The University of Sierra Leone is the name of the former unitary public university system in
Sierra Leone. Established in February 1827, it is the oldest university in Africa.
As of May 2005, the University of Sierra Leone was reconstituted into the individual colleges of
Fourah Bay College and
Njala University college
Njala University (NU) is a public university located in Njala and Bo, Sierra Leone. It is the second largest university in Sierra Leone (after the Fourah Bay College) and is also part of the University of Sierra Leone. The largest and main camp ...
.
History
It has its origins in the
Fourah Bay College, which was established as an
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...
missionary school by the
Church Missionary Society
The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...
with support from
Charles MacCarthy, the governor of Sierra Leone.
Samuel Ajayi Crowther was the first student to enroll at Fouray Bay.
Fourah Bay College soon became a magnet for
Krio and other Africans seeking higher education in
British West Africa
British West Africa was the collective name for British colonies in West Africa during the colonial period, either in the general geographical sense or the formal colonial administrative entity. British West Africa as a colonial entity was orig ...
. These included Nigerians, Ghanaians, Ivorians and many more, especially in the fields of
theology and education. It was the first western-style university in
West Africa. Under colonialism, Freetown was known as "the
Athens of West Africa" as an homage to the college.
References
SL
Educational institutions established in 1827
{{SierraLeone-university-stub