Fourah Bay College

Fourah Bay College

Fourah Bay College (Old building, 1930s)
Established February 18, 1827
Type Public
Students 3,465 total
Location PO Box 87 Mount Aureol, Freetown, Sierra Leone
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 February 18, 1827,[1] is the oldest university in West Africa and the first western-style university built in West Africa. It is a constituent college of the University of Sierra Leone and was formerly affiliated with Durham University (1876-1967).

History

Established in 1827 as an Anglican missionary school (by the Church Missionary Society), Fourah Bay College soon became a magnet for Krio and other Africans seeking higher education in British West Africa. These included Nigerians, Ghanains, 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

The old building of Fourah Bay College

Faculties

Institutes

Students

As of 1998/1999, the student enrollment was around 2,000 in four faculties and five institutes. It had consistently expanded the 10 years previous.

Notable alumni

See also Category:Fourah Bay College alumni

References

External links

Coordinates: 8°28′37.9″N 13°13′16.3″W / 8.477194°N 13.221194°W