THE TEN MOST OUTSTANDING SIERRA LEONEANS OF 2017
As 2017 drew to a close, the team at Chozen Generation Sierra Leone set out to find and recognize the men and women who accomplished extraordinary feats in 2017. We first asked the public to nominate their most outstanding Sierra Leoneans of 2017– men and women who had excelled in sports, music, politics, entertainment and other fields of endeavour. In the first two days we received up to five hundred nominations. The names were as interesting as they were deserving: they include Jalikatu Mustapha, a Sierra Leonean doctor who graduated at the top of her Ophthalmology class in Kenya, got the best results in the fellowship exams for Southern and Eastern Africa and in a show of patriotism, returned home to serve her country, even though she could have received lucrative job offers overseas. She also founded an organization that provides help to young Sierra Leonean girls who are battling with sight defects.
Other names on the over one hundred man list include Sylvia Blyden, Isha Johansen, and politicians Mohamed Kamrainba Mansaray, Julius Maada Bio, Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella and Samura Kamara all of whom will be contesting for the country’s presidency in the March 2018 elections.
See how our Facebook fans voted https://www.facebook.com/chozengenerationsierraleone/photos/a.1623539397884815.1073741829.1537978986440857/2010760269162724/?type=3
In the second layer of assessment, the top 24 nominees were further selected for voting by the public. The final stage involved editorial vetting by the CGSL Team. Here is what we finally came up with:
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Anthony Navo Jr
Anthony Navo is currently the CEO of the African Young Voices Media Empire. He started his media business with Newspaper and Radio, but later added a TV station. His media Empire is gradually taking over the media industry in the country through their reportage of current events and happenings around the country. Navo has also provided several job opportunities to youths in the country. His AYV media Empire alone employs hundreds of Sierra Leonean youths.
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Kei Kamara
Kei is 
a Sierra Leonean footballer who currently plays for Canadian club Vancouver Whitecaps. Kei’s most recent achievement was in the 2015 season scoring 22 goals and finishing near the top of the league being a nominee for the league’s MVP and Golden Boot Awards. He’s been outstanding for the national team as well, even having to come out from an earlier retirement.
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Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai
At number 8 is fearless human rights activist and renowned lawyer,Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai. Barrister Abdulai is the Founder and Managing Partner of Abdulai and Associates and also the founder and Executive Director of the Society for Democratic Initiative – a civil society organization which pioneered the Freedom of Information Law in the country. He has practiced law at the highest level in the country having challenged the constitutionality of certain laws. Abdulai has won several high profile human rights cases for people in the country and is widely regarded for challenging the excesses of the government. He has received several human rights awards and fellowships for his outstanding human rights work in Sierra Leone such as the Reagan – Fascel Fellowship at the International Forum for Democratic Studies, Washington DC : Drapher Hill Democracy and Rule of Law Fellowship at Stanford University, the African Leadership Fellowship at the London School of Economics etc. In 2017,Emmanuel made headlines when he represented outspoken opposition politician Mohamed Kamaraimba Mansaray in a court case involving the state.
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Nfa Allie Conteh
Nfa Allie Conteh is the current Chief Electoral Commissioner of the National Electoral Commission (NEC). Nfa Allie has been highly criticised by several people especially incumbent government supporters who accuse him of incompetence, with some of them even calling for his resignation. But he didn’t budge one bit even after a few Sierra Leoneans recently took his commission to court, a matter that was ultimately thrown out. This has earned him the admiration of the general citizenry who mostly hail him as someone who doesn’t succumb to the will of the incumbent government. Mmany believe the 2018 elections will be credible because of this man Nfa Alie Conteh. He has also mentioned on several occasions that he is commited to conducted free and fair elections adding that unlike some of his predecessors, he would never take up a government appointment after his tenure as NEC Chief ends.
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Lara Taylor Pearce
Lara Taylor Pearce is the current Auditor-General of the Audit Service Sierra Leone. She started her career in the public sector in the year 2000 when she joined the Accountant General’s Department as a Technical Assistant. In 2002 she was appointed as Finance and Administrative Manager at the Public Sector Management Support Project. She moved to the Audit Service as Deputy Auditor-General in 2007 before she was actually appointed Auditor General in 2011 due to her honesty, diligence and commitment to results. Mrs Pearce has delivered tremendous changes in the public sector auditing in Sierra Leone and is often referred to as the ‘No Nonsense Auditor General’. Her reports often leave no stone unturned in exposing financial malfeasance in the public sector. Her recent Ebola audit report revealed wide spread financial irregularities in the management of Ebola funds.
Due to her dynamism, she was elected by her peers at the Regional Governing Board Meeting held in 2014 as the Chairperson of the English Speaking African Region of Supreme Auditing Institutions (AFROSAI-E) which is the umbrella Audit Institution for 26 English speaking African countries and was reappointed to this position for the second term in May 2017. She’s the current Vice Chair of the INTOSAI Development Initiative. She’s also a recipient of the President’s National Insignia Award for her role in the Public Financial Management field and also a recipient of the country’s National Integrity Award.
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Akinwande Lasite
Mr Lasite is the principal of the Sierra Leone Grammar School, one of the oldest schools in Africa. He’s popular for his no nonsense approach and is highly respected in the field of academia. Mr. Lasite whose rein at the helm of the SLGS spans over two decades has presided over tremendous all-round improvement in the school. The Sierra Leone Grammar School is one of the few colonial educational institutions which has managed to maintain its name as a school of excellence. Lash, as he is fondly called has a reputation for knowing all of his students–present and past– by name.
He is set to retire this year and heaven knows getting a suitable replacement is quite a herculean task.
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Hawa Kamara
Number four on our list is the beautiful and classy Hawa Hawa Kamara. Hawa took Sierra Leoneans by surprise last year when she became the first Sierra Leonean to participate in the Miss Universe pageant. Hawa is an experienced pageant contestant having been crowned Miss West Africa in 2013. She attended the Methodist Girls High School after which she began travelling and competing in beauty pageants. Hawa is involved in charities that are helping people who’ve been affected by the Ebola epidemic. She also advises young girls on weekends about the values of education.
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Umaru Fofanah
Our third most outstanding Sierra Leonean of 2017 is influential media personality, Umaru Fofanah. Umaru is a popular BBC and Reuters stinger. He’s popularly known for his fearlessness in reporting the corrupt activities of successive governments operatives in the country. He’s been a journalist since 1996, covering events all over Africa, Asia and the United States. He’s currently the CEO of the Free Media Group whilst also corresponding for the BBC and Reuters. He was awarded as the Most Outstanding Make Journalist by the IMC in April 2013. Umaru has bravely reported several activities in the country like the civil war, the Ebola outbreak and quite recently the tragic mudslide and flooding incidents that took the lives of hundreds of Sierra Leoneans. Rumours that he has been offered several government positions which he vehemently refused, sticking to his journalism, abound. He has also openly stated that he would never accept a political appointment in the country. Umaru Fofanah has a decent following on Facebook with hundreds of his fans engaging on his regular social and political commentaries.
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Emerson Bockarie
Emerson is popularly known for his songs that promote social change in the country. He is a strong critique of corruption in the government of Sierra Leone using his musical lyrics. Emerson dropped out of college to pursue his career in music with his first hit single being “u go see am”. It was followed in 2004 by “Borbor Belle” which many believed helped inspire people to vote the Sierra Leone Peoples Party out of governance in 2007. He released another album titled “2 fut arata” in 2007, “yesterday bette pas tiday” in 2010 etc and his latest album “Survivor” in 2016. The hit song ‘munku bos pa matches’ in his latest album strongly hit the incumbent government as he gallantly talked about the everyday corrupt activities of governmental officials in the country. He has been criticised and scrutinised, and there are even rumours that successive governments tried to pay him off but he didn’t bow. His presence at number two on our list of most outstanding Sierra Leoneans will not come as a surprise to many.
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Justice Edmond Cowan: Most Outstanding Sierra Leonean 2017
Edmond Cowan is our MOST OUTSTANDING SIERRA LEONEAN OF 2017. Justice Cowan has served Sierra Leone for the past 35 years in different spheres, starting as a Prosecutor, Principal State Counsel at the Law Officer’s Department. He later moved to the judicial arm of government as a Judge. From there he went to Parliament, became Speaker and the he was appointed the Ombudsman before becoming the Chairman of the Constitutional Review Committee which he describes as the crowning glory of his career. At the CRC, Justice Cowan reportedly incurred the wrath of the Powers That Be when he refused to subject the recommendations of his CRC report to the whims of the governing party. Justice Cowan has worked with four presidents and even acted as President of the Republic on a number of occasions.
The team at CGSL ’10 Reasons Show’ would like to wish Justice Cowan a fulfilling 2018. Sir, We are all inspired by your amazing work.
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