Captain Baboucar Sallah was born to Alajie Malleh Sallah and Aja Yandeh Nian on January 25, 1937, in the Banjul neighborhood of Half Die. He would attend Mohammedan Primary School before continuing onto Boys High School, finishing in 4 years what traditionally takes 6. He would continue to be a trailblazer becoming an Unlimited Master Mariner at the young age of 28. In the golden age of Pan Africanism he would do his share for the continent and his nation, taking command of an ocean going vessel in the fleet of an independent African nation (Ghana), MV Pra River in 1965.
Under his command the Pra would win the international accolade of being the ship to open the Shipping season on St. Lawrence Seaway and The Great Lakes, in North America, carried in papers on both sides of the Atlantic, and Mayoral welcomes at her ports of call. Captain Sallah would be in the Baltimore papers for entertaining civil rights leaders on board the Pra. It was at the request of the newly independent Gambia government that he retired from the sea to come home and serve his nation, joining The Gambia Marine Department in 1967.
A continuous path of command, leadership and maintaining a solid record of success in providing technical, operational, and logistical support, he was shortly appointed to head The Gambia Marine Department. This included leadership of the Dockyard which was responsible for repair and maintenance of publicly owned passenger and ferry services throughout The Gambia, as well as marine safety and harbours services.
Under his advice and leadership all maritime service were brought under the purview of the Gambia government, by way of establishing an autonomous government agency, named The Gambia Port Authority, in 1972. This public corporation would manage all ports and maritime activities.
By dint of cultivating the necessary Gambian human resources, as managing director he worked to ensure the continued positive trajectory of growth promoting the development of the necessary human capital through ready opportunity for professional and technical qualification. skill and experience. The goal being the Gambianization of the agency in the shortest time possible. This outlook of being a tide that lifts all boats, cultivating local youth and talent are a hall mark of his leadership style at home and overseas.
The deficiency in infrastructure led him to realize the modernization of harbor and port equipment and infrastructure. Phase 1 was then the biggest project undertaken by the government financed by The World Bank. This project laid out the master plan for future port development projects that encompass expansion of the port to incorporate the whole of Half-Die, and the area south of Cotton Street. Captain Sallah served as the Lead Gambian Professional Delegate in the negotiations to establish the maritime boundaries between The Gambia and Senegal. It is his pride and joy that the GPA continues to develop and grow, striving to meet modern challenges through innovative leadership. He would remain Managing Director until 1982.
In 1983, Captain Sallah was engaged by the CFTC of the Commonwealth Secretariat to consult and advise the government of The British Virgin Islands (BVI) on maritime affairs. He would head the BVI port and marine services department, subsequently establishing the BVI Port Authority, BVI Shipping Registry and BVI marine safety Administration. The registry is international with the ability to register ships of all types and sizes, it is part of The Red Ensign Group of British Registries. Captain Sallah can comfortably claim the establishment of the BVI’s modern day maritime infrastructure in large part due to his presence and leadership since 1983. Having ensured continued local expertise he retired from service to the BVI government in 2012. He has spent a lifetime demonstrating the essence of command, leadership, team building and innovative solutions, receiving many acknowledgements for this path.
From the earliest days of Captain Sallah’s career, his inclination to serve the industry beyond the sea has been prevalent. Since 1993, he has served as a consultant to the International Maritime Organization which led him to lead field missions with experts on maritime legislation to: The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Tanzania, The Caribbean Community, Barbados, Eritrea and Oman. Captain Sallah is a Fellow of the International Development Institute of the World Bank. He is also qualified as a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK).
Captain Sallah can be attributed with the development, implementation and execution of the entire spectrum of maritime leadership, legislation and ongoing maintenance of such infrastructure for an individual market, specifically the BVI and the Gambia. The experience accumulated by Captain Sallah over the past 60 years warrants consideration of Captain Sallah as one of the world’s most experienced members of the maritime industry.
Captain Sallah considers the sustainability of port and shipping, maritime infrastructure, maritime regulation and maritime safety as the primary pillars of his expertise within the maritime industry. The opportunities provided to him early in his career plowed a path for a prestigious and successful career spanning over half a century and across either side of the Atlantic. His ability to climb the ladder of responsibility within the maritime industry as well as create the ladder in which generations to come would carry out Captain Sallah’s vision and expectation in specific markets equates to what only a few in any industry can claim.
Uncle Bob is a living legend and has to be celebrated. He deserves a National Award and a TAFCON Personality Award. cc Mustapha Njie. STN!