Ms. Cecilia Baldeh

Ms. Cecilia Baldeh is an international education and development professional with a career spanning over two decades. Ms. Baldeh’s journey in the field of education commenced as a Principal Education Officer at The Gambia’s Ministry of Education, where she spearheaded curriculum research and development. She played a pivotal role in designing and implementing national programmes focusing on critical areas such as Girls’ Education and Population and Family Life Education.

Ms. Baldeh holds a Diploma in Science Education and an MA in Education (Curriculum Studies) from the University of London, UK. Ms. Baldeh held the position of UNICEF Regional Education Adviser for 24 countries in West and Central Africa from 2019 to 2023 based in Dakar, Senegal. Prior to this, she served for 24 years (May 1995-July 2023) as Chief of Education in 7 African countries-The Gambia, Eritrea, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Sudan, DRC and Tanzania. In these capacities,

Ms. Baldeh engaged in planning, managing, implementing, and monitoring education programmes that aligned with UNICEF’s overarching goals as well as providing policy and technical guidance, ensuring quality assurance, and overseeing UNICEF-supported country programmes.