Alhaji Samuel Sidique Sam-Sumana (born April 7, 1962) is a Sierra Leonean politician who was the Vice President of Sierra Leone from September 17, 2007, to March 17, 2015. Sam-Sumana stood as the vice-presidential candidate of the

All People's Congress The All People's Congress (APC) is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, the other being its main political rival the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). The APC has been the main opposition party in Sierra Leone since 4 Ap ...

(APC) in the 2007 presidential election, alongside presidential candidate

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 y ...

. The APC ticket defeated the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) presidential candidate Solomon Berewa and vice presidential candidate Momodou Koroma. Sam-Sumana took office as vice president on September 17, 2007. On March 17, 2015, President Koroma sacked Sam-Sumana as vice president on the grounds that he had abandoned his position and sought asylum in the

United States Embassy The United States has the second largest number of active diplomatic posts of any country in the world after the People's Republic of China, including 272 bilateral posts (embassies and consulates) in 174 countries, as well as 11 permanent miss ...

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, e ...

, and for not belonging to a political party although it was reported by several local and international media that Sam-Sumana fled his residence fearing for his life, before soldiers had surrounded his house and disarmed his security team. The Sierra Leone government said Sam-Sumana was not in any danger and that soldiers only came to Sam-Sumana's house to rotate his security team. President Ernest Bai Koroma sacked Sam-Sumana for also not belonging to a political party, though he was expelled from the APC party by the National Advisory Council of the All People's Congress on March 6, 2015.salonemonitor.ne
Sam-Sumana expelled from the ruling All People's Congress party
Sam-Sumana said his sacking by president Ernest Bai Koroma was unconstitutional and has appealed to the Sierra Leone Supreme Court. The sacking of Sam-Sumana was described as unconstitutional by the main opposition Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), the Sierra Leone Labour Congress, which represent the country's trade union, and by the Sierra Leone Bar Association, which is made up of many of the country's lawyers. The APC National Advisory Council expelled Sam-Sumana on accusations of Sam-Sumana allegedly giving false information about his master's degree certificate; he was accused of allegedly instigating political violence in

Kono District Kono District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Koidu Town. Motema is the second most populous city in the district. The other major towns in the district include Yengema, Tombodu, Jaiama ...

; was accused of allegedly trying to form a breakaway faction of a new political party; and was also accused of allegedly giving false information about his religion. Sam-Sumana denied all the allegations against him and has appealed his sacking as vice president. Sam-Sumana denied all the allegations against him; and described them as completely wrong and baseless. Sam-Sumana served as the managing director of the United Diamond Mining Company based in Koidu Town, Kono District, Sierra Leone. He also served as the regional manager for C-12 International, a

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

based mining company engaged in diamond production in Sierra Leone,

Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...

and

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

. Sam-Sumana is a devout

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

and a member of the Kono ethnic group. Sam-Sumana is married to Khadija Sam-Sumana. The couple resided in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

in the United States, but returned to

in 2007 when Sam-Sumana was named as

running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate running with a pre ...

by opposition leader Ernest Bai Koroma on the ticket of the All People's Congress (APC). Sam Sumana led a breakaway faction of the APC known as Coalition for Change (C4C) and contested in the 2018 elections winning 8 Parliamentary seats and several council seats in the strategic Kono district. In a chaotic turn of events in the former ruling APC party, the arrest and harassment of former APC party and government officials, many see Samuel Sam Sumana as the game changer with the character and appeal to bring back the party into power in 2023.

Early life

Sahr Samuel Tamba Sidique Sam-Sumana was born on April 17, 1962, at the Koidu Government Hospital in Koidu Town,

in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Sam-Sumana is the fourth son of his father, Sahr Samuel Sam-Sumana, a prominent Kono Chief who was a member of the

party and a close friend of President

Siaka Stevens Siaka Probyn Stevens (24 August 1905 – 29 May 1988) was the leader of Sierra Leone from 1967 to 1985, serving as Prime Minister from 1967 to 1971 and as President from 1971 to 1985. Stevens' leadership was often characterized by patrimonial ...

. Sam-Sumana's mother is Haja Sia Hawa Sam-Sumana. Sam-Sumana is a devout

and a member of the Kono ethnic group. Sam-Sumana attended the Koidu Primary school in Koidu Town and then proceeded to the Jaiama Muslim Secondary School in the town of Jaiama, just outside Koidu Town in Kono District. He also attended the Ahmadiyya Muslim secondary school in Freetown.

Career and education

Sam-Sumana has a Bachelor of Science (BSC) in management information systems from the

Metropolitan State University Metropolitan State University (Metro State) is a public university in the Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota metropolitan area. It is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.

Minneapolis – Saint Paul Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 census, it is the state's most populous city. Located in the state's center near the eastern border, it ...

, United States. He also has a diploma in diamond rough grading, sorting and polishing from the America Institution of Diamond Cutting and Polishing, in Deerfield Beach, Florida, United States, and a diploma in computer network support from Knollwood Computer and Business School in St Louis Park, Minnesota. While in the United States, Sam-Sumana had worked as a systems officer for the

Prudential Financial Prudential Financial, Inc. is an American financial services company whose subsidiaries provide insurance, retirement planning, investment management, and other products and services to both Investor#Retail_investor, retail and institutional cus ...

Group. He was employed as a network support specialist for

Allina Health Allina Health ( ) is a nonprofit health care system based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It owns or operates 12 hospitals and more than 90 clinics throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Its subsidiary, Allina Medical Transportat ...

in the United States. Sam-Sumana had served as the managing director of the United Diamond Mining Company based in Koidu Town, Kono District, Sierra Leone. He also served as the regional manager for C-12 International, a

based mining company engaged in diamond production in Sierra Leone,

and

Political career

Sam-Sumana was surprisingly selected by Sierra Leone's main opposition leader

as his running-mate for the 2007 presidential election. Sam-Sumana stood as the vice-presidential candidate of the

(APC) in the 2007 election, alongside Koroma; the APC ticket defeated the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) presidential candidate Solomon Berewa and vice presidential candidate Momodou Koroma. Sam-Sumana took office as vice president on September 17, 2007.

Bribery allegations

On November 23, 2011, an Al Jazeera report which was broadcast globally and was produced by Sierra Leonean journalist Sorious Samura, provided an allegation implicating Vice President Sumana and business associates Alex Mansaray and Momoh Konte in a corrupt timber license deal. This was locally referred to as the Timbergate scandal. Sumana later reportedly admitted to Al Jazeera that Mansaray and Konte were well known to him, but that he knew nothing about their collection of cash on his behalf. Sumanas supporters attempted to discredit the allegations through the state media and other friendly media.

Reforms

Sam Sumana led a number of reforms in the social services and economic sectors. He changed the punitive system from Prisons to Correctional centers. He led a radical change in the conduct of business by pushing for reforms in business registration processes. He constantly pushed for a reengineering of the settled zones to cater for climate change and to prevent natural disasters, through his push for a comprehensive land reform. He has been a key advocate for mining reforms that carefully addresses environmental concerns and responsibility.

Removal as vice-president

On March 17, 2015, Sierra Leone's President

sacked Sam-Sumana as vice president on the ground that he had abandoned his position to seek an asylum in the

, and for not belonging to a political party as stated in the constitution. Though it was reported that Sam-Sumana fled his residence fearing for his life, before soldiers had surrounded his house and disarmed his security team. The Sierra Leone government said Sam-Sumana was not in any danger and that soldiers only came to Sam-Sumana's house to rotate his security team. President Ernest Bai Koroma sacked Sam-Sumana for also not belonging to a political party, as stated in the constitution, though he was expelled from the APC party by the National Advisory Council of the All People's Congress. On March 6, 2015, Sam-Sumana was expelled from the ruling All People's Congress party by the APC's National Advisory Council on the basis of several charges against him. The National Advisory Council accused Sam-Sumana of giving false information about his master's degree certificate; he was accused of instigating political violence in

; he was accused of trying to form a breakaway faction of a new political party; and was also wrongly accused of giving false information about his religious background. The charges were announced by APC Secretary-General Osman Foday Yansaneh at the party's headquarters in

. After the expulsion, Sam-Sumana fled his home on March 14, 2015, and went to the American embassy in Freetown, where he asked for asylum. In a turn of events in the 2018 elections, the same Osman Foday Yansaneh came on live TV to apologize to Sam Sumana that his illegal dismissal from the party was void and the APC has reinstated him into the party.

Awards and global recognitions

H.E Sam Sam Sumana has received a number of Global Awards and recognitions for his unique role in advocating for Peace and transformative governance in Africa. On August 10, 2018, he was appointed to the Global Advisory Council of the HWPL and WARP. He and other Former Heads of States including Former President of mozammbque H.E

Joaquim Chissano Joaquim Alberto Chissano (born 22 October 1939) is a Mozambican politician who served as the second President of Mozambique, from 1986 to 2005. He is credited with transforming the war-torn country of Mozambique into a successful African democra ...

were present to discuss how peace can be sustainably achieved in Africa. In 2017, he received the prestigious peace award given by the Women's Situation room in Sierra Leone. The award plaque presentation was made His Excellency

John Dramani Mahama John Dramani Mahama (; born 29 November 1958) is a Ghanaian politician who has been the 14th president of Ghana since January 2025. A member of the National Democratic Congress (Ghana), National Democratic Congress (NDC), he served as the 12th p ...

, Former President of Ghana. The WSR is a peacebuilding initiative that empowers women to be the leading force for democratic and peaceful elections. The concept was first introduced by Yvette Chesson-Wureh, coordinator for the Liberia-based Angie Brooks International Centre (ABIC), a non-governmental organisation working on women's

empowerment Empowerment is the degree of autonomy and self-determination in people and in communities. This enables them to represent their interests in a responsible and self-determined way, acting on their own authority. It is the process of becoming strong ...

. The WSR is an initiative that mobilises, harnesses and taps into the expertise and experiences of women to act to mitigate potential conflict, leading to violence that could emerge before, during and after elections. It empowers women and youth to play an active and direct role in peace and security efforts, and to engage in peace processes and conflict prevention mechanisms in accordance with UNSC resolutions 1325 and 1820. The initiative was first used during the 2011 elections in Liberia, and has since been successfully replicated in Kenya (2013), Senegal (2012), Sierra Leone (2012), Nigeria (2014) and Uganda (2016), among other countries. There were also plans to use it in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and Togo. The operational approach of the WSR is expected to differ in individual countries, allowing for flexibility to adapt to local conditions and dynamics. He won the Man of the year by 2017 in the United States of America by ICHANGE NATIONS. Samuel Sam Sumana was awarded the African Star Award for Leadership by the

ECOWAS The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as CEDEAO in French and Portuguese) is a regional political and economic union of twelve countries of West Africa. Collectively, the present and former members comprise an area ...

Youth Council for outstanding boldness in defence of good governance, reform and rule of law.

References

External links

Biographical Sketch of Mr. Samuel Sam-Sumana, 11 July 2007, Awareness Times
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sam-Sumana, Samuel 1962 births Living people All People's Congress politicians Sierra Leonean Muslims Vice-presidents of Sierra Leone People from Koidu 21st-century Sierra Leonean politicians