of a successful man, an erudite civil servant who is today one of the most respectful citizens in the Gambian society; A man who deserves public attention and worth knowing. A man whom, unless otherwise, every genuine person would love to be associated with. A man generally considered the most effective Directory of Forestry in the history of The Gambia. He is Mr Jatto Sillah, Director of Forestry at the Department of Forestry, a man who is always concern for those working under him.
He is described as very strategic, thoughtful, organised, compassionate, saintly, incorruptible and honest to goodness. This man is a lot more than what he seems.
To him he believes he's only accomplished part of his vision is loyally serving his country wherever duty calls. A man who believes that one should not look up to others before putting in your efforts in whatever you do.
He began his journey into the business world from scratch climbing through the ladder, which has undoubtedly toughened him for life.
Having served in various positions in and outside the
Born on 28thOctober 1962 in the village of Kerewan-Nyakoi in the Upper River Region, Jatto started his educational journey at Nyakoi Primary School, Kerewan from 1969 to 197 and then to St. Augustine High School in Banjul from 1975 to 1980.
From Sept. 1980 - Jan. 1981 he was a Forest Guard Trainee
attached to the Reforestation Unit and from Jan. 1981 - July 1982 he became a
Forest Guard, with responsibility for aerial photo-interpretation and
preparation of the land use maps of the
He later continued to undertook a Preliminary Certificate in
Forestry at the
Jatto in the year 1985 did a Higher Diploma in Forestry specialized with thesis in Forest Management, Fire protection, Reforestation, Forest Nurseries, Aerial Photography and Mapping and Forest Research, Cyprus Forestry College, Prodromos, Republic of Cyprus.
From Jan. 1985 - March 1987, Jatto was the Senior Forest Ranger in charge of sawmills and training in utilization and sawmilling for the Gambia-German Forestry Project and in 1988, he did a Certificate of Credit Forestry Botany I, Faculty of Forestry at the Georg August University, Göttingen, Germany.
In 1989, Jatto also received a Certificate of Credit,
Forestry Botany II at the Faculty of Forestry,
Later in 1990, the indefatigable Jatto received a BSc.
General Forestry, Faculty of Forestry at the same
Jan. 1995 - July 1998Leading
Member and Secretary to the Lower River Division Task Force on Environmental
issues, such as the Strategy for the Preparation of the local Environmental
Action Plan (
Jatto also in 1994
did aCertificate L'Integration des
Sciences Humaines et Socio-Economiques dans les programmes de recherché en
matiere d´amenagement agro-sylvo-pastoral: interactions des facteurs
ecologiques et socio-economiques at INSAH/UNSCO/BMZ,
In 1993, he also did a Certificate (Advance MSc.) "Forestry
in the Tropics and sub-tropics" (MSc.) Faculty of Forestry, at
From 2004 to date, Mr Sillah is a Member of the Regional
Coastal and Marine Conservation Programme for West Africa (
He is also the Director of Forestry, Department of Forestry. He provides overall professional, managerial and administrative leadership and guidance in the implementation of the Forestry Police objectives, Gambia Forest Management Concept and all related forestry issues. Also coordinate and monitor the implementation of Forestry Projects and the implementation of the Convention to Combat Desertification as National Focal Point, and member of the steering committee for the other Rio Conventions and the Multi-Environmental Agreements.
He is also a member of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC), member to the Agriculture & Natural Resources (ANR) Working Group on policy and technical matters concerning participatory natural resources management and decentralization.
From 1998 to date, Mr Sillah is the National Consultant on Forestry and Wildlife, including coordinating the process of establishing the National Desertification partnership building for the implementation of the Convention to Combat Desertification.
From July 1998 - January 2000, he served as Senior Forestry
Officer in charge of
He was also the Senior Forestry Officer in charge of Natural Forest Management and Protection; Aforestation, and Community Forestry Management Projects, including Sawmilling and General Administration of all Forestry matters in Lower River Division from January 1996 to June 1998.
From Sept. 1996 - April 1997, Sillah was a Consultant on "Trends and Status of The Gambian Mangrove Ecosystem" and Community Mangrove Management for IFAD/WB, represented by Department of State for Agriculture and Natural Resources (MANR), and «Study of the Country Biological Diversity Strategic and Action Plan«, for the Gambian Government/UUNEP/GEF.
Jan. 1995 - Aug. 1997Member of the Working Group for the formulation of The Gambia's Forest Policy 1995-2005, Forestry Legislation 1996- 2006 and National Forestry Action Plan 2000-2010.
Publications
2008Study on National Green House Gas Inventory, Land Use and
Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF), Department of
Forestry, The
2008Study on Mangroves
and climate change of
2007Study on
Mangroves and climate change of The Gambia, Wetlands,
2006Study of Means of Production and Transport of Electrical Energy in Member State of OMVG, Impact of the Sambangalou Dam on the Vegetation and Fauna of The Gambia especially Mangrove Ecosystem, Tecsult, Canada
2005Study on the
Management of Mangrove Ecosystems of The
2004Household Energy
Strategy in The
2003The Road Map
for the Implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification (
2002Study of Means
of Production and Transport of Electrical Energy in
2001 The
Sustainable
2000 Mangrove Management, LADEP Project, MANR
1999:
1999: National Action Plan To Combat Desertification -
Action Plan on
1997: Status and Trends of Mangrove Ecosystem in The
1993 An Economic Analysis of different Skidding Methods in The Gambia, Thesis, Faculty of Forest Economics, Georg August University, Göttingen, Germany.
