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***PRESS RELEASE***

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

18 January 2021

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Gambia nominates former Vice President Fatoumata CM Jallow Tambajang for African Union Commission Deputy Chairperson

Banjul, The Gambia

The Republic of The Gambia has named former vice president, Her Excellency Fatoumata CM Jallow Tambajang, as the nation’s candidate for the Deputy Chairperson position of the African Union Commission (AUC), according to the Gambian presidency. The Gambian government also secured an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) endorsement for her candidacy. Next month, leaders of the African Union (AU) member nations will meet at an ordinary summit to elect a new Commission, the body’s secretariat, to run the organisation for the next four years.

Mrs Jallow Tambajang has played a prominent role in national and continent-wide platforms, with a career spanning over 35 years, including service with the United Nations and to her country as a policy adviser, minister and eventually, vice president of the Republic. In her time at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) her work focused on international development management, gender, policy, and training. As part of the Gambian government, she served in several capacities including as Policy Adviser on Women for three successive presidents, Minister of Health, Social Welfare and Women’s Affairs, before becoming vice president.

Her distinguished career has seen her recognised with several awards including the Member of the Republic of Gambia, MRG, (1994) and Eminent Person of the OAU (1990) for her exemplary leadership in championing the cause of women. She was also the architect of ‘Coalition 2016’, bringing together eight political parties to uproot Gambia’s 22-year dictatorship.

Mrs Jallow Tambajang plans to pursue an aggressive forward-looking agenda if elected to the position. She will look to accelerate the adoption and execution of the AU’s Agenda 2063 and the body’s institutional reform goals to assist in the AU’s pursuit of tackling challenges facing the continent and its people.