1. Isatou Touray was born on 17 March 1955 and is a Gambian politician, activist, and social reformer.
22 Facts About Isatou Touray
1. 2.
Isatou Touray then served in Barrow's cabinet, as trade minister, and then as health minister.
3.
On 15 March 2019, Touray became Vice-President of The Gambia, replacing her predecessor, Ousainou Darboe in a major cabinet reshuffle.
4.
Isatou Touray was born at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Bathurst, Colony of the Gambia, in 1955.
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Isatou Touray was brought up at 44 Grant Street in Bathurst, which was renamed Banjul in 1975.
6.
Isatou Touray attended Crab Island Secondary Technical School and was noted as a good athlete during her school days.
7.
Isatou Touray attended Usman Danfodiyo University in Nigeria, graduating with a bachelor's degree in education and English.
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Isatou Touray then studied at the International Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, Netherlands, where she graduated with a master's degree in development studies.
9.
Isatou Touray completed a PhD in development studies at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, United Kingdom.
10.
Isatou Touray is noted as an activist against female genital mutilation.
11.
Isatou Touray co-founded the Gambia Committee on Traditional Practices in 1984, which is committed to ending FGM.
12.
Isatou Touray became executive director of GAMCOTRAP, frequently calling on politicians to outlaw FGM, despite government restrictions on reporting of the issue.
13.
From 2006 to 2011, Isatou Touray was chairperson of the Gambia Chapter of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding.
14.
Isatou Touray served as Secretary-General of the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children from 2009 to 2014.
15.
Isatou Touray worked as deputy director of the Management Development Institute, where she founded a gender and development unit.
16.
Isatou Touray was twice arrested and accused on false charges, both times these were eventually dropped.
17.
Isatou Touray announced that she would run as an Independent candidate in the 2016 presidential election on 2 September 2016.
18.
Isatou Touray became the first woman to run for President of the Gambia.
19.
Isatou Touray's candidacy was supported by the Vanguard Africa Foundation.
20.
Isatou Touray was initially part of the group that formed Coalition 2016, but was absent in their meeting on 30 October 2016 when delegates chose Adama Barrow as the candidate.
21.
Isatou Touray was appointed as Minister of Trade, Regional Integration and Employment in the Cabinet of Adama Barrow on 1 February 2017.
22.
Isatou Touray is married to Dr Alhaji Malang Touray, a physician.