By Kemoh Saidu Sesay
The Sierra Leone Student Union in China (SLSUC) has ended its Annual Convention in Beijing, at the Sierra Leone Embassy to China.
The convention started on the 13th of February 2025, bringing together Sierra Leonean students who are studying Bachelor, Masters and PhD programmes from various universities in China to converge and elect a new executive.
The process which ended on the 15th of February saw the election of a female President for the second time in over 30 years of the union’s existence, Josephine Magaret Williams was overwhelmingly voted for after her fellow Presidential contestant, Mohamed Sannoh was disqualified by the electoral commission of the SLSUC because of his physical absence during the election which violates the SLSUC’s constitution.
Williams together with her team swamped victory after delivering a high-catching manifesto titled “The Power of Us” to the general student body that was present and qualified to vote.
In her victory statement, Williams said that winning the election was not just a personal victory for her team, but a victory for all Sierra Leonean students studying in China and those who share the same vision for SLSUC.
She stated, “I promise to listen to your concerns, lend a voice to our shared concerns, and work tirelessly to actualize the vision of The Power of Us.” Adding that students must take control of their collective welfare away from home.
She called on every Sierra Leonean studying in China to be part of the union as it seeks to promote their welfare in China, noting that the union is not just for a specific group of students rather it is for everyone.
The newly elected executive comprises: President – Josephine Magaret Williams, Vice President – Gibson Alie Kuyateh, Secretary General – John Albert Sankoh, Assistant Secretary General – Amy Janet Bio, Public Relations Officer – Kemoh Saidu Sesay, Education and Welfare Officer – Alhaji Saeed Janneh, Financial Secretary – Idrissa Koroma, and Treasurer – Amadu Wurie Barrie.
