Femi Claudius Cole

Femi Claudius Cole (born 1962) is a Sierra Leonean politician. In 2016 she founded the Unity Party, making her the first Sierra Leonean woman to form a political party. In 2018, she was the first woman to run for the office of President of Sierra Leone. She is the only woman party leader in Sierra Leone.

Early life Olufemi Claudius-Cole was born in 1962 to Rosalind and Dr. A.B. Claudius Cole, a doctor. Her parents founded the West End Clinic in Freetown.

Career Cole was a nurse over twenty years. She was chief matron of the West End Clinic in Freetown.

The gaps in available healthcare services between wealthy and poor Sierra Leoneans, the high maternal death rate and the high rate of deaths from preventable or treatable illnesses motivated her interest in politics.

The aim of the Unity Party is to bring Sierra Leoneans of all ethnic groups together in a common effort to improve the country. She was the only female presidential candidate in the election and the first woman in history to run for the office of President of Sierra Leone.

The Unity Party won 0.2% of the vote in the 2018 General Election.