Bo District

Infobox City
official_name = Bo District


nickname = |
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = Capital
subdivision_type2 = Province
subdivision_name = Sierra Leone
subdivision_name1 = Bo
subdivision_name2 = Southern Province
leader_title = Paramount Chief
leader_name = Bindi Hindowa Samba
population_as_of = 2004 census
population_metro =
population_total = 305,775
timezone = Greenwich Mean Time
utc_offset = -5
website =

Bo District is a district in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. It is the third most populous district in the country after Western Area Urban District and Kenema District, with an estimated population of 463,668 (2004 census). Its capital and administrative center is Bo, which is also the second largest city in Sierra Leone after the national capital, Freetown. 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. It occupies a total area of 5,473.6 km² and comprises fifteen chiefdoms.

Demograpics of Bo District

It is the third most populous district in the country after Western Area Urban District and Kenema District, with an estimated population of 463,668Cite web | title =FINAL RESULTS2004 POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS |publisher =Statistics Sierra Leone | url=http://www.daco-sl.org/encyclopedia/1_gov/1_4/Statistics%20Sierra%20Leone/ssl_final_results.pdf| accessdate =2008-06-09|format= pdf|pages=3] (2004 census).

The ethnic makeup of Bo District consists of two main groups the Mende, at 59%Fact|date=June 2008, and the Temne people. Since the emergence of the Second Liberian Civil War, Bo District along with Kenema District were home to many thousands of Liberian refugees. There is religious plurality in the area with populations of both Muslims and Christians.Cite web | title =Bo District|date =July 2007 |publisher =Sierra Leone Encyclopedia (UN and Government of Sierra Leone) | url =http://www.daco-sl.org/encyclopedia/3_dist/3_1a_bo.htm| accessdate =2008-06-06]

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.

Bo School is sited on a 13.5 acres of land in the hearth of Bo Town, the second largest city in Sierra Leone. The school itself is situated in pleasant surroundings and within walking distance of Government hospital, Government Post Office, Police Station, and the main shopping center of Bo Town.

Football field, a volleyball court, a basketball court, a long tennis, and cricket pitch enrich the recreational facilities the school provides. There are plans to rehabilitate the school swimming pool.

Bo school also maintains a unique tradition of seniority which has consistently augured well for social cohesion among the students. Maggots/Greeners/Rustics are either junior or newer members of the school (specifically those with more recent admission numbers). They are expected to always observe all rules of defference association with their positions and comply fully with specific instructions from senior students.

Government

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 (SLPP). The following is a list of Representatives and affiliations:

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 (Tikonko and Bumpe, for example). 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.

Towns and villages in Bo District

*Bambima
*Baima
*Bo, capital and largest city
*Bumbe
*Bandeh
*Koribindu
*Momboma
*Serabu
*Sumbuya
*Sembehun
*Yele
*Telu
*Tokoronko
*Tikonko
*Mongeri, second largest town
*Mange

Famous people from Bo District

*Solomon Berewa, current Vice President of Sierra Leone
*Julius Maada Bio, former head of state of Sierra Leone
*Joe Robert Pemagbi, Sierra Leone ambassador to the U.N
*Aluspah Brewah, football star
*Hinga Norman, Politician
*Joseph Henry Ganda, Archbishop
*Emerson Samba, Football star

References

ee also

*Sierra Leone
*Sierra Leone Civil WarCecil Hanson

External links

*http://www.statehouse-sl.org/member-parliament.html
*http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_20052169.shtml
*http://www.directrelief.org/sections/our_work/notes_sierra_leone.html
*Parts of this article reproduced with permission from http://www.daco-sl.org