Baboucarr Ousmaila Joof the General Manager of the Gambia Teachers Union Cooperative Credit Union, has recently received an international award. The award that recognizes his contribution to credit union development on the continent was given to him in Kenya during a convergence of leaders of credit unions across the globe.
Baboucarr Joof has an expansive knowledge of credit unions. Over the past years, he has used this knowledge to provide the necessary leadership that transformed the GTUCCU into a global brand. According to him, his transformative leadership at the GTUCCU coupled with his engagements in spearheading the education on cooperatives is what earned him the recognition of ACCOSCA.
Mr. Joof said the award is an endorsement of the strategies, leadership style, and operation mechanism at the GTUCCU. “What we are doing here may not be the best for everybody. But under the circumstances and with the limited resources we have, the challenges we have, the infrastructure in this country at ICT level, and all that, we are currently doing the best thing possible for our members”.
The award he said means he is challenged further; to sustain the moment, and set new standards and targets. He recognized the collective efforts of the staff and membership as the basis for him to receive the award. He further said that the challenge is to maintain the reputation of the institution. “The membership most continue to understand that they belong to a family now that is a global brand”, Joof stated.
The award he furthered is a reminder that he has not served everybody yet. Thus, it is a challenge for him to provide more services while serving as the General Manager.
