Emily Joof

2024-2025 Obama Foundation Africa Leader

Headshot of Emily Joof, 2024 Obama Foundation Africa Leader

Chief Executive Officer and Founder, The Mbife Foundation

The Gambia

Emily Joof is the chief executive officer and founder of the Mbife Foundation, a nonprofit established to meet the critical need of increasing literacy and access to books for children in The Gambia. Inspired by her childhood as a third-culture kid and her own children, she founded Mbife Books, a micro-publishing company that creates inclusive children’s books celebrating the West African diaspora. Emily’s impactful leadership in authoring and publishing children’s books that celebrate West African culture has enhanced the diversity of literature for Gambian children.

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