|
Territory: Sierra Leone; Population, 8.461 million (2023) SLC Statistics (2024): Churches, 60; Companies, 46; Membership, 10,465; Address: Street: 24 Savage Street; Brookfield, Freetown; Sierra Leone. Mailing: P.O. Box 294; Freetown; Sierra Leone. E-mail: [email protected] Cable: "Adventist," Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa. Website: https://slecadventist.org |
 |
OUR MISSION ADMINISTRATION SECRETARIAT PASTORS SLC CHURCHES & COMPANIES |
COUNTRY DISCRIPTION
from The Sierra Conference of Seventh-day Adventist Strategic Plan 2024-2028
Sierra Leone lies in the West Coast of Africa and shares borders with the Republic of Guinea on the north and north-east, the Republic of Liberia on the east and south-east, and the Atlantic Ocean on the west and south. It attained independence on 27th April, 1961 and Republican status on 19th April 1971. While the 2015 National Population and Housing Census puts the country’s population at 7,092,113, the 2021 Midterm census have it at 7,548,702, indicating a reasonable increase in the country’s population.
Sierra Leone is a Republican multi-party state headed by an Executive President, elected for five-year terms. The President can be re-elected for a second and final five-year term as stipulated in the country’s 1991 Constitution.
For administrative convenience, the country is divided into five regions, namely: Eastern region, Southern region, Northern region, North-west region and the Western Area, where the Capital City Freetown is situated. These regions are further divided into sixteen districts and one hundred and ninety (190) chiefdoms.
The country’s history has been marred by a civil conflict which erupted in 1991 and ended in 2002, leading to the killing and maiming of thousands of innocent civilians, and the destruction of state infrastructure and personal property. Coupled with this, were the outbreak of the Ebola Viral Disease (EVD) in 2014 and the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020 both of which claimed the lives of thousands of citizens and non-citizens in the country.
Nonetheless, the nation has managed to rise above the devastating impact of the civil war and the two pandemics mentioned above. Despite the inherent socio-economic and political bottlenecks, the nation is faced with, efforts are being made by government and its development partners to weather the storm and help put the country in a better footing. It is work in progress.
From a religious standpoint, records have it that the country is a secular state with Christianity (21%) and Islam (77%) as the two most dominant religions in the country. Two (2%) of the population adhere to African Traditional Religion. Sierra Leone is one of the most shinning beacons of religious tolerance not just in the sub-region but globally as well. The country exemplifies religious harmony, where Muslims and Christians coexist peacefully, and religious diversity is celebrated. Religion plays little role when it comes to electing political leaders, as Sierra Leoneans typically vote for candidates irrespective of their religious affiliations.
