Government Reviews Kono University in Higher Education Reform Drive

The Government of Sierra Leone has launched a comprehensive review of Kono University as part of its broader efforts to strengthen governance, accountability, and service delivery across the country’s public higher education system.

The exercise, led by the Public Sector Reform Unit (PSRU) in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher and Technical Education (MTHE), took place on Tuesday during an engagement with the university’s leadership and senior staff in Kono District.

The review forms part of a nationwide Management and Functional Review (MFR) of public universities, following similar assessments conducted at Njala University and Eastern Technical University.

It comes amid growing national concerns over graduate unemployment, infrastructure gaps, staffing challenges, and the need to align university programmes with labour market demands.

Welcoming the delegation, Kono University Vice Chancellor, Tamba Jamiru, described the exercise as timely, noting that it provides an opportunity for institutional reflection and improved dialogue on the university’s development path.

Speaking on behalf of the Ministry, Human Resources Director Mrs. Rebecca Saffa said the review is designed to ensure that public universities align with national development priorities and support the government’s Human Capital Development agenda under President Julius Maada Bio.

Chief of Programmes at the PSRU, Mr. Albert R.C.E. Williams, described the initiative as the first comprehensive assessment of all public universities in Sierra Leone, adding that it was approved by Cabinet.

He explained that the exercise will identify institutional strengths, operational gaps, governance weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement across the higher education sector, stressing the importance of universities in building national productivity and competitiveness.

Kono University, one of the country’s newest public universities, is seen as a key institution in expanding access to higher education, particularly for students in eastern Sierra Leone who previously had to travel to Freetown, Bo, or Makeni.

During the engagement, the PSRU team outlined the objectives, methodology, and implementation framework of the review, while encouraging full participation from university management and staff.

The review is expected to produce key recommendations that could shape future reforms in university governance, curriculum relevance, institutional management, and service delivery.

As Sierra Leone continues to invest in human capital development, attention is now focused on whether the findings will translate into practical reforms capable of improving the quality of higher education and better preparing graduates for the modern workforce.