The title First Lady of Sierra Leone is held by the female spouse of the
president of Sierra Leone
The president of the Republic of Sierra Leone is the head of state and the head of government of Sierra Leone, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces.
As the head of the executive branch of the Sierra Leone government, the pre ...
.
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.
Since 1971, Sierra Leone has had six first ladies.
The first was
Rebecca Stevens, wife of former president
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 ...
, who remained at her family's private residence at 1 King Harmon Road while her husband lived at
State House and
Kabasa Lodge.
Office of the First Lady of Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone's third first lady was one of the country's foremost lawyers
Patricia Kabbah. Kabbah had been the chairperson of the committee that restored Sierra Leone to civilian rule and she helped draft the country's constitution in 1995.
When her husband won the election, she sought to set up the first Office of the First Lady in the history of Sierra Leone.
Her husband 0gave in to pressure from stalwarts in their political party and denied her request.
Kabbah died of cancer in 1998.
Shortly after her death, her husband
Ahmad Tejan Kabbah
Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah (16 February 1932 – 13 March 2014) was a Sierra Leonean politician who served twice as the 3rd President of Sierra Leone, from 1996 to 1997 and again from 1998 to 2007. An economist and attorney by profession, Kab ...
married
Isata Kabbah who became the
4th first lady.
In 2007,
Sia Koroma, a biochemist and psychiatric nurse, became the
5th first lady of Sierra Leone. Koroma successful established the Office of the First Lady and completely redefined the role. In addition to her representative role, she worked on three initiatives: WISH to support mothers and children, FLAXIS to provide training and the Danké Koroma Foundation.
The current first lady of Sierra Leone is
Fatima Maada Bio
Fatima Maada Bio (née Jabbe; born 27 November 1980), known simply as Fatima Bio, is a Sierra Leonean former actress, screenwriter and film producer who has served in the role of first lady of Sierra Leone, as the wife of President Julius Maa ...
, wife of
President Julius Maada Bio who took office on April 4, 2018.
Bio, an actor and film maker, has continued in the tradition of Sia Koroma and is maintaining the Office of the First Lady.
First ladies of Sierra Leone (1971–present)
References
External links
State House Sierra LeoneFirst Lady Sierra Leone
{{Portal bar, Sierra Leone, Africa, Politics
First ladies of Sierra Leone