Honourable Sidie Mohamed Tunis is currently a Member of the Sierra Leonean Parliament, adequately representing Constituency 101, Pujehun District. Being the Most Senior Member of Parliament at present , having entered Parliament in 2002, Honorable Sidie Mohamed Tunis has accrued unto himself a wealth of experience in legislative politics and governance. He served as Majority Leader in the Fifth Parliament of the second Republic of Sierra Leone and as a ranking member of the Sierra Leone delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament prior to his election as Honorable Speaker of the Fifth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament.
He was born in Zimmi, Makpele Chiefdom, Pujehun District to Alhaji Mohamed Ahmed Tunis, a renowned and well sought-after Muslim cleric and Haja Massa Massaquoi, the daughter of a Paramount Chief. Hon. Tunis has in diverse ways emulated his parent’s legacy and continues to provide humanitarian services whilst securing the equitable delivery of social services to his people. He is happily married to Mrs. Nabella Farida Tunis and their union is blessed with three wonderful children.
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Honorable Sidie Tunis’s political career started in 1995 when he was elected Secretary General of the National Unity Party, a position he held for three years before the party was incorporated into the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP). He was first elected as Member of Parliament in 2002 under the SLPP government, led by President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah, to represent an area in the Pujehun District which borders the Republic of Liberia. He has since then been reelected twice under the SLPP ticket and served from the opposition and ruling benches for the area which is now referred to as Constituency 101.
In his Parliamentary stint which spans over 12 years, Hon. Sidie Tunis served as the main opposition Minority Whip (2012-2017), chaired the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Trade and Industry, and conducted oversight on communications, infrastructure and extractive industry. These platforms afforded him an opportunity to expand his knowledge on a diverse range of national issues, enhancing his contribution to debates in national and international forums. His tenure as Minority Whip under the All Peoples Congress led government (2012-2018) increased his understanding of political dynamics as his unassuming but firm disposition helped escalate and secure consensus on issues of national interest. His contribution towards the enactment of Bills on national development including the Local Content Agency and Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency Acts during that term was heralded.
During his tenure as Majority Leader, Hon.Sidie Tunis exercised oversight over the enactment of critical legislations such as Extractive Industries Revenue Act and the passage of the constitutional instruments for the establishment of the Commissions of Inquiry, which aims to promote transparency and accountability, fair justice system and the rule of law. While executing his role as Majority Leader in a Parliament which consists of 146 elected representatives from 4 political parties – including 3 independent members, his leadership and mentorship skills were tested and proved worthy.
Prior to his Parliamentary career, Hon. Tunis was an investment consultant and established a national utility and supplies company For-Tra Meyer, a subsidiary of a major company in Germany. He served as Member of the Board of Directors for the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (2008-2011) and the Guma Valley Water Company (1998-2002). In March 2020, he was elected Speaker of the 5th Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament, a position he now occupies with a four years mandate.
Hon Tunis attended the Islamic Secondary School in Kenema District and graduated with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Chemistry from the Cuttington University, Liberia in 1989. He has certificates in Business Management, Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Communications. On 17th April 2021, he was conferred the Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa by the Board of Trustees of the Cuttington University, Liberia, upon the reccomendation of the Faculty Senate of the University in recognition of his outstanding contributions to humanity and well respected legacies as an astute politician. Also in April of 2021, he was conferred the Honor of “Commander of the Order of the Republic of Sierra Leone (CORSL)”, the second highest honor of the Republic, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the State.
He possesses strong interpersonal and communication skills, can build, and manage partnerships. His ability to plan, organize, propose innovations as a team player and builder as well as flexibility to rapidly respond to emerging circumstances, has often achieved excellence. He is a recipient of humanitarian and leadership awards in Sierra Leone. Significantly, he has received accolades from the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for his contribution towards genuine investment in developing economies, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for his remarkable contribution to Rural Connectivity and fair tariff system and the Global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiatives (EITI) for his contribution to transparency in the extractive industry. Honorable Tunis speaks and writes English very well and has taken on learning more about the Francophone culture in addition to his other hobbies of reading and giving inspirational talks to young people.