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No, I never had the intention to be foreign minister. His Excellency never offered me the position, and I never asked for it. I had no ambition for a… - Fatoumata Tambajang
" "No, I never had the intention to be foreign minister. His Excellency never offered me the position, and I never asked for it. I had no ambition for any particular role. My focus was on ensuring that he had a strong cabinet, and I supported him in that process. He consulted all the political leaders and offered positions to them. For me, political leaders are more important than any position. It's never been about the role itself. If it were about positions, I would have gone back to the UN or pursued another opportunity, as I have the qualifications. While I'm not perfect, I would have sought higher roles if it were about personal gain. Now, if positions didn't matter, why did I hold onto the vice president position for so long when I knew my age was a factor? Why didn't I step aside? I could have said, 'I've helped remove Jammeh, that's enough,' but I chose to stay, even though The Gambia was without a full-time vice president. It's good you asked. I've often consulted with the president about stepping down, suggesting that my ambition was to support him in any role other than vice president. I even suggested some names for the vice president role, and he is a living witness to this. But people don't fully understand me. The president told me that, as far as he and the country are concerned, I deserved to be vice president—not for personal reasons, but because of my background and experience. He said this when he swore me in. He didn't appoint me because I was the chair of the coalition. He chose me because of the trust, my expertise, and my contributions to the coalition.
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About Fatoumata Tambajang
Aja Fatoumata C.M. Jallow-Tambajang (born 22 October 1949 in Brikama, Gambia) is a Gambian politician and activist. She holds a BA in French from the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis. She served as Vice President and Minister of Women's Affairs under President Adama Barrow from February 2017 to June 2018. She previously chaired the Gambia National Women's Council and advised President Dawda Jawara. After the 1994 coup, she served as Secretary of State for Health and Social Welfare. Appointed Vice-President in January 2017, she was initially ineligible due to age restrictions but was later sworn in after a constitutional amendment in November 2017. She had also chaired Coalition 2016, the alliance that supported Barrow’s presidential bid.
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Additional quotes by Fatoumata Tambajang
The success lies in having an independent mediator, respected by all political parties and with whom I have good relations. Gambia is a close-knit country, and through my professional life, both within and outside the UN, I've interacted with many of them. People here see me as a mother figure, recognizing that I have no political ambition beyond uniting them. My only agenda is The Gambia, without any political affiliation or interest. This neutrality, along with the respect and trust from political leaders, made it possible. No single person can claim responsibility for creating the coalition—it was supported by both the sub-region and the wider region. These key factors are what made it successful.
The economy is now growing, and what we want to see next is the start of decentralization efforts for the benefit of the people. These changes will take time, so I urge the public to be patient and support the government's initiatives in whatever small ways they can, for the greater good of the country.
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I would rate him fairly well, giving President Barrow a 60%, considering the challenges he inherited and the current situation. We have the resources, but the capacity is lacking. The issue of peace and stability was a major concern from the start. There were numerous crises that he had to manage, which led to sleepless nights for him and many of us. We had to ensure social cohesion, dealing with incidents like the Faraba case, the Busumbula youths, and the doctors' strike—things were sporadic, changing from one issue to the next. Barrow is a very peaceful man, regardless of where I stand. As a believer, I speak the truth because that's what matters in the end, and that's what I'll be accountable for. We have a leader who needs our support. Coming from the private sector, he had no previous experience in public service. That in itself deserves credit, as he assembled a cabinet of people from various disciplines. Within one year, his government managed to stabilize the economy, which was in disarray, and stabilize the country amidst various factions, including an active APRC. When we took over, the private sector was in a dire state, burdened by high taxes and a lack of incentives to promote growth and create jobs. Civil society and the media were disillusioned, so we had to reignite the sense of citizenship and work towards rebuilding the country.
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