Elizabeth Tygsona Alpha-Lavalie (5 January 1947 – 15 December 2013) was a

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

. She was a member of the

Sierra Leone People's Party 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 d ...

and was one of the representatives in the

Parliament of Sierra Leone Parliament of Sierra Leone is the legislative branch of the government of Sierra Leone. It is principally responsible for making laws. The Sierra Leone parliament consists of 149 members, of which 135 members are directly elected from across S ...

for

Bo District 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 a ...

, serving as member of parliament from 1996 to 2012.

Early life and career

Alpha-Lavalie was born on 5 January 1947. Her father was

Joseph Emman Henry Tucker Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

, who served as a

(SLPP) Member of Parliament for Bo South, and served as deputy speaker of the parliament from 1961 to 1967. Her mother was Vivat Edith Letitia Tucker, who worked as a midwife and farmer. Alpha-Lavalie became active in politics at the age of 20, joining the SLPP and supporting her father. When

Siaka Stevens Siaka Probyn Stevens (24 August 1905 – 29 May 1988) was the leader of Sierra Leone from 1967 to 1985, serving as Prime Minister from 1967 to 1971 and as President from 1971 to 1985. Stevens' leadership was often characterized by patrimonial ...

declared a one-party state and assumed the presidency in 1971, the SLPP was driven underground. Alpha-Lavalie began her career in 1968, in the

banking A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

industry. She worked for three years for the

Standard Chartered Bank Standard Chartered PLC is a British multinational bank with operations in wealth management, Wholesale banking, corporate and investment banking, and treasury services. Despite being headquartered in the United Kingdom, it does not conduct retai ...

in Sierra Leone, before moving to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

where she earned a degree in banking, from the South West London College. In 1975, she returned to Sierra Leone, and was re-employed by Standard Chartered, at the time one of the few professionally trained bankers in the country. In 1987, she moved to the

National Development Bank A national development bank is a development bank created by a country's government that provides financing for the purposes of economic development of the country. Africa * Botswana: National Development Bank of Botswana (NDB Botswana) * Ethiopia ...

, remaining with them until 1996.

Political career

Alpha-Lavalie entered politics in 1996, contesting and winning the constituency of Bo South to become a member of the

Sierra Leone parliament Parliament of Sierra Leone is the legislative branch of the government of Sierra Leone. It is principally responsible for making laws. The Sierra Leone parliament consists of 149 members, of which 135 members are directly elected from across Si ...

. She was immediately appointed to office, chairing the Health and Social Services Committee from 1996 to 1997 and the Finance Committee from 1996 to 2002. She was elected as the Deputy Speaker for the parliament in 2001, and in that role she chaired the Public Accounts Committee and also the Defense and Security Committee. She remained deputy speaker until 2007. She was re-elected as MP in the

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

and

2007 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2007. * Electoral calendar 2007 * Elections in 2007 * 2007 United Nations Security Council election Africa * 52nd National Conference of the African National Congress * 2007 Algerian legislative elect ...

, before standing down as an MP in 2012.

Personal life and death

Elizabeth Alpha-Lavalie was married to Dr. Alpha Mohamed Lavalie, a political activist who founded the

Eastern Region Defence Committee Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

following the

1992 Sierra Leonean coup d'état The 1992 Sierra Leonean coup d'état was a coup d'état against the government of Sierra Leone by a group of young military officers led by 25-year-old Captain Valentine Strasser on 29 April 1992. Strasser took control of the government, deposing ...

. She died on 15 December 2013, at the age of 66, following a month-long

coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to Nociception, respond normally to Pain, painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal Circadian rhythm, sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alpha, Eli Members of the Parliament of Sierra Leone 1947 births 2013 deaths Sierra Leone People's Party politicians 21st-century Sierra Leonean women politicians 20th-century Sierra Leonean women politicians 20th-century Sierra Leonean politicians 21st-century Sierra Leonean politicians