The Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (MoHERST) has named Ms. Isatou Auber as its new Permanent Secretary, signaling a significant boost to leadership in one of The Gambia’s key development sectors.
The appointment, announced by the ministry, brings to the role a public administration heavyweight with more than 25 years of high-level experience both in The Gambia and on the international stage. Officials described Ms. Auber as an executive renowned for strategic foresight, personal integrity, and a proven track record of delivering measurable results in complex institutional environments.
Most recently, Ms. Auber served as Assistant Secretary General at the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) Secretariat in Brussels. There, she held strategic responsibility for administration, finance, and human resources across the 79-member-state bloc while providing direct policy advice to the Council of Ministers.
Her domestic career is equally extensive. She has held senior positions, including Secretary to Cabinet, Deputy Managing Director of the Gambia National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Permanent Secretary at the Office of the President, and leadership roles within the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, the Civil Aviation Authority, and the Personnel Management Office. She has also served on the boards of several prominent national institutions, including NAWEC, GNPC, GIEPA, and Gambia International Airlines, shaping policy and governance at the highest levels.
Ms. Auber played a central role in public-sector modernization as a National Expert for the UNDP-supported Public Service Reform and Institutional Capacity Development Project. In that capacity, she led stakeholder consultations, policy evaluations, and civil service restructuring initiatives designed to enhance efficiency, transparency, and accountability across government.
She holds a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Derby (United Kingdom), a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from the University of Ottawa (Canada), and multiple executive certifications in finance, strategic management, and French.
MoHERST expressed strong confidence that Ms. Auber’s blend of global exposure, deep institutional knowledge, and commitment to excellence, innovation, and good governance will strengthen the ministry’s ongoing efforts to reform higher education, expand research capacity, develop the national workforce, and advance science and technology for sustainable national progress.
The ministry stated that it will work closely with its existing team to accelerate institutional strengthening and long-term sectoral transformation.
