December 31, 2020 (232News)
FREETOWN – Despite COVID-19 which has ravaged the world, SALONE TIMES Editorial Team has put together 10 Sierra Leoneans that are deemed influential in the social, political and economic spheres of the country. Below are the 10 Most Influential Sierra Leoneans 2020:
1. MOHAMED RAHMAN SWARAY- Mohamed Rahman Swaray is the Minister of Information and Communication. He will go down in history as the Minister of Information who was able to repeal the Criminal Libel Laws which is the greatest achievement of media reforms in Sierra Leone. Apart from that, he has also superintended over the unbundling of the fibre cable network company in the country.
2. YVONNE AKI SAWYER- She is the Mayor of Freetown and amongst the BBC 100 Influential People in the world. She has introduced mind-blowing reforms in Freetown including Freetown Improvement Programme that has mitigated flood in the past years. She has also done some reforms in the property tax of the state which has given her administration huge support from development partners. Recently Yvonne Akie Sawyer addressed the German Parliament on urbanization, using some of her policies in Freetown as case studies.
3. JUSTICE MIATTA SAMBA- Justice Miatta Samba has recently been elected Judge in the International Criminal Court, the first Female Sierra Leonean to hold such position. She is a Judge of the Superior Court of Judicature. She is very passionate about human rights issues. Before becoming a Judge, she was a lawyer and Prosecutor at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Justice Miatta Samba is also a lecturer at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone.
4, HON IBRAHIM TAWA CONTEH- Hon Ibrahim Tawa Conteh is a member of Parliament for Const. 132 Western Urban. He is the Former Chairman of the Transparency and Accountability Committee of Parliament who resigned when there was an attempt to interfere with his work as he was exposing corrupt practices in MDAs. He was intimidated by the Parliamentary leadership and was later summoned before disciplinary committee but he refused to apologies. He has not stopped talking needed reforms in Parliament and accountability issues of the state.
5. AUGUSTINE MARRAH (ESQ): A legal advocate and activist who has been very vociferous about judicial anomalies to the point that the Supreme Court recently issued a warrant of arrest for him for which he apologized but he has been very poignant about democratic reforms, good governance and human right.
6. MARTIN MICHAEL (ESQ)- He is the CEO of Mercury International, a sports betting and lottery company. Under the leadership of Martin Michael, Mercury International has supported the Free Quality Education in the country. The company built the first ever girl’s school in Port Loko town and they are contributing immensely to education in Sierra Leone.
7. HON KHADIJATU DAVIES- Khadijatu Davies is a strong politician. A controversial court ruling denied her seat which she won in 2018 and ordered a re-run. The first re-run election was cancelled after it was marred with violence. Despite the huge resources that was spent by the ruling party, Hon Khadijatu Davies still defeated the ruling party’s candidate, Josephine Jackson in the final re-run election. Only a strong will win the same election three times consecutively.
8. PASTOR FRANCIS MAMBU- Pastor Frances AM Mambu is the General Overseer of Faith Healing Bible Church. He is one of the few men of God in Sierra Leone that speaks truth to power. He is also the CEO of Faith Healing Agricultural Project, a project that is set to feed the country. He recently harvested and processed huge thorns of rice that is now in the market for sale.
9. Williette PRO James, PhD- Williette James is a media expert and the first female PhD holder in media studies in Sierra Leone. She is currently the Head of Department of Mass Communication Department, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. She is also the first female President of the Academic Staff Association (ASA) University of Sierra Leone. She is a consummate journalist, edited several newspapers and magazines in Sierra Leone. She has motivated many young people especially young girls.
10. Unisa Deen Kargbo- is the President of the Sierra Leone Paralympic Committee and also the Chef De Mission of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) in Sierra Leone. When the Coronavirus ravaged Sierra Leone, he camped and took care of the Paralympic athletes who were preparing for the Paralympic Games in Japan. In one year term, he introduced a new sport Teqball which he has taken to the four corners of the country. He recently received 52 Teqball tables and balls from the International Teqball Federation which he has shared to the provinces and to schools in Freetown.
