Mr. Joof is a Gambian politician and civil servant who has now become the country’s Second Gentleman under President Adama Barrow's cabinet.
He was a student at Armitage High School and trained as a teacher himself at Yundum Teachers' College. He holds a bachelor of education degree 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 his Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology.
Joof began his career as a qualified teacher, teaching English at The Gambia College. He was then head of the department of languages and literature at Nusrat High School. He was the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Education for many years. In March 2002, it was reported that he had been transferred to the permanent secretary 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 has 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 member 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.
