6 things to know about the woman who removed Jammeh and became The Gambia's VP
The removal of Yahya Jammeh after a 22-year rule of Gambia was not done by Adama Barrow alone. Fatoumata Tambajang is the woman who pulled a lot of strings behind the scenes.
Mrs Tambajang, is a former UN official and health minister. She was also the chair of the coalition that defeated Jammeh in the December 1 presidential polls.
It was no surprise that Barrow named her vice president. Here are 9 things to know about Gambia's new vice president:
1. Early life
Fatoumatta Tambajang was born on October 22, 1948. She will be 68 years of age this year. Tambajang was born in Brikama, the Gambia.
2. Education
She has a Bachelor of Arts In French language, from the University of Nice, Sophia Antipolis, France. She was educated in the Gambia, Dakar and France.
3. Family
Tambajang is from the Fula ethnic group and resides in Kanifing District. She is the mother of eight children.
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4. Career
Tambajang was an advisor to Dawda Jawara, the 1st President of the Gambia, on women's issues and children's affairs.
She also chaired the Gambia national women’s council and represented it in the Gambia national economic and social council for six years.
Tambajang served as the secretary of state for health and social welfare from 1994 to 1995 in the armed forces provisional ruling council cabinet.
She was one of two female ministers in the cabinet, alongside Susan Waffa-Ogoo. She addressed the international conference on population and development in September 1994 on behalf of the Gambia.
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5. Politics
Tambajang joined the United Democratic Party (UDP) in April 2015, during the Fass stand-off with security forces.
Tambajang once served as Minister of Health under former President Yahya Jammeh. She is a prominent pro-democracy activist.
6. Advocacy
Like we said earlier, she was the driving force behind forming a coalition of opposition parties that rallied behind Barrow during the December 1 presidential election.
Below is a video of Tambajang:
Source: Legit.ng
