Early Life
Born on July 5th, 1959, in Kychom, Sierra Leone, a rural town in Kambia District steeped in tradition and community leadership.
Son of Paramount Chief Bai Shebora Yumkella III, a founding member of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), justice of the peace, and one of the country’s most respected traditional rulers.
Served as School Prefect at Christ the King College (CKC) in Bo, where his leadership qualities, discipline, and public speaking skills began to take shape.
Known for his warm sense of humor, deep empathy, and approachable nature, earning him respect from rural communities to global institutions.
Family
LIVED A 47-YEAR LOVE STORY WITH HIS LATE WIFE, PHILOMENA YUMKELLA; A UNION THAT DEFIED TRADITION AND REDEFINED PARTNERSHIP. THEY MET IN BO TOWN: HE WAS HER TUTOR, A MUSLIM SUSU/FULANI BOY FROM KYCHOM; SHE, A FIERCELY INTELLIGENT CHRISTIAN GIRL OF LEBANESE-MENDE DESCENT FROM MOYAMBA. THEIR LOVE DOESN’T FOLLOW RULES IT WRITES ITS OWN. THEY ROSE NOT JUST AS HUSBAND AND WIFE, BUT AS CO-ARCHITECTS OF A PURPOSE-DRIVEN LIFE.
Through relentless philanthropy, Philomena Yumkella led humanitarian efforts that touched the very soul of rural Sierra Leone. Alongside her husband, she helped raise funds and mobilize relief during some of the nation’s darkest hours; civil war, the Ebola outbreak, mudslides, and the COVID-19 pandemic, always placing community above comfort.
SHE CHAMPIONED PROJECTS THAT REBUILT LIVES:
SHE DIDN’T SEEK SPOTLIGHT. SHE SOUGHT IMPACT. SHE WAS HIS CALM, HIS CONSCIENCE, HIS COMPASS. THEIR DAUGHTER LATER SAID, “I HAD NEVER SEEN BABA CRY, UNTIL THE DAY HE HELD HER HAND FOR THE LAST TIME.”
Yumkella reflects, “SHE DIDN’T JUST LOVE ME. SHE SAW ME. SHE BELIEVED ME INTO THE MAN I BECAME.”
Education
B.Sc. in General Agriculture – Njala University College, University of Sierra Leone
M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics – Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
Office of the President
State House State Avenue,
Freetown, Sierra Leone
