NATIONAL SECURITY COORDINATOR
MR. ABDULAI CAULKER
Profile
Mr Abdulai Caulker is a seasoned Administrator and Security Sector Professional with over twenty-one (21) years wealth of experience. He is one of the few founding members of the Office of National Security (ONS) and also played a pivotal role in the talent-spotting and recruitment of the current crop of Directors at the ONS.
Mr Caulker holds a Master’s degree in Educational Administration (M.Ed), a Bachelor’s in Education (B.Ed) and a Higher Teacher’s Certificate (HTC). In addition, he has pursued courses in numerous security and development subjects, which amongst others include Security Sector Reform, Human Resource Development, Conflict Analysis and Mediation, Early Warning and Early Response Techniques, Change Management.
He has worked with several developments and/or donor partners including UNDP, DfID, ADB, IMATT, ISAT, etc. and has represented Sierra Leone in a number of high-level security conferences around Africa.
During the interregnum in 1997, Mr Caulker served as National Chairman of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy, and during that period whilst in Conakry, he was appointed by the Government of Sierra Leone as Programme Officer to monitor sanction busters. He served for a period of six (6) months until the Tejan Kabbah administration was restored to state power.
At the ONS, Mr Caulker has served in various capacities, among which are: Deputy Director National Intelligence Unit (NIU) in charge of South and Eastern provinces from 1999 to 2000. From 2002 to 2008, he was Assistant Director Administration and Finance, and was later appointed Director of Administration and Finance. In 2015, he was appointed Director of Finance and Cooperate Service, a position he served until July 2018 when he was appointed as Deputy National Security Coordinator (DNS Coord) by His Excellency, President Brig (Rtd) Julius Maada Bio.
In the post-conflict security stabilization efforts up to recent times, Mr Caulker in his capacity as Director of Finance and Cooperate Service at the ONS has managed security sector portfolios for a number of years on behalf of the Government of Sierra Leone. These amongst others include the 14th August 2017 Flood and Mudslide Twin Disaster Account at the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank (SLCB); the 2018 National Elections and Early Warning and Early Response Project; the Security Sector Reform Implementation Project (SSR-IP) in Sierra Leone and the Construction of the Office of National Security Building project between 2006 and 2011.
Deputy national security coordinator
DR. AHMED A. SANNOH
Profile
Dr. Ahmed A. Sannoh has now served for twenty (20) years in the Office of National Security. He was amongst the first batch that successfully underwent a very rigorous recruitment process into the Office of National Security in 2001, after having briefly served as Administrative Officer (cadet) in the Civil Service of Sierra Leone.
Dr. Sannoh is currently the Chief of Staff and head of the Strategic Situation Group, the country’s security sector think-tank. He has acted as National Security Coordinator on a number of occasions between 2015 and 2019. He has over 15 years of university teaching and research experience at Fourah Bay College (USL), University of Liberia and currently Njala University as Associate Lecturer.
Academically, Dr. Sannoh holds BA and MA degrees in English and Linguistics, and a PhD in Peace and Development Studies.
Professionally, pursued advanced courses in national and international security issues; governance and human security in Africa; managing defence in the wider security context; strategic planning and policy development; defence resource management etc. at reputable international academic and professional institutions including International Centre for National Security Studies (ICNSS) at Galilee College, Israel; College of Management and Technology at Cranfield University, United Kingdom; Resource Management Institute, Naval Postgraduate School, California, United States of America; Institute for Security Studies’ African Centre for Peace and Security Training (ACPST), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and the Kofi Anan Peace Keeping and Training Centre, Ghana. He has also benefited from expert and think-tank reflections on key international security issues under the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) in the United States of America.
Dr. Sannoh has a special interest in security threat analyses, conflict management and post-conflict peacebuilding and stabilization; excellent writing and editing skills; experience in managing and leading inter-agency coordination; experience in providing expert advice and guidance to a senior official; has an experience in providing strategic leadership for institutional reform processes, good governance and efficient service delivery.
Dr. Sannoh has worked at the highest levels of government closely collaborating with heads of various intelligence, police and military organizations including officials from the UK, USA and other security and development partners, in some cases providing leadership for various aspects of governance and security-related reforms.
He has played a key role in the development of a number of security sector policy documents, and has, in particular, led the process of reviewing the Military Aid to the Civil Authority, which is a high level policy direction for military assistance to the civil power.
As Chairman of the National Security Exercise Writing and Planning Team (NSX-WPT), Dr. Sannoh has coordinated the successful conduct of eight (8) national security exercises, mainly targeting platinum and gold levels between 2005 and 2019.
In the early phase of the post-conflict peacebuilding efforts in 2003 when relations between the police and the military in Sierra Leone were strained, Dr. Sannoh led the multi-stakeholder Joint Survey Team (JST) commissioned by the National Security Council (NSC) to look into the status of relationship between the two forces. The JST recommendations produced resulted in a harmonious working relationship between these two national security forces, which status quo is largely maintained up to date.
Dr. Sannoh has participated and represented Sierra Leone in a number of high profiled international conferences key amongst which include:
(i) Participation in a Case Studies Workshop in 2009 at King’s College, London on Power after Peace – The Political Economy of Post-conflict State Building in Iraq, Sudan, Kosovo, Burundi and Sierra Leone
(ii) Appointed (with the power of attorney) as Leader of the Government of Sierra Leone Delegation to the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan in 2015, and presented the Country Report.
(iii) Member of various reputable international security sector networks and alumni, including the prestigious African Security Sector Network (ASSN); Stratford Global Intelligence Network, Texas; International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on International Security Issues of the United States of America.
Dr. Sannoh was appointed by His Excellency Brig. Gen. (Rtd.) Dr. Julius Maada Bio (President of Sierra Leone) in 2019 as Member of the Advisory Committee, Sierra Leone National Commission for Small Arms (SLeNCSA).
Chief of Staff
FRANCIS LANGUMBA KEILI
Profile
Mr Francis Langumba Keili holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law and International Relations from Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone; Masters of Advanced Studies degree in International Security from the University of Geneva, Switzerland; Advanced Certificate in International Training Course in Security Policy and New Issues in Security Course on Global Threats and Challenges from the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Switzerland.
He has also undertaken other Professional Courses accredited through; Cranfield University, United Kingdom, an Advanced Certificate in Strategic Planning and Policy Development; Advanced Certificate in Security Sector Reform from Folke Bernadette Academy, Sweden and the Barcelona Peace Research Centre, Spain and Advanced Certificate in Disaster Management, Bournemouth University, United Kingdom.
He attended the St. Pauls Anglican Primary School Bo and the Bo Government Secondary School (Bo School) for his Primary and Secondary education.
In 2001, Mr Keili was among the first set of recruits that started the Office of National Security (ONS), which is the Government’s Agency for Security Sector Coordination in Sierra Leone.
He has headed almost all of the Directorates within the ONS including Senior Analyst; Director, Joint Assessment Team; Director, Provincial and Border Security; Director, Ministerial and Inter-Agency Relations; Director, Research and Planning; Director, Planning and Inter-Agency Relations, Assistant Chief of Staff; Programme Coordinator, GoSL/UNDP Border Strengthening Programme; Secretary, Interim National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons; Member, Strategic Situation Group and also served as the Security Sector representative in the late Justice Edmond Cowan Constitutional Review Committee for the review of the 1991 constitution and was the lead author in the development and inclusion of a chapter on National Security Governance in the reviewed constitution.
Mr Keili is currently the Chief of Staff, ONS (the professional head); Chairman, Integrated Elections Security Planning Committee (IESPC); Head, Strategic Situation Group; Head of the Technical Working Group (TWG) for the Security Sector Reform Programme and the development of the National Security Policy and Strategy for Sierra Leone.
Mr Keili is a keen Security Sector practitioner and researcher with over twenty-one uninterrupted years of service at the Strategic level within the Security Sector of Sierra Leone.
Principal Director
ALHAJI MORLAI KARGBO
Qualification
M.A., B.Sc, HTC, Diplom/Cert in Executive Policy and Development on Transnational Organised Crime and Anticorruption, Strategic Planning and Policy Development, Early Warning and Early Response Systems, National Security, Education, Human Rights and Rule of Law & Due Process in Law, and Intelligence/Threat Assessment. He is an alumnus of several training agencies including the International Law Enforcement Academy, Roswell, New Mexico, USA; the George C. Marshall European Centre for Security Studies, Germany; the Galilee College, Israel; the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Ghana etc
Work Experience
Has served in the Office of National Security (ONS) for 19 years now in many senior management positions and he is currently the Director of the M&E Directorate. Between 2006 and 2018, he was the Director of the Joint Assessment Team (JAT)/Research and Assessment Directorate (RAD) during which he served as the Secretary of the National Security Council Coordinating Group (NSCCG) and the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) and the Director in charge of the National Situation Room (NSR). He also served as the Government of Sierra Leone Focal Point for ECOWAS Early Warning & Response Network between 2006 and 2015. Between 2009 and 2019, he was Chairman Board of Governors for several secondary schools.
Responsibilities
He is currently responsible for monitoring and reporting on the implementation of all ONS programmes/projects including the implementation of all directorate activities, the security sector coordination functions of the ONS, the commitment of all staff to the performance of their tasks and the implantation of an effective staff appraisal system and staff daily attendance.
Directorate: Protective and Private Security
Director: Mohamed Sahid Kamara
Qualification
Bachelor of Arts (General), Certificates in Dispute Resolution Systems: Policies, Structures and Strategies, Basic Intelligence Development and Analysis, Competence in Basic Operations Techniques, Tradecraft Course (USA Overseas Training Programme)
Work Experience
| Has served in the Office of National Security for fifteen (15) years now in different capacities and is presently the Director, Protective and Private Security. Has served as Director Monitoring and Oversight (2013-2015); Director, Provincial and Border Security (2015 – 2018); Chairman Joint Maritime Committee Steering Group (2015-2018); Head of Secretariat of Security Sector Review (SSR) Technical Working Group (2012); Chairman, Ethics and Integrity Committee (2015-2018); Chairman, ONS-CISU National Security and Central Intelligence Act, 2002 Review Committee (2018-2021); Member, African Peer Review Mechanism National Governing Council (APRM-NGC) ( 2019 to Present); District Security Coordinator (Dec. 2007 – Dec. 2009); Provincial Security Coordinator (Jan. 2009 – Dec. 2009). He has attended and participated in many international and regional security workshops including but not limited to Regional Expert Workshop on Protection of Critical Infrastructure Against Terrorism – 30th April to 2 May 2019, Tunisia , 2nd Africa Security Symposium, West, North and Central, – 6th to 8th November, 2018, Dakar, Senegal, Streamlining Inter-Agency Workshop (Africa Centre for Security Studies), Abuja, Nigeria – 15th – 20th May 2016, National Maritime Strategy Development Workshop (Africa Centre for Security Studies), Accra, Ghana – 2nd – 4th March 2016, Seminar on Maritime Legal Issues in the Gulf of Guinea (West Africa Regional Training Centre), Accra, Ghana – 15th -16th June 2015 and CEN-SAD High-Level Experts Meeting for the Enhancement of the Security and Development Strategy (SDS-CEN-SAD). Rabat, Morocco – 8th – 9th May, 2014. He is an alumnus of the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies (ACSS) and the West Africa Regional Training Centre (WARTC). |
Responsibilities
Ensure that all Private Security Companies operating in Sierra Leone are properly licensed; provide advice and direction to MDAs on their protective security responsibilities, conduct periodic protective security assessments of MDAs in accordance with the provisions of the protective security manual; work with the relevant partners to develop a register of critical national infrastructure and an assessment of threats /risks against them and ensure that the people responsible for CNI fully understand and effectively carry out their responsibilities; Work with the PBS Directorate to identify and ensure the security of CNI in the regions and support their protective security accordingly; Coordinate the provision of security for major national events; Work with the Planning and Inter-Agency Directorate to ensure that all MDAs are aware of the latest advice and direction on protective security.