From Security Guard to President: 10 Important Things You Should Know About Adama Barrow, the New President of Gambia

The new President of Gambia, Adama Barrow was sworn yesterday. Here are a few things you need to know about him.

Adama Barrow was yesterday, sworn in as the President of Gambia outside his country in Senegal. He defeated the former President, Yahya Jammeh at the Presidential election in December.

Although Jammeh congratulated Barrow before making the shocking decision to change his stance, Barrow has remained resolute to claim the mandate given to him by the people of Gambia.

Adama Barrow, a successful property developer who has never held public office once reportedly worked as a security guard in the UK, according to the BBC.

Here are ten things you didn’t know about Barrow:

1. Adama Barrow was born in 1965, the same year his country gained independence from British colonial rule, in a small village near the market town of Basse in the east of the country.

2. He first attended the local Koba Kunda Primary School and then Crab Island Secondary School in Banjul before receiving a scholarship for Muslim High School. After graduation, he worked for Alhagie Musa & Sons and rose through the ranks until he became sales manager.

3. He lived in the UK for several years, where he reportedly worked as a security guard at the Argos catalogue store in north London, while studying for his real estate qualifications.

– British media reported that while guarding the shop on Holloway Road, he made a citizen’s arrest on a shoplifter, which resulted in a six-month jail term. It was also during that period that Mr Barrow chose to support Arsenal FC, at that time his local club.

4. Barrow returned to the Gambia following his graduation. In 2006 he established Majum Real Estate and has since been Chief Executive Officer of the company.

5. In 2016 Barrow was chosen by a coalition of seven opposition parties as their endorsed candidate for the 2016 Gambian presidential election.

6. He is a devout Muslim who is reportedly married with two wives and five children.

7. He once described Yahya Jammeh as a “soulless dictator” and promised to undo some of his controversial moves.

8. Barrow is a staunch supporter of Arsenal football club and is not afraid to show it.

9. On 15 January 2017, his eight-year-old son Habibu Barrow died reportedly after being bitten by a dog.

10. He becomes the first African President to be sworn-in outside his country.