Minister of Youth and Sports

BB

Hon. Bakary Badjie

Prior to his appointment as State Minister, Hon. Badjie served in different capacities in civil society organizations in The Gambia between 2003 to 2015. He studies and lived in the United States from early 2016 – 2020.

Education

Hon. Bakary Y. Badjie holds an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Eastern Gateway College in USA, a higher Diploma in Youth and Development Work from the University of Ghana, A’Level Law Certificate from Gambia Technical Training Institute. He also holds certificate as an Occupational Health and Safety Professional in the United States, and other professional course certificates from University of Connecticut, USA and Antwerp, Belgium.

Work Experience

His first appointment as Gambia’s Minister of Youth and Sports was on 1st October, 2020. Prior to his appointment, he worked as Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Engineer and later Safety Coordinator for Dragados USA (Jan. 2019 – Sept. 2020). Before joining the construction industry, Hon. Badjie worked as Youth Specialist for Ohio’s State Department of Youth Services and Kentucky based USPIRITUS Inc.

Hon. Badjie worked as Program Officer for the Child Protection Alliance (CPA) from 2004 to 2016. During the 12 years employment as Program Officer for the NGO, he served voluntarily as a member of the Gambia National Youth Council (NYC), holding the position of Chairperson for Kanifing Municipal Youth Committee for two terms (2007 – 2012), and was one termed nominated Councilor (Council Member) in the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC). He worked on contract with Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS) as Assistant News Editor. He also served in different Task Forces and working groups including the Gambia Government – UNDP Country Program Coordinating Committee, Consultative Committee on the Children’s Bill. At continental level, he served in several committees including African Civil Society Task Force on Child Participation and Focal Person for the Save the Children and Plan International West African Project on Violence against Children, among several other positions.