List of heads of government of Sierra Leone

This is a list of heads of government of Sierra Leone, from the establishment of the office of Chief Minister in 1954 until the present day. The office of Prime Minister was abolished after the constitutional referendum in 1978, and reinstated in 2018 with the appointment of David J. Francis as Chief Minister.

National Council of Sierra Leone
The National Council of Sierra Leone was the main opposition party in Sierra Leone in the early 1950s.

The organisation was founded by former members of the Sierra Leonean branch of the National Congress of British West Africa around Herbert Bankole-Bright and Isaac Wallace-Johnson in 1950.  It gained much of its support from the Creole people and some Oku people of the Freetown colony.

Initially, some proposed that the group be named the "Ogboni Society", but it instead took the name National Council of the Colony of Sierra Leone, later shortened to "National Council of Sierra Leone".

The National Council stood in opposition to the Stevenson Constitution of 1947, instead calling for a federal state, with the colony and the protectorate having separate assemblies.

In the 1951 elections, it initially appeared that the National Council had won more seats than the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP).  However, all the independent members from the protectorate later declared for the SLPP, placing the National Council a distant second.  It became the main opposition.  When the SLPP failed to act on the constitution issue, the Council attempted to block all government business. 

The group also organised protests over the constitution.  The Positive Action Group faction led by Otto During attempted to instigated legal action against the Governor of Sierra Leone, claiming that the imposition of the constitution was itself unconstitutional.

In 1954, Wallace-Johnson split away to found the United Sierra Leone Progressive Party.  The National Council lost all of its seats at the 1957 election, slumping to only 1.8% of the votes cast.  The main opposition became Wallace-Johnson's group.  Bankole-Bright died the following year, and the party appears to have collapsed.
Chief Commissioners
1946 - 1947                James Stevenson Fenton             (b. 1891 - d. 1975)
1947 - 1949                Logie Weir Wilson                  (b. 1894 - d. 1961)
1949 - 1959                Hubert Childs

Chief Minister of Sierra Leone Protectorate
PortraitNameTerm of officePolitical party Took office Left office Time in office 1 60pxSir Milton Margai 9 July 1954 14 August 1958  Sierra Leone People's Party

Prime Minister of Sierra Leone Protectorate
PortraitNameTerm of officePolitical party Took office Left office Time in office 1 60pxSir Milton Margai 14 August 1958 27 April 1961  Sierra Leone People's Party
Prime Minister of Sierra Leone 
Prime MinisterTerm of OfficePolitical Party№Name(Born–Died)PortraitTook OfficeLeft OfficeSierra Leone (1961–1971) 1Sir Milton Margai(1895–1964)60x60px27 April 196128 April 1964
(Died in Office)Sierra Leone People's Party2Maurice Henry Dorman
(1912–1993)28 April 196428 April 1964Independent 3Sir Albert Margai(1910–1980)60x60px28 April 196421 March 1967Sierra Leone People's Party4Henry Josiah Lightfoot Boston
(1898–1969)21 March 196721 March 1967Independent5Banja Tejan-Sie
(1917–2000)21 March 196721 March 1967Independent 6Siaka Stevens(1905–1988)(Deposed)All People's CongressMilitary rule (1967–1968 7 David Lansana(1922–1975)80x80px21 March  196725 March 1967Military 8Ambrose Patrick Genda
(1927–2001) 25 March 196725 March 1967National Reformation Council 9 Leslie William Leigh25 March 196728 March 1968National Reformation Council 10 Andrew Juxon-Smith28 March 196818 April 1968National Reformation Council 11Warrant Officer 1st Class Patrick Conteh
(19?–?)18 April 196818 April 1968National Reformation Council 12 John Amadu Bangura18 April 196822 April 1968National Reformation CouncilSierra Leone (1968–1971) 13Siaka Stevens(1905–1988)22 April 196817 April 1971All People's Congress 14Sorie Ibrahim Koroma(1930–1994)60x60px17 April 197117 April 1971All People's Congress 15Christian Alusine Kamara-Taylor(1917–1985)60x60px17 April 197119 April 1971All People's CongressFirst Republic (1971–1992) 16Christopher Okoro Cole
(1921–1990)19 April 197121 April 1971Independent 17Siaka Stevens
(1905–1988)21 April 197128 November 1985All People's Congress 18Joseph Saidu Momoh(1937–2003)28 November 198529 April 1992 All People's CongressChairmen of the National Provisional Defense Council 19John Benjamini                      ( 1952 —)29 April 199229 April 1992 20 Yahya Kanu29 April 19921 May 1992Military 21Akim A. Gibril            (b. 1946)1 May 19921 May 1992MilitaryChairmen of the Supreme Council of State 22 Valentine Strasser1 May 199217 January 1996Military 23 Julius Maada Bio(b. 1964)17 January 199629 March 1996MilitarySecond Republic (1996–1997) 24Ahmad Tejan Kabbah60x60px29 March 199625 May 1997Sierra Leone People's PartyChairman of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council 25 Johnny Paul Koroma25 May 199712 February 1998Armed Forces Revolutionary CouncilSecond Republic (1998–present) 26Ahmad Tejan Kabbah60x60px12 February 199817 September 2007Sierra Leone People's Party 27Ernest Bai Koroma90x90px17 September 20074 April 2018All People's Congress 28Julius Maada Bio80x80px4 April 20188 May 2018Sierra Leone People's PartyChief Minister of Sierra Leone 29 David J. Francis 90px  2018  2021 Independent 30 Jacob Jusu Saffa 90px  2021  2023 Independent 31 David Moinina Sengeh 134x134px  2023 Incumbent Independent

Related pages
President of Sierra Leone

Other websites
World Statesmen - Sierra Leone

Category:Government of Sierra Leone
Category:History of Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone