Ann Therese Ndong-Jatta

Ann Therese Ndong-Jatta
Minister of Education
In office
1999–2004
PresidentYahya Jammeh
Preceded bySatang Jow
Personal details
Born1956 (age 69–70)
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Politician
  • civil servant

Ann Therese Ndong-Jatta (born 1956) is a Gambian politician and civil servant. Originally working as a Catholic school principal and a civil servant, she served as minister of education from 1999 to 2004, when she left to serve as an official for UNESCO.

Biography

Ann Therese Ndong-Jatta was born in 1956[1] and attended St. Joseph's High School in Banjul.[2] She got a BA (Honours) in Education, English and History from Bayero University Kano and a MSc in Educational Leadership at Vanderbilt University, the latter under an Africa–America Institute scholarship.[3][4] She was also a postgraduate certificate student at Harvard University.[5]

Back in the Gambia, Ndong-Jatta held several positions in education, including principal for a Catholic vocational secondary school.[3] She worked in many civil service positions in the Gambian government, including as chief education officer, and director of secondary and tertiary education.[5] In 1999, she became minister of education in the cabinet of Yahya Jammeh, succeeding Satang Jow afterh e stepped down due to health concerns.[6][7] As minister, she oversaw the creation of another university and specialized in girls' education.[7]

In 2004, Ndong-Jatta stepped down as minister to join UNESCO as Director for Primary Education.[8] In 2008, she became Director of the Office for Education in Africa.[3] In August 2011, she met with vice president Isatou Njie-Saidy in her capacity as a UNESCO official, discussing tpoics like cultural heritage, climate change, and women's issues.[9] On 1 October 2016, she was appointed Director of UNESCO's Regional Office for East Africa in Nairobi, Kenya.[3] She left UNESCO on 30 June 2021.[10]

Alongside Juka Fatou Jabang and Matilda Johnson, she co-wrote the 2005 poetry anthology The Repeal, which Hassoum Ceesay described as the most important Gambian feminist publication since Augusta Jawara's Rebellion (1968).[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Director of the UNESCO Office in Dakar (Senegal)". unesdoc.unesco.org. 2008. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  2. ↑ "Gambian Brains: The Best and Brightest from St. Joseph's High". Daily Observer. 2016. Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Ms. Ann Therese Ndong-Jatta,Director, UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa". www.unesco.org. Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  4. ↑ "Ann Therese Ndong-Jatta, MS'84: UNESCO Education Leader". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Ndong Jatta". UNESCO. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  6. ↑ "Historical Dictionary of The Gambia by Arnold Hughes and David Perfect (4th Edition – The Scarecrow Press, UK, 2008)". The Point. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  7. 1 2 Wegemund, Regina (2000), "Gambia", in Institut für Afrika-Kunde; Hofmeier, Rolf; Jacobeit, Cord (eds.), Afrika Jahrbuch 1999 (in German), Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, p. 108, doi:10.1007/978-3-322-91351-7_13, ISBN 978-3-322-91352-4, retrieved 26 May 2026
  8. ↑ Camara, Foday (30 August 2004). "Gambia: Outgoing Education Minister On Madrassas, Gamsu". Gambia Daily News (Banjul). Retrieved 26 May 2026 – via AllAfrica.
  9. ↑ "Unesco Director Meets Veep". AllAfrica.com. 11 August 2011. ProQuest 883249715.
  10. ↑ "Ms. Ann Therese Ndong-Jatta, The Leader That Is…". Archived from the original on 8 April 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "The Repeal". Africa.gm. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
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