The appointment of Ishmail Saidu Kanu, Esq as Deputy General Secretary of the Sierra Leone Football Association comes at a moment when football administration in the country continues to place emphasis on structure, communication, and governance.
Ishmail brings together experience from journalism, law, public relations, and governance reform.
He is a graduate of Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree and later earned a Bachelor of Laws (Honours).
The DGS completed his professional legal training at the Sierra Leone Law School in 2024 (BL), qualifying as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of Sierra Leone.
His professional career began in 2009 with freelance journalism, before moving through several media institutions including Culture Radio, Plain Truth Newspaper, and Believers Broadcasting Network (BBN FM 93.1).
At BBN, he worked in multiple capacities as reporter, producer, presenter, newsreader, and executive producer.
He later joined the Independent Radio Network (IRN), where he served for a decade as a senior producer and presenter.
Alongside broadcast journalism, Ishmail Saidu Kanu, Esq held editorial roles with Tribune Times Newspaper and Heroes Media Newspaper. He is currently editing Pyramid Newspaper.
Ishmail’s work has extended beyond the media into governance and public policy.
Between 2021 and 2025, he worked with the Institute for Governance Reform as Head of Parliamentary Affairs, engaging on legislative processes and institutional accountability.
The lawyer was also a steering committee member of the Parliament CSO Network and the Open Government Partnership in Sierra Leone.
His involvement in football administration and sports communication spans several years.
Ishmail Saidu Kanu, Esq previously served as Public Relations Officer of the Sports Writers Association of Sierra Leone; Secretary General of then-Premier League club East End Tigers Football Club; Head of Media and Board member of the Sierra Leone Premier League Board, and Head of Media for the BBD presidential campaign.
He also participated in the Football for Friendship programme in Moscow, Russia, where he earned a diploma in peace, equality, and friendship. He also covered the 2018 World Cup in the European country.
Ishmail is a member of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists, the Sierra Leone Reporters’ Union, and the Sports Writers Association of Sierra Leone.
His journalism career has been recognised with several awards, including multiple Sierra Leone Association of Journalists Media Awards for Sports Reporting (2016, 2019, and 2025), the Independent Media Commission Award for Best Human Rights Reporting (2021), and the Vickie Remoe Award for Best Investigative Writing (2023).
In the same 2023, he was named among the ten best sports journalists in Africa (9th) by the International Sports Press Association (AIPS); the global body that represents sports journalists and sports media professionals worldwide.
He is the current Secretary General of the Guild of Newspaper Editors Sierra Leone.
Ishmail also served as Chairman of the Sierra Leone Reporters’ Union Constitutional Review Committee. He also reviewed the Constitution of the Court Reporters Association. He is a member of the Sports Writers Association of Sierra Leone Constitutional Review Committee.
As DGS of SLFA, Barrister Ishmail Saidu Kanu joins the Secretariat with responsibility for supporting administrative coordination, communication, and governance functions as the association continues its work in managing and developing football across the country.
