Fourah Bay College
 Fourah Bay College (Old building, 1930s) | |
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Established | February 18, 1827 [1] |
| Students | 3,465 total |
| Location | PO Box 87 Mount Aureol, Freetown , |
| Campus | Freetown campus (urban) |
| Affiliations | University of Sierra Leone |
| Website | http://www.fbc.usl.edu.sl/ |
Fourah Bay College is a public university in the neighborhood of Mount Aureol in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Founded on 18 February 1827,[1] is the oldest university in West Africa and the first western-style university built in West Africa.[2] It is a constituent college of the University of Sierra Leone (USL) and was formerly affiliated with Durham University (1876-1967).
History
Foundation
The college was established in February 1827 as an Anglican missionary school by the Church Missionary Society with support from Charles MacCarthy, the governor of Sierra Leone. Samuel Ajayi Crowther was the first student to enroll at Fouray Bay.[2] Fourah Bay College soon became a magnet for Krio and other Africans seeking higher education in British West Africa. These included Nigerians, Ghanaians, Ivorians and many more, especially in the fields of theology and education. It was the first western-style university in West Africa. Under colonialism, Freetown was known as the "Athens of Africa" as an homage to the college.
The first black principal of the university was an African-American missionary, Reverend Edward Jones from South Carolina in the United States. Lamina Sankoh was a prominent early academic; Francis Heiser was principal from 1920 to 1922. Abioseh Nicol was the first Sierra Leonean administrator in 1966.
Administration
Faculties
- Faculty of Arts
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences
- Faculty of Social Sciences and Law
Institutes
Institute of Adult Education and Extra-Mural Studies
Institute of African Studies
Work began on the building of the Institute of African Studies in 1966 with half the £40,000 being provided by the UK Technical Assistance Programme. The first Director was Michael Crowder with J. G. Edowu-Hyde as secretary. The journal Sierra Leone Studies was also relaunched at this time.[3]
Institute of Marine Biology and Oceanography
Institute of Population Studies
Institute of Library and Archive Studies and Mass Communications
Students
As of 1998/1999, the student enrollment was around 2,000 in four faculties and five institutes. It had consistently expanded in the 10 previous years.
Notable alumni
See also Category:Fourah Bay College alumni
- Alexander Babatunde Akinyele
- Zainab Bangura
- Kojo Botsio
- Edwin Carpenter
- Henry Rawlingson Carr
- Samuel Ajayi Crowther
- J. B. Dauda, Foreign Minister
- Kenneth Dike, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan
- M. G. Ejaife
- Ibrahim Fofanah, Avionics engineer
- Ella Koblo Gulama
- Sir Milton Margai
- J. E. Casely Hayford
- Obadiah Johnson
- John Karefa-Smart
- Ernest Bai Koroma, President of Sierra Leone
- Sia Koroma, First Lady
- Sam Mbakwe
- Lambi Mbifung Cornelius, former Vice-Chancellor University of Buea Cameroon
- Dr.Thomas R.P.G Ngaima
- Theodore Allatantu Emmanuel Cyril Pratt
- Benjamin Quartey-Papafio
- Dr. Kadi Sesay
- Oumar Farouk Sesay
- Raymond de'Souza George, poet, playwright, actor, lecturer, public orator of USL
- Modupeh Taylor-Pearce, Pro-Chancellor of USL
- Shekou Touray, Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone to the United Nations
- Robert Benjamin Ageh Wellesley Cole
References
- ^ tusol.org/historical
- ^ Kopytoff, Jean Herskovits. A Preface to Modern Nigeria: The "Sierra Leonians" in Yoruba, 1830–1890. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 35.
- ^ Crowder, Michael (1966). "Institute of African Studies, Fourah Bay College, Sierra Leone". The Journal of Modern Sierra Leone Studies. 4 (1): 95–6. JSTOR 159418.