By Mustapha Jarju
ActionAid International The Gambia (AAITG), Executive Director, Omar Badjie has retired after serving 35 years under AAITG since January 1987.
In his farewell message to Actionaid, Mr. Badgie said the period he had spent in ActionAid did not only help him develop professionally, but it helped him grow as a person. “I have used the experience gained from ActionAid in my relationship at family and community levels. I, therefore, leave ActionAid with a heavy heart and a lot of emotions,” he said.
Highlighting how he started his job at ActionAid, Badgie said, he joined ActionAid immediately when he graduated from the University where he went through different ranks.
He said he found ActionAid to be a highly democratic organization that allows its staff the necessary space to grow professionally.
“During my tenure in office, I realized that in ActionAid, if you perform well the sky cannot be the limit, if you hit it, it will open and you can gracefully fly above it.”
However, Badjie who came to AAITG with no experience at the time of joining ActionAid said, he was able to survive all the difficulties faced because of the support of his former colleagues.
He, therefore, expressed his sincere gratitude to the AAITG Board for their encouragement and useful guidance. He added that there were moments when AAITG was rolling down the slope so fast that he (Badjie as the Executive Director) thought they could not survive the fall but the Board was there to save them.
He added, “Difficult as it maybe I had on many occasions swallowed my pride and accept what is wrong, for me that was humility, and it was a good attribute of leadership.”
