Amadu Massally was born in Sierra Leone, but he moved to the United States as a young man in order to obtain higher education. He has held many positions in the US while working for Fortune 500 companies including General Electric, Price Waterhouse Coopers and American Express as a certified public accountant, and a certified information systems auditor.  After living in the U.S. for two decades, Massally returned home to Sierra Leone, where he lived and worked in both the public and private sector.

​

In Sierra Leone, Massally was so taken aback by the poor conditions of his native land that he stayed for five years to contribute to what he calls “national development.” He also served as the first managing director of the first Sierra Leonean-owned and -operated finance and leasing company. He was then appointed by President Koroma to three positions in the Office of the President: the first executive secretary of the Citizens’ Committee, program manager at the Millennium Challenge Coordinating Unit, and coordinator of the Open Government Partnership.  In 2006, Massally formed the Sierra Leone-Gullah Heritage Association, now known as Fambul Tik, which means Family Tree in English.

Fambul Tik is a community organization that seeks to reconnect Sierra Leone with her Diaspora. It has accomplished this goal through various activities and programs in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Carriacou, and the United States. In the U.S., Fambul Tik focuses primarily on strengthening the links between Sierra Leone and the African Americans known as the Gullah Geechee by exploring the similarities between the two groups' cultures, languages, foodways, and more. 

​

Amadu Massally thus is truly a man of two worlds--Africa and the Americas--and he has used his knowledge and experience to help bring the two together in positive ways. He is currently employed as a consultant with the World Bank, where he coordinates the Sierra Leone Diaspora Investment and Trade Study.