fbpx

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ernest Bai Koroma

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ernest Bai Koroma

3 of 11

Sierra Leone’s President Ernest Bai Koroma has been the focus of much international attention as of late, as he fights to help control the Ebola outbreak that has struck his country. But beyond the disease that has brought him into the limelight, Koroma’s presidency represents a critical time in Sierra Leone’s development, and his path to leadership is quite interesting. Here are ten things you may not have known about President Koroma.

Sources: BBC News, Reuters, Al Jazeera, Amnesty International, VOA News, Concord Times, Sierra-Leone.org, News.SL

Commons.Wikimedia.org
Commons.Wikimedia.org

He is a devout Christian

Despite being born in the predominantly Muslim Northern Province of Sierra Leone, Koroma was born of Christian parentage and remains a longtime member of the Wesleyan Church. In fact, his father was a bible school teacher for many years in Makeni.

Commons.Wikimedia.org
Commons.Wikimedia.org

Koroma was an insurance executive for 24 years before he entered politics

In 1978, Koroma joined the Sierra Leone Naitonal Insurance Company, and later made the move to the Reliance Insurance Trust Corporation (Ritcorp) in 1985, where he was named managing director three years later. It wasn’t until he was elected as the leader of the All People’s Congress (APC) in March 2002 that he truly became involved in politics.

SLEmbassy-Germany.org
SLEmbassy-Germany.org

His mother was a prominent APC leader in Makeni

Koroma’s mother, Madam Alice Koroma, served as a councilor in the Makeni city council during the 1960s as a member of the APC, as well as the women’s leader of the APC Bombali District branch. Later on in her career, she made the move to work as a primary school teacher in Makeni.

CDN.Turner.com Getty Images
CDN.Turner.com
Getty Images

He is married to the daughter of the former Attorney General of Sierra Leone

Koroma’s wife, Sia Nyama Koroma, is the daughter of Abu Aiah Koroma, the former Attorney General of Sierra Leone, though he also held several other government positions under the former presidents.

SierraExpressMedia.com
SierraExpressMedia.com

Koroma was briefly stripped of his leadership of the APC in 2005

On June 22, 2005, the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone stripped Koroma of his de jure leadership of the APC. However, he was reelected as the leader and presidential candidate of the party just 3 months later at the APC National Delegates Convention in September. Koroma would go on to win the 2007 presidential elections after resolving the internal party dispute with former APC leader Edward Turay and his supporters.

AfricanLeadership.co.uk
AfricanLeadership.co.uk

He was the target of an alleged assassination attempt during the lead-up to the 2007 election

On July 23, 2007, Koroma was allegedly the target of an assassination attempt led by Tom Nyuma, a participant of the 1992 coup that ousted the APC from power. According to reports, Nyuma led a group of armed men to Koroma’s hotel in an attempted to kill him, but was caught by security guards and beaten to the point of hospitalization. Some claim that the assassination attempt was false, and that the story was concocted to justify Nyuma’s beating.

Source: Awareness Times

SalonEMonitor.net
SalonEMonitor.net

Koroma’s focus on fighting corruption has led him to annually declare his assets to the public

After signing in the Anti-Corruption Bill of 2008, Koroma declared his assets to the Sierra Leone Anti-Corruption Commission. The new law makes it compulsory for the president and other government officials to annually declare their assets to the public, and gives the commission more power to investigate and prosecute corrupt officials. Several government ministers have been dismissed since Koroma came into office in 2007 after being indicted on corruption charges.

NewsTimeAfrica.com
NewsTimeAfrica.com

Koroma’s relationship with the United Kingdom has led the UK to be the largest donor to Sierra Leone in the world

At Koroma’s request, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair created a nine-person board to advise Sierra Leone on foreign investment. Encouraging foreign investment and free-market policies has been a critical component of Koroma’s presidency as he seeks to rebuild the country’s economy that was badly damaged during its civil war. The UK gives more money to the country per person than any other nation, and has continually upped its investment, though many people wonder if the aid is in vain while Sierra Leone continues to struggle with widespread poverty and unemployment.

ThePatrioticVanguard.com
ThePatrioticVanguard.com

Koroma’s children represent the strong relationship between Sierra Leone and the UK

Koroma’s two daughters, Alice and Danké Koroma, both have strong ties to the United Kingdom. Danké was in fact born in London, while Alice is a law school graduate from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England.

NewsTimeAfrica.com
NewsTimeAfrica.com

He is one of the only African leaders to strongly condemn Zimbabwe’s President Mugabe

As many African leaders shy away from openly condemning Zimbabwe’s controversial leader, Koroma has come out against the flawed electoral process in Zimbabwe, and has stated that he believes Zimbabweans are being denied their democratic rights. He has come out in favor of a South African initiative to encourage a transitional government of national unity and prepare the country for fresh elections.