Sia Koroma

Last updated

Ernest Bai Koroma
(m. 1986)
Sia Nyama Koroma
Sia Koroma.jpg
First Lady of Sierra Leone
In role
17 September 2007 4 April 2018
Children2
Residence(s) Freetown, Sierra Leone
Alma mater The Annie Walsh Memorial Secondary School and King's College London
Profession Biochemist, Psychiatric Nurse
Website http://www.firstladysl.org (official website)

Sia Nyama Koroma (born on 19 March 1958 [1] in, Kono District, British Sierra Leone) is Sierra Leonean biochemist and psychiatric nurse. [2] She served as First Lady of Sierra Leone from 17 September 2007, and up until 4 April 2018. She is the wife of Ernest Bai Koroma, the 4th President of Sierra Leone.

Koroma was a pioneer in her role as First Lady, established the Office of the First Lady to undertake development initiatives. [2] She focused on projects for Sierra Leonean women and children. [2]

She is the founder of the Women's Initiative for Safer Health (WISH) project which focuses on improving reproductive health for women. [2]

Early life and education

Koroma was born on 19 March 1958 in Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. She is the daughter of Danke Koroma, a primary school teacher, and Abu Aiah Koroma, a lawyer and the former Attorney General of Sierra Leone. [3] She is a member of the Kono ethnic group.

During her childhood, her father worked as the managing director of the National Diamond Mining Company (NDMC) before entering into politics. He served as Minister of Natural Resources and later as Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs. Her father was also a presidential candidate in the 1996 General Election. Koroma spent her early years at various primary schools around Sierra Leone as her father was being posted from one place to another.

She attended the oldest secondary school for girls in West Africa, the Annie Walsh Memorial Secondary School in Freetown, and completed her undergraduate degree in biochemistry and a Master of Science degree in Synthetic Organic Chemistry in the United Kingdom. During the 1997 interregnum in Sierra Leone, she left the country for the United Kingdom where she studied nursing at Kings College University in London and later became a Fellow of the West African College of Nursing. From 1984 to 1992 she worked as Chief Chemist at the Sierra Leone Petroleum Refinery Company, where her work included routine quality control monitoring of petroleum products in the country and sub-region.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koidu</span> Place in Eastern Province, Sierra Leone

Koidu Town is the capital and largest city of the diamond-rich Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The population of Koidu Town is 124,662 based on the 2015 Sierra Leone national census. Koidu Town is the fifth largest city in Sierra Leone by population, after Freetown, Kenema, Bo and Makeni. Koidu Town is a major urban, business, commercial and diamond trade center. Koidu Town lies approximately 280 miles east of Freetown, and about 60 miles north of Kenema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julius Maada Bio</span> President of Sierra Leone since 2018

Julius Maada Wonie Bio is a Sierra Leonean politician, and the current president of Sierra Leone since 4 April 2018. He is a retired brigadier in the Sierra Leone Army and was the military head of state of Sierra Leone from 16 January 1996 to 29 March 1996, in a military junta government known as the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC).

Yengema is a town in Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone, lying approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Koidu Town, and about 142 miles (229 km) east of Freetown. The major industries in and around Yengema are diamond mining and agriculture. The town is home to Yengema Airport, the main airfield serving Kono District. A 2012 estimate of Yengema population was 13,358 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest Bai Koroma</span> 4th President of Sierra Leone

Ernest Bai Koroma is a Sierra Leonean politician who served as the fourth President of Sierra Leone from 17 September 2007 to 4 April 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kono District</span> Place in Eastern Province, Sierra Leone

Kono District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Koidu Town. Motema is the second most populous city in the district. The other major towns in the district include Yengema, Tombodu, Jaiama Nimikor and Sewafe. The district is the largest diamond producer in Sierra Leone. The population of Kono District is 505,767. Kono District borders Kenema District to the southwest, The Republic of Guinea to the east, Koinadugu District to the northeast and Kailahun District to the southeast. Kono District is divided into fourteen chiefdoms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sorie Ibrahim Koroma</span> Sierra Leonean politician

Sorie Ibrahim Koroma commonly known as S.I. Koroma was a Sierra Leonean politician, labor activist, and one of the founding members of the All People's Congress political party. He served as first Vice President of Sierra Leone from April 19, 1971, to retirement on November 28, 1985, under president Siaka Stevens.

Patricia Kabbah was a Sierra Leonean lawyer who served as First Lady of Sierra Leone from 1996 to 1998. She was the first wife of Sierra Leone's third president, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. She is widely regarded as one of the most influential first ladies in the history of Sierra Leone.

The Kono people are a major Mande-speaking ethnic group in Sierra Leone at 5.2% of the country's total population. Their homeland is the diamond-rich Kono District in eastern Sierra Leone. The Kono are primarily diamond miners and farmers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Sam-Sumana</span> Sierra Leone politician

Alhaji Samuel Sidique Sam-Sumana is a Sierra Leonean politician who was the Vice President of Sierra Leone from September 17, 2007, to March 17, 2015. Sam-Sumana stood as the vice-presidential candidate of the All People's Congress (APC) in the 2007 presidential election, alongside presidential candidate Ernest Bai Koroma. The APC ticket defeated the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) presidential candidate Solomon Berewa and vice presidential candidate Momodou Koroma. Sam-Sumana took office as vice president on September 17, 2007.

Sia Mary Musa was a Sierra Leonean politician and activist from Koidu-Sefadu, Kono District. She was the mayor of Koidu, and a member of the opposition Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP).

Koroma is a common surname among the Mende, Temne, Limba, and Loko people of Sierra Leone. The word Koroma originates from the Hassaniya Arabic word كوروما, kurumana. People with the surname Koroma are predominantly Muslim. The name Koroma may refer to:

Mattru Jong commonly known as Mattru is the capital of Bonthe District in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. Mattru Jung is located on the mainland of Bonthe District, along the Jong River, 52 miles southwest of Bo. The town is the seat of Mongerewa Jong Chiefdom, and is the home of Mongerewa Jong Paramount Chief Alie Badara Sheriff III. The town's current estimated population is about 20,000 people. In 2010 it was 8,199, and in the 2004 census the town had a population of 7,647.

Alice Rosalyn Koroma was the mother of Sierra Leone's president, Ernest Bai Koroma, and a longtime primary school teacher in Makeni. She was a longtime member of the Wesleyan Church congregation in Makeni, and in the 1960s she was a member of the Makeni city council from the All People's Congress (APC) party. Koroma, whose political career stems back to the 1960s, "was a strong supporter" and "advocate of women's rights". She was very active in the political scene of Sierra Leone and was a former leader of the All People's Congress (APC) Women's Congress in Bombali District in the later half of the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diana Finda Konomanyi</span>

Diana Finda Konomanyi is a Sierra Leonean politician who has served as Minister of Lands, Country Planning and the Environment, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development in the erstwhile Government of President Ernest Bai Koroma. Prior to her ministerial appointment 'Iron Lady', was the Chairperson of the Kono District Council. after winning a landslide victory in a local government bye election in her home town of Kono District. Following the election of the All People's Congress (APC) and President Ernest Bai Koroma in 2007, Diana was appointed Board Chair of the Sierra Leone National Shipping Company

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Femi Claudius Cole</span> Sierra Leonean politician

Femi Claudius Cole is a Sierra Leonean politician. In 2016 she founded the Unity Party, making her the first Sierra Leonean woman to form a political party. In 2018, she was the first woman to run for the office of President of Sierra Leone. She is the only woman party leader in Sierra Leone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Lady of Sierra Leone</span>

The title First Lady of Sierra Leone is held by the female spouse of the president of Sierra Leone. The first lady is a representative of the people of Sierra Leone at home and abroad. The Office of the First Lady is an extension of State House and is responsible for social events and ceremonies at State Lodge. The First Lady’s Office is not established by an act of parliament and cannot receive government funding.

Hannah Momoh served as First Lady of Sierra Leone from 28 November 1985 – 29 April 1992. In 1967 she married Joseph Saidu Momoh, 2nd President of Sierra Leone. They had one daughter.

Rebecca Stevens served as First Lady of Sierra Leone from 21 April 1971 to 28 November 1985. She was the wife of Siaka Stevens, the 1st President of Sierra Leone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fatima Bio</span> First Lady of Sierra Leone since 2018

Fatima Maada Bio, known simply as Fatima Bio, is a Sierra Leonean former actress, screenwriter and film producer who is the current first lady of Sierra Leone, as the wife of President Julius Maada Bio.

References

  1. "The Website of Mrs Sia Koroma First Lady - Sierra Leone - Biography". 2008. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Tumoe, Tatafway (3 November 2018). "HomeUncategorizedSia Nyama Koroma : Sierra Leone's Special First Lady Sia Nyama Koroma : Sierra Leone's Special First Lady November 3, 2010 Publisher and Chief Executive Officer KABS KANU Uncategorized 0 Sia Nyama Koroma : Sierra Leone's Special First Lady". cocorioko.net. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  3. "Getty Images". www.itnsource.com. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
Honorary titles
Preceded by First Lady of Sierra Leone
2007–2018
Succeeded by