The Vice President of Gambia, Badara Joof, has reportedly died in India at the age of 65.Gambia’s President, Adama Barrow, announced the death of the country’s number two man in a tweet.He wrote: “Fellow #Gambians, it is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing away of my #VicePresident, His Excellency, Badara Alieu Joof. The sad event took place in India after a short illness. May Allah grant him Jannahtul Firdawsi,” President Barrow tweeted.

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The late Vice President Mr Joof, previously served as Gambia’s Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology from 2017 to 2022.Joof began his career as a qualified teacher, teaching English at The Gambia College.He was then head of the department of languages and literature at Nusrat High School. He was the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Education for many years. In March 2002, it was reported that he had been transferred to the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Local Government and Lands.Joof worked as the World Bank Liaison Officer to the Gambia. In this role, he assisted higher education minister Mariama Sarr-Ceesay in introducing a new education policy to the Gambia.In 2013, Joof visited various project sites in the Gambia along with Ministry of Agriculture officials to gain a better understanding of various challenges they faced.[8] In 2014, Joof was appointed as an Education Specialist in Dakar, Senegal to the World Bank.On 22 February 2017, President Barrow appointed Joof as his Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology.