By Ramatoulie Jawo
The National Assembly has approved the appointment of Mr. Ebrima K.S. Dampha as Deputy Ombudsman, in line with Section 164 (1) of the 1997 Constitution and Section 2 (3) of the Ombudsman Act, 1997.
The motion, tabled on behalf of the Vice President by the Minister of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration, and Employment, Hon. Baboucarr O. Joof, emphasized Mr. Dampha’s extensive academic qualifications and professional experience, which make him well-suited for the role.
Presenting the nominee’s credentials, Minister Joof highlighted that Mr. Dampha’s career began in education, where he rose from an unqualified teacher to an acting Principal Education Officer, serving in various schools and regions.
“Mr. Dampha has had 44 years of experience in the Gambia public service; he is academically qualified, as he acquired both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in relevant areas. His work experience commences with the teaching card, where he rose from unqualified to qualified teacher and to position of acting principal education officer in different schools and regions of education administration, respectively,” he said.
The minister further noted that Mr. Dampha transitioned to the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation in 2004, where he served as Public Relations Officer and later as Director until 2017. Subsequently, he was appointed Regional Governor of the North Bank Region, a position he held until 2020.
“Mr. Dampha’s wealth of experience earned him the appointment of Justice of Peace in 2018 and also served in the local government commission. Hon. Speaker, in tabling this appointment for confirmation, the attention of the assembly must be drawn to Section 2 subsection 3 of the Ombudsman Act, which stipulates the appointee shall hold office for a period of five years and shall be eligible for reappointment. And section 3 subsection 1(A) and (B), which prescribes the function of the ombudsman. Hon. Speaker, in light of the forgoing, I recommend his appointment to this August assembly for confirmation, and I hereby move the motion that the assembly do consider and confirm the appointment of his excellency Adama Barrow of Mr. Ebrima K.S Dampha as the deputy ombudsman in accordance with Section 164, subsection 1 of the constitution of the Gambia,” he said.
Seconding the motion, the Majority Leader, Hon. Belay G. Tunkara, praised Mr. Dampha’s distinguished career and urged his colleagues to support the appointment.
Hon. Almameh Gibba, the National Assembly Member for Foni Kansala, also endorsed the motion, describing Mr. Dampha as a valuable addition to the Ombudsman’s Office.
“These are people I think could be chosen for the services that are to help our institutions more. So the ombudsman, looking at his credentials, bachelors and Master’s degree and again also he has served in field as a teacher, you will be able to at least do a lot and looking at the work of ombudsman is in line and I think he is an asset to join the force,” he said.
Following unanimous support from lawmakers, Mr. Ebrima K.S. Dampha’s appointment as Deputy Ombudsman was officially confirmed.