Author name: Jmbleadershipcolloquium

news and update

President Bio Receives Anti-Corruption Commission Annual Report Commends Progress in Making Corruption “Risky and Dangerous”

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📢 Press Release · 3 November 2025 · State House, Freetown President Bio Receives Anti-Corruption Commission Annual Report Commends Progress in Making Corruption “Risky and Dangerous” His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio has formally received the Anti-Corruption Commission’s 2024 Annual Report, commending the Commission’s leadership and staff for their ongoing efforts in advancing Sierra Leone’s fight against corruption. This marks the seventh consecutive year the ACC has submitted its annual report to the President, as mandated by the Anti-Corruption Act of 2002. Deputy Commissioner Augustine Foday Ngobie, presenting the report, highlighted notable progress in investigations, prosecutions, strategic partnerships, and institutional reforms throughout 2024. ❝ “You have made corruption in Sierra Leone not only unfashionable but also risky and dangerous. This is why Sierra Leone continues to receive global recognition for our progress in governance.” — President Julius Maada Bio President Bio assured the Commission of his full support and unwavering political will, describing it as “a tough job” that his administration is proud to back. Sierra Leone’s anti-corruption progress has been recognised internationally, with improving scores on global governance and transparency indices.

news and update

President Bio Named GPE Champion, Africa’s Education Community Responds

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📰 News · 11 March 2026 President Bio Named GPE Champion — Africa’s Education Community Responds The Global Partnership for Education’s announcement that President Julius Maada Bio has been named a GPE Champion for Sustainable Education Financing landed in Freetown and across Africa as both a validation and a challenge — validation of what seven years of sustained education investment can earn, and a challenge to every other African government watching. Sierra Leone’s numbers are striking: nearly 50% enrolment increase, one million new learners, 800,000 children fed in school daily, 20%+ of the national budget directed to education. But the GPE designation is about more than numbers — it is about the sustained political will to hold the line on education spending through a pandemic, a debt crisis, and inflation. Most governments backed down. Sierra Leone did not. ❝ “Sierra Leone has emerged as a leading voice for education reform and investment across Africa.” — Global Partnership for Education, March 2026 For the Julius Maada Bio Leadership Colloquium, this moment is a direct confirmation of its founding thesis: that people-centred leadership produces measurable, internationally recognised results. The GPE Champion designation is the world’s education financing community saying: this is what good governance looks like.  

news and update

JMBLC 2025: Five Recommendations Adopted Africa’s Leadership Community Responds

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📰 News · 14 May 2025 JMBLC 2025: Five Recommendations Adopted — Africa’s Leadership Community Responds Two days after the inaugural Julius Maada Bio Leadership Colloquium, the response across Africa was clear: this was not just another conference. Five landmark recommendations had been adopted, endorsed by 376 multi-sector delegates. The event had generated 2 million online impressions, 50,000 video views in 48 hours, and commentary from verified accounts at ECOWAS, the AU Youth Envoy, and regional political thought leaders. Public commentary from social media and civil society highlighted three recurring themes: admiration for the intellectual rigour of the programme, enthusiasm among youth delegates who described it as “a masterclass in visionary leadership,” and a constructive challenge from policy observers: “More colloquia like this are needed — but what comes next? Let’s see the follow-through.” The Secretariat confirmed that planning for the 2026 edition had begun immediately, with the proposed thematic focus on Gender Equity and Equality. The Julius Maada Bio Leadership Fellowship Programme was announced as the next concrete deliverable, building on the Colloquium’s commitment to mentorship and youth development

press realease

President Bio Announces 25% RSLAF Salary Increase Launches National Defence Policy on Armed Forces Day

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📢 Press Release · 8 March 2026 · State House, Freetown President Bio Announces 25% RSLAF Salary Increase, Launches National Defence Policy on Armed Forces Day On the occasion of the 17th Armed Forces Day of the Republic of Sierra Leone, His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio delivered a keynote address at the Julius Maada Bio Parade Square, Wilberforce Barracks, announcing a 25% salary increase for the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) and launching the country’s new National Defence Policy and Strategy. The address marked the formal dedication of the parade square to President Bio — the first Sierra Leonean born after independence to serve as Head of State, in both his military and democratic capacities. The salary increase was welcomed by RSLAF leadership as a recognition of the professionalism and sacrifice of Sierra Leone’s military, and the National Defence Policy was described by the President as a forward-looking framework for a military that protects democracy, not supplants it

press realease

President Bio Marks International Women’s Day Reaffirms Gender Equality as a Governance Priority

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📢 Press Release · 8 March 2026 · State House, Freetown President Bio Marks International Women’s Day, Reaffirms Gender Equality as a Governance Priority His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio delivered a national and ECOWAS regional address on International Women’s Day 2026, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to gender equality as a structural governance priority — not a ceremonial acknowledgement. The address, delivered in his dual capacity as President of Sierra Leone and Chairperson of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, drew on Sierra Leone’s legislative record under his administration: the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Act (30% quota for women in governance), free STEM university tuition for women, targeted scholarships for girls in science disciplines, and the abolition of child marriage. ❝ “Women’s leadership is not a concession to be granted, it is a right to be affirmed.”  President Julius Maada Bio, IWD Address 2026 The President called for structural change in attitudes as well as law, and challenged ECOWAS member states to adopt comparable legislative frameworks during his chairmanship. He was joined in the address by the UN Women Regional Director, who paid a courtesy call on President Bio to reaffirm support for Sierra Leone’s gender reform agenda.

press realease

President Bio Elected ECOWAS Chairperson, First Sierra Leonean to Lead West Africa’s Premier Bloc

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📢 Press Release · 22 June 2025 · Abuja, Nigeria President Bio Elected ECOWAS Chairperson First Sierra Leonean to Lead West Africa’s Premier Bloc President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone has officially assumed the Chairmanship of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), marking a historic milestone as the first Sierra Leonean Head of State to hold this esteemed position. The election took place on Sunday, 22 June 2025, during the 67th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority, held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the capital of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. President Bio succeeds His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria, who served two consecutive terms as Chairman. ❝ “I accept this responsibility with full awareness of the magnitude of the task ahead and the complexity of the moment.” — President Julius Maada Bio, inaugural address as ECOWAS Chair Four Priority Areas In his acceptance remarks, President Bio outlined four strategic priorities:  (1) Restoring constitutional order and deepening democracy across the region;  (2) Revitalising regional security cooperation;  (3) Unlocking economic integration;  (4) Building institutional credibility. President Bio’s election comes at a critical time for the West African bloc, which is grappling with political instability, security concerns, and the formal withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger effective January 2025 — which altered ECOWAS’s internal voting dynamics  

speeches

Address Presiding Over the United Nations Security Council Historic Reform Debate

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🎤 Presidential Address · UN Security Council · August 2024 · New York Address Presiding Over the United Nations Security Council — Historic Reform Debate In August 2024, President Julius Maada Bio presided over the United Nations Security Council — one of the most consequential diplomatic stages in the world. Sierra Leone had secured its UNSC seat for 2024–2025 with an extraordinary 188 of 192 member state votes — its first seat in over 50 years and a near-unanimous global endorsement of the country’s governance trajectory under President Bio. The Reform Agenda As Coordinator of the AU Committee of Ten (C-10) for the Reform of the UN Security Council, President Bio used the platform to champion Africa’s demand for permanent UNSC representation — enshrined in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration. The session was historic: it placed the question of UNSC reform directly on the Council’s formal agenda, a long-standing objective of the African Union. ❝ “Africa is in the room — and Africa’s voice will be heard. The reform of this Council is not optional. It is overdue.” Resolution 2803 — November 2025 Still presiding over the UNSC in November 2025, President Bio led the Council in adopting Resolution 2803 — passed 13 votes to 2, authorising an International Stabilization Force in Gaza and establishing a transitional Board of Peace. He called it “a pivotal step toward lasting peace.”

speeches

Women’s Leadership is Not a Concession It is a Right to be Affirmed

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🎤 National & Regional Address · International Women’s Day · 8 March 2026 Women’s Leadership is Not a Concession — It is a Right to be Affirmed On Women’s Empowerment In one of his most quoted passages, President Bio declared: “Women’s leadership is not a concession to be granted — it is a right to be affirmed.” He traced this conviction through legislative action: the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Act mandating 30% women in governance, free STEM tuition for women, and targeted scholarships for girls. Leadership and Innovation Prize President Bio announced the annual Julius Maada Bio Leadership and Innovation Prize — to be awarded each year to those whose service exemplifies the pillars of transformational leadership. ❝ “Women’s leadership is not a concession to be granted — it is a right to be affirmed.” The Unfinished Work He was candid about what remains: structural barriers in courts, communities, and cultures that no Act of Parliament can fully reach. “We have changed the law. Now we must change the mind.” He called on ECOWAS member states to adopt similar frameworks, using Sierra Leone’s model as a blueprint for the region.

speeches

The Role of Servant Leadership in Sierra Leone’s Future

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H.E. President Julius Maada Bio · Inaugural JMBLC · 12 May 2025 · Bintumani Conference Centre, Freetown “The Role of Servant Leadership in Sierra Leone’s Future” Delivered on his 61st birthday, President Bio’s keynote was one of the most personal and philosophically rich speeches of his presidency — part autobiography, part philosophical treatise, part national call to arms. Four Pillars of Leadership The speech distilled a lifetime of leadership into four pillars:  Service Without Title — “the truest measure of influence is quiet, steadfast service that requires no title”;  Education — “the key that unlocks the mind’s horizon”;  Faith, Humility and Accountability — “humility tempers ambition, reminding us of our limitations”; Trust and Collective Potential — “human progress is born of shared purpose.”   ❝ “Leadership is not conferred by rank or title, but by the bond of trust between those who lead and those they serve.” On Women’s Empowerment In one of his most quoted passages, President Bio declared: “Women’s leadership is not a concession to be granted — it is a right to be affirmed.” He traced this conviction through legislative action: the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Act mandating 30% women in governance, free STEM tuition for women, and targeted scholarships for girls. Leadership and Innovation Prize President Bio announced the annual Julius Maada Bio Leadership and Innovation Prize — to be awarded each year to those whose service exemplifies the pillars of transformational leadership.

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