The President-Elect’s Most Important Hire

Soon to be former President Jammeh has dealt a heavy blow to our institutions, setting them back decades of years. President Elect Barrow and his team will have a lot of work in front of them to bring our institutions back to respectability. Today, I would like to focus on the Office of the President, and what I consider to be one of the most important positions to fill by President Elect Barrow.

Names are being floated for the various cabinet positions, from Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Attorney General, to Secretary to the cabinet. These are all very important positions to fill, but there is one position that is not being mentioned but deserves just as much attention, the position of Chief of Staff/Aide-De-Camp to the President.

With President Elect Barrow’s relative lack of experience, he will need a very strong, experienced, and most importantly a Chief of Staff/bureaucrat who is able to manage the day-to-day operation of the President’s Office, and also help drive the Coalition’s Agenda. President-Elect Barrow will need someone that is very organized, and detail oriented, very innovative and understands new technology. This person will guide the president in his dealings with the strong personalities that will make up his cabinet, and also help the President work with a Parliament that is complete with APRC sympathizers. The President will also rely on the Chief of Staff to recruit and vet people to fill the remaining positions that make up the Office of the President. This person is also responsible for managing what makes it to the President’s Daily briefing list. From International Affairs to Domestic Affairs, the Chief of Staff must be someone who understands the complex world we live in. This is why I believe filling the post of Chief of Staff is one of the most important appointments the President-Elect will make.

Let the search begin.

#GambiaHasDecided

Malick Senghore

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3 Comments

  1. Employing the right persons in positions if power and great responsibility is like having the on half done before it getting started.

    I think our traditional ways of hiring, especially based on higher qualifications as a top criteria must change in order to get the right people in the right jobs. That meaning, we must, in addition to academic qualifications, look out for the right character, integrity, love for nation/ nationalism/patriotism, honesty etc.

    We could also ensure a culture of continuous and practical application of knowledge gain be the norm if all our organizations – apply, text and experiment with knowledge gained other just sitting behind a desk with a face like the nation owes you…

    In essence, it would be a like one large laboratory of a nation experiments with knowledge gain be it intellectually, practically, in industry, poetry etc. This culture could be experimented in schools yo nurture a culture of practical learning instead of passing exams with high grades but never able to produce, advance or great any thing…

    Long I guess but what do you think….

  2. The task ahead of Barrow and the coalition is mammoth. The country is not only facing economic collapse, but also societal disintegration. For the last 22 years, every aspect of Gambian life was controlled and micromanaged by one man and his clique.

    No doubt the demand for justice will be made by Gambians. But for a functional government, I feel the new president and his team will have to reorganize the public service sector, including the parastatals, in a manner that will not be seen to be witch hunting.

    The country needs public servants that hold positions by virtue of their qualification and suitability, and not by ethnic affiliation, as has been the case in the last 22 years. Truly, I don’t envy Barrow and his team, in view of the herculean task I see before them. Wishing all Gambians good luck

  3. I think Gambia has collapsed economically as well as disintegrated socially. The task ahead of the new government and all citizens of concern is indeed ‘herculean’. It is the era in the Gambian politics that puts the citizens to test.