The president made this statement on Monday at the residence of the late Vice President in Banjulinding.
He said the late VP has left a big gap. "We will pray to have someone like Badara. To have that kind of person will not be easy. Certain things convinced me to make him my vice president," he said.
"I believed that he had the knowledge, and knew how to run the government, and as a president, I wanted someone who knows government and can advise me about government. I also wanted someone who is honest and wants to work for his country. And I see all these qualities or virtues in Badara."
According to President Barrow, he wanted a vice president who would not campaign to take his position. “I never wanted that kind of person. And Badara met all these yardsticks I have mentioned. He was not after my position," he said.
The President added that VP Joof was honest and blunt. He enjoyed telling the truth, with the belief that telling the truth is the right thing to do and the best way to put things together.
"Hon. Joof’s rise to the position of vice president was occasioned by the integrity, competence and industriousness he outstandingly displayed during the five-year transition period he served as minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology in my government from 2017 to 2021," Barrow said.
He said that although he appointed the late VP to work in his administration, he was actually working for the country, which was why he got the position of vice president.
"To get that kind of person is not easy. But I will pray to God to help with someone who will do more than what Badara did,” he stated.
Below is the profile of late VP Joof
The late VP Badara Alieu Joof was a student at Armitage High School and trained as a teacher himself at Yundum Teachers' College. He had a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Bristol, a master's degree in English literature from the University of London, and a master's degree in development economics from the University of Bath.
On 22 February 2017, President Adama Barrow appointed Mr Joof as Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology.
The late VP Joof began his career as a qualified teacher, teaching English at the Gambia College. He was also head of the department of languages and literature at Nusrat High School.
He served as permanent secretary at the Ministry of Education for many years. In March 2002, he was transferred to the permanent secretary position at the Ministry of Local Government and Lands.
He worked as the World Bank Liaison Officer to The Gambia. In this role, he assisted higher education minister Mariama Sarr-Ceesay in introducing a new education policy to The Gambia. He also urged the Gambian tourism sector to move from “routine tourism” and be more proactive.
He also led a World Bank project, Support to NGO Network Tango, which had a budget of $220,000 and lasted from 2010 to 2013, the stated purpose of which was "to enhance the efficiency and accountability of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's) in delivering basic services to the poor in the country.
In 2013, Joof visited various project sites in The Gambia along with Ministry of Agriculture officials to gain a better understanding of various challenges they faced. In 2014, Joof was appointed as an Education Specialist in Dakar, Senegal, to the World Bank.
The late VP Badara Alieu Joof was the vice president of The Gambia from May 2022 till his demise after a short illness while on treatment in India.
