The Chancellor's Banquet - It's 180 years since...

The Chancellor’s Banquet to celebrate 180 years of Fourah Bay College (FBC) - University of Sierra Leone

On Friday, 16th February 2007, a Who’s Who from Sierra Leonean society gathered at the picturesque Kimbima Hotel in Aberdeen to celebrate 180 years of Fourah Bay College (FBC). To put this celebration in perspective, the world renowned Durham University was founded some four years after the FBC. The celebratory banquet was hosted by the Chancellor of the University of Sierra Leone (USL), who is the incumbent President of Sierra Leone, Alhaji Dr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. The Chancellor happened to be celebratory mood because he was celebrating own personal birthday on the same day too. His new age remained undisclosed!

Guests were seated by 7pm in time for the arrival of our host. His arrival prompted the playing of the national anthems of The Gambia and Sierra Leone. Alhaji Dr. Yayah Jammeh, The President of The Gambia was expected at the banquet, but the celebrations here in Sierra Leone coincided with the celebration of independence by the Gambian people and His Excellency, Yayah Jammeh was in attendance on state duties. He sent his Emissary, Honourable Kebban Sanyang, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice of the Republic of Gambia, who incidentally, is a graduate of the FBC and he was lectured by the Vice President of Sierra Leone, Solomon E D Berewah and also Francis Gabbidon, who were both present at the 180 years celebration. Alhaji Dr. A B Karim and Rev. Canon Emerson Thomas conducted the Muslim and Christian prayers respectively. Both prayed for the continued prosperity of the FBC. Promptly after, the banquet was called to order by the distinguished Masters of Ceromonies: Lawrence Spencer-Coker and Miatta French.

Statements made on that eventful evening revealed that Fourah Bay College (FBC) was founded on the 18th February 1827, by the Church Missionary Society, essentially for the training of teachers and missionaries to assist in the promotion of education and the spread of Christianity in British West Africa. In 1876 it became a degree granting institution with affiliation to the University of Durham, England, turning out her first crop of Durham degree graduates in 1879. Since then the FBC has maintained a reputable tradition of higher education in West Africa.

On the 21st of December, 1959, FBC was granted a Royal Charter by the Senate of the University of Durham to become; FOURAH BAY COLLEGE, The University of Sierra Leone. Upon the granting of the Royal Charter, a reputable newspaper at the time in England remarked that the next institution to be granted an affiliation to Durham would be the London Zoo. Even at the time, such a statement was considered racist. But FBC has endured more trauma during its long history.

Before its current location on Mount Aureol, overlooking Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, FBC was located at Cline Town, at the East End of Freetown. As a result of the 2nd World War, the campus was relocated to Mabang, in the Northern Province. The current campus at Mount Aureol was established in 1944. A hand-painted oil impression of the old FBC and the new FBC buildings were commissioned by the Chancellor’s Banquet Organising Committee and presented as parting gifts to the Gambian delegation and President Kabbah, respectively.

In 1967 following an Act of Parliament, FBC was transformed into a constituent college of the University of Sierra Leone, with Njala University College (NUC), which had been founded in 1964, as the other arm. In 1972, as a result of the Carney Commission’s Report, the system became unitary, and by the end of the 80s, the University had four constituent colleges, viz, FBC, NUC, the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS) and the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM).

The 2005 Universities Act created two separate universities with Fourah Bay College and COMAHS and IPAM forming the University of Sierra Leone, while NUC, the Bo Paramedical School, the School of Hygiene, Kenema, formed the Njala University.

In his statement at the Chancellor’s Banquet, the Honourable Minister of Education, Science & Technology, Dr Alpha T. Wurie noted that since its inception in 1827 a total of 22,000 students had enrolled at the FBC. 40% of those students had been enrolled in the last five years, since 2002. He stressed that the country as a whole must do all it can to “Retain those we Train”, highlighting the blighting brain-drain problem faced by Sierra Leone.

Professor Gbakima, the Vice Chancellor and Principal of the University of Sierra Leone in his statement discussed the issues facing the University, noting that student numbers had grown over the last few years but the infrastructure and support systems had not grown in line to cope with the expansion. In this regard, he highlighted the fundraising aspect of the banquet, especially mentioning the Lattie Hyde rehabilitation project, which is estimated at four hundred million Leones.

Honourable Kebban Sanyang, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Gambia, also an FBC law graduate representing the Gambian President, heaped praise on the FBC for creating so many successful Gambian academics who were now making positive contributions to the Gambian society at home and in the Diaspora. Honourable Sanyang remarked that the Gambia had only recently structured its first state university and even more recently, its Law department within the university. He pledged his government’s support for the FBC, especially the current fundraising project and humbly asked for assistance in making the University of Gambia a success, just like the USL.

The Chancellor’s Banquet was formally opened by the Birthday Boy and Chancellor of the University of Sierra Leone, the distinguished President of Sierra Leone himself, with his Statement. He eloquently traced the history of the University from its humble beginnings to its rich affiliation with Durham, even though the FBC predates it, and he traced the several wars and conflicts that she (FBC) has had to survive over the years. The Celebratory Cake, appetizingly decorated in the colours of the Sierra Leonean flag – green, white and blue - was unveiled to the eager banquetters and it was lit by a stream of distinguished members of society who had supported and indeed, continue to support the work of the FBC.

Dignitaries who lit candles included; Solomon Ekumah Dominic Berewah – Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone; Alhaji Dr. Abdulai Kakay – MD of Sierra Leone Commercial Bank; Mr Aki Macauley – MD of Rokel Commercial Bank; Mr Edmond Koroma – Director-General of NASSIT; Mr Thomas Hull – US Ambassador to Sierra Leone; Mr Cheng Weng Ju – Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone; Mr Tunde Cole – MD of Sierra Leone National Petroleum Co. Ltd; Professor Victor E H Stasser-King – Pro-Chancellor of the USL; Mrs Junietta Macauley – MD of Colombia Davies Memorial Palour; Dr Kishore Shankerdas – MD of G Shankerdas & Son (SL) Ltd & Hon. Consul-General of Japan & Chairman of the University of Sierra Leone (USL) Development Fund; Dr John Karimu – Commissioner-General of the National Revenue Authority; Dr Julius Spencer – MD of Premier Media; Mr Ted Phiri – MD of Celtel (Sierra Leone) Ltd; Karen Akinwumi-Tanoh – MD of ECO Bank; Mr Kamal Nassar – MD of Sierra Construction Systems; Mrs Kona Koroma; Anthony Popoola – CEO/MD of Afritone Oil; Professor Vidal Godwin – the 1st graduate of Physics and Mathematics from FBC and Alhaji Kabany from Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA).

The candles were blown out by Justice Cornelius Harding a retired Supreme Court Judge who graduated from FBC over 50 years ago having enrolled on November 28th 1945; and Francesss Turay, currently the youngest student at Mount Aureol having enrolled at the tender age of seventeen.

In between performances by the Ballanta Music Academy and the Police Brass Band, the Loyal Toast was proposed by the Pro-Chancellor of the University of Sierra Leone; Professor V E H Strasser-King; the Toast to the Government and People of the Gambia was proposed by Professor Kosonike Koso-Thomas; and the Toast to Fourah Bay College was proposed by Mr Andre Hope, indigenous Sierra Leonean business moghul.

In closing, Adonis Aboud, Consul-General of Yugoslavia, Founder of Pikin Bizness and Managing Director of Transnational Ltd – owner of the DSTV franchise in Sierra Leone and a valued member of the Chancellor’s Banquet Organising Committee, proposed the Toast to the Guests before closing courtesies were performed by Mrs Bernadette Cole, Secretary of the Chancellor’s Banquet Committee. Other members in the Banquet Organising Committee were: Professor Aiah Gbakima (Chairman) is the Vice Chancellor and Principal, USL; Mr Edmund Koroma is the Director General, NASSIT; Mr Osho Coker is the Coordinator at the Governance Secretariat; Mrs Junietta Macauley is the Managing Director, Columbia Davies Funeral Palour; Mr Oliver Harding is a Librarian at FBC; Dr JD Rogers is the Governor of the Bank of Sierra Leone; Mr Wilfred Sam King is the Managing Director of Sam King Services; Dr Kishore Shankerdas, is the Chairman of the University Development Fund; Mr Andrew Keili is the Executive Director of CEMMATS; Mr Kenneth Osho is the Head of Department of Language Studies at FBC; Ms Sanira Deen is an Environmentalist from CEMMATS; Mrs Olive Barrie is the Head of Administration & Personnel at IPAM, USL.


Lawrence Spencer-Coker
Profit Strategist
Supreme Inc