President Julius Maada Bio has vowed to include women in every spectrum of his governance. His appointment of the first female Deputy General Manager of the Sierra Leone Ports Authority (SLPA), Madam Judith Boi Kosseh is a manifestation of empowering strong women and incorporating them into central governance.
Before her historic appointment as the Deputy General Manager, she was one of the Directors at the Leone Rock Metal Group. Madam Judith as she was often referred to, was the Community Director where she was able to create good relationship between the Company and the Community stakeholders, especially Paramount Chiefs, section chiefs, youth leaders and women leaders. She equally facilitated most of the community infrastructural projects done by the company.
She comes with wealth of administrative and management experience gained from years of working as Community and Social Expert with different organizations in the United Kingdom.
Prior to moving to Sierra Leone in 2018, she has spent 7 years at The Avenue Highams Park in London as a Project Manager, !where she was responsible for planning, organizing and overseeing community programmes that are designed to redress inequalities and facilitate the personal, social and emotional development of young people between the ages of 11-25. As the Lead within the project, she took responsibility for the day to day therapeutic direction of therapy in the project. As the team leader, she was also responsible for the supervision of staff and students on work experience, and with the responsibility for their on-going formation and was also responsible for maintaining the Care Quality !Commission (CQC) standards and follows safeguarding procedures. !She was also responsible to oversee the effective running of the administrative and financial !systems of the !project.
She had earlier spent time with the Treaty Centre in London as a Senior Participation Officer, where she supported young people in delivering a range of volunteering programmes and also supporting them in developing their employability skills.
She also provided technical leadership and guidance in the implementation and management of innovative youth engagement and financial inclusion initiatives aligned with the organisation logical framework and project impact goal.
Her role also includes the provision of oversight and guidance in the implementation of economic and financial inclusion services including trainings for the young people and other services.
She was also involved in the drive to building the technical capacity of project staff across organizations, something she said she will be doing lots off in her new role.
The soft spoken Madam Judith Kosseh a proud product of the great Mathora Secondary School in Tonkolili and the Freetown Secondary School for Girls in Freetown. She Holds a Masters Degree in Youth and Community Work from the University of East London with a unique Bachelors Degree in Third World Development and Management. Both courses were purely driven by her desire to return home to help contribute to her country’s development.
When asked what changes she is going to bring at SLPA, Madam Kosseh stated that she is going to serve as a support system to her hardworking boss, to give another face-lift to the SLPA. I feel extremely lucky to have a boss with wealth of experience in running the port, I believe coming with my administrative experience and people’s and leadership development skill we will complement each other achieve a successful port operation.
She further said that SLPA is the bread basket in supporting the economy of the country and that as a dedicated support system, they are going to use more mechanisms in uplifting the economy in the country and to also achieve the dream of President Bio in developing the economy and a better conditions for all and sundry in Sierra Leone.
