Idris Elba is Set to Receive His Citizenship from Sierra Leone

The actor will be awarded citizenship in his father's native country and reportedly spend Christmas with President Julius Maada Bio.

Idris Elba is Set to Receive His Citizenship from Sierra Leone
Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

Idris Elba is reportedly set to receive his citizenship soon from Sierra Leone's government during his current visit to the country.

Born to a father from Sierra Leone, the country's Deputy Tourism Minister William Robinson has confirmed that the actor will also be spending Christmas with President Julius Maada Bio on Sherbro Island.


France24 reports that Elba should be issued with a passport from Sierra Leone before Christmas according to a government official who opted to stay anonymous.

The West African country is looking to encourage tourism in a bid to increase economic prosperity. Back in September of this year, Sierra Leone's government and the Sherbro Alliance Partners signed a Memorandum of Understanding which pledges to help the country in doing just that by developing a charter city on Sherbro Island.

In the joint press statement released a few months ago, the venture has been described as a "public private partnership between the GoSL and Sherbro Alliance Partners, a company resulting from the vision of Idris Elba and Siaka Stevens...supported in this effort by a deeply experienced international team."

In the same press release, Elba himself says that, "My commitment to Sherbro Island City is driven by a desire to make a difference, but to do so in a fashion which produces tangible benefits for West Africans that may be sustained over the long-term."

It's been a year of making serious boss moves for Elba. Not only is he set to star alongside Jonathan Majors in the upcoming all black Western The Harder They Fall, his lighthearted Netflix series Turn Up Charliepremiered on the global streaming platform in March. Additionally, Elba's directorial debut in the crime drama Yardie, also hit the big screen in the same month.

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