Bo District

Bo
District Statistics
Population 2004	305,775
Male Population 2004	148,106
Female Population 2004	157,669
Land Area (sq. KM)	5,165
Number of Chiefdoms	15
Number of Provisional Households	48,609
Number of Primary Schools	385
Primary School Enrolment	128,299
Number of Secondary Schools	40
Secondary School Enrolment	13,313
Number of PHUs	77
Hospital IPD Capacity	400
Electricity	Yes
Telesystem	Yes
Post Office	Yes
Average Road Condition	Poor

Overview

Bo District lies in the south of Sierra Leone. It borders Kenema to the east, Tonkolili to the north, Moyamba to the west, Bonthe to the southwest and Pujehun to the south. It occupies a total area of 7,003 km² and comprises of fifteen chiefdoms. The district headquarter is Bo. The main ethnic groups are Mende and Temne. With Bo being the second largest town in Sierra Leone, trading is a major economic activity for the district, with gold and diamond mining, rice growing, and coffee, cacao and oil palm production other major economic activities. The district enjoys religious plurality - Muslims and Christians.

Recovery after Civil War

Bo District suffered badly at the hands of rebel forces during 1994/1995, and many major towns were almost entirely destroyed (Tikonko and Bumpe, for example). However, since the ousting of the Junta in early 1998, Bo district has remained secure, due mainly to the strong presence of the Civil Defence Forces. As such, rather than suffering from displacement, Bo district has been the recipient of displaced persons from less secure parts of the country.

Although aid agencies have had uninterrupted access to the district for five years because of its relative stability, most of the recovery efforts were concentrated in Bo Town leaving out the 8 sections in Kakua chiefdom as well as all the other 14 chiefdoms in the district.

The major recovery needs according to sectoral priorities are as follows: Road rehabilitation, Education, Water and Sanitation, Health, Agriculture, Restoration of Local Government Structures and Shelter.

Bo is one of the four districts that make up the Southern Province.

See also

Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone Civil War

Reference Sources

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