ADEA Steering Committee appoints Oley Dibba-Wadda of the Gambia as the new Executive Committee Chairperson
The Steering Committee of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) today announced the appointment of Ms. Oley Lucretia Clara Dibba-Wadda of the Republic of the Gambia as the new Executive Committee Chairperson with effect from January 2019.
Ms. Oley Dibba-Wadda succeeds Mr. Peter Materu, currently Chief Program Officer at MasterCard Foundation (MCF) and former ADEA Executive Committee Chairperson (2015 - 2018) to whom the ADEA Steering Committee reiterates its deep gratitude and appreciation for his dedicated service to the Association.
Ms. Dibba-Wadda is a social development executive and strategic analyst with over 20 years of leadership and management experience. She is an expert in African and international policies on education, gender equality and youth development. She is currently the Director for Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development at the African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
Before joining the African Development Bank, she was the Executive Secretary of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA). She had earlier worked as the Executive Director of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), a pan-African organization for promoting the education of girls across sub-Saharan Africa. She had also worked as the Executive Director of Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS) - an Africa-wide organization on women, peace and security in Africa.
Ms. Dibba-Wadda has held several other management and advisory roles in various international development agencies, including Oxfam (UK), the Commonwealth Education Fund and Concern Universal. She is a Global Ambassador for 10X10 and Concern Universal. She chairs and sits on several Advisory Boards and Committees across the globe.
A certified life coach, Ms. Dibba-Wadda has over the past 19 years been providing coaching and mentoring support on emotional life skills to several youths across the African continent. She is the founder of the Gam Africa Institute for Leadership (GAIL) in the Gambia and a strong advocate and champion for youth development in Africa.
In recognition of her exemplary contribution towards human development, she was awarded the “Inspiring Woman of Excellence” in 2012 and the “African Woman Leadership” in 2013. She was one of the nominees for the “2017 New African Woman in Education.”
She holds a Master’s degree in Gender Analysis in Development from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom and a Diploma in Gender and Development.
According to the entire ADEA Network, Ms. Dibba-Wadda brings world-class credentials to her position as Executive Committee Chairperson. All members of ADEA are thrilled to have her on board again and look forward to supporting her leadership.
The Association for the Development of Education in Africa officially welcomes Oley and wishes her all the best in her new assignment as Chairperson of the ADEA Executive Committee.
