Chiefdoms of Sierra Leone

[1] The paramount chiefs and the ruling families in the chiefdoms were recognised and empowered by the British colonial administration when it organised the Protectorate of Sierra Leone in 1896.

[2] Typically, chiefs have the power to "raise taxes, control the judicial system, and allocate land, the most important resource in rural areas.

Local notables, known as the Tribal Authority, elect paramount chiefs for life from among the ruling families in each chieftaincy recognised by the British administration in 1896.

[3] Some chieftaincies have several ruling families, and the differences among them in terms of economic progress has been subject to study in 2013.

[3] They found there was a positive relationship between the number of ruling families in a chieftaincy and educational, health and economic outcomes in terms of human capital.