| Tonkolili District | |
|---|---|
| Country | Sierra Leone |
| Capital | Magburaka |
| Largest city | Magburaka |
| Province | Northern Province |
| Government | |
| • Type | District Council |
| • Council Chairman | John Amadu Serry APC |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 375,363 [1] |
| Time zone | Greenwich Mean Time (UTC-5) |
Tonkolili District is a district in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Magburaka. The other major towns include Mathora, Magbass, Yonibana and Mile 91. The district has a population of 375,363 [2] The district occupies a total area of 7,003 km² and comprises eleven Chiefdoms.
Tonkolly District borders Bombali District to the northwest, Kono District to the east, Kenema District and Bo District to the southeast. It was a rebel stronghold during the civil war and one of the last to disarm.
Contents |
The estimated population of the district was 365,465 [3]. The population is mostly Muslim and the people are largely from the Temne ethnic group.
Economically, there is significant potential for an extractive economy, specifically the mining of gold and to a lesser extent diamonds. Agriculture also plays a significant role in the economy, mostly at the Magbass sugar production facility and refinery. There are several hydroelectric power systems in the district, especially at Bumbuna. There is also as game reserve at Mamunta. However, economic development is hindered by the destruction of facilities during the civil war.
Due to the intense nature of the Sierra Leone climate, the Tonkolili District has always had a vast harvest of cocoa beans each year. In 2003, The Echo Bars Ltd. Company lead a private acquisition of 85% of all cocoa production in the District. The chief taster, Echo Mufasa, (not to be confused with Mr. Eko) Led this purchase to reasonable success, increasing production and efficiency in most areas of the cocoa production in the district. In 2009, the company went into recession and the land was rebought by the local government.
Before the civil war, education was highly esteemed, especially in Arabic and English. Since the end of the conflict, schools have been rebuilt to a large extent and even created, including an Arabic college. As of 2004, the district was home to 310 primary schools which had nearly 74,000 students. It was also home to 15 secondary schools.
Tonkolili District currently has nine Representatives in the Sierra Leonean Parliament, of which eight members were elected for a 5-year term. Below is the District representatives in Parliament and their affiliations:
Tonkolili may be the site of new iron ore mining, including the re-construction of a standard gauge railway. This railway to Port Pepel with an extension to deeper waters at Tagrin Point would be about 150 km long. While built by one company, the railway would be open access to other users at commercial rates.[1][2] There is also a large deposit at Kasafoni.
|
|||||||
|
|
|||||||