John Birchall, works with The British Council as an expert on some of their professional and teacher based programmes in Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Editor of The Journal of Sierra Leone Studies, an Affiliate of the Centre for African Studies, University of Cambridge, where he is Guest Tutor in Development, relating to West Africa, John has spent many years working in Africa on development projects that have concentrated on capacity building, health education focused on educating the young and teaching and assisting young people, including those selected for their leadership qualities to plan for the future of their respective countries.