Emilia Kamara-Jengo: A Sierra Leonean advocate championing women’s rights, peace and good governance

From her education in Makeni to leadership roles in civil society and women’s football, Emilia Kamara-Jengo has built a career spanning several institutions working to strengthen women’s rights, democratic participation and public life in Sierra Leone.

By Amidu Kallon · 19 October 2026 at 07:40 GMT

[Photo: Emilia Kamara Jengo, a Sierra Leonean football administrator, FIFA/CAF Match Commissioner, and women’s rights advocate.]

Leadership in Sierra Leone takes many forms. Beyond political office, it is also found in community organizations, civil society groups and institutions working to improve people’s lives and give them a greater say in decisions that affect them. For Emilia Kamara-Jengo, these spaces have been central to her professional journey, particularly in the areas of women’s rights, peacebuilding and democratic participation.

As executive director of the Women’s Forum for Human Rights and Democracy (WOFHRAD), Kamara-Jengo leads initiatives focused on gender equality, access to justice and women’s participation in public life. Her work also extends to peacebuilding, election monitoring and sports governance, bringing together several areas of civic engagement in Sierra Leone.

Her journey began in Makeni, where she completed her secondary education before pursuing studies in development communication, development studies and sustainable development. She has continued to expand her academic background while taking on leadership responsibilities across civil society and other institutions.

Building a foundation in Makeni

Kamara-Jengo attended the Makeni Comprehensive Academy (MCA) before proceeding to the Saint Joseph’s Secondary School, where she served as head girl. The role gave her an early opportunity to take on leadership responsibilities, long before her career developed into one spanning advocacy, community engagement and institutional governance.

She later enrolled at the University of Makeni (UniMak), where she earned a diploma in development communication and a bachelor’s degree in development studies. In March 2026, she completed a master’s degree in sustainable development at the same institution.

Her pursuit of education has not stopped there. Kamara-Jengo is currently studying Law at the University of Makeni, adding legal studies to her background in communication, development and sustainability.

This combination of academic disciplines provides a useful context for understanding the range of issues addressed in her professional life. Her work touches on community development, public participation, women’s rights and access to justice, areas in which an understanding of both development and institutions can be valuable.

Working to widen opportunities for women

Since February 2023, Kamara-Jengo has served as executive director of WOFHRAD, leading programmes aimed at promoting women’s empowerment, gender equality and democratic participation.

The organization’s activities include leadership training, legal awareness programmes, civic education and post-election dialogue. These initiatives seek to help people understand their rights, participate in public life and engage more effectively with the institutions responsible for decisions affecting their communities.

Kamara-Jengo has also been involved in advocacy for women’s land rights. Access to land can have far-reaching implications for women’s economic security, particularly in communities where land ownership and control influence livelihoods, family welfare and financial independence.

Her work in this area forms part of a broader effort to strengthen women’s rights and their position in society. Recognizing that women have rights is one thing; ensuring they can exercise those rights in practice is another. Advocacy must therefore go beyond raising awareness to addressing the barriers that prevent women from enjoying the protections and opportunities available to them.

That distinction is central to efforts to advance gender equality. Laws and public commitments matter, but their value ultimately depends on whether they lead to meaningful changes in people’s lives.

The campaign for women’s political representation

Kamara-Jengo’s advocacy also includes efforts to increase women’s representation in politics and public decision-making.

Her professional profile records her involvement in the campaign that led to the enactment of Sierra Leone’s Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act. It also documents her participation in training women political candidates across six districts ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The legislation represented an important step in the country’s efforts to promote gender equality. However, increasing women’s representation requires more than legal provisions. Women seeking elected office must also navigate political party structures, engage voters and compete in an environment that can present significant challenges.

Training prospective candidates can help them prepare for these responsibilities by strengthening their understanding of political leadership and the electoral process. Through her involvement in these programmes, Kamara-Jengo contributed to wider efforts to support women seeking to enter electoral politics.

Such progress rarely results from the work of one person alone. Campaigns for legislative change generally depend on sustained collaboration among civil society organizations, advocates and other stakeholders.

The challenge is to ensure that commitments to gender equality translate into genuine opportunities for women to enter public institutions, take part in decision-making and influence policies that affect their lives.

Working at the intersection of peace and democracy

Kamara-Jengo’s work extends beyond gender equality to include leadership responsibilities in organizations concerned with peacebuilding and democratic governance.

She is the chairperson of the board of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding in Sierra Leone (WANEP-SL) and holds a vice-chairperson position in the Women, Peace and Security field. She also serves as a district coordinator with National Election Watch and sits on the steering committee of the Parliamentary Civil Society Organizations Forum.

These roles connect her to initiatives focused on peaceful dialogue, electoral participation and cooperation between civil society and public institutions.

Peacebuilding is not limited to responding to conflict after it occurs. It also involves creating opportunities for dialogue, resolving disagreements peacefully and strengthening relationships between communities. Such efforts can help address tensions before they escalate.

Similarly, election monitoring and civic education play important roles in democratic participation. While elections allow citizens to choose their representatives, meaningful participation also depends on access to reliable information, public awareness and confidence in the electoral process.

Through her involvement in these institutions, Kamara-Jengo contributes to a wider network of organizations working to strengthen civic engagement, peaceful coexistence and democratic governance.

Her leadership responsibilities also extend into religious and community life. She is chairperson of the Religious Diocesan and Parish Pastoral Council of the Makeni Diocese and branch president of the Convent Old Girls Association in Makeni. Between September 2021 and September 2023, she served as national vice-president of the Catholic Young Adult Fellowship.

Although these organizations serve different purposes, her roles in them reflect the range of institutions in which she has taken on leadership responsibilities, from civil society and governance to faith-based and community organizations.

Taking on responsibilities in women’s football

Kamara-Jengo’s professional experience also reaches into sports administration, adding another dimension to her work in institutional leadership.

Between May 2023 and September 2025, she served two terms as a board member of the Sierra Leone Women’s Premier League Board. According to her professional profile, she contributed to the governance and institutional development of women’s football in Sierra Leone.

Since April 2024, she has also served as a match commissioner with the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

These positions have placed her within both domestic football administration and the wider continental game. They also demonstrate how her experience in governance extends beyond traditional civil society work into sport, where effective administration and strong institutions are important to the development of the game.

Women’s football depends on more than the talent and performance of players. It also requires effective organization, sound governance and opportunities for women to participate and develop their skills. Kamara-Jengo’s involvement in the sport therefore represents another area of institutional responsibility alongside her work on women’s rights, peacebuilding and democratic participation.

Her experience across these different sectors illustrates the variety of settings in which she has built her professional career.

Continuing her education alongside public service

Kamara-Jengo has pursued further education while maintaining her professional and leadership responsibilities. Completing her master’s degree in sustainable development in March 2026 marked another milestone in her academic journey, but she has since continued her studies in Law at the University of Makeni.

Legal knowledge is relevant to several areas of her work, including women’s rights, access to justice and democratic governance. These fields often involve questions about how laws are applied, how public institutions fulfil their responsibilities and whether people can access the protections available to them.

Her current studies build on an academic background that includes development communication, development studies and sustainable development. Although the full impact of her legal training on her future work remains to be seen, it represents a further step in her continuing education.

Balancing further study with professional responsibilities requires sustained commitment. In Kamara-Jengo’s case, her academic journey has continued alongside leadership roles in organizations operating across different areas of public life.

A career spanning several institutions

From her educational beginnings in Makeni to leadership positions in civil society, Kamara-Jengo’s career has developed across institutions concerned with women’s rights, governance, peacebuilding, community affairs and sport.

Her responsibilities include leading an organization focused on women’s rights, contributing to peacebuilding and electoral initiatives, serving in religious and community leadership positions, and participating in the governance of women’s football.

Her academic qualifications have developed alongside this work, with her legal studies marking the latest stage of her education.

Taken together, these experiences offer a picture of a Sierra Leonean professional whose work spans several parts of public life. They also illustrate the different ways people can contribute to community development, democratic participation and public service through civil society, community institutions and sports administration.

Kamara-Jengo’s professional journey continues, with her work and education remaining central to the path ahead.

About Emilia Kamara-Jengo

Emilia Kamara-Jengo is a Sierra Leonean civil society leader, development practitioner and women’s rights advocate. She serves as executive director of the Women’s Forum for Human Rights and Democracy (WOFHRAD). Her professional experience spans women’s empowerment, democratic participation, peacebuilding, election-related work and sports governance. She holds a master’s degree in sustainable development from the University of Makeni and is currently studying law at the same institution.