Mambury Njie

Mambury Njie (born 27 June 1962) is a Gambian politician who has served as both Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs and held other roles in the Cabinet of the Gambia.

Career

Njie worked as an policy analyst at the Policy Analysis Unit, part of the Office of the President, from 1989 to 1990. From 1990 to 1992, he worked as an economist as part of the Department of State for Finance and Economic Affairs. From February 1994 to July 1996, he worked as principal economist and head of the Macro-Economic and Financial Analysis Unit (MFAU) at the Department.^[1]

From July to December 1996, he worked as the Economic Counsellor at the Gambian Embassy in Taipei, Taiwan. From January to March 1997, Njie became the acting Deputy Head of the Mission. From March to October 1997, he became the Chargé d'Affaires at the Embassy, and headed the chancery. From November 1997 to June 2001, Njie acted as the Gambian Ambassador to Taiwan and the Philippines.^[1]

From July 2001 to October 2004, Njie returned to the Gambia where he worked as the Permanent Secretary at the Office of the President. In this role, 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 July 2005, Njie worked as the managing director at the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation (SSHFC), and supervised the day-to-day activities of the company.^[1]

From June 2005 to October 2006, Njie was the Secretary General and Head of the Civil Service, serving as the President's principal advisor. From December 2007 to December 2009, Njie went abroad again, this time as the Gambian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. From May to July 2010, Njie worked as an Ambassador-at-Large and Special Advisor to the President on Economic Affairs and Energy.^[1]

Arrest

Njie was arraigned at both the Banjul Magistrates' Court and the Banjul High Court to answer to two charges of economic crime and neglect of duty. He was acquitted and discharged on all accounts by Justice Mikailu Abdulahi of the Special Criminal Division of the Banjul High Court on 3 July 2014.^[2]

Njie was arrested at his home in Brusubi by National Intelligence Agency (NIA) operatives on 9 October 2014, and taken to their headquarters in Banjul. He was detained at the headquarters for two weeks before being transferred to Serekunda General Hospital on 28 November 2014. He has since been held there under the guard of NIA operatives. His family have appealed for his release.^[2]

Sidi Moro Sanneh claimed that Njie was a "trusted personal envoy" of Yahya Jammeh and also his "insurance policy" for his financial mismanagement.^[3]

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