Visionary and Founder
Early in his career, as a missionary to youth and young adults in Sub-Saharan Africa, Rev. John K. Yambasu saw with dismay young people struggling with “illiteracy, poverty…marginalization, and exploitation” along with an apparent inability to “take responsibility for their own destiny”. Knowing that leadership is the linchpin on which Sierra Leone will pull itself out of its challenges, he began to form a “vision of education, education, and education as the one single thing that will transform the entire face of Sierra Leone.”
“What we need in this country are visionary leaders. Leaders who always believe that they cannot lead without God. Leaders who are satisfied with serving and giving rather than being served and receiving. That’s what we need. That’s what we need.” In 2008 Bishop Yambasu shared his vision for the first time as bishop to the Sierra Leone Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, and in 2017 the United Methodist University Sierra Leone was born.
Tragically, on the 16th August, 2020, Bishop Yambasu was involved in a motor accident and passed away. The United Methodist Church and the United Methodist University were devastated by this loss and continue to bear the weight of it to this day. It is hard to express how deeply his absence is felt to those under his leadership that exhibited so much vitality, integrity, and joy.
Since his death, the University’s faculty, staff, and students have leaned even further into Bishop Yambasu’s God-given vision for a transformed Sierra Leone through education. The United Methodist University Sierra Leone continues to carry on and expand its founder’s dream.