Dr. James Sanpha Koroma, the Chancellor of the University of Sierra Leone on Thursday confirmed that as far as the University of Sierra Leone (USL) is concerned, Dominion University is not a University and doesn’t deserved the credentials an Institution should have to be considered a University. 

A week ago, a said University named Dominion Christian University (DCU) was spotted awarding PhD degrees under a mango tree at Waterloo. This event sparked social media platforms and the situation went viral for days.

On 16th March 2022, the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) in a press release stated that the institution is not accredited to operate in Sierra Leone and directed them to cancel their planned award ceremony on 26th March.

This press release from TEC called for a response from the said University with a press statement on Friday 1 April 2022, debunking the statement from TEC on their status in the country.

The Chancellor of the University of Sierra Leone, Dr. James Sanpha, after receiving many view points from the public and other government parastatals doubting the legitimacy of the University on the 7th April 2022 said it publicly during his address note to the graduands of the Institute of Public Administration and Management (USL) that, the said Dominion University is not a University at all. This he added to his claims that, how can a University gives PhD. degrees under a mango tree.

According to Dr. James Sanpha Koroma, an accredited University should not be in hide out and that, PhD certificates are not to be awarded in a secluded backyard under a mango tree in Waterloo.

Dr. James Sanpha Koroma has been installed as the new Chancellor of the University of Sierra Leone which constitutes the three colleges: Fourah Bay College (FBC), College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS), and Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM), in a ceremony held on Tuesday 30 November, 2021 at the State House, Freetown.

The new Chancellor of USL, Dr. James Sanpha Koroma, is an Economics Graduate of Fourah Bay College, University of Durham.  He holds post-graduate degrees from the Maxwell School, Syracuse University, New York State, USA, the University of Birmingham, UK, as well as an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the IBC, Cambridge, UK.  He is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, London, UK.  He has had an illustrious career spanning over four decades in the fields of economics, finance and banking in both public and private sectors, at home and abroad. Dr. Koroma is also the recipient of both the Grand Commander of the Order of the Rokel (2007) and Grand Officer of the Order of the Republic (2019).