Africa's Young Disruptors: Gambia's climate activist advising the UN

Fatou Jeng, a Gambian climate activist and Young Disruptor, explains how her experience growing up in Banjul, a city increasingly threatened by sea-level rise, shaped her decision to create Clean Earth Gambia. Despite lacking funding, resources, and an office, Jeng founded the youth-led organization with friends, focusing on climate education, nature-based solutions, policy advocacy, and gender justice.

Jeng discusses the stark contrast between her grassroots work in Banjul, where she sees immediate results from tree-planting and community training, and her work at the global level, where policy changes may take years to impact lives. She emphasizes that the grassroots work keeps global policy grounded, ensuring it addresses the daily struggles of those most affected by climate change.

Jeng reflects on her role as the first woman to lead the University of The Gambia's student union and how that experience taught her to lead with integrity, building an inclusive organization that encourages young Gambian women to take leadership roles without facing barriers.