National coordinator for Covid-19 response appointed

State House, Banjul, 22nd May 2020 – Following the nationwide broadcast and the proclamation of a State of Emergency on 17th March 2020 and 24th March 2020 respectively, the General Public is hereby informed that His Excellency the President, Adama Barrow has appointed Mr. Alasan Senghore, Secretary General of the Gambia Red Cross Society (GRCS) as the National Coordinator for the Government of The Gambia for COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Programme.

Mr. Senghore will coordinate the work of all Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Government of The Gambia, local and international NGOs, partners and others involved in the COVID-19 Response.   He will be supported by a team that will pursue effective measures to prevent, protect and curb the spread of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in The Gambia. He will provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Health (MOH) in facilitating responses during the emergency situation. His task will also involve facilitation of the direct public health and indirect immediate humanitarian responses as a consequence of COVID-19.

The general public is hereby assured of government’s commitment to prevent the deadly disease from causing major human loss and economic disruptions through appropriate prevention of the incidence and spread of the virus.

Bio

Senghore is graduate with MBA in development studies and leadership and sustainability. His career started with the Gambia Red Cross as Youth and Field Officer, then was appointed Secretary-General. Whilst serving in this capacity, he managed to transform the Gambia Red Cross into a well-functioning national society that was respected as one of the leading humanitarian entities in the Gambia. His international career started in 1992 when he was appointed Relief Administrator for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies responsible for managing the Somali refugee operation in Kenya. He was later promoted as head of sub-delegation and eventually as head of Kenya delegation for IFRC in 1994. He joined the ICRC in 1995 as regional cooperation delegate Kenya then Deputy Head for the ICRC mission to Organisation of African Unity, Addis Ababa from 1997 to 1998. In 1998, he was appointed Regional Cooperation delegate and Deputy Head ICRC Regional Delegation in Harare, Zimbabwe. From 2000 to 2002 he was appointed ICRC head of sector for cooperation in Africa at the Geneva headquarters. In 2003, IFRC Head of Regional Delegation for Southern Africa; 2004, Head, Regional Delegation for West and Central Africa; 2007, Head of Zone for West and Central Africa. He was also appointed as Director of Africa Region for the IFRC and was given the responsibility to manage the change process and the decentralization process of the IFRC in Africa which was completed successfully. He is currently responsible for managing the coordination of support of humanitarian and development activities of the 49 African National Red Cross / Red Crescent Societies in sub- Saharan Africa.  He is responsible for the overall coordination of the Red Cross international response to the Ebola operation in West Africa. Interests: football, tennis, music, good food, making friends and networking.