Sunday, August 10, 2014
In Cherno Alieu Jallow's Death, Gambian Financial Sector Has "Lost a Great Asset"
By My Basse News Staff
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Cherno Alieu Jallow, a managing partner in the Banjul-based consulting firm DT Associates, died recently in The Gambia after battling an illness for some time. Until his death, Mr. Jallow had been a partner with Deloitte & Touche in The Gambia and had also previously risen through the ranks from assistant to manager with the accounting firm KPMG - Gambia.
Sorrows and Praises
Following news of Mr. Jallow's demise, many of his colleagues and well-wishers took to social media to express their grief. "We knew Cherno to be sick," Momodou Billo Krubally, Friends of Basse President and a first cousin of the deceased, told My Basse recently. "But to lose him this early was a heart-breaker ... he was not only a brother but a mentor."
Modou Yaya Jallow, a DT employee, wrote on his Facebook page: "At a young age, The Gambia has lost one of its best sons, the Gambian Accountancy Family has lost a great asset" in Cherno Alieu Jallow. He was said to be very personable, got along with everybody including his employees and clients.
Cherno Alieu Jallow Honoring His Female Employees During Women's Day in 2012. Photo/Ramatoulaye Nyang.
Industry insiders say Mr. Jallow was the consummate professional, who carried his duties with diligence and grace. His consultancy work led him to almost every sector of the Gambian economy, including, among other areas, private entities and public enterprises, tourism and banking, corporate finance and governance, auditing and financial advisory. His services ran the gamut of the financial sector in both The Gambia and in the West African sub -region. Insiders say Mr. Jallow's death will leave a huge void in the Gambian financial sector.
He, along his partner Alpha Barry at DT Associates, industry observers say, were playing a vital role in the strengthening of financial instruments in the national economy and in grooming a new cadre of accountants and auditors. "....You were the best boss I ever had," Yaya Jallow said in social media. "You taught me accountancy, auditing, financial advisory and the ethical framework expected of any young, aspiring accountant."
Ramatoulaye Nyang, a former employee also remarked on her Facebook page: "RIP, CJ. Grateful for all I have learned from you during my DT years. May The Almighty reward you for all your good deeds in this world. Amen! You shall forever be missed."
Personal Life
Cherno, or "Chernojo," as he was commonly known during his childhood, was Born in Basse to Alhaji Hamidou Jallow and Haja Hawa Dicko Jallow. He attended St. George's Primary School in Basse and later proceeded to Armitage and St. Augustine's High Schools. During his high school days, Cherno would often sojourn home to Basse during the summer holidays. He, like many of his peers, who were also attending high school in Banjul, regularly visited home and took part in Basse Nawetaan. Cherno played for Brazil FC and other teams in Basse in the 1980s.
"As a kid growing up in Basse," My Basse contributing editor Cherno Baba Jallow recently wrote on the Friends of Basse mailing list, "I used to look up to Chernojo and his peers Hassan "Bappa" Jallow, Salifu Kamara, Alfusainey Kamara, Yusu Keita, Sulayman "Jangori" Sowe, Kinteh Darboe, Abdou "Cholel" Jallow and many others. I remember they would come home on summer holidays from Banjul and play in Basse Nawetaan at the High Level. We were very inspired by these brothers to do well in school and to know that education and sports do and can co-exist. They were role models for us in town."
Cherno and his childhood friends in Banjul: From left to right, Hassan Jallow (Bapa Channa), Yusu Keita, Abdoulie Cham, Sulayman Sowe (Jangori) and the late Alh. Cherno Alieu Jallow (Chernojo). Photo/Wuyeh Yorro Sanyang.
Cherno, who received his ACCA at the UK's Emile Woolf College of Accounting, is survived by two wives Fatou Jobarteh and Zubida and six kids, with one on the way. He was 49.
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Remembrances
Bubacarr Bailo Jallow: I worked closely with the Late Brother Cherno Alieu Jallow for two years when I served under him as the HR Manager of Deloitte,The Gambia where he was the Audit and HR Partner. Cherno Alieu was an epitome of integrity and respect for everyone. Every day upon his arrival at the office, he would go round and greet everyone in our respective offices before settling down to his tasks. Once I asked him for some tips in preparation for a meeting I had scheduled with a key business client. He answered: "Adequate preparation and research on the client and knowing their expectations from you and honesty about what could be delivered." He often emphasized that "knowledge was the key". His guiding principles always were uncompromising integrity, maximum respect for everyone, and the constant seeking of knowledge in order for one to be capable of delivering a positive difference in society.
Michael Hamadi Secka: Cherno Alieu Jallow was a master in his chosen field. He joined Deloitte, the accounting firm to contribute his quota to national development. During his school days, he played football, but upon realizing that sports wasn't his calling, he shifted to other goals in life. His death is not only a blow to the people of Basse but also to the entire nation, for Cherno was a serious worker who devoted his entire time to his work and family. He was highly disciplined and a perfect gentleman.
Sulayman Hawa Jallow: This gentleman, Chernojo, was my first cousin and also my first role model. He was the one who would never give up in encouraging me to stand firm on my own, to develop the potential in me, as he always told me, 'Saul you are very smart but the only way out is education. ' Chernojo, may Allah send the most peaceful angels to receive your soul in Jannatul Firdaus. Ameen.
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Photos
Banjul Days.L-r: x, Hassan "Bappa Chana" Jallow, Cherno Alieu Jallow, Alhagie Mballow (white T-shirt), Yusu Keita (sitting) and Ousman Sidibeh (sitting far right). Photo/Wuyeh Yorro Sanyang
Basse Nawetaan Days. Cherno, standing fifth from the left, with the Brazil FC at the Basse High Level football field, 1980s. Photo/Abdoulie
The town is a major trading center.
The main highway into town.
School kids playing at the newly established SOS Children's Village
Basse Car Park