He holds a bachelor's degree from the Fourah Bay College in Freetown and a Master's degree in Development Studies from the Institute of Social Studies in Hague, Netherlands in 1987.
After graduating from University he taught for a several years at the Ahmadiyya Muslim Secondary School and Prince of Wales Secondary Schools in Freetown before launching a career in the field of development in 1982 as Projects Officer at the Catholic Relief services. In April 1994, he became Chairman, Executive Committee of the Sierra Leone Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (SLANGO), a position he held until June 1996.