However, in order to attend primary school, he was baptized under the name Simion and, as an altar boy, excelled in reciting Christian texts in Latin.

Jah began his primary education at a Quranic school in Pujehun under the guidance of Imam Sidie Yayah Touray from 1944 to 1946, stopping in Yusuf.

He then took the Boat Train to London, where he spent New Year's Eve, before flying from Gatwick to Köln Bonn Airport on 2 January 1962.

He commenced his medical studies at the University of Bonn, in the summer semester of 1962 and graduated on 19 February 1968, earning a "Note 2" grade in the Staatsexamen.

degree with a thesis in ophthalmology titled “Dye detection in tissues and fluids of the bodies and eyes of rabbits after intravenous fluorescein sodium injection”,[1] supervised by Professor Hermann.

From 1970 to 1975, he specialized in general surgery with a focus on orthopedics in North Rhine-Westphalia, working under Professor Major, in hospitals across Essen, Solingen, Velbert, Siegburg, and Waldbröl.

As a surgeon he performed the first total hip replacement in West Africa and his orthopedic skills were sought after by patients and referring colleagues throughout Sierra Leone and neighboring countries.

For two short episodes that he had to flee for his life, he worked for a few months as a visiting surgeon at the Evangelic Hospital Lengerich and in a surgery in Püsselbüren, Germany.

Jah was a long-time member of the Sierra Leone People's Party and served as its Deputy National Chairman for two terms from 2001 to 2004, under Dr. Sama Banya and Alhadji U. N.S.

[2] After serving as the chairman of the National Power Authority, he was appointed Minister of Health in the interim government of Julius Maada Bio, holding the position from 16 January 1996 to 29 March 1996.

Following the election of President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, Jah became the inaugural Minister of National Reconstruction, Resettlement and Rehabilitation.

In his role, Jah made significant contributions to Sierra Leone's post-civil war reconstruction, including reporting to the United Nations: "urgent support was also needed for the return, resettlement and reintegration of nearly 500,000 Sierra Leonean refugees in Guinea and Liberia" and "that over 3,000 villages and towns destroyed by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) guerrillas and 1,700 educational facilities, 400 health centres and 3,000 wells needed to be rehabilitated or rebuilt.

In 1987, Jah and his wife co-founded Paupers' Kitchen and Clinic (PKC), a community-based organization in Bo to provide nutritious meals, medical care and educational support to the most vulnerable members of the community.

Sheik-Umarr Mikailu Jah met Betti Elisabeth Beckmann-Jah at the “Kaiser Café” in Bonn on 13 February 1968, the day of his final medical exam.

The family lived together in Sierra Leone until April 1991, when his wife and daughter fled to Germany due to the rebel invasion during the civil war.

However, in 1992, his wife and daughter returned to Germany for health reasons, where they stayed due to the ongoing war and instability in Sierra Leone.

In July 2006, he contracted Lassa fever encephalitis and was flown to Germany by his wife for medical treatment, initially thought to be suffering from cerebral malaria.

Furthermore he is survived by several brothers, sisters, in-laws, nieces, nephews, colleagues, friends and relatives in his homes in Sierra Leone, Germany and abroad.