Fatim Badjie (born November 13, 1983) is a

Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...

n entrepreneur, and strategic communications expert who served in various capacities in the country’s private sector.

Early life and education

Fatim Badjie was born around 1982 in

Banjul Banjul (, (US) and ), officially the City of Banjul, is the capital city of The Gambia. It is the centre of the eponymous administrative division which is home to an estimated 400,000 residents, making it The Gambia's largest and most densely ...

, is the daughter of Dembo M. Badjie, who served as Gambia's ambassador to

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. She is a member of the Jola tribe. She attended the Gambia Senior Secondary School, where she received her early education. She then continued her studies in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. She later pursued higher education at

Tennessee State University Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennes ...

in the United States, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Communication. And later she pursued a master's degree from

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

in ICT for development.

Career

She was employed at Comium Gambia, a GSM company, as senior communications officer. In March 2008 she was appointed Minister of Communications, Information and Information Technology, replacing

Neneh Macdouall-Gaye Neneh MacDouall-Gaye (born 8 April 1957) is a Gambian politician and diplomat. She served as Yahya Jammeh's last Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2015 to 2017 and as Gambian Ambassador to the United States in 2009. Early life and education Ma ...

. At the time, she was the youngest person ever appointed to the Gambian cabinet. She was dismissed from the position in February 2009. She was later appointed Minister of Health and Social Welfare, a position she held from February 2011 to November 2012. She has been a member of

Sigma Gamma Rho Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on November 12, 1922. The organization was formed as a sorority in 1922, by seven African American women in Indianapolis, Indiana. At its i ...

sorority since 2003.

Ace Communications Executive (ACE)

Badjie is the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ace Communications Executive (ACE), a communications management, training, and PR consultancy firm she established in March 2009. In an inspiring account of her entrepreneurial journey, Badjie shared that she financed ACE entirely from her personal earnings and savings in 2009''.''

References

1983 births Living people Gambian women diplomats People from Banjul Tennessee State University alumni 21st-century Gambian women politicians 21st-century Gambian politicians Women government ministers of the Gambia Health ministers of the Gambia Social affairs ministers of the Gambia Communication ministers of the Gambia Information ministers of the Gambia {{Gambia-politician-stub