About Oley

Oley Dibba-Wadda is a strategic analyst and expert in international development policy and programming, particularly on education and gender equality in Africa. She is a mentor, a  Certified motivational speaker and a Certified Life and Spiritual Coach

She is the Founder, President and CEO of the Gam Africa Institute for Leadership (GAIL) and  has lead multicultural and multidisciplinary Pan African development organisations and is the current Executive Secretary of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) hosted by the African Development Bank (AfDB). Prior, Oley was the Executive Director of Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS) working on women, peace and security in Africa as well as the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) working on girls' education in 34 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa. Similarly, she worked with Oxfam GB in the UK as Global Programme and Policy Adviser and has held senior management and advisory roles such as Project Manager, Country Director and Regional Co-ordinator in other international organisations including Commonwealth Education Fund, Concern Universal and the European Development Fund. Oley has raised and managed multi-million US$ budgets through multilateral and bilateral cooperation agencies, foundations, governments and private individuals and successfully cultivated and nurtured strategic partnerships. 

Oley is the Chair of The Gam Africa Institute for Leadership and sits on several Advisory Boards and was a Global Ambassador for 10X10 and Concern Universal - she was also Chair of the Board of Trustees for Concern Universal. She has been invited to speak as panelist, keynote and guest speakers on numerous high level international forums globally. These include the Commonwealth Head’s of Government Summit (CHOGAM) in Perth, Australia, The World Bank Gender and Education Colloquium in Washington amongst others. She recently authored the book titled "Memoirs of An African Woman on a Mission".

Personal

Oley Dibba-Wadda is of Gambian origin and born in Oxford, United Kingdom. She is the eldest amongst 4 siblings and married and has one daughter and three sons.

Life Philosophy

Oley’s well known quote towards her purpose and Life journey reads:

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“My Life is to give and share all that I AM and all that I have to humankind. I get my inspiration from the longing for love; the search for knowledge; gratitude for all that I AM and compassion for the living - This is My Life”

Oley Dibba-Wadda

Board Memberships

Chairperson of The Gam Africa Institute for Leadership (GAIL)

February 2017

The Gambia

Global Advisory Board

Varkey Foundation

July 2016 – Present (3 months)

United Kingdom

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Advisory Committee Member

AFIDEP MasterCard Foundation Transferrable Skills

May 2016 – Present (5 months)

Kenya

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Member Board of Directors

Global Youth Innovation Network

June 2014 – Present (2 years 4 months)

USA

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Advisory Board

Crans Montana Forum

October 2014 – September 2016 (2 years)

Switzerland

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Board Member

Learning for International Non Governmental Organisations (LINGOs)

2011 – 2012 (1 year)

USA

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Chair Board of Trustees

Concern Universal

June 2009 – 2011 (2 years)

United Kingdom

Oley Dibba-Wadda has a M.A. in Gender Analysis in Development from the University of East Anglia (UK).  She is a certified Life and Spiritual Coach and a Certified Motivational Speaker

Education​

Prizes, Awards and Accomplishments

Oley is the author of the book "Memoirs of An African Woman on a Mission and the Founder, President and CEO of The Gam Africa Institute for Leadership (GAIL).  She is the first woman to head the Pan African institution – the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and was awarded “Inspiring Woman of Excellence” in The Gambia in 2012; and "Women Leadership Award" in Mauritius in 2013. In 2017, she was one of the New African Woman Forum Award nominees in Education.

Reading List

Biographies and Autobiographies of well known global leaders such as Nelson Mandella; Mahatma Ghandi; Au Sang su chi, President Bill Clinton, President Barack Obama as well as Inspitational and self motivational books of spiritual gurus such as Iyanla Vanzant, Wayne Dyer, Deepack Chopra, Eckhart Tolie, Neal /Walsh, Maya Angelo, Robin Sharma, Elizabeth Gilbert, Gary Zukav, Jill Bolte Taylor, Michael Samuels, Vic, Johnson, Gregg Braden, Marian Williamson, Paulo Coelho, Patricia Gulley, David Hamilton, Andrea Gardner, Robert Collier, Kelly Wallace, Genevive Behrend, Rick Warren, Rhonda Byron, Sadhguru.

Oley has participated in specialized Self Development and motivational courses such as Fern Goin and Iyanla Vanzant.

Her favourite past-time is indulging her weekends in either reading motivational books from her kindle or listening and watching online motivational programmes such as Oprah’s Life Classes, Super Soul Sunday, Iyanla Fix my Life, Sadhguru, Deepak Chopra amongst others. 

Oley is the Chair of The Gam Africa Institute for Leadership and sits on several Advisory Boards and was a Global Ambassador for 10X10 and Concern Universal - she was also Chair of the Board of Trustees for Concern Universal. She has been invited to speak as panelist, keynote and guest speakers on numerous high level international forums globally. These include the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit (CHOGAM) in Perth, Australia, The World Bank Gender and Education Colloquium in Washington amongst others. 

Oley has traveled the length and breadth of the Global serving as keynote speaker, motivational speaker, special guest speaker, and panelist on education, girls education, gender and women’s rights in Africa.    She is a mentor to several young African women and men to facilitate and support them in aspiring to achieve academic, professional and personal excellence in their life and career paths by providing financial support towards their education as well as using her influence to place them as interns and young professional programmes in international development organizations.

International Engagements 

Mission: Pathways to inspire; motivate to aspire