Bo District


Bo District is a district in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. It is one of the sixteen Districts of Sierra Leone. Bo District is the fourth most populous District in Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is the city of Bo, which is the third most populous city in Sierra Leone. other major towns in the district include Baoma, Bumpeh, Serabu, Sumbuya, Baiima and Yele.
Bo District borders Kenema District to the east, Tonkolili District to the north, Moyamba District to the west, Bonthe District to the southwest and Pujehun District to the south. The district population as of 2015 is 574,201. Bo District occupies a total area of 5,219 km² and is subdivided into fifteen chiefdoms.
The population of Bo District is mainly from the Mande ethnic group, though the city of Bo has a very ethnic diverse population.

Government

Bo District has its own directly elected local government called District Council and is where executive and legislative authority is vested at local level within Bo District. The Bo District Council is Headed by a council chairman, who is an elected official and is responsible for the general management of the district. The current council Chairman of Bo District is Joseph Munda Bindi of the Sierra Leone People's Party, following his election victory in the 2018 Sierra Leone local election.
The city of Bo also has its own directly elected city council headed by a mayor. The current mayor of Bo is Harold Logie Tucker, he is a member of the opposition Sierra Leone People's Party. Bo District is a stronghold of the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party.

Members of Parliament of Sierra Leone from Bo District

Bo District currently has twelve Representatives in the Parliament of Sierra Leone, of which eleven members were elected for a 5-year term in the 2007 general elections. The district is a stronghold of the opposition Sierra Leone People's Party. The following is a list of Representatives and affiliations:
NameParty
Eric B. JumuSLPP
Elizabeth Alpha-LavalieSLPP
Nenneh LebbieSLPP
Joseph MustaphaSLPP
Jusufu MansaraySLPP
Frank KposowaSLPP
Francis RogersPMDC
Paul KamaraPMDC
Youkie FodaySLPP
Legacy SankohPMDC
P.C. Hindowa Bindi SambaNon

Demographics of Bo District

Ethnicity

The population of Bo District is ethnically and culturally diverse, particularly in the city of Bo, Sierra Leone's second largest city. The Mende people form the largest ethnic group in Bo District at over 60 percent of the population.

Economy

With Bo being the second largest city in Sierra Leone, trading, gold and diamond mining are major economic activities for the district; as well as agricultural production of rice growing, and coffee, cacao and oil palm.

Education

Bo District is home to 385 Primary Schools and 40 Secondary Schools. Bo Government Secondary School, commonly called Bo School is among the 40 secondary schools in Bo District. The school was founded in 1906 by Leslie Probyn to educate the children of Bo District. The school has a long history of developing the elite of Sierra Leone, especially the country's politicians.

Recovery after Civil War

Bo District suffered badly at the hands of rebel forces during 1994/1995, and many major towns were almost entirely destroyed. However, since the ousting of the Junta in early 1998, Bo District has remained secure, due mainly to the strong presence of the Civil Defence Forces. As such, rather than suffering from displacement, Bo district has been the recipient of displaced persons from less secure parts of the country.
Although aid agencies have had uninterrupted access to the district for five years because of its relative stability, most of the recovery efforts were concentrated in Bo Town leaving out the 8 sections in Kakua chiefdom as well as all the other 14 chiefdoms in the district.
The major recovery needs according to sectoral priorities are as follows: Road rehabilitation, Education, Water and Sanitation, Health, Agriculture, Restoration of Local Government Structures and Shelter.

Administrative divisions

Chiefdoms

The district is made up of fifteen chiefdoms as the third level of administrative subdivision.
  1. Badjia – Ngelehun
  2. Bagbo – Jimmi
  3. Bagbwe – Ngarlu
  4. Baoma – Baoma
  5. Bumpe–Gao – Bumpe
  6. Gbo – Gbo
  7. Jaiama Bongor – Telu
  8. Kakua – Kakua
  9. Komboya – Njala
  10. Lugbu – Sumbuya
  11. Niawa Lenga – Nengbema
  12. Selenga – Dambala
  13. Tikonko – Tikonko
  14. Valunia – Mongere
  15. Wonde – Gboyama

    Major towns