BY Alie Badara in Bo
Njala University’s Mokonde Campus celebrated a significant milestone on Sunday, 28th March 2026 when postgraduate students from across the nation were formally welcomed at the institution’s 18th Matriculation Ceremony for graduate students.
The event was a colorful, dignified gathering of academics, professionals, and families-recognized students who have already completed undergraduate degrees and, in many cases, who now balance careers while pursuing advanced study.
The ceremony underlined the university’s role in developing specialized knowledge, professional competence, and original research that feed Sierra Leone’s academic, public, and private sectors.
A warm welcome from the Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor of Njala Campus, Professor Patrick Andrew Sawyer, was an assurance to the new postgraduates that they had chosen the right path.
He urged them to remain steadfast in their studies and to aim high-even, surpassing their teachers-if they committed to the effort required to make their academic and professional dreams a reality.
Professor Sawyer’s remarks set the tone for a ceremony that mixed pride in achievement with clear expectations for scholarly rigor, ethical behavior, and professional contribution.
A host father’s promise of quality:
Professor Victor T.S. Kabba the Dean of Postgraduate School and Studies spoke as a host father to the new intake.
Addressing students from the ten schools that operate under the postgraduate faculty, he offered a motivational welcome and reassured them of the quality of postgraduate training they will receive.
Professor Kabba emphasized that the school’s mission is to expand student’s knowledge bases so graduates can compete and contribute to the global professional stage.
Schools represented at the ceremony include:
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences
- School of Basic Education
- School of Basic Sciences
- School of Education
- School of Environmental Sciences
- School of Nursing
- School of Natural Resources Management
- School of Public Health
- School of Social Sciences
- School of Technology
A vision for advancement and honesty about constraints
Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Bashiru Mohamed Koroma delivered a keynote that combined pride in Njala University’s progress with realism about ongoing challenges.
He noted that the Matriculation had originally been scheduled earlier but had been postponed due to other pressing university commitments, offering an apology and explaining the rescheduled date.
Professor Koroma reviewed strides made by Njala University to raise academic standards and align more closely with regional and global expectations.
At the same time, he frankly described infrastructural constraints that continue to limit campus life and research capacity-including shortages in student housing, offices and lecture rooms, laboratory space, reliable water supply, and alternative energy.
He told students the administration is working with the Government of Sierra Leone to improve campus power through a proposed 1 MW solar energy installation.
Feasibility studies are underway. Stable water supply and other essential services remain high priorities for the administration.
Matriculation: a renewed commitment Professor Koroma reminded the new postgraduate that although many had experienced matriculation before, this ceremony is a time-honoured rite of initiation and formal membership into the university community.
He described the Matriculation requirements-taking the Matriculation Oath and signing the University Matriculation Register-as symbolic acts that bind students to diligence, integrity and service, while obliging the university to pursue students to seek knowledge and truth, promote the common good, and act as disciplined ambassadors of Njala University.
Research, outreach, and facilities for advanced study,
Speakers emphasized that virtually all Njala University schools now offer postgraduate programs up to MPhil and PhD levels.
The Postgraduate School prioritizes research, teaching excellence, community engagement, innovation, and industrial development as part of an outcome-based approach to human capital development in Sierra Leone.
Postgraduate policy and guidelines codify these priorities, and students were encouraged to familiarize themselves with those documents.
To support research and diagnostics, Njala Campus already hosts several advanced laboratories: the Ecological Diagnostic Laboratory, Njala University Quality Control Laboratory, WAVE plant Diagnostic Laboratory and the Serology and Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory for zoonosis research.
Additional research capacity exists at Bo Campus, including entomological diagnostic facilities for malaria research, a Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHF) field Operational Laboratory and a broad-spectrum Pathogen Diagnostics Laboratory.
Looking forward, Njala University recently signed a framework Agreement with the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFRA) to establish a West African Regional Fertilizer Testing Laboratory on the Mokonde Campus-a development that promises to strengthen agricultural research and regional collaboration.
A ceremony of community and history the 18th Postgraduate Matriculation at Njala University was more than a formal enrollment.
It was a celebration of professional aspiration, academic resilience and communal responsibility.
Students, faculty and administrators came together to mark a new chapter for individuals and the institution alike-reaffirming Njala University’s commitment to producing graduates who will contribute to Sierra Leone and the region through research, professional excellence and public service.
The program closed on a hopeful note, with organizers and speakers alike, noting that the ceremony would enter the university’s records as a milestone in Njala’s ongoing advancement.
As these newly matriculated postgraduates begin their programs, the Campus and country will watch closely: their success will reflect both their personal dedication and the university’s continued efforts to expand facilities, strengthen research and raise educational standards.