The Gambia Press Union is saddened by the demise of Fatou Touray, a senior journalist with the Gambia Daily Newspaper published by the Department of Information Services – where she also worked as an Information Officer.
Touray, who passed away this morning, has been battling ill-health for some time. She has been a long serving member of the media fraternity with nearly two decades of experience. Her colleagues knew her to be a quiet and focused journalist highly dedicated to her work as a reporter.
She had contributed to media development as head of several journalists’ associations, and presided over capacity building initiatives, especially on health, women and population-related issues.
She was the President of the Association of Health Journalists (AOHJ), whose members have setup health columns in various newspapers to inform and educate the public on health issues.
The efforts of the media had resulted in a drastic decline in malaria cases, as well as created awareness on breastfeeding, breast cancer and other diseases, she told a March 11, 2014 training of journalists on health reporting.
Touray has also served as Assistant Secretary to Association of Youths in the Media (AYM) in 2012, and in 2008 she was elected as President of the Network of Journalists on Population. The latter was established in 1998 to create awareness on gender, sexual and reproductive health issues within the framework of population and development.
She was also a co-opted member of interim Executive of the Women Journalists Association of The Gambia (WoJAG).
GPU President, Muhammed S. Bah, said Fatou Touray’s demise is a huge loss to the media fraternity. The GPU extends condolences to her family and colleagues at the Gambia Daily. We pray for Allah to grant her Jannah, he said.
Meanwhile, Gambia Information Department said in a condolences statement: “It is with deep sadness and sorrow that we announce the untimely demise of our colleague, Fatou I Touray, Information Officer. She died today at the Kanifing General Hospital.
“Fatou was a distinguished long-serving staff of the Department. She was extraordinarily hardworking, respectful and honest, and was strongly passionate about communication and media work. She one time headed the Health Journalists’ Association and was a founding member of the Women Journalists’ Association of The Gambia. May Allah grant her Jannah,” it added.
