ernest koroma 2007

Biography of Ernest Bai Koroma

Honourable Ernest Bai Koroma, the Leader of the All People's Congress (APC), is considered by his numerous followers all around Sierra Leone and in the Diaspora as The Hope of the Future.

Born October 2nd 1953 in Makeni, Bombali District, Northern Sierra Leone , Koroma attended the Sierra Leone Church primary School, Government Secondary School (Boys) Magburaka and Fourah Bay College , University of Sierra Leone .

He graduated in 1976 from Fourah Bay College , University of Sierra Leone following which he taught at the St. Francis Secondary School in Makeni before joining the Sierra Leone National Insurance Company in 1978.

Koroma moved over to the Reliance Insurance Trust Corporation (Ritcorp) in 1985 and became its Managing Director in 1988, a position he outstandingly held up to the March 2002 Elections.

An astute business man and a Chartered Insurer, Koroma is also a Fellow of the West African Insurance Institute (WAICA), an Associate of the Institute of Risk Management in the UK and a Member of the Institute of Directors in the UK.

Ernest is married to Sia Koroma and they have two children. Sia Koroma is from Kono District, Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. She attended Annie Walsh Memorial school and completed post-graduate in Bio-Chemistry at London University . The Koroma children are currently pursuing studies in the UK

Koroma's Record of Leadership

The Honourable Ernest Bai Koroma's leadership experience and vision of renewal in Sierra Leone represents the grassroots of Sierra Leone and the disadvantaged. Throughout Sierra Leone he is recognize for his unblemished public record. Koroma's positioning in the government has never been associated with corruption, unlike other candidates and office holders. The people of Sierra Leone deserve leadership that is honourable and corruption-free. That honesty and fair opportunity for all will lead the journey from Grass to Grace.

As his promise of a "new direction" holds out a hope for the future of Sierra Leone, Koroma, who holds an unblemished and enviable public record, has consistently demonstrated that he passionately espouses those key tenets of democracy such as, the rule of law, human rights, good governance, probity, freedom of the press, transparency and accountability.

Koroma has demonstrated great stewardship of the APC party over the last six years and under his leadership, the APC swept virtually all the seats in the Western Area during the last Local Government Elections of 2004. This was in spite of efforts by conservative elements in the party to undermine his leadership. However, Koroma's leadership is considered to be a blend of the old and the new. He has proved that he is committed to reform and will tackle tough issues.

Koroma was elected as the APC's Presidential Candidate for the 2002 Presidential Elections on 24th March 2002 . Despite court challenges to his leadership because of his youth and the 2002 APC Constitution, the Koroma has shown himself to be a true survivor and a man of vision. Koroma was again unanimously elected as Leader/ Chairman and Presidential Candidate of the APC at a National Delegates Conference in September 2005. Currently, he is the Minority Leader in the Sierra Leone Parliament.

Koroma has skillfully guided the party to reconciliation and is the undisputed leader, standard bearer and presidential aspirant of the APC with all the party stalwarts and executives fully committed to serving under his direction.

Age 54 years, Koroma is a voice of a generation of young visionary leaders, full of hope and new ideas for the future development for Sierra Leone. He is the youngest major candidate aspiring to the Presidency in the 2007 elections and is being put forward by the All People's Congress as "the democratic hope for Sierra Leone ." Sierra Leone is a country at the cross roads of change from an old order that has left a mark of despair to a new government inspired by a vision of hope.

The overwhelming victory that the APC enjoyed in the Local Government Election in the most densely populated Western Area, including the capital City of Freetown, is a sign that the electorate is ready for the "New Direction" and Hope that a Koroma presidency offers.

Koroma's Vision for the Future of Sierra Leone

Ernest Koroma has a simple but highly effective and meaningful vision for Sierra Leone . He plans to serve all Sierra Leoneans, local, regional and international regardless of ethnicity, party affiliation and devoid of regional preference, providing a safe and stable environment for individuals and families to prosper.

Koroma will make it a priority to restore the reliable delivery of basic public services of electricity, water and sanitation, dangerously absent for more than a decade. He will restore the dignity of the Sierra Leonean people (presently in comatose state), from young to old. He will work to restore faith in the joy and benefits of hard work, and deliver a country where the rule of law is adhered to, with consistent and fair application across all segments of society. Koroma will lead Sierra Leone from a society of dependency to a society of self-reliance and strong leadership.

This vision according to Koroma will be realized only when the country is better able to lift up the human spirit of the Sierra Leonean and manage her affairs and economy through a thriving growing private sector working in an honest and mutually beneficial partnership with Government. Ernest Koroma promises to deliver "a government that is willing to listen and build both local and international partnerships."

A business titan in his own right, Koroma is blessed with a clear and procedural vision of how to turn the economy of Sierra Leone around; remove the impediments, spur growth, encourage local and foreign investment, create employment, erect stake-holdership, generate wealth, and empower Sierra Leonean self-sufficiency to reduce reliance on outside donors.

My Priorities

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