thumb|240px|Satellite view of Bo ([[Landsat image viewed using NASA World Wind software)]]

Bo, also commonly referred to as Bo Town, is the second largest city in Sierra Leone by population (after Freetown) and the largest city in the Southern Province. It is the capital and administrative centre of Bo District. The city of Bo has a population of 223,075 based on 2021 national mid-term census estimates. Bo is the leading financial, educational and economic centre of southern Sierra Leone..

The city of Bo is one of Sierra Leone's six municipalities and is locally governed by the directly elected Bo City Council, which is headed by a mayor. The Mayor and members of the Bo City Council are directly elected every four years in a municipal election.

The city's population is religiously diverse, primarily among Muslims and Christians.

History

Bo began its modern development with the coming of the Sierra Leone Government Railway in 1889 and became an educational centre in 1906, when the Bo Government Secondary School was established.

From 1930 until independence in 1961, it was the capital of the Protectorate of Sierra Leone. The city is the administrative centre of the Southern Province. After Freetown, Bo is the leading transportation, commercial, and educational centre of Sierra Leone.

The Sierra Leone Government Railway was closed in 1974.

The inhabitants of Bo are known for their resolve, resistance and hospitality.

Etymology

According to folklore, the town was named after its generosity. An elephant was killed by a hunter, and people from the surrounding villages came to receive their share. Because the amount of meat was so large, the hunter spent days distributing it. He said "Bi-woo", which in Mende language means "this is yours," (with reference to the meat) was said so much that the area came to be known as "Bi-woo", which became "Bo".

Government

The city of Bo is one of Sierra Leone's six municipalities and is governed by a directly elected city council form of government, headed by a mayor, in whom executive authority is vested. The mayor is responsible for the general management of the city. The mayor and members of the Bo city council are elected directly by the residents of Bo in a municipal election that is held every four years.

Like virtually all parts of the Southern Province, the city of Bo is a reliable political stronghold of the Sierra Leone People's Party. The SLPP has won every Sierra Leone presidential elections in the city and the rest of Bo District by an overwhelming majority. The SLPP has also won virtually every parliamentary, and Local government elections in Bo by an overwhelming majority, including the Sierra Leone general elections held in November 2012. Former mayor Harold Logie Tucker, a SLPP member, was elected mayor with 69.7% of the votes in the 2012 Bo Mayoral election.

With assistance from the Revenue Development Foundation Bo City Council has started to collect property taxes.

Geography

Climate

Like the rest of Sierra Leone, Bo has a tropical climate, more specifically a tropical monsoon climate (Am) under the Köppen climate classification, with a rainy season from May to November and a dry season from December to April. Average annual precipitation varies with up to in the wettest parts. The prevailing winds are the SW Monsoon during the wet season and the northeastern Harmattan which is a dust-laden wind from the Sahara Desert during the dry season. Average temperature ranges in Bo are from 21 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit) to 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit) all year.

Demographics

Bo has an ethnically diverse population, although the Mende make up the largest ethnic group. The city is home to a significant numbers of many of the country's ethnic groups as well as a large Liberian community. The population of the city is about equal in numbers between Muslims and Christians.

Culture

In 1981 Bo District formed a 'One World Link' (OWL) with Warwick District in the United Kingdom. This was inspired by a desire for justice, equality, human understanding and mutual support. Over the years it has helped to strengthen both communities and their awareness of global and development issues. The many outcomes of the link include women's groups, school links, an online archive, an education programme and the opening, in 2008, of a Community Centre in Bo city. Immediate plans include collaboration on a pilot environmental programme for the collection and disposal of waste. There is also a youth wing which has 20 registered youth groups, that serve over 1,000 young people.

Notable Secondary Schools

  • Christ the King College
  • Bo Government Secondary School
  • Ahmadiyya Muslim Secondary School
  • Ark of Hope Modern Academy
  • Queen of the Rosary Secondary School
  • Comprehensive Secondary School
  • St. Andrews Secondary School
  • Bo Commercial Secondary school
  • SLMB Secondary School
  • St. Pauls Junior Secondary School
  • Ken Wiebe School
  • Njala University Experimental Secondary School
  • Tahir Ahmadiyya Junior Secondary School
  • Methodist High School

Media

The two main local radio stations in Bo are Kiss FM 104, and Radio New Song 97.5. The local service of the national broadcaster, SLBS, transmits on 96.5 MHz. Commercial station Capital Radio uses 102.3 MHz and BBC World Service also has an FM relay.

Sport

Like the rest of Sierra Leone, football is the most popular sport in the city. Bo has two football clubs in the Sierra Leone National Premier League, Bo Rangers, and Nepean Stars. Both clubs play their home games at the Bo Stadium. Another club from Bo Town called the Kakua Rangers plays in the Sierra Leone National First Division, the second highest football league in Sierra Leone, after the Sierra Leone National Premier League. There are several clubs from Bo Town in the lower divisions of the Sierra Leone league system.

Transport

Bo Airport

Bo Airport serves the Bo District and the Southern Province. The airport is no longer in regular use.

Places of worship

Places of worship are predominantly Muslim mosques. There are also Christian churches and temples : Roman Catholic Diocese of Bo (Catholic Church), United Methodist Church in Sierra Leone, United Brethren in Christ Church (World Methodist Council), Baptist Convention of Sierra Leone (Baptist World Alliance), Assemblies of God, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Kingdom Halls of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Notable people

  • Nabih Berri, speaker of Lebanese parliament
  • Sheik-Umarr Mikailu Jah, Surgeon & Politician, Minister of Sierra Leone 1996-2007.
  • Matilda Lansana Minah V, Paramount Chief of Pujehun District, lived in Bo during the Sierra Leone Civil War
  • Joe Robert Pemagbi, Sierra Leone ambassador to the United Nations
  • Kanja Sesay, Financial Secretary of Bo District Students Union and Secretary General of the Fourah Bay College Students Union
  • Wusu Sannoh, mayor of Bo
  • Sallieu Bundu, Sierra Leonean football player
  • Bunturabie Jalloh Sierra Leone's Olympic flag-bearer

References