AYV News, August 13, 2026
Forty-six military students, including three foreign students from the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) and the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF), have graduated from the Horton Command and Staff College (HCSC) of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF).
The graduates were awarded both military and academic qualifications following the successful completion of their training and postgraduate studies.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Yayah Brima, Director of Defence Public Relations and Information of the RSLAF, the military qualification, known as the Pass Staff Course (PSC), was awarded by the Commandant of HCSC, Brigadier General Mohamed Alie Kamara.
The academic qualifications, comprising Master of Science (MSc) and Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) in International Relations, Diplomacy and Security Cooperation, were conferred by Professor Ezekiel Duramany-Lakkoh, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM), on behalf of and with the authority of the Vice Chancellor and Principal of the University of Sierra Leone.
Several students were recognised for exceptional performance during the course.
Lieutenant Colonel Yayah Bah emerged as the Overall Best Student, while Lieutenant Colonel Kelvin Kay-Koroma, who passed away three days before the completion of the course, was posthumously recognised as the Second Best Student.
Major Momodou Amadou Jallow of the Gambia Armed Forces received the award for Best Allied Student, while Major Rehema Ramadhani Wanjara of the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces was named Outstanding Student.
Major Wanjara was the only female student on the course.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Ibrahim Mansaray emerged as the Best Graduating Master’s Student. His research focused on “Military Aid to Civil Authority: The Role of RSLAF in Internal Security.”
The institution was established in 2003 by the then International Military Advisory and Training Team (IMATT) to support the professional development of RSLAF officers.
It was subsequently commissioned as Horton Academy by the late former President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah and named after Dr. Africanus Horton, a prominent Sierra Leonean physician and writer who served as a medical officer in the British Army.
Over the years, the institution expanded its mandate to admit military students from other countries in the sub-region.
In 2021, President Dr. Julius Maada Bio approved the transformation of the Academy into a College with a broader mandate to oversee the professional and academic development of military and other security officers in Sierra Leone and across Africa.
The institution was subsequently renamed the Horton Command and Staff College.
Postgraduate Education and Regional Engagement
Following its transformation, HCSC was affiliated with the University of Sierra Leone to undertake postgraduate programmes, particularly in International Relations, Diplomacy and Security Cooperation.
The College commenced its first postgraduate programme last year, culminating in the recent congregation ceremony.
In another milestone, the College conducted its first African Study Tour in May this year, with visits to The Gambia and Côte d’Ivoire.
The academic staff also includes some of the first RSLAF officers to obtain doctoral degrees, among them Colonel Dr. Zhoud Kailie and Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Alex Elogima Massaquoi.
The graduation marks another significant milestone in Sierra Leone’s efforts to strengthen professional military education, academic excellence and regional security cooperation.
