Isha Sesay is an anchor and reporter for CNN International based at the network’s global headquarters in Atlanta. She anchors the 10a ET edition of International Desk, the weekday program that brings viewers into the heart of the largest newsgathering operation in the world, immersing them in the latest stories of the day.
She also hosts and reports for Inside Africa, CNN International’s award-winning, weekly program dedicated to providing viewers with an inside look at political, economic, social and cultural affairs and trends in Africa.
A seasoned journalist, Sesay has covered numerous breaking news and world news events such as the kidnapping of British toddler, Margaret Hill, in the Niger Delta; death of Slobodan Milosevic; Liberia’s historic election of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf; the hospitalization of Ariel Sharon; the foiled transatlantic plane bomb plot; the Israeli-Hezbollah war; the arrest of John Mark Karr in connection with the death of Jon Benet Ramsey; and the Live Earth concert in Johannesburg, South Africa.
While on assignment in South Africa in 2007, she covered the launch of ‘The Elders’- an initiative founded by Nelson Mandela to tackle the world’s intractable problems. Sesay also traveled to Nigeria to cover the country’s historic presidential elections in April 2007, which saw the transfer of power from one civilian government to another for the first time in the nation’s history. While there, she conducted one-on-one interviews with both the outgoing president Olusegun Obasanjo, and the new leader, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
As part of her anchoring and reporting duties, Sesay has interviewed a host of newsmakers from all walks of life including former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker; Arab League Secretary general Amre Moussa; 2008 U.S. presidential candidate Governor Bill Richardson; former Iraqi hostage Giuliana Sgrena; five-time Grammy winner Gloria Estefan; and acclaimed author Khaled Hosseini.
Sesay joined CNN in November 2005 from the UK broadcaster ITN, where she anchored ITV’s Early Morning News programme, as well news bulletins for the UK’s most watched breakfast programme ‘GMTV.’
Prior to this, Sesay spent over three years presenting ‘Good Morning Sports Fans’ for Sky Sports. From 1998-2001, Sesay presented a wide range of programmes across the BBC networks.
A Briton of Sierra Leonean parentage, Sesay holds a BA honours English degree from Trinity College, Cambridge University.
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