Mambury Njie

Mambury Njie (born 27 June 1962) is a Gambian politician and the current Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs in Adama Barrow's cabinet.

Mambury Njie
Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 July 2018
President	Adama Barrow
Preceded by	Amadou Sanneh
In office 27 January 2011 – 23 April 2012
President	Yahya Jammeh
Preceded by	Abdou Kolley
Succeeded by	Abdou Kolley
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 23 April 2012 – 23 August 2012
President	Yahya Jammeh
Preceded by	Mamadou Tangara
Succeeded by	Mamadou Tangara
Minister of Economic Planning and Industrial Development
In office July 2010 – February 2011
President	Yahya Jammeh
Secretary General Head of the Civil Service
In office June 2005 – October 2006
President	Yahya Jammeh
Personal details
Born	27 June 1962 Banjul, The Gambia
Nationality	Gambian
Political party	Independent
Alma mater	East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania Columbia University
Profession	Economist

Education

In 1986, Njie graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania in the United States. In 1993, he completed a master of arts in international affairs at Columbia University, New York.[1]

Political career

Early career

Njie entered government service as an analyst with the Policy Analysis Unit, Office of the President, from 1989 to 1990. For the next two years, he worked as an economist with the Department of State for Finance and Economic Affairs. From February 1994 to July 1996, he worked as principal economist and head of the Macroeconomic and Financial Analysis Unit (MFAU) at the department.[1]

He entered the foreign service in July 1996 as economic counsellor at the Gambian Embassy in Taipei, Taiwan. From January, he became acting deputy head of mission, an in March he became chargé d'affaires at the embassy. From November 1997 to June 2001, Njie was the acting Gambian Ambassador to Taiwan and the Philippines.[1]

Presidential advisor and Minister

In July 2001, Njie returned to The Gambia and worked as Permanent Secretary at the Office of the President. He oversaw the President's Empowerment for Girls' Education Project and also the creation of the Gambia National Petroleum Company (GNPC). From November 2004 to June 2005, he worked as the managing director of the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation (SSHFC).[1]

In June 2005, Njie was appointed as Secretary General and Head of the Civil Service of The Gambia, and acted as the President's principal advisor. He left this role in October 2006 but in December 2007 he was appointed as Gambian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. He remained in the UAE until December 2009. In May 2010, Njie was appointed Ambassador-at-Large and Special Advisor to the President on Economic Affairs and Energy, and in July he became Minister of Economic Planning and Industrial Development.[1]

In February 2011, Njie was appointed to a senior cabinet position as Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs. He was reshuffled to become Minister of Foreign Affairs in April 2012, but was dismissed from government in August 2012.[1] He was reportedly removed for opposing the execution of nine inmates on death row.[2]

Arrest and subsequent career

In 2014, Njie was arrested on two charges of economic crime and neglect of duties. He was acquitted by Justice Mikailu Abdulahi in Banjul High Court on 3 July 2014.[3] He was arrested again in his home in Brusubi by National Intelligence Agency (NIA) operatives on 9 October 2014, and taken to their headquarters in Banjul. He was detained for two weeks before being transferred to Serekunda General Hospital on 28 November 2014.[3] He was released from detention in July 2015.[4]

In August 2017, Adama Barrow appointed Njie as managing director of the GNPC, which he had helped found.[2] In a July 2018 cabinet reshuffle, Barrow appointed Njie as Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, the only former Jammeh minister appointed at the time.[5]

Awards

Njie was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of Brilliant Star in 2001. In 2005, he became an Officer of the Order of the Republic of The Gambia.[1]

References

1. "Mambury Njie CV". State House of The Gambia. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
2. "Mambury Njie new GNPC MD". The Point. 7 August 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
3. Jallow, Mustapha (30 June 2015). "Gambia: Mambury Njie in Detention for Seven Months Now". All Africa. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
4. "Mambury Njie Finally Released". Foroyaa. 27 July 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
5. "Mambury Njie Bounces Back". Kairo News. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2020.