George Shadrack Kamanda is a civic leader, diplomat, global ethical leader, Advocate for SDGs 4 & 16 and Author. 
 
George is the CEO of The Necessity Firm, a citizenship firm in Sierra Leone, focused on shaping and empowering responsible and ethical citizens that are both engaged and objective in nation-building and governance, regardless of their social, political, or tribal affiliations. George’s generational vision imagines Sierra Leone as a nation without citizen apathy, where effective citizenship merges into effective good governance and sustainable national development. 

He is also the Founder of the Everyday Citizen Initiative – a George Kamanda Civics Initiative (GKCI) in partnership with the Necessity Firm – geared to reimagining the word “citizen” as an action verb and reclaiming our collective power as a citizenry. The GKCI accelerates the role and impact of civic education in national development and seeks to restore our civic ideals and rebuild our declining citizenship for a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future.
 
George has presented research at the United Nations in New York, read his poetry at the Lithuanian Mission to the European Union, and served as a panelist and contributor on several university forums. He is a recipient of many prestigious awards and fellowships and a former diplomatic trainee at the European Parliament. In May 2021, he was awarded the Wong Moss Outstanding Alumni Award and selected to give the commencement address at his alma mater, Delaware County Community College. He has worked at the European Parliament, Human Rights Watch, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, and the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.
 
George graduated with an Associate of Arts (Highest Honors) in General Studies from Delaware County Community College, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Relations (Departmental Honors) from Saint Joseph’s University, a Certificate in Global Human Rights from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, a Doctor of Law (JD) from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, and a Master’s in Diplomatic Studies from Oxford University. George is the author of Citizenship Reimagined: The Case for a Responsible Whole Citizenry in Sierra Leone and several other publications and compendiums. 
 
George is a diplomat at the Sierra Leone Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. He is a Christian and a believer in Jesus Christ.