About

The Full Story

Mariama Khan is a Gambia citizen who  will contest the December,  2026  presidential elections in The Gambia, on an independent ticket. Khan's presidential run is under a non-ethnic, non-language bound national civic idea called Marrall Kendoe. Khan, a former senior government official, and secretary general at the Office of the President and head of the Gambian civil service, is a Gambian woman with a solid track record in  selflessly serving the Gambian nation.

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She comes from a humble background. She was born and raised in Brikama, in the West Coast Region (WCR) of The Gambia. Her father was a well-known motor mechanic in the town and beyond. Her mother was a trader at the Brikama market. Khan assisted her in her trading while she was growing up and as a teenager.

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Her parents, both Muslims, sent her to Saint Joseph’s High School (now Saint Joseph’s Senior Secondary School) and Saint Augustine’s High School (now Saint Augustine Senior Secondary School) both of which are Catholic schools in Banjul, the capital of The Gambia.

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Khan’s undergraduate degree is in International Development Studies from Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada. She has  a Master’s Degree in Management of Development from the University of Turino/ITCILO, Turin, Italy. She has another Master’s Degree in Sustainable International Development Studies from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA,  USA. She also studied at the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. She completed a Master of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice and a Graduate Certificate in Security Studies from the University of Massachusetts (UMASS Lowell), Lowell, MA, USA.

Khan has worked in higher education administration, finance and teaching in the US. Additionally, she worked at Pomona College in Claremont, Californa, as a Visiting African Scholar in International Relations. Her professional experience in higher education teaching, administration and finance includes working at Boston University School of Theology as administrative coordinator for finance and administration. After this position, she started work as an adjunct lecturer at the Africana Studies Department of Lehman College, City University of New York (CUNY), Bronx, New York.

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Mariama Khan has always been a woman fully committed to The Gambia. There’s no question about the capable, competent, ethical, honest, results-oriented, determined and couragous leadership she demonstrated throughout her public service career in The Gambia and in her other professional life outside the country. As a mother, Khan’s experiences, values and skills align with all the  demands for a critical transformative leadership that can propel Gambia forward, to turn the country into a cohesive, advanced and strong nation. She fully embodies the character, care, restoration, family values, knowledge, skills  and moral authority that contemporary Gambian demands from its leadership. Khan is also a scholar, poet, filmmaker and an advocate for culture.

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Mariama Khan shall lead The Gambia with courage, competence, knowledge, justice, peace  and compassion. In her, we have a leader that will keep her promises, deliver for Gambians to transform their lives, make life meaningful and easy for each and every Gambian and protect and defend the interests of The Gambia.