Virtual Conference, New York, Saturday 6 February 2021 – His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has addressed the 34th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly on the efforts of the Committee of Ten Heads of State and Government, C10, which he chairs.
He called on the leadership of Africa to remain cohesive on all aspects of the UN reform process, continue to speak with one voice in unity of purpose, until the demands of the Common African Position as articulated in the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration are achieved
While thanking C-10 members for the diverse ways they continued to support the work of the Committee in implementing their mandate to canvass, promote, and defend the Common African Position on UN Security Council reform, President Bio also provided an update on the 21st Report, adopted during the 33rd Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in February 2020.
“This past year has been challenging due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on lives and livelihoods. This has also affected the work of the Committee and the Intergovernmental Negotiations process in New York,” he noted, adding that that had also adversely affected the implementation of recommendations of the twenty-first report and its decision on the reform of the UNSC last year.
President Bio stated that the intergovernmental negotiations continued to be challenged by the very complicated nature of the various positions and proposals of the UN Member States, which were divergent in substance with inherent nuances, adding that there was also the issue of continual divergence on procedural matters related to the reform process.
“In such a complicated process, the road ahead may be long, rocky and hard, but we should persevere and stay focused on building on the gains made in canvassing, promoting, advancing and defending the Common African Position on United Nations Security Council Reform. Only that will eventually lead to achieving decisive progress in the not-too-distant future,” he said.
He closed by acknowledging and commending the inclusion of the issue of the reform of the UN Security Council in statements made by a number of African leaders during the 75th UNGA Annual debate of Heads of State and Government.
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PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS
DELIVERED BY
HIS EXCELLENCY, BRIG (Retd) DR. JULIUS MAADA BIO, GCRSL,
President of The Republic and Commander-In-Chief of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces
On the Occasion of the State Opening of the Third Session of the Fifth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone
State Lodge, Freetown, Wednesday 12 February 2020 - His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has met with members of the Global Education Management System, GEMS Education from the United Arab Emirates, UAE and discussed plans on improving the educational sector in the country.
GEMS Education is a global advisory and educational management firm, known for its prominence in operating from kindergarten to high schools across the world. Through its consultancy arms, GEMS Education Solutions, the company works internationally with public and private sector clients on school improvement initiatives. It was founded in 2000 and headquartered in Dubai, UAE.
Presenting the delegation at the State Lodge on Hill Station, Sierra Leone Ambassador to the UAE, Rashid Sesay, said that they were in country on a fact-finding mission in the education sector, the government’s flagship programme. He said that GEMS had expressed interest to assess what was happening in the country and noted that the visit was a highlight of several discussions with their UAE counterparts.
Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Dr Moinina David Sengeh, said that his ministry had done a lot of preliminary work that was data-driven, underpinning government’s strategy for education. He stated that his team had done some background and research work in preparation for the visit, while assuring that they were ready to work with the visiting team to have definitive answers at the end of the trip.
GEMS Global Head of Mergers and Acquisitions, Asad Zafar, said that they were pleased with the warm reception accorded them since their arrival into the country, adding that they were delighted to be in country to commence the fact-finding mission.
He expressed excitement about the prospects in Sierra Leone and President Bio’s passion for education and were happy to join the country to make a difference.
Special Adviser to Founder Varkey Foundation and GEMS Education, Shantha Retnasingam, said that: “My prime aim here is to work with the Sierra Leonean team to identify how we can mobilise resources for the various projects which we will be looking at. We are happy to be in this country”.
In his response, President Julius Maada welcomed the visiting team and said that Sierra Leone was once known as a center for quality education and for producing the best personnel across the continent. He noted that over the years, the country had lost its place but assured that they were ready to restore the past glory.
“We know that we cannot be part of the fourth industrial revolution if we do not have a literate population and that is why, as a small nation, we are determined to pre-position ourselves. As a government, we have resolved that we can change the old narrative. So, we need your knowledge and expertise as we embark on this journey. Education is what we want to give to every child and we are committed to that,’’ he said.
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OFFICE OF THE PRESS SECRETARY AND PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESMAN
Date: 11th January 2020
PRESS RELEASE
President Julius Maada Bio to Attend Abu Dhabi Summit and UK-Africa Summit
His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio will depart Sierra Leone tomorrow, Sunday, 12th January 2020 to attend the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Summit 2020 on the invitation of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. His Excellency has been invited as a Special Guest of the Government of the United Arab Emirates to attend the Summit which will be held from Monday 13th January to Thursday 16th January.
The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Summit is a global platform for accelerating the world's sustainable development and it brings together a unique fusion of policy makers, industry specialists, technology pioneers, politicians and the next generation of sustainability leaders. His Excellency has been invited as a visionary leader in Africa for his commitment to education and efforts in fostering sustainable development in Sierra Leone.
From Abu Dhabi, His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio will proceed to London where he will attend the UK-Africa Investment Summit 2020 on the invitation of the United Kingdom Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Boris Johnson, MP. The Summit will be held on the 20th January 2020 and His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio is expected to participate in several events on the margins of the Summit focusing on sustainable infrastructure, trade and investment. These events on the margins are slated for 19th January through 21st January.
The theme of the UK-Africa Investment Summit is “Partners in Prosperity” and it will bring together businesses, governments and international institutions to showcase and promote the breadth and quality of investment opportunities across Africa. The Summit will also provide a platform to focus on strategic issues for both the UK and Sierra Leone including energy transition, job creation and mutual prosperity.
His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio is expected to return to Sierra Leone on Tuesday 21st January 2020.
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State House, Freetown, Sunday 22 December 2019 - A high-level delegation from the United Arab Emirates, UAE, led by its Minister of State, His Excellency Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, has met His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio to sign five agreements and Memoranda of Understanding.
As part of strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries, the UAE head of delegation said he was instructed by His Highness, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE, to focus on sectors such as mining, oil and gas, infrastructure, education, health, water, roads, renewable energy and agriculture.
The five agreements also covered the avoidance of double taxation, the protection of investments, a joint committee for cooperation agreement, a framework of cooperation for the agricultural production of rice and maize and a memorandum of understanding on small and medium scale enterprises.
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Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday 30 October 2019 - The Director General of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, ADFD, His Excellency Dr Mohamed Saif Al Suwaidi, has in a meeting with His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio assured of their support to the development of Sierra Leone.
The fund in Abu Dhabi is owned by the government of Abu Dhabi with focus on financing infrastructural project and supporting developing countries to achieve sustainable socio-economic growth.
The Director General said that he was honoured and delighted to meet President Bio and his delegation, saying that their institution had had a very good relationship with Sierra Leone where they had operated before. He said they were looking to partner with the government in infrastructural and other development priorities.
“We are ready to implement government priority programmes. With the vision and determination that we have seen from your government, we think that Sierra Leone is on the right footing and we will be more than happy to help your country,” he said.
On his part, President Bio thanked ADFB for its previous support to Sierra Leone. He said his government came into office at a very difficult time and inherited a very challenged economy, adding that with effective management, they had been able to establish stability in the economy. He disclosed that his government had placed priority on Human Capital Development as the basis for development with a focus on education, food security and health.
“We are a determined government and we have changed quite a lot in terms of the economy within this short time. We want genuine partners now who are ready to work with us in moving our country forward,” he said.
Also in the meeting were Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the UAE, Rashid Sesay, Minister of Agriculture, Jonathan Joe Ndanema, Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Infrastructure, Dr John Edward Tambi and the Director General of the Petroleum Directorate, Timothy Kabba.
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Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday 29 October, 2019 - His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has met with the Crown Prince of Emirates, His Highness Sheik Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Abu Dhabi where he called for support to Sierra Leone’s development process.
President Bio thanked Prince Nahyan for meeting him to meet and discuss issues relating to the development and commended him for sending a 22-man delegation to Sierra Leone in April this year. He said after the visit a lot of progress had been made to foster the relationship between Sierra Leone and the Emirates.
He said his government was moving in the right direction and had been able to bring back international credibility and confidence through fiscal discipline and effective economic management. He said his government was truly committed to improving the livelihood of its citizens, adding that they were looking for credible partners with genuine intentions to help in the development process.
“We are a small nation but with huge potentials that we can use to better the lives of our people. What we need now is genuine friends who can help us actualise the dreams of making our nation a better place. We will appreciate your support, especially in food production so we can be able to feed our people and export foodstuff to help boost our foreign exchange,” he said.
In his response, Prince Nahyan said that he was happy to meet the President and his delegation. He said they were using technology as a basis for their development in catching up with the rest of the world by bringing the best experts across the world to work in their country. He said they had heard a lot of stories about the challenging history of Sierra Leone and were ready to help the country in its development drive.
President Bio was accompanied by Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the UAE, Rashid Sesay, and other senior members of government. Later on, the President and his delegation also visited the Sierra Leone Embassy in Abu Dhabi where he had an interactive session with staff of the Embassy.
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Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Saturday 26 October 2019 - His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has met with the Chairman of Elite Agro, Sultan Alshamsi, to discuss possible ways of investing in food cultivation in Sierra Leone.
Elite Agro is the leading producer and distributor of agricultural commodities in the UAE, engaging in growing, sourcing, importing and marketing a wide range of high-value agricultural products through world-class technology and effective distribution chain with the most economic use of natural resources. The company operates in several countries in Africa and around the world.
President Bio said that food security was an important part of his human capital development priority, adding that adequate food productivity was integral to the country’s overall developmental plans. He said his government was encouraging investment in the agricultural sector to be able to produce more food, create jobs, and reduce the importation of foodstuff, particularly rice – the staple food of the country.
He noted that Sierra Leone was a perfect place for agricultural activities because of its fertile land and added that with the required modern technology, the country would return to its past glory of being a rice exporting nation. He also mentioned that he was looking at possible ways of transferring modern skills to locals, saying that that was the best way of taking people out of poverty.
“We want to produce more food to feed our people and reduce rice importation and as well begin to export food items to other parts of the world. We have landed the African Free Trade which means we also have a big market of 1.2 billion to sell our products. We also want improved technologies because that will help us get improved variety of crops,’’ he said.
Chairman of the Elite Agro, Sultan Alshamsi, said that they were interested in investing in Sierra Leone because of the favourite climate they had seen. He said they were ready to help the West African nation grow its own food to feed its people with enough to export, which would help boost the local economy.
He assured that they were ready to answer the call of President Bio by investing in skills transfers to locals to ensure the country produced foodstuff with international standards. He said they would work with the community to ensure social sustainability that would bring added value to the communities in which they would operate.
President Julius Maada Bio, who was accompanied by Her Excellency the First Lady Mrs Fatima Maada Bio, Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the UAE, Rashid Sesay, and other senior members of government, was also taken on a conducted tour of various operating farms of the Elite Agro in Al Ain, UAE ‘s inland oasis city on the eastern border with Oman.
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State House, Freetown, Saturday 27 April 2019 - His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio has today decorated 58 distinguished Sierra Leoneans, two foreign nationals and two international organisations for their contributions to nation building at the commemoration of the 58th Independence Anniversary of the country.
The investiture and insignia awards to the foreign diplomats, Mr. Amara Essy, former Ivorian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Michael Schulenburg, former UN Special Representative in Sierra Leone, as Grand Commanders Order of the Republic of Sierra Leone (GCRSL) for their selfless services in maintaining the peace and development of the country.
The two international organisations, the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) for their strieves in easing suffering, providing development assistance and fostering charity and justice to all Sierra Leoneans. The other is Medicine Sans Frontiers (MSF), an independent French medical humanitarian charity that has provided medical assistance to Sierra Leoneans affected by war, epidemic, disaster and healthcare support.
The 58 patriots of Sierra Leone who received the awards of Commander of the Order of the Republic of Sierra Leone (CORSL), Grand Officer of the Order of Rokel (GOOR), Officer of the Order of Rokel (OOR) and Member of the Order of Rokel (MOR) were for their collective and individual roles they played in building the solid blocks of Sierra Leone, for which they have been honoured.
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