Expertise:
- Strong field experience: - About twenty five years of progressively responsible experience in teaching, policy formulation and development planning, programme design, programme implementation, monitoring, research and evaluation, and other administrative areas mainly in the field of education. Have worked mainly in The Gambia, Mali, Zambia and Burundi. Other international work and study experiences include Tanzania, Kenya, Senegal, the U.S.A., France, and Togo. Have also provided ample leadership, guidance and motivation to staff and supported UNICEF emergency programmes in Burundi, and the development of new country programmes for the years 2001 and the period 2002-2004 respectively.
- Team leadership: Strong ability to work in teams and networks: have led teams of over 10 professionals. Keen interest in training and coaching. Strong record of team achievement. Implemented national symposia, etc. High level of attention to detail. Managing and assessing training and development needs.
- Programme/Project management: strong capacity to conceptualize, develop and implement projects/programmes, and very good organizational skills and ability to handle multiple tasks. Have managed large research projects as well as programmes in education, including programmes on girls' education and gender capacity building in Mali, The Gambia, Zambia and Burundi. Headed evaluation/review teams, and subsequently implemented review recommendations.
- Communication: Strong communication skills, including oral and written presentations to diverse audiences. Author of several practical and conceptual papers. Edited, produced and disseminated single-handedly annual reports in 2 UNICEF country offices, several donor proposals and reports, annual reviews, mid-term reviews, and conceptual comments on technical publications. Open-minded with strong analytical and synthesizing skills. Very good interpersonal skills in dealing with persons of diverse cultural backgrounds.
- Relations with donors: has a strong flare for bringing diverse donors together and facilitating their movement towards a common objective. My experiences with the donor community in Zambia were quite remarkable with very strong relations with the Norwegians, the Dutch and the USA who provided substantial funding for the Zambia girls' education programme mainly through my own personal initiatives. In Jan 1999, I was invited to Brussels to give my advice and opinions on international aid and education to a sub-committee of the European Parliament that was preparing a new convention between the European Union and the Africa-Caribbean–Pacific states (Lomé V). My presentation did make an impact on the EU-ACP planning group and has been reflected in what was eventually agreed between the EU and the ACP states. Have also maintained contacts mostly at high level with education policy makers, education managers and other partners in both national and international organizations including bilateral and multilateral agencies such as the World Bank and the Commonwealth Secretariat. In addition, working closely with a number of colleagues from the UN Family and from the World Bank, I successfully secured increased attention to addressing HIV/AIDS in Zambia in 1998 within a sector wide programme known as the Basic Education Sub-Sector Investment Programme (BESSIP) valued at U.S. $500 million, while maintaining a clear definition of UNICEF's own role in the context of such a sectoral programme.
- Other strengths: strong UNICEF experience. My thirteen years in the field has enabled me to learn a lot, and apply a considerable amount of my skills and life-work experiences. Have been in charge of UNICEF's education portfolios in four country offices.
- Healthy... other interests include reading, music, and traveling, having traveled extensively and very much acquainted with several countries in Eastern and Western Africa, Western Europe, and the United States.
- Academic and research interests - strongest areas of interest lie in fields related to the Social Sciences and complement my educational background and life-work experiences. Generally interested in economic development; educational planning and curriculum organization; social change and international relations. Specific research interests include educational planning and national development; curriculum reform and content of education; gender and equity in education; rural development; population and development; gender issues in general and various aspects of t women’s economic activity - employment and female labour force participation; debt relief; structural adjustments and its effects on vulnerable groups; child survival and development; non-governmental organizations in development; and research methods and project/programme evaluation
- Finally, it is an important premise that I hold that major competencies and contributions in a discipline (i.e. profound scholarship, significant research, dynamic leadership, problem-resolution sensitivity, and effective teaching) are achieved best when one has the opportunity to work in practical settings with professionals at high levels of quality.
Professional/ Work Experience:
- Consultant From: 01/1991 To: 03/1991 U.N.D.P. Banjul, The Gambia, Research on Credit Support for Women, Banjul, Gambia
- Consultant From: 12/1990 To: 01/1991 UNICEF, International Child Survival and Development Workshop, Banjul, Gambia
- Consultant From: 10/1989 To: 12/1989 INSTRAW and U.N. Statistical Office, Research - Women in the Informal sect, Banjul, Gambia
- Consultant From: 01/1989 To: 02/1989 INSTRAW, Small-Scale Survey - Women in Development, Banjul, Gambia
- Coordinator, Research & Documentation From: 09/1988 To: 10/1991 Government of The Gambia, Women's Bureau, Research Coordination, Women's Bureau, Office of The President, Banjul, Gambia
- Consultant From: 06/1988 To: 08/1988 Ford Foundation/ Government of The Gambia, Research Study – The Participation of Gambian Women in the Fishing Industry, Banjul, Gambia
- Consultant From: 04/1988 To: 05/1988 UNCDF, Project Evaluation, Banjul, Gambia
- Consultant From: 02/1987 To: 05/1987 UNIFEM/OPS/UNDP, Institutional Capacity Strengthening, Women's Bureau, Office of The President, Banjul, Gambia
- Project Officer, Education From: 03/1995 To: 08/1997 UNICEF, Management of Basic Education, Bamako, Mali
- Project Officer, Education From: 09/1997 To: 08/2000 UNICEF, Management of Basic Education , Lusaka, Zambia
- Project Officer, Education From: 09/2000 To: Present UNICEF, Management of Basic Education , Bujumbura, Burundi
Affiliation:
- The African Social Studies Programme (ASSP). A non-profit intergovernmental organization promoting Social Studies education in Africa, with headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Has been ASSP coordinator for The Gambia from 1981 - 1990. Elected Chairman by the Executive Committee of ASSP in March 1987 and served ASSP in that capacity until December 1990.
- The National Parliamentary-Media Task Force on Child survival and Development. (Of which the President of the Republic was the Chief Patron) GENERAL SECRETARY of the Task Force from 1989 - 1991.
- American Educational Research Association (AERA). Member 1983 - 1985.
- African Studies Association (ASA). A U.S. based organization. Member 1983 - 1985.
- Working Group on Impact of Structural Adjustment on Vulnerable Groups set up by Govt. during the period of the Economic Recovery Programme 1986 - 89.
- National Committee For The World Summit For Children (Secretary to the Committee during national preparatory activities for the World Summit for Children in September, 1990). As secretary to the committee, was instrumental in organizing local sensitization activities for the World Summit for Children held in New York in September, 1990. Also organized four regional workshops in four Divisions of the country on Child Survival, Protection and Development.
- Multi-Sectoral Working Group on Girls' Education in The Gambia. Assisted in establishing this Group and drew up the terms of reference for the working group.
- Rotary Club of Banjul - Member January 1993 - 1995. Chairman of Vocational Services of the Club and member of the Board of Directors of the club.
Geo Interest:
Sub-Saharan Africa
GDN Subject Interests:
Early Child Development | Education Reform and Management | Girls' Education | Poverty Reduction | Services and Transfers to the Poor |
