Bernadette Lahai CRSL | |
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Minority Leader of Parliament of Sierra Leone | |
In office December 7, 2012 –present | |
Preceded by | Emmanuel Tommy |
Member of Parliament of Sierra Leone from Kenema District | |
In office October 2007 –present | |
Personal details | |
Born | Yomboma,Kenema District,British Sierra Leone | December 30,1960
Political party | Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) |
Residence(s) | Freetown,Sierra Leone Kenema,Sierra Leone |
Alma mater | Fourah Bay College |
Profession | Agriculturist |
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Bernadette Lahai, CRSL (born December 30, 1960) [1] is a Sierra Leonean politician and the current Minority Leader of Parliament of Sierra Leone. [2] She is the leader of the main opposition Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) in the Sierra Leone House of Parliament. She currently represent Constituency 13 from Kenema District in the Sierra Leone House of Parliament.
In the 2002 general elections, Madam Lahai was elected to the Sierra Leone House of Parliament. She was re-election easily in the 2007 Parliamentary elections. She won another easy re-election in the 2012 Parliamentary elections, with 69.15%. [3]
Lahai has a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Sociology from Fourah Bay College, and a Master's Degree in Agricultural extension and Rural development from Njala University, both in Sierra Leone. Lahai also has a PhD in Agricultural extension and Rural development from the University of Reading in Berkshire, England.
Lahai is a native of Kenema District in Eastern Sierra Leone, and a member of the Mende ethnic group.
Lahai was born on December 30, 1960, in the village of Yomboma in Lower Bambara Chiefdom, Kenema District in the Eastern Province of British Sierra Leone to Mende parents.
In 2002, Lahai ran for one of Kenema District's seats in parliament as a member of the then ruling Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). She was elected, gaining over 60% of the vote in Kenema District. She again won re-election in the 2007 general elections.
In 2012, Lahai appeared in the short film 30% (Women and Politics in Sierra Leone) commissioned by Pathways for Women's Empowerment and Screen South. [4] The film was made by Anna Cady and Jenny Cuff. [4] It explores the unique challenges to gender equality in Sierra Leone, including corruption, violence and the foundational patriarchy of secret societies such as the Poro Society. [4]
The film depicts Lahai and fellow women's rights activists Barbara Bangura and Salamatu Kamara and their work on a 30% Quota bill they were submitting to parliament. [4]
30% (Women and Politics in Sierra Leone) was an Official Selection for the Sundance Film Festival 2013
In 2014, Lahai was recognized for her distinguished and dedicated service to the state in the fields of agriculture and politics by the President Ernest Bai Koroma who made her a Commander of the Order of the Republic (CRSL). [5]
Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It shares its southeastern border with Liberia, and the northern half of the nation is surrounded by Guinea. Covering a total area of 71,740 km2 (27,699 sq mi), Sierra Leone has a tropical climate, with diverse environments ranging from savanna to rainforests. The country has a population of 7,092,113 as of the 2015 census. Freetown is the capital and largest city. The country is divided into five administrative regions, which are subdivided into 16 districts.
Sierra Leone first became inhabited by indigenous African peoples at least 2,500 years ago. The Limba were the first tribe known to inhabit Sierra Leone. The dense tropical rainforest partially isolated the region from other West African cultures, and it became a refuge for peoples escaping violence and jihads. Sierra Leone was named by Portuguese explorer Pedro de Sintra, who mapped the region in 1462. The Freetown estuary provided a good natural harbour for ships to shelter and replenish drinking water, and gained more international attention as coastal and trans-Atlantic trade supplanted trans-Saharan trade.
Sir Milton Augustus Strieby Margai was a Sierra Leonean medical doctor and politician who served as the country's head of government from 1954 until his death in 1964. He was titled chief minister from 1954 to 1960, and then prime minister from 1961 onwards. Margai studied medicine in England, and upon returning to his homeland became a prominent public health campaigner. He entered politics as the founder and inaugural leader of the Sierra Leone People's Party. Margai oversaw Sierra Leone's transition to independence, which occurred in 1961. He died in office aged 68, and was succeeded as prime minister by his brother Albert. Margai enjoyed the support of Sierra Leoneans across classes, who respected his moderate style, friendly demeanor, and political savvy.
The Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, along with its main political rival the All People's Congress (APC). It has been the ruling party in Sierra Leone since 4 April 2018. The SLPP dominated Sierra Leone's politics from its foundation in 1951 to 1967, when it lost the 1967 parliamentary election to the APC, led by Siaka Stevens. Originally a centre-right, conservative party, it identifies since 2012 as a centre-left social democratic party, with a centrist tendency.
The Mende are one of the two largest ethnic groups in Sierra Leone; their neighbours, the Temne people, constitute the largest ethnic group at 35.5% of the total population, which is slightly larger than the Mende at 31.2%. The Mende are predominantly found in the Southern Province and the Eastern Province. The Mende are mostly farmers and hunters. Some of the major cities with significant Mende populations include Bo, Kenema, Kailahun, and Moyamba.
Kenema is the third largest city in Sierra Leone, and the largest city in the country's Eastern Province. It is the capital of Kenema District and a major economic center of the Eastern Province. At the 2015 national census, Kenema had a population of 200,354. Kenema is located approximately 200 miles from Freetown, and 60 kilometres (40 mi) south of Bo.
Pujehun District is a district in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. Pujehun District is one of the sixteen Districts of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is the town of Pujehun. The other major towns in the district include Gandorhun, Zimmi, Gendema, Masam, Bomi and Potoru. As of 2015, the district has a population of 345,577.
Bo District is a district in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. It is one of the sixteen districts of Sierra Leone. Bo District is the second most populous district in Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is the city of Bo, which is also the second most populous city in Sierra Leone. Other major towns in the district include Baoma, Bumpeh, Serabu, Sumbuya, Baiima and Yele.
Bonthe District is a district that comprises several islands and mainland of the Atlantic Ocean in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. Bonthe is one of the sixteen districts of Sierra Leone. Its capital is the town of Bonthe Island and its largest city is Bonthe, on Sherbro Island. As of the 2015 census, the district had a population of 200,730. Bonthe District is one of the sixteen districts of Sierra Leone. Bonthe District is subdivided into eleven chiefdoms.
Andrew Victor Lungay is a Sierra Leonean politician from the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). He is a member of parliament of Sierra Leone from Kenema District since 2002.
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Kailahun District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is the town of Kailahun. The second most populous city in the district is Segbwema. Other major towns in Kailahun District include Koindu, Pendembu and Daru. As of the 2015 census, the district had a population of 525,372. Kailahun District is subdivided into fourteen chiefdoms.
Kenema District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Kenema, which is the third most populous city in Sierra Leone, after Freetown and Bo. Tongo is the second most populous city in the district. Other major towns in Kenema District include Blama and Yomboma. The district is the most populous district in the Eastern province with a population 609,873. Kenema District has an area of 6,053 km2 (2,337 sq mi) and comprises sixteen chiefdoms.
General elections were held in Sierra Leone on 11 August 2007. Seven candidates competed in the first round of the presidential election; no candidate received the necessary 55% of the vote to win in the first round, and a second round was held between the top two candidates, Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People's Congress (APC) and Solomon Berewa of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), on 8 September. According to official results, Koroma won the election with 54.6% of the vote.
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In April 1961, Sierra Leone became politically independent of Great Britain. It retained a parliamentary system of government and was a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations. The Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), led by Sir Milton Margai were victorious in the first general election under universal adult franchise in May 1962. Upon Sir Milton's death in 1964, his half-brother, Sir Albert Margai, succeeded him as Prime Minister. Sir Albert attempted to establish a one-party state had the ready cooperation of the opposition All People' Congress but met fierce resistance from some cadre within his party Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) and ultimately abandoned the idea.
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