By Foday Moriba Conteh
Orange Sierra Leone (OSL) officially bade farewell to its outgoing CEO Sekou Amadu Bah to mark the end of his nearly four-year tenure with the telecom giant in the country.
A farewell ceremony held Wednesday at the company’s headquarters in brought together staff, senior management and key stakeholders to reflect on Bah’s leadership and contributions to the company’s growth, transformation and culture.
Speakers described Bah’s tenure as steady, inclusive and impactful, noting that he assumed leadership during a challenging period marked by economic pressures, complex regulatory demands and critical network challenges. Despite these constraints, they said he consistently demonstrated calmness, clarity and composure, inspiring confidence across the organisation.
Speaking on behalf of employees, head of Orange SL Connect, Elizabeth Clarissa A. Walker said Bah strengthened the company’s operational foundation through strategic investments that positioned OSL for long-term growth. She highlighted his integrity, accessibility and trust-based leadership, describing his open-door policy and daily engagement with staff as central to building motivation and a sense of belonging.
Walker also praised Bah’s commitment to staff welfare, citing initiatives such as Ramadan vouchers and support for field staff during difficult economic periods. She further commended his decision to appoint two directors from within the existing workforce, including a marketing director in a role traditionally held by expatriates, describing it as a strong affirmation of local talent and institutional knowledge.
Representing the OSL Men’s Association, Joseph Saffa Tengbeh described Bah as a principled and courageous leader who embodied the true essence of leadership. He said Bah strengthened systems, deliberately built capacity, nurtured talent and promoted a culture of accountability and opportunity.
Similarly, OSL Women’s president Priscilla Okechukwu highlighted Bah’s commitment to inclusivity and women’s empowerment. She said his leadership went beyond corporate performance to ensure women were actively included in decision-making and supported in their professional growth.
Okechukwu also commended Bah’s role in advancing digital transformation and infrastructure development, positioning Orange Sierra Leone as an industry leader. She described him as an accessible leader who valued people as the company’s greatest asset and treated the Orange Women programme as a core pillar of corporate strategy.
The newly appointed Chief Executive Officer, Aïcha Touré, also praised Bah’s leadership, describing his tenure as transformative, resilient and impactful. She said he guided the company through challenges while unlocking new opportunities, including setting higher customer experience standards, strengthening IT systems and expanding data network coverage to more than 90 percent of the population.
Touré said Bah’s tenure delivered accelerated business growth and profitability, stronger compliance systems and the promotion of diversity and social cohesion within the organisation. She thanked him for his service, noting that he leaves behind a solid foundation for future growth.
In his farewell remarks, Bah described the occasion as one of mixed emotions, expressing gratitude, pride and humility. He thanked the more than 432 employees nationwide, crediting them for the achievements recorded during his leadership, including strengthened telecommunications infrastructure, expanded connectivity and improved service reliability.
He acknowledged the challenges faced during his tenure, noting that they were overcome through courage, creativity and collaboration. Bah described Orange Sierra Leone as a family built on trust, solidarity and teamwork.
As he handed over leadership, he expressed confidence in Touré and urged staff to extend to her the same support they gave him. He also thanked his family, the board of directors, shareholders and executive management for their support. The ceremony concluded with a standing ovation, farewell messages from departments and regional teams, and the presentation of gifts, marking both the end of Bah’s tenure and the beginning of a new leadership chapter for Orange Sierra Leone.
