President Adama Barrow has nominated Muhammad BS Jallowa as the new vice president of The Gambia, according to a statement released by the president in Banjul on Friday.
Jallow’s nomination, effective February 24, 2023, comes more than a month after Badara Vice President Alieu Joof passed away in India while seeking medical treatment.
Before his passing, The Vice President had traveled to The Gambia for medical treatment around three weeks ago.
Vice President Jallow is a seasoned government official who has held positions ranging from unskilled instructor to permanent department secretary.
Prior to his mandated retirement in 2020, he served as General Secretary and Chief of the Civil Service.
As Deputy Executive Secretary, Mr. Jallow also represented his country in the Senegal-Gambia Secretariat.
In 2022, 65-year-old Joof was appointed vice-president of the country in West Africa. Before, he served as Minister of Education.
He has led a World Bank initiative, which is an assistance to NGO Network Tango. With a budget of $220,000, it operated from 2010 to 2013 with the objective of “increasing the efficacy and accountability of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the delivery of services for the disadvantaged in a member nation.”
Joof was a Gambian politician and public servant who served as The Gambia’s Vice President from 2022 until his passing.
He also served as Minister of Higher Education, Research, and Science and Technology from 2017 until 2022.