Banjul, 12 May 2026: The outgoing United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Country Representative to The Gambia, Ms. Ndeye Rose Sarr, on Wednesday paid a farewell courtesy call on Vice President Mohammed B.S. Jallow at the State House in Banjul, marking the end of her four-year tenure focused on population and development, reproductive health, and gender equality.
Speaking to the media after a closed-door meeting, Ms. Sarr said the visit was to formally bid farewell and reflect on years of collaboration with the Government of The Gambia.
“I came to see the Vice President to say goodbye. I’ve been serving as Country Representative of UNFPA for the past four years and I’m moving very soon,” she said. “So I came to discuss with him the programmes we implemented over the past four years.”
Ms. Sarr highlighted the strong institutional partnership between UNFPA and the Office of the Vice President, noting that Vice President Jallow, as Chair of the Statistical Council and head of the National Population Commission Secretariat, played a key leadership role in population and development matters.
“Anything related to population and development issues, I worked closely with his office and my team,” she said.
She also commended the Vice President’s active engagement with UNFPA’s mandate, citing his participation as keynote speaker at the Commission on Population and Development, as well as his presence at national commemorations such as World Population Day.
“He really supports UNFPA’s mandate on population issues,” she noted.
Reflecting on her tenure, Ms. Sarr acknowledged both challenges and achievements. She highlighted key milestones including the successful conduct of the 2024 Population and Housing Census using digital systems, the development of demographic dividend profiles for The Gambia, and the establishment of a Demographic Dividend Observatory.
She further pointed to continued progress in expanding access to reproductive health services and strengthening rights-based programmes for women, girls, and young people.
Describing the partnership with government as “very good collaboration,” Ms. Sarr praised the Vice President’s consistent involvement in data and population-related initiatives.
“The Vice President himself was very interested in anything related to population issues and data, and was really there in the background to support,” she said.
Ms. Sarr expressed optimism about The Gambia’s development path, while urging sustained efforts in key social sectors.
“We have challenges, but we are on the right path. Many strides have been made to advance the rights and skills of women, girls, and young people, and we would like that to continue,” she said.
By Mariatou Ngum & Abdou Mbye