Koidu-Sefadu
Encyclopedia
Kono District
Kono District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Koidu Town. The other major towns in the district include Yengema, Tombodu, Motema, Jaiama-Nimokoro and Sewafe. Kono District is the largest diamond producer in Sierra Leone.The population of Kono...
in the Eastern Province
Eastern Province, Sierra Leone
Eastern Province is one of the four provinces of Sierra Leone. It covers an area of 15,553 km² and has a population of 1,187,532...
of Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
. It is the fourth largest city in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
by population (after Freetown
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
, Bo
Bo, Sierra Leone
Bo is the second largest city in Sierra Leone and the largest city in the Southern Province. It lies about 164 miles south-east of Freetown and had a population 149,957 in the 2004 census, with a current estimate is 231,494 . The city serve as the capital and administrative center of Bo District...
and Kenema
Kenema
Kenema is the third largest city in Sierra Leone and the largest city in the Eastern Province with a population of 128,402 in the 2004 census and a more recent estimate of 169,937...
) and the second largest city in the Eastern Province, after Kenema. Koidu Town lies 275 miles east of Freetown
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
and is a major business hubs and diamond trade center. The city had a population of 82,899 in the 2004 census (a 2006 estimate being 111,800).
The city is ethnically and culturally diverse and is inhabited by significant numbers of most of the country's ethnic groups. Most of the foreign diamond workers in the Kono District reside in the city. The Krio language
Krio language
Sierra Leone Krio is the lingua franca and the de facto national language spoken throughout the West African nation of Sierra Leone. Krio is spoken by 97% of Sierra Leone's population and unites the different ethnic groups in the country, especially in their trade and social interaction with each...
is the most widely spoken language in the city and is primarily used as the language of communication among the residents in Koidu Town.
Government
Koidu town is governed with a city councilCity council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
form of government, which is headed by a mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
, in whom executive authority is vested. The mayor is responsible for the general management of the city and for seeing that all local and national laws are enforced. The mayor is elected directly by the residents of Koidutown. The current mayor of Koidu Town is Sahr Sessie-Gbenda and he is from the ruling All Peoples Congress party.
Ethnicity
Koidu town is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in Sierra Leone. Even though the city is home of the Konos, all of the country's other ethnic groups and most of the foreign diamond workers in the Kono District reside in the city.Media
The local radio station in Koidu Town are the Eastern Radio 101.9. the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) TV, and radio are on the air in the city. The BBC World ServiceBBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
, CNN International
CNN International
CNN International is an international English language television network that carries news, current affairs, politics, opinions, and business programming worldwide. CNN is one of the world's largest news organizations. It is owned by Time Warner, and is affiliated with CNN, which is mainly...
, and several other international stations are also on the air in on satellite only.
Sport
Sierra Leone National Premier LeagueSierra Leone National Premier League
Sierra Leone National Premier League is the top football league in Sierra Leone. It was founded in 1967. The league is sponsored by the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank, one of the major Sierra Leonean banks. East End Lions and Mighty Blackpool are the two biggest and most successful clubs. The...
club, the Diamond Stars
Diamond Stars
The Diamond Stars of Kono is a Sierra Leonean professional football Club based in Koidu Town, Kono District, Sierra Leone. The club represent the diamond-rich Kono District and is a member of the Sierra Leone National Premier League, the top football league in Sierra Leone. The club got the name...
is based in Koidu. The club represents the Kono District.
Notable Secondary Schools in Koidutown
- Koidu Secondary SchoolKoidu Secondary SchoolKoidu Secondary School is a government-sponsored secondary school located in Koidutown, Kono District, Sierra Leone. The school is the largest and most prominent secondary school in Kono District and one of the largest in the country. Some of Sierra Leone's most gifted students have come from the...
- Founded: 1938 - Kono Model AcademyKono Model AcademyKono Model Academy is a government-sponsored secondary school located in Koidutown, Kono District, Sierra Leone. The school has produced some of the best students in the country as well as some prominent people from Kono District....
- Founded: 1950 - Koidu Girls Secondary SchoolKoidu Girls Secondary SchoolKoidu Girls Secondary School is a government-sponsored secondary school for girls located in Koidutown, Kono District, Sierra Leone. Koidu Girls Secondary School was founded in 1952 to educate the girls in Koidu Town. It is the most prominent girls secondary school in the Kono District and one of...
- Founded: 1952 - Ansarul Islamic Boys Secondary School - Founded: 1974
- Ansarul Islamic Girls Secondary SchoolAnsarul Islamic Girls Secondary SchoolAnsarul Islamic Girls Secondary School is a government-sponsored secondary school located in Tankoro Chiefdom, Koidutown, Kono District, Sierra Leone. It was established in 1974 by the Sierra Leone Ansarul Islamic Mission, as an all girls secondary school. Although the school has an Islamic...
- Founded: 1974 - Islamic Secondary School KoiduIslamic Secondary School KoiduIslamic Secondary School Koidu is a government-sponsored secondary school located in Koidutown, Kono District, Sierra Leone. The school was founded by a Mandingo philantropist Alhaji Sheku "Taylor" Koita in 1979. Although the school has an Islamic tradition, student from all religious background...
- Founded: 1979 - Ak-hom Secondary School - Founded: 2001
Health
American aid workers helped rebuild the Koidu Government hospital, which has improved the previously alarming health situation in the town. Various other aid organizations, including the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR and its partners, have helped drill wells, re-build clinics and schools and regenerate livelihoods in the area, as part of a programme to support the reintegration of Sierra Leoneans who returned after living for several years as refugees in neighbouring countries.2007 Koidutown-Sefadu protest
The 2007 Koidutown-Sefadu protest was an action by 400 protesters in Koidu-Sefadu which was aimed at the local diamond mine which the resident claimed had lowered local living conditions and environmental conditions in the area. The result of the protest was a clampdown by Sierra Leonean police and the death of 2 protesters.
Notable people from Koidu town
- Samuel Sam-SumanaSamuel Sam-SumanaAlhaji Sahr Samuel Sam-Sumana is a Sierra Leonean politician, and the current Vice President of Sierra Leone...
, current Vice President of Sierra Leone - K-ManK-ManMohamed Saccoh better known by his stage name K-Man is a Sierra Leonean rapper and one of the most famous musician from Sierra Leone. K-Man is known for his soft rap tone...
, Sierra Leonean musician - Khady BlackKhady BlackKhadyja Fofana better known by her stage name Khady Black is a Sierra Leonean rastafarian and Roots reggae musician. She is Sierra Leone's first international female reggae artist...
, Sierra Leonean musician - Sidique MansaraySidique MansaraySidique Mansaray is a Sierra Leonean footballer, who currently plays as a striker for East End Lions in Sierra Leone National Premier League. He is also a regular member of the Leone Stars, Sierra Leone national football team...
, footballer - Alimu Koula Bah, Secretary General, Sierra Leone Football AssociationSierra Leone Football AssociationThe Sierra Leone Football Association is the governing body of football in Sierra Leone. It was founded in 1967, and affiliated to FIFA the same year. It is also a member of the Confederation of African Football from 1987. It organizes the national football league and the national team...
(SLFA) - Karamoh KabbaKaramoh KabbaKaramoh Kabba is a Sierra Leonean author, writer, novelist and journalist. He has written several historic account about the Sierra Leone civil war, such as A Mother’s Saga: An Account of the Rebel War in Sierra Leone and the self-published works Lion Mountain and Morquee: A Political Drama of...
, Sierra Leonean author, writer, novelist and journalist - Sam BockarieSam BockarieSamuel "Sam" "Mosquito" Bockarie was a leading member of the Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone. Bockarie was infamous during the Sierra Leone Civil War for his brutal tactics, which included amputation, mutilation, and rape. He earned the nickname "Mosquito" for his ability to attack...
, former RUF leader - Alimamy JallohAlimamy JallohAlimamy Jalloh is a Sierra Leonean professional footballer, who currently plays for Lohjan Pallo in Finland.- Career :...
, footballer - Komba YombaKomba YombaKomba Tawa Yomba widely known as Keeper Towa is a Sierra Leonean international football goalkeeper. He is the captain of the Diamond Stars in the Sierra Leone National Premier League. He is rated as one of the best Sierra Leonean goalkeepers of all time...
, footballer - Mary MusaMary MusaMary Musa is a Sierra Leonean politician and activist from Koidu-Sefadu, Kono District. She currently serves as the mayor of Koidu, and is a member of the opposition Sierra Leone People's Party .-External links:* on USAid site....
, former mayor of Koidu Town - Mohammed O Jalloh, Community activist and organiserCommunity organizingCommunity organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. A core goal of community organizing is to generate durable power for an organization representing the community, allowing it to influence...
, HarlemHarlemHarlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... - Francis KoromaFrancis KoromaFrancis Zapa Koroma is a former Sierra Leonean footballer. He played as a defender for the Leone Stars as well as the Diamond Stars in Sierra Leone and Allsvenskan in Sweden...
, former Sierra Leonean international footballer - Karamoh KabbaKaramoh KabbaKaramoh Kabba is a Sierra Leonean author, writer, novelist and journalist. He has written several historic account about the Sierra Leone civil war, such as A Mother’s Saga: An Account of the Rebel War in Sierra Leone and the self-published works Lion Mountain and Morquee: A Political Drama of...
, Journalist - ((Aiah Abu Koroma)), Former Leader, Democratic Centre Party