Background
Sembu was born on April 11, 1932, at Penlap, near Makeni in the north-central part of the country.
Sembu was born on April 11, 1932, at Penlap, near Makeni in the north-central part of the country.
Educated at Binkolo Boys’ School, the Rogbane Day School, Koyiema Government School and Bo Government School (1947-51) before going to F’ourah Bay College from 1952 to 1954.
He started his career as an assistant social development officer in the Ministry of Social Welfare between 1955 and 1958, using 1956-7 to do a UNESCO Fellowship in Education in the field. He then went to England to study diamond valuation between 1958 and 1962, returning to work with tne Government Diamond Office as a dia mond valuer.
He resigned his job in 1966 to fight for the All Peoples’ Congress in the famous March elections, when the soldiers intervened and prevented MPs from taking up their seats. He sat on the government benches when Parliament was restored in April 1968, being appointed Minister of Transport and Communications in May 1969 and succeeding his distinguished namesake, Mohammed Forna, on his resignation from the Finance Ministry in September 1969.
In another reshuffle on November 26, 1971, he was moved to the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources. He had an important part to play in working out the strategy for a large integrated agricultural development project financed by the World Bank and in expanding the fishery industry.
After the May 1973 elections he was appointed Minister of Health.