Tamba John Sylvanus Lamina is 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 ...

an politician and diplomat. He is the current Minister of Local Government and Rural Development in the cabinet of

Julius Maada Bio Julius Maada Wonie Bio (born 12 May 1964) is a Sierra Leonean politician and former army officer who has served as the 5th president of Sierra Leone since 4 April 2018. He is a retired brigadier in the Sierra Leone Army and was the military ...

, serving since 2019.

Early life

Born in

Koidu Koidu Town (or Sefadu; officially known as Koidu City) is the capital and largest city of the Kono District in the Eastern Province, Sierra Leone, Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Its population is 128,030 based on the 2015 census. It is the fi ...

, he is a member of the Kono ethnic group. After attending the prestigious Bo School, he received bachelor's degrees in politics, philosophy & history and in education from

Fourah Bay College Fourah Bay College is a public university in the neighbourhood of Mount Aureol in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Founded on 18 February 1827, it is the first western-style university built in Sub-Saharan Africa and, furthermore, the first university-le ...

in 1986 and 1987, respectively. He moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where he studied journalism at the London School of Journalism and became a registered nurse. He then received his PgDip in gerontology from Oxford Brooks University in 1997. Lastly, he received his MSc in leadership in healthcare from

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

in 2006. While in the United Kingdom, he worked in various leadership and managerial positions for both the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

and the private sector. He has served as chair of the Kono District Descendants Association, Sierra Leone People’s Party UK branch and the Old Bo Boys’ Association. He also chaired the

Support Group UK, which led to his entry into national politics.

Political career

Lamina was approved as Sierra Leonean High Commissioner to the United Kingdom by Parliament in August 2018. In February 2019, Lamina hosted a Sierra Leonean diplomatic mission 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 ...

. He met with

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

to discuss development, and then delivered a speech announcing the break of "a new dawn" in Sierra Leonean history. In May 2019, President

reshuffled his cabinet, and Lamina's was promoted from High Commissioner to Minister of Local Government and Rural Development. He was approved by members of Parliament at his new position on June 27, 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamina, Tamba Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Sierra Leonean politicians High commissioners of Sierra Leone to the United Kingdom Government ministers of Sierra Leone Sierra Leonean nurses Fourah Bay College alumni Alumni of the London School of Journalism Alumni of Oxford Brookes University Alumni of King's College London People from Koidu