Joseph H. Kpandeba, CRSL (born December 30, 1960) is a

Sierra Leonean 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 ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

and the current Minority Leader of

Parliament of Sierra Leone Parliament of Sierra Leone is the legislative branch of the government of Sierra Leone. It is principally responsible for making laws. The Sierra Leone parliament consists of 146 members, of which 132 members are directly elected from across Si ...

. She is the leader of the main opposition

Sierra Leone People's Party The Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, along with its main political rival the All People's Congress (APC). It has been the ruling party in Sierra Leone since April 4, 2018. The SLPP d ...

(SLPP) in the

Sierra Leone House of Parliament {{Infobox building , name = Sierra Leone House of Parliament , native_name = , former_names = , alternate_names = , image = Sierra Leone House of Parliament (1430592766).jpg , alt = , cap ...

. She currently represent

Constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...

13 from

Kenema District Kenema District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital city, capital and largest city is Kenema, which is the third most populous city in Sierra Leone, after Freetown and Bo. Tongo is the second most populous city ...

in the Sierra Leone House of Parliament. In the 2002 general elections, Madam Lahai was elected to the

. She was re-election easily in the 2007 Parliamentary elections. She won another easy re-election in the 2012 Parliamentary elections, with 69.15%.http://www.nec-sierraleone.org/index_files/Parliamentary_OMP_PCMP%20Result%202012.pdf Lahai has a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

Geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...

and

Sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

from

Fourah Bay College Fourah Bay College is a public university in the neighbourhood of Mount Aureol in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Founded on 18 February 1827, it is the first western-style university built in Sub-Saharan Africa and, furthermore, the first university-l ...

, and a

Master's Degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

Agricultural extension Agricultural extension is the application of scientific research and new knowledge to agricultural practices through farmer education. The field of 'extension' now encompasses a wider range of communication and learning activities organized for r ...

and

Rural development Rural development is the process of improving the quality life and economic well-being of people living in rural areas, often relatively isolated and sparsely populated areas. Rural development has traditionally centered on the exploitation of ...

from Njala University, both in Sierra Leone. Lahai also has a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * '' Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. al ...

in Agricultural extension and Rural development from the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Ber ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. Lahai is a native of

in Eastern Sierra Leone, and a member of the Mende ethnic group.

Early life and education

Lahai was born on December 30, 1960, in the

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

of Yomboma in Lower Bambara Chiefdom,

in the Eastern Province of British Sierra Leone to Mende parents. Lahai started her schooling at the Independent Primary School in Tongo, Kenema District. She then proceeded to the Holy Rosary Secondary School in

Pujehun Pujehun is the capital of Pujehun District in the Southern Province. The current estimate of the population of Pujehun is 20,121 people. Pujehun is a rural town and is the commercial and administrative center of Pujehun District. Pujehun lies a ...

Pujehun District Pujehun District is a district in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. Pujehun District is one of the sixteen Districts of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is the town of Pujehun . The other major towns in the district include Gand ...

. After a successful

'O' Level O' Level were a British punk and indie band, founded in 1976 by Ed Ball with friends John and Gerard Bennett. The group's name refers to the 'O'-Level of the British General Certificate of Education. History Along with the early Television ...

s, she went for her advanced sixth form certificate at the

Christ the King College Christ the King College (CKC) is a secondary school founded in 1954 in Bo, Sierra Leone. The school was founded by Mother Marie Louise De Meester in 1954 under the direction of Archbishop Thomas Joseph Brosnahan. The Christ the King College is r ...

in Bo. In her mid-twenties, Lahai gained admission into the

Freetown Freetown is the Capital city, 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, educ ...

, where she graduated with a

and

. She was later re-admitted to Fourah College to pursue her

Postgraduate diploma A postgraduate diploma (PgD, PgDip, PGDip, PG Dip., PGD, Dipl. PG, PDE) is a postgraduate qualification awarded after a university degree, which supplements the original degree and awards them with a graduate diploma. Countries that award pos ...

Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

to become a professional teacher. In her quest for knowledge, she proceeded to Njala University in Bo for a Master's Degree in

and

. For her exemplary academic performance, it pleased the University authorities to appoint her as a research assistant at the Institute of Agricultural Research of the college in which capacity she diligently served for few years. Thereafter, Lahai secured a four-year

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholars ...

to the

to embark on a PhD program in Agricultural extension and Rural development. She returned home in 1998 to help in the development of Sierra Leone. This took the dynamic academic back to the Institute of Agricultural Research as a full-time lecturer with the Sierra Leone Vision 2025 Project.

Political career

In 2002, Lahai ran for one of Kenema District's seats in parliament as a member of the then ruling Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). She was elected, gaining over 60% of the vote in Kenema District. She again won re-election in the 2007 general elections.

30% (Women and Politics in Sierra Leone)

In 2012, Lahai appeared in the short film ''30% (Women and Politics in Sierra Leone)'' commissioned by Pathways for Women's Empowerment and Screen South. The film was made by Anna Cady and Jenny Cuff. It explores the unique challenges to gender equality in Sierra Leone, including corruption, violence and the foundational patriarchy of secret societies such as the Poro Society. The film depicts Lahai and fellow women's rights activists Barbara Bangura and Salamatu Kamara and their work on a 30% Quota bill they were submitting to parliament. ''30% (Women and Politics in Sierra Leone)'' was an Official Selection for the Sundance Film Festival 2013 In 2014, Lahai was recognized for her distinguished and dedicated service to the state in the fields of

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

and

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

by the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Ernest Bai Koroma Ernest Bai Koroma (born 2 October 1953) is a 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 more than 24 ...

who made her a Commander of the Order of the Republic (CRSL).

References

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20080614133635/http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_20058805.shtml {{DEFAULTSORT:Lahai, Bernadette 1960 births Living people Alumni of the University of Reading Fourah Bay College alumni Members of the Parliament of Sierra Leone Mende people Njala University alumni Sierra Leonean feminists Sierra Leone People's Party politicians 21st-century Sierra Leonean women politicians 21st-century Sierra Leonean politicians Sierra Leone women's rights activists People from Kenema District