CENTER FOR RESEARCH & POLICY DEVELOPMENT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant, Peace, Justice & Human Security
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant, Democratic Governance
Job Titles:
- Director of Finance
- Master
Baboucarr Nyang is a master's in development finance candidate at Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya. Mr. Nyang graduated with a BSC in Accountancy from the University of The Gambia. Similarly, he holds an Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Part qualified, and a Diploma in Accounting and Business. Nyang also holds a Diploma in Financial Accounting, a certificate, and Diploma in Micro and small enterprise Promotion Training.
Nyang is Trained Anti Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing, and Project Finance management. Nyang have over 10 years of experience working in the Financial and Administrative Departments of different organizations having started as a Finance/Admin volunteer assistant at Helping Charity Organization, Gambia. Nyang later joined Aji Suki Ndateh Senior Secondary School as a financial assistant under the supervision of the Gambia National Training Authority.
Baboucarr worked at the Gambia Technical Training Institute as an Accounts Clerk and Internal Auditor respectively, also worked at SOS Children's Villages The Gambia as a Finance and Administrative officer under the Women Empowerment for Change Project funded by the European Union, Finance and Admin Officer at the Gambia Center for Victims of Human Rights Violations.
In 2021 Nyang joins ChildFund Gambia as a Programs, Partnership, and Grants Finance Officer and was later promoted as the Country Office Accountant for Child Fund International to become a Global Shared Serviced Staff. Nyang also Participated as an Internal Control Auditor for Child Fund's International Annual Internal Audit exercise for its Local partners as a Guest Auditor.
Baboucarr is also a Social Justice Activist, who has been involved in youth work 17 years ago when he joined Lend a Hand Society in May 2001. Since then he has been part of many youth groups and organizations within Africa and beyond. He has been a Global Ambassador for MilkyWay Youth Movement in Pakistan. He is the founder of Democratic Gambia Movement. He co-founded United Guidance Youth Development (UGYD), a youth-led organization that seeks to address issues of career and personal development. Board Chairman of Helping Charity NGO, Board Treasurer of Activista , The Gambia, Board Member of Teach For Gambia. Baboucarr has a wealth of knowledge in CSO advocacy and development. Nyang was a former member of the National Youth Parliament- The Gambia since 2013 and served in Various positions Including Chairperson of Election Observer missions and headed a series of voter and civic education.
Over the years Baboucarr has travel to some Africa Countries like Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Rwanda, Senegal and Ghana to attend workshops and conferences on Elections, Governance, Human Rights and Leadership.
He is an Alumini and Ambassador of Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS) which is a continental institute that seeks to address the short, medium and long-term development challenges in Africa.
He is also a YALI fellow and the winner of the 2017 YALI Star for Civil Society Leadership.
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant, Social Inclusion & Wellbeing
Job Titles:
- Director of Research
- Director of Research / Associate Professor at the University of the Gambia, Gambia and University of Ilorin, Nigeria
Luqman SAKA (Ph.D.) is an Associate Professor at the Political Science Unit, University of the Gambia, The Gambia and the Department of Political Science, University of Ilorin, Nigeria. He has his Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) and Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Political Science from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and his doctoral degree in International Studies from Universiti Utara Malaysia. Dr. Saka was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Politics and International Relations, North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, Republic of South Africa (2015-2016).
He was a participant at the workshop on "Islamic education system in Sub-Saharan Africa: A journey of politics and religion" organized by LASDEL, Niamey; Point Sud Research Institute, Bamako and Goethe University, Frankfurt-Main, 2021. He had also participated at the workshop on ‘Sustainability and the State in Africa' organized by the Point Sud Research Institute, Bamako and the Goethe University, Frankfurt-Main, 2019 and the Clingendael Institute and ECOWAS Commission workshop on ‘Dialogue and Mediation Training of Trainers', Accra, 2018.
He is an alumnus of the American Political Science Association APSA, Africa Fellows Programme, 2013; the Institute of Federalism, University of Fribourg, Switzerland, 2011; SEPHIS/SEASREP Alternative Research Methodology Workshop, Manila, the Philippines, 2009; and CODESRIA Governance Institute, 2007. He is a member of the Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA), Nigeria and Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA), United State.
Dr. Saka's works has appeared in Journal of Developing Areas, New Contree: A Journal of Historical and Human Sciences for Southern Africa, Africa Security Review, Journal of Administrative Sciences, African Renaissance, and the Nigerian Journal of International Affairs among other outlets. He has consulted for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), The Gambia office and development Research and Projects Center (dRPC), Abuja Nigeria. He is currently the Director, Research and Knowledge Management at the Centre for Research & Policy (CRPD), a foremost Gambia's research, consultancy and policy think tank based in Brusubi, Banjul, The Gambia.
Job Titles:
- Lecturer
- Lead, Peace, Justice & Security
Essa Njie is a lecturer in Political Science at the University of The Gambia and Heads the Peace, Justice and Human Security Team at the Centre for Research and Policy Development. He holds MSc in Security, Leadership and Society from the African Leadership Centre, King's College London.
He also holds a Master's degree in Human Rights and Democratization in Africa from the Center for Human Rights, University of Pretoria and a BSc in Political Science from the University of The Gambia. Essa also briefly worked as a conflict monitor for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in The Gambia, reporting on security related threats and broader issues of governance. His research and teaching interests lie in post-conflict and post-dictatorship democratization in Africa in the context of security sector reform and issues of peace, conflict, elections, security, and human rights in general.
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant & Coordinator Know Your Assembly
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant, Social Inclusion & Wellbeing
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant, Peace, Justice & Security
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant, Know Your Assembly
Job Titles:
- Lead, Democratic Governance
- Lead, Democratic Governance / Expert in International Relations and Political Science. Monitoring & Evaluation Manager at FIOH
Muhammed Lenn holds a BSc in Development Studies and a MSc in International Relations and Political Science. Lenn has worked as an adjunct lecturer at both the Management Development Institute and at the University of The Gambia. He has also worked as a consultant on policy/project development and evaluation for several organisations. Mr. Lenn also works at Future in Our Hands, The Gambia as the M & E Manager.
Muhammed Njie is an Operations and Technology Professional with a keen interest in Data analytics and Quality Management.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Associate
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Executive Director
- Co - Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Research and Policy Development
- Jaw Is Co - Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Research and Policy Development
Sait Matty Jaw is co-founder and Executive Director of the Center for Research and Policy Development (CRPD). He also serves as a Political Science lecturer at The University of The Gambia.
Since our founding in 2018, CRPD has made a name for itself through its research and outreach programmes. Respected for our strength in carrying out innovative programming, we engage the public and mobilize them towards advancing the democratic transitional agenda as means to complement government efforts. We have on two occasions defended public interest through litigation and continue to organize educative radio programmes that are largely contributing to increasing civic awareness and engagement among Gambians. We are a proactive member of the civil society community here in the Gambia and part of various networks within and across the sub-region. Our interest is simple, protect the public space. We have built solid partnership with the media as means to increase our outreach and help the Gambians to understand and comprehend contemporary issues affecting the country. Our approach has been and will continue to be the transfer of un-politicized civic education and partnership building as means to mobilize the citizens towards national development and nation building.Thanks to the combined efforts of our dedicated team, volunteers and partners, we have built a reputation that honours the legacy of the founding fathers and mothers of our republic by promoting democracy as a tool for social cohesion and well-being. Their commitment to the ideals of a republic has had considerable impact on our country, albeit there are also challenges. These legacies and the time honoured memory of the great men and women of the Gambia will continue to be our light
April 24 th 2022 marks four years of our establishment. This day is significant for us because it is also "Republican Day" in The Gambia. As we progress on this achievement, I want to share our thoughts on the direction that CRPD will be towing moving forward. We are in the process of completing a new strategy document that outlines our priority for the next five years. Our goal over the next five years is to Build a Stronger Democracy for a Prosperous Gambia by promoting inclusive governance, protect the public space and increase citizens socio-economic well-being through relevant research and advocacy. Our strategy focuses on five key areas.
Put Gambians at the center of development and strengthen their agency to demand for accountable governance,