She was born on March 19, 1958 in Kono District in the Eastern Province Sierra Leone. She is the daughter of Danke Koroma, a primary school teacher, and Abu Aiah Koroma, a lawyer and the former Attorney General of Sierra Leone. She is a member of the Konoethnic group. During her childhood, her father worked as the Managing Director of the National Diamond Mining Company before entering into politics. He served as Minister of Natural Resources and later as Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs. Her father was also a presidential candidate in the 1996 General Election. Koroma spent her early years at various primary schools around Sierra Leone as her father was being posted from one place to another. She attended the oldest secondary school for girls in West Africa, the Annie Walsh Memorial Secondary School in Freetown, and completed her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and a Master of Science degree in Synthetic Organic Chemistry in the United Kingdom. During the 1997 interregnum in Sierra Leone, she left the country for the United Kingdom where she studied nursing at Kings College University in London and later became a Fellow of the West African College of Nursing. From 1984 to 1992 she worked as Chief Chemist at the Sierra Leone Petroleum Refinery Company, where her work included routine quality control monitoring of petroleum products in the country and sub-region. Her academic background, coupled with her relevant experience, training, and guidance provided by her family, have in diverse ways prepared her to serve Sierra Leone well in her capacity as First Lady from 2007 to 2018.
First Lady of Sierra Leone
In September 2007, after a two-round election, Ernest Bai Koroma, a former insurance executive with no previous track record in politics, became the new President of Sierra Leone. His wife Sia Nyama Koroma who is a KT member was suddenly swept from being an 'ordinary' wife, mother and professional to be the First Lady of the country. In February 2008, during a visit to the UK by the President and First Lady, the KT Sierra Leone Fellowship hosted a special service of thanksgiving for Sierra Leone. The special guest of honour was Mrs Sia Koroma. The congregation which included Sierra Leone's High Commissioner and Deputy High Commissioner and other dignitaries was addressed by Pastor Amanda Dye. This is a brief recount of Sia's remarkable transformation from a servant in ministry to be the First Lady of Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone's New First Lady Sia Nyama Koroma is a woman of substance but with a humble disposition despite her admirable life achievements. Although she hails from the most prominent political family in Kono District in Sierra Leone, prior to now, the highly educated Sia Koroma never sought the limelight but quietly stayed in the background, strategically supporting her husband's political ambitions. Sia's deep faith and conviction as a born-again Christian has been well documented over the past few months as she has settled into her new official role.
