Charge d’ Affaires Joseph D. Stafford, who was at one time US Ambassador to The Gambia, arrived in The Gambia on Monday. He replaces former Charge d’ Affaires George Staples.
Brief Profile:
Ambassador (Ret) Joseph D.Stafford III was a career Foreign Officer with the State Department, who assumed the position of Charge d’ Affaires at the Embassy of the United States in Khartoum, Sudan, before he retired in February 2014.
Previously he served as: Consul General in Lagos, Nigeria, Anti-Corruption Coordinator in Baghdad, Iraq; Ambassador to the Republic of The Gambia; Deputy Chief of Mission in Cote d’ Ivoire, Tunisia, Algeria and Mauritania.
In Washington, his assignments included teaching at the faculty of the National War College and serving as the State Department’s Deputy Director of Maghreb Affairs.
He was also political Analyst for the Arabian Peninsula in the State Department’s Office of Intelligence and Research.
His earlier assignments were to Algeria, Kuwait, Egypt, Italy, and Tehran.
He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and is fluent in Arabic, French and Italian.
