‘‘Wherever you are, whatever you are doing with honesty, and good faith, it is common sense to know that when you thrive at what you do, Sierra Leone thrives as a nation.’’ George Shadrack Kamanda
Born in Freetown,
Meet George Shadrack Kamanda is a Sierra Leonean civic educator, advocate for good governance, a law student, diplomat-in-training, and an eloquent public speaker. George is also a proven servant-leader with a keen understanding of teamwork and cooperative learning.
George Shadrack Kamanda attended the St Phillips Primary School, where he sat to the National Primary School Examination (NPSE). He attended both the Prince of Wales Junior Secondary School and John F. Kennedy International Secondary School (JFK), where he sat to his Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). George did his senior secondary school education at the Prince of Wales Senior Secondary School where he sat to his West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 2011. He travelled to the United States in 2012 to continue his education and reunite with his mother in Philadelphia.
George Shadrack Kamanda holds an associate degree from the Delaware County Community College, BA in Political Science and International relations from Saint Joseph’s University. He was also awarded the Young Law Alumni Award in 2018 at Saint Joseph’s University—an award that came with a financial stipend to attend law school. He is a third-year law student at Case Western Reserve University (on leave), and a current student at the University of Oxford for the 2021 school year reading for a master’s degree in Diplomacy. George also holds a Post-Graduate Certificate in Global Human Rights from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.
During his school days in Sierra Leone, George Shadrack Kamanda held several positions in the school including Deputy Senior Prefect for the Class of 2011 at the Prince of Wales Secondary School and participated in debates, and won many quiz competitions. While in school, George was active in advocacy and activism. He was part of child-led organizations and human rights including the Campaign for Peace and Non-Violence, Children’s Forum Network, Youth for Human Right International, and many others. Holistically, George believes that all of these platforms gave him a sense of responsibility, leadership skills and an eye for public service and advocacy.
In the USA, he has had a lot of professional and internship experiences including speaking and reading his poem at the Lithuanian Mission to the European Union in Brussels, during his diplomatic traineeship at the European Parliament, and a member at the Philadelphia Hub of the Global Shapers—a World Economic Forum. Similarly, George also worked at the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia District Attorney Office. He is a current global ethical leader and fellow of the prestigious global Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE). George has also presented research at the United Nations in New York, launched his organization’s vision at Njala University in Bo, Sierra Leone and has served as a panelist and contributor on several college and university forums. George is a Christian and an avid follower and believer in Jesus Christ.
In his almost nine years of living in the US, George has remained connected with his country and had always wanted to help people back home. He is ever cautious about politics and progress in Sierra Leone. He hopes to render his expertise and experiences to public service and governance in Sierra Leone one day. George was concerned that governments in previous decades have failed to connect and work with the masses, and he now worries about the growing inequality gap in our society. His national development examination led him to establish the Necessity Firm, aimed at seeing a just and fairer society, and a citizenship firm seeking to shape and empower “whole citizens” who are objective on matters of nation-building regardless of their social, political, or tribal affiliations. He envisions a society where government and citizens will run on objectivity and accountable governance, empowering young people to participate in national development and nation-building.
George published his third book about citizenship and governance in Sierra Leone in October 2020. His book, Citizenship Remained: The case for a Responsible Whole Citizenry in Sierra Leone, makes a common good case for citizens’ empowerment and an endorsement for inclusive and progressive governance. In his book, George invites young people to feel engaged in nation-building regardless of their political, social, or tribal affiliations. The idea of responsible citizens espouses in the book is a unique and holistic concept geared towards helping Sierra Leoneans become an objective participant in nation-building and invites them to discharge their rights and responsibilities in society diligently. However, George warns that his book is not about SLPP, APC, or any political party, what messages or policies they should convey. He points out that his book is about Sierra Leone and the governance issues impeding Sierra Leone’s inclusive and sustainable development.
George wants to see a society where citizens see themselves as students of the country. That way, he envisions that as students, young people will never loose the passion nor the patience to learn and engage with the country’s hopes and challenges in all spheres of human endeavors. He imagines Sierra Leone as a nation without citizen apathy or citizens’ lack of interest, and where civic education is made an accessible reality to all.
