CANADA-SIERRA LEONE: Researching to re-build

07 September 2008

To many in the west, Sierra Leone is a nation that is struggling to recover from 11 years of war and decades of autocratic rule, reports Express News of the University of Alberta. But to Mohamed Sesay, it is something entirely different. Sesay, a graduate student visiting from the University of Sierra Leone, where he is working towards his Master of Philosophy at Fourah Bay College, sees his country as being on the verge of a new beginning.

"It is very, very challenging right now, but I think there are prospects," he said. "There is hope in Sierra Leone." Sesay is in Edmonton on a six-month graduate student exchange programme funded by the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. The programme, part of the Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program, strengthens institutional linkages between Canadian universities and other parts of the world by enabling graduate students from abroad to conduct research at a Canadian university.

Since arriving at the University of Alberta in mid-April, Sesay has been doing research for his master's project on security sector reform in Sierra Leone and its challenges. He is specifically interested in military reform and post-conflict peace building, particularly after having experienced the war first-hand.
Full report on the Express News site

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