ACADEMIC LEGACY AND NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE OF OLD FOURAH BAY COLLEGE, FREETOWNLadies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, respected elders, members of the academic community, and fellow Sierra Leoneans,
Today, we gather not just to remember a historic building, but to honour a national institution that has shaped Sierra Leone, West Africa, and the African continent itself. Old Fourah Bay College, proudly stands in Freetown.The story of Fourah Bay College is deeply connected to Sierra Leone's history. It is a story born from the ashes of slavery, ignorance, and displacement, and it has been transformed into one of redemption, resilience, and the lasting power of education.Established on February 18, 1827, by the Church Missionary Society, Fourah Bay College emerged at a pivotal moment in history, following the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. Freetown had become a settlement for liberated Africans from across the Atlantic world, and the need for education, moral guidance, and leadership was urgent. What began modestly as an Anglican missionary institution with just six students quickly expanded into something much larger: the first Western-style university in sub-Saharan Africa.From its earliest years, Fourah Bay College symbolised profound transformation. The construction of the iconic Old Fourah Bay College building began in 1845 in Clinetown on the site of a former slave factory. The foundation stone was laid by Governor William Fergusson, Sierra Leone’s first coloured governor. Built of dressed laterite stone by Reverend James Beale, and roofed with timber salvaged from condemned slave ships, the building itself spoke eloquently of redemption, the instruments of human bondage converted into a house of learning and freedom.
The work was overseen by Reverend Edward Jones, an African-American educator who became the college’s first principal. Among the institution's pioneers was Samuel Ajayi Crowther, its first student, who later became the first African Anglican bishop. From these beginnings, Fourah Bay College trained clergy, teachers, linguists, jurists, and scholars who spread learning well beyond Freetown, transmitting education and enlightenment throughout West Africa.By 1876, the institution had developed into a full university college and became affiliated with Durham University in England, a relationship that lasted until 1967. Through this affiliation and its rigorous academic culture, Fourah Bay College earned Freetown the proud and enduring title “The Athens of West Africa.” Students from Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Ghana, The Gambia, and beyond came to study classics, theology, sciences, and African languages, making the College a truly pan-African intellectual centre at a time when higher education opportunities for Africans were extremely rare.The building remained in use until World War II, when the college relocated to Mabang; afterward, it housed the Sierra Leone Government Railway headquarters and, later, a Magistrate's Court. Proclaimed a National Monument in 1955, it sustained damage from a 1999 fire.Nationally, Old Fourah Bay College played a crucial role in nation-building. Its graduates formed the core of the colonial and post-independence civil service, the judiciary, the church, and the education system. They contributed to shaping Sierra Leone’s laws, institutions, and public administration. Equally important, the college fostered values of discipline, critical thinking, public service, and moral responsibility, which serve as guiding principles for leadership and civic life.
Beyond our borders, Fourah Bay College’s influence was unmistakably pan-African. Its alumni went on to serve in Nigeria, Ghana, The Gambia, Cameroon, and other parts of the continent, carrying with them the intellectual traditions and scholarly discipline forged in Freetown. In this way, Old Fourah Bay College helped shape West Africa’s early educated elite and contributed meaningfully to Africa’s long struggle for self-definition and self-rule.In recognition of its immense historical and cultural value, the Old Fourah Bay College building was declared a National Monument in 1955. After the College relocated to Mount Aureol following the Second World War, the building served as the headquarters of the Sierra Leone Government Railway and later became a Magistrate’s Court, which it remains today. Though damaged by war and neglect, ongoing restoration efforts and its tentative listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site underscore its global significance as a landmark in African educational history.Ladies and Gentlemen,
Old Fourah Bay College is more than stone and mortar. It is a symbol of Africa’s intellectual awakening, of Sierra Leone’s historic contribution to education, and of the enduring belief that knowledge can redeem even the darkest chapters of human history. Its journey from 1827 to the present reminds us that education remains the surest foundation for national progress, unity, and dignity.
As we honour the legacy of Old Fourah Bay College, let us recommit ourselves to preserving this heritage and to renewing the ideals it represents: excellence in learning, service to humanity, integrity in public life, and faith in the power of the African mind, so that future generations may continue to draw inspiration from the Athens of West Africa.I thank you.
Prof Joe A D Alie
16/01/26