User:Tholoma Sumah/sandbox

Tholoma Sumah is a Sierra Leonean journalist working at the leading media institution in Sierra Leone; the Africa Young Voices (AYV) Media Empire. Tholoma Sumah is also the Founder & Executive Director of Foundation for Development; an organization with the mission to ‘make Sierra Leone self sufficient and independent’. Sumah was born on 21st November, 1992 at Sumbuya Lungi, Northwestern Sierra Leone. His mother Kadiatu Bangura is a petty trader born in Kamakwe northern Sierra Leone. Sumah’s father, Alimamy Mansaray(Sumah) commonly known as ‘Thathamoyen’ is a herbalist born in Katema, Northwestern Sierra Leone. Tholoma Sumah is currently a second year Mass Communication student at Fourah Bay College-University of Sierra Leone. Sumah holds a Diploma in Mass Communication from the same institution. As someone with a poor background, Sumah was sent out of the university in 2016. This made Sumah to apply as volunteer at the African Young Voices (AYV) Media Empire. He served as a volunteer for eight months and won ‘Staff of the Month’ for June 2017. This made AYV to permanent him. Sumah works as a reporter, presenter, producer, script editor, and content supervisor. In 2019, Sumah won the World Bank Blog4Dev competition for Sierra Leone and was invited by the World Bank to attend the World Bank/IMF Spring meetings in Washington DC, USA. At the meetings, Sumah emphasized that it is ‘time for action’ in Africa. Based on his stand point and opinions, he was nicknamed by his colleagues ‘man for action’. Upon his return, Sumah established his NGO called Foundation for Development. The NGO is primarily to champion and actualize his ideology. Sumah strongly believes that the only way Africa can develop is to produce what it consumes and he believes it is ‘time for action’ in Africa. He believes the continent has discussed it problems too much and therefore it is time to take action against the problems. He has always maintained that Africans must be the producers of their food, clothes, shoes, technology, etc. he also believes that Africans must be the ones constructing their roads, buildings etc. According to him, that is the only way for the continent to achieve economic growth and independence. To achieve his ideas, Sumah is currently establishing branches of his Foundation for Development in all 16 Districts of Sierra Leone. According to him, this is to ensure a speedy and simultaneous growth of the country. Sumah is also a proponent of Pan African ideas. He strongly believes in Africa unity.