Alfred Paolo Conteh is a retired Major in the

Sierra Leone Armed Forces The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) are the armed forces of Sierra Leone, responsible for the territorial security of Sierra Leone's borders and defending the national interests of Sierra Leone, within the framework of the 1991 S ...

who has been

Defense Minister A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

of Sierra Leone since October 2007. He was appointed by President

Ernest Bai Koroma Ernest Bai Koroma (born 2 October 1953) is a Sierra Leone, Sierra Leonean politician who served as the fourth President of Sierra Leone from 17 September 2007 to 4 April 2018. Born and raised in Makeni in northern Sierra Leone, Koroma spent mo ...

and was later confirmed by

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. Conteh is the nephew of former President

Joseph Saidu Momoh Major General Joseph Saidu Momoh, OOR, OBE (January 26, 1937 – August 3, 2003) served as President of Sierra Leone from November 1985 to 29 April 1992. Early life and education Joseph Saidu Momoh was born on January 26, 1937, in Binkolo, B ...

. Conteh is a keen sprinter and sportman. He was Sierra Leone's 400m record holder in 1982; and its record remains unbroken since. He plays football, volleyball, handball, squash and tennis. Born and raised in

Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...

, to parents from the Limba ethnic group, Conteh enrolled in the Sierra Leone Army as a

cadet officer St John Ambulance Ireland (SJAI), previously known as the St John Ambulance Brigade of Ireland, is a charitable Volunteering, voluntary organisation in Ireland. For constitutional reasons it is not a full member association of the Venerable Ord ...

in 1976. In 1981, Conteh became one of the commanding officers of the Sierra Leone

Military Police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear recon ...

unit, a branch of the Sierra Leone Army. Conteh went to law school in the United Kingdom. He obtained the

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

Degree (LLB) from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

LLB (law) in 1990. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1992. He also obtained a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

(LLM) from the Holborn School of Law in the United Kingdom.

Early life

Alfred Paolo Conteh was born and raised in the neighborhood of Wilberforce in

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

to parents from the Limba people (Sierra Leone), Limba ethnic group.

Military service

Upon graduation from secondary school, Conteh enrolled in the Sierra Leone Army as a

in 1976. Upon completion of a two-year cadet training in 1978, Conteh was promoted to

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the Sierra Leone Army and was posted as Platoon Commander at the Benguema

barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...

in Benguema, Sierra Leone. In 1981, Conteh became one of the commanding officers of the Sierra Leone

unit, a branch of the Sierra Leone Army. In 1983, Conteh was promoted to

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Law school

He went to law school in 1986 in the United Kingdom. He obtained the

Degree (LLB) from the

LLB (law) in 1990. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1992. He also obtained a

(LLM) from the Holborn School of Law in the United Kingdom.

External links

"Combat-Clad Minister Shocks Sierra Leone"
''Awareness Times'', 11 January 2008. *http://www.thepatrioticvanguard.com/spip.php?article1926 {{DEFAULTSORT:Conteh, Alfred Paolo Sierra Leonean military personnel Defence ministers of Sierra Leone All People's Congress politicians Living people Alumni of the University of London People from Freetown Year of birth missing (living people)