Baba Galleh Jallow

Baba Galleh Jallow is a Gambian academic and journalist who was appointed as executive secretary of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) in February 2018.

Born in Farafenni, Jallow completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Sierra Leone. He became a journalist, and was appointed as assistant editor of The Daily Observer in 1994, following the coup d'etat. He became editor-in-chief, and fought against the odds to maintain the paper's independence during the first years of the Yahya Jammeh regime. He resigned in 1999 when new owners threatened its independence, and he founded The Independent shortly after. As its editor, Jallow took very strong stances against the regime, especially regarding the April 2000 Gambian student massacre. He was a constant target of harassment from government forces, and was in such danger that he was forced into exile in the United States in September 2000.

Jallow completed a master's degree at Rutgers University and a PhD at the University of California, Davis, in African history. He lectured at Creighton University, Nebraska, from 2011 to 2015, before becoming an assistant professor at La Salle University, Pennsylvania. He has published a number of academic books on African history, especially leadership, politics, social justice, and Catholics in Africa. He began working as a visiting professor at the University of The Gambia in 2017, and took a two-year leave of absence from La Salle following his appointment to the TRRC in 2018.