View source for First Lady of Sierra Leone

{{Infobox Political post
|post           = First Lady
|body           = the<br />[[Sierra Leone]]
|style          = Lady Bio
|image          = Coat of arms of Sierra Leone.svg
|incumbent      = [[Fatima Maada Bio]]
|incumbentsince = April 4, 2018
|residence      = [[State Lodge]]
|inaugural      = [[Rebecca Stevens (first lady)|Rebecca Stevens]]
|website        = [https://firstlady.gov.sl/ firstlady.gov.sl/]
}}
The title '''First Lady of Sierra Leone''' is held by the female spouse of the [[president of Sierra Leone]].<ref name="Cocorioko">{{Cite web |url=http://cocorioko.net/25364/ |title=Sia Nyama Koroma : Sierra Leone’s Special First Lady |last=Tumoe  |first=Tatafway |date=2010-11-03 |website=cocorioko.net |access-date=2018-06-17}}</ref> The first lady is a representative of the people of Sierra Leone at home and abroad.<ref name="Cocorioko" /> The Office of the First Lady is an extension of [[State House (Sierra Leone)|State House]] and is responsible for social events and ceremonies at [[State Lodge]]. The First Lady’s Office is not established by an act of parliament and cannot receive government funding.<ref name="Cocorioko" />

Since 1971, Sierra Leone has had six first ladies.<ref name="Cocorioko" /> The first was [[Rebecca Stevens (first lady)|Rebecca Stevens]], wife of former president [[Siaka Stevens]], who remained at her family's private residence at 1 King Harmon Road while her husband lived at [[State House (Sierra Leone)|State House]] and [[President of Sierra Leone|Kabasa Lodge]].<ref name="Cocorioko" />

==Office of the First Lady of Sierra Leone==

Sierra Leone's third first lady was one of the country's foremost lawyers [[Patricia Kabbah]]. Kabbah had been the chairperson of the committee that restored Sierra Leone to civilian rule and she helped draft the country's constitution in 1995.<ref name="Cocorioko" /> When her husband won the election, she sought to set up the first Office of the First Lady in the history of Sierra Leone.<ref name="Cocorioko" /> Her husband 0gave in to pressure from stalwarts in their political party and denied her request.<ref name="Cocorioko" /> Kabbah died of cancer in 1998.<ref name="Cocorioko" />

Shortly after her death, her husband [[Ahmad Tejan Kabbah]] married [[Isata Jabbie Kabbah|Isata Kabbah]] who became the [[Isata Jabbie Kabbah|4th first lady]].<ref name="Cocorioko" />

In 2007, [[Sia Koroma]], a biochemist and psychiatric nurse, became the [[Sia Koroma|5th first lady of Sierra Leone]]. Koroma successful established the Office of the First Lady and completely redefined the role. In addition to her representative role, she worked on three initiatives: WISH to support mothers and children, FLAXIS to provide training and the Danké Koroma Foundation.

The current first lady of Sierra Leone is [[Fatima Maada Bio]], wife of [[Julius Maada Bio|President Julius Maada Bio]] who took office on April 4, 2018.<ref name="Awoko">{{Cite web |url=https://awoko.org/2018/04/16/sierra-leone-news-former-and-new-first-lady-meet/ |title= Sierra Leone News: Former and new First Lady meet |last=Milton |first=Betty |date=2018-04-14 |website=awoko.org/ |access-date=2018-06-17}}</ref><ref name="Cocorioko" /> Bio, an actor and film maker, has continued in the tradition of Sia Koroma and is maintaining the Office of the First Lady.

==First ladies of Sierra Leone (1971–present)==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Number
! Name
! Term Begins
! Term Ends
! First Lady of Sierra Leone
|-
|1st
| [[Rebecca Stevens (first lady)|Rebecca Stevens]]<ref name="Cocorioko" />
| 21 April 1971	
| 28 November 1985
| [[Siaka Stevens]]
|-
|2nd
| [[Hannah Momoh]]<ref name="Cocorioko" />
| 28 November 1985
| 29 April 1992
| [[Joseph Saidu Momoh]]
|-
|3rd
| [[Patricia Kabbah]]<ref name="Cocorioko" />
| 29 March 1996
| 1998
| [[Ahmed Tejan Kabbah]]
|-
|4th
| [[Isata Jabbie Kabbah]]<ref name="IJ Kabbah">{{Cite web |url=http://sierraexpressmedia.com/?p=83354 |title=I J Kabbah Hails Female Presidential Candidate |access-date=2018-06-17}}</ref>
| 1998
| 17 September 2007
| [[Ahmed Tejan Kabbah]]
|-
|5th
| [[Sia Koroma]]<ref name="Cocorioko" />
| 17 September 2007
| 4 April 2018
| [[Ernest Bai Koroma]]
|-
|6th
| [[Fatima Maada Bio]]<ref name="Awoko" />
| 4 April 2018 
| current
| [[Julius Maada Bio]]
|-
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.statehouse.gov.sl/ State House Sierra Leone]
* [https://firstlady.gov.sl/ First Lady Sierra Leone]

{{First Ladies of Sierra Leone}}
{{First ladies and gentlemen}}
{{Portal bar|Sierra Leone|Africa|Politics}}

[[Category:First ladies of Sierra Leone]]