info@ke.slhc.gov.sl
P.O. Box 8242 00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Friday: 9 am - 2pm
Weekends: CLOSED
President Julius Maada BIO (since 4 April 2018); Vice President Mohamed Juldeh JALLOH (since 4 April 2018) ; note - the president is both Head of State and Head of Government
President Julius Maada BIO (since 4 April 2018); Vice President Mohamed Juldeh JALLOH (since 4 April 2018)
Ministers of State appointed by the president, approved by Parliament; the cabinet is responsible to the president
Three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue; green symbolizes agriculture, mountains, and natural resources, white represents unity and justice, and blue the sea and the natural harbor in Freetown
Lion; national colors: green, white, blue
Independence Day, 27th April (1961)
International Women’s Day, 8th March
Conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone Conventional short form: Sierra Leone Local long form: Republic of Sierra Leone Local short form: Sierra Leone Etymology: the Portuguese explorer Pedro de SINTRA named the country "Serra Leoa" (Lion Mountains) for the impressive mountains he saw while sailing the West African coast in 1462
Democracy Republic
Name: Freetown Geographic coordinates: 8 29 N, 13 14 W
4 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, North Western, Southern, Western*
27 April 1961 (from the UK)
Citizenship by birth: no Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent or grandparent must be a citizen of Sierra Leone Dual citizenship recognized: yes Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
Unicameral Parliament (146 seats; 132 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 14 seats filled in separate elections by non-partisan members of Parliament called "paramount chiefs;" members serve 5-year terms)
Last held on 7 March 2018 (next to be held in March 2023)
Mixed legal system of English common law and customary law
Superior Court of Judicature (consists of the Supreme Court - at the apex - with the chief justice and 4 other judges, the Court of Appeal with the chief justice and 7 other judges, and the High Court of Justice with the chief justice and 9 other judges); note – the Judicature has jurisdiction in all civil, criminal, and constitutional matters
Supreme Court chief justice and other judges of the Judicature appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission, a 7-member independent body of judges, presidential appointees, and the Commission chairman, and are subject to approval by Parliament; all Judicature judges serve until retirement at age 65
Magistrates' courts; District Appeals Court; local courts
Several previous; latest effective 1 October 1991 (2017)
Proposed by Parliament; passage of amendments requires at least two-thirds majority vote of Parliament in two successive readings and assent by the president of the republic; passage of amendments affecting fundamental rights and freedoms and many other constitutional sections also requires approval in a referendum with participation of at least one-half of qualified voters and at least two-thirds of votes cast; amended several times, last in 2013 (2017)
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO