Chief Minister Speaks on Modern African Leadership

23 October 2025 – Chief Minister Dr. David Moinina Sengeh delivered a powerful and deeply inspiring keynote address titled: “On New Ways of Leading: Modern African Political Leadership” at the Africa in the World Festival of Hearts and Minds in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

The festival, globally renowned for bringing together influential thinkers, innovators, policymakers, and cultural leaders, serves as a platform to explore transformative approaches to governance, social progress, and sustainable development across the African continent.

In his address, Dr. Sengeh emphasized the urgent need for a new kind of African leadership — one that inspires both the heart and mind, and is grounded in morality, vision, inclusivity, and humanity. Drawing from his personal journey, he recounted returning to Sierra Leone in 2018 to help establish the Directorate of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI) under the leadership of His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio. Despite scepticism from peers and family, he embraced the challenge of translating vision into action by deploying digital solutions that have since revolutionized education, healthcare, and governance.

Among these innovations were the SMS-based student result system that expanded access to educational outcomes nationwide, and several technology-driven COVID-19 response tools that improved public health management during the pandemic. Dr. Sengeh noted that through DSTI, over 80 new jobs were created for young Sierra Leoneans, advancing human capital development and strengthening the nation’s innovation ecosystem.

He underscored that data-driven governance remains central to Sierra Leone’s transformation, highlighting the government’s strides in connectivity and digital access — including near-universal 3G coverage, expanding 4G networks, and the introduction of 5G technology in Freetown. He also cited fiber connectivity projects for universities and the rollout of Starlink internet services as evidence of progress toward inclusive, technology-enabled growth.

Transitioning to his broader reflections, Dr. Sengeh spoke passionately about the philosophy that has defined his leadership — Radical Inclusion — describing it as “the audacious belief that every single human being matters equally.”

“Radical inclusion began not as a policy. It was a moral confrontation,” he declared. “Pregnant girls were banned from school. Kids with disabilities were marginalized. Learners in remote and hard-to-reach areas lacked the infrastructure for safe learning environments. I realized that silence and inaction are complicity. So I listened — to mothers, teachers, religious leaders, and even those opposed to change — and through that listening, we built national consensus from the President’s Office to the well of Parliament, from mosques to market squares.”

He recounted how, under President Bio’s leadership, Sierra Leone’s education revolution has yielded measurable outcomes — nearly two million new learners in seven years, the highest rate of girls completing primary school in West Africa, and a 33% decline in teenage pregnancy.

“It was a revolution not in anger, but in empathy,” he said. “Inclusion is no longer a policy — it has become a philosophy of leadership and a national movement.”

Dr. Sengeh further noted that the vision spearheaded by President Julius Maada Bio has positioned Sierra Leone as a model of inclusive governance and social transformation.

The Chief Minister also reflected on how technology has become a vital tool for civic engagement and participatory governance. He shared how he uses his personal Facebook page as a platform for national dialogue — recently asking citizens for ideas to tackle the drug crisis and indiscipline among youth. Within a week, he received over 16,000 comments on one post and 26,000 on another.

“We analysed the data, and over 90% of those comments were positive or constructive,” he explained. “It’s not easy for politicians to open themselves to public feedback — but listening takes courage, empathy, and grace. Social media must be a tool for engagement and innovation, not division.”

Dr. Sengeh highlighted that Africa’s greatest challenge and opportunity lies in empowering its youthful population — more than 70% of whom are under the age of 35 — to become entrepreneurs, problem solvers, innovators, and leaders — not tomorrow, but today.

“We must enable our youth not just to seek jobs, but to create them,” he said. “That’s why in President Bio’s cabinet, nearly 30% of members are young people — because we believe leadership must reflect the energy and ambition of our nation.”

Dr. Sengeh concluded his keynote with a call for steadfast, visionary leadership anchored in long-term national and continental commitments.

“No nation can undergo meaningful development without a steadfast commitment to a vision and blueprint that goes beyond the electoral life cycle of a president,” he said. “In Sierra Leone, we say: ‘Stick to the plan and follow the leader.’”

Referencing the African Union’s Agenda 2063 — “The Africa We Want” — he highlighted Sierra Leone’s early completion of its African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) readiness assessment and its participation in the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) as proof of the government’s commitment to continental integration and economic growth.

He emphasized that the National Development Plan aims to achieve middle-income status by 2039 through inclusive growth that is sustainable and leaves no one behind, focusing on the synergy between profit, people, and the planet.

Dr. Sengeh also referenced the Sierra Leone Investment Forum held in London the previous week, which brought together global investors, business leaders, and policymakers to advance private-sector-driven development.

“For development to be sustainable, we must think about profit, people, and the planet,” he affirmed. “We are building partnerships that will unlock opportunities for Sierra Leone’s private sector while improving lives and protecting our shared environment.”

The Africa in the World Festival of Hearts and Minds continues to serve as a critical space for African leaders, thinkers, and innovators to share insights and strategies that promote accountability, inclusivity, and visionary leadership.

Dr. Sengeh’s keynote was received with a standing ovation, as attendees commended his authenticity, intellect, and the transformative example of Sierra Leone’s leadership under President Bio.

@Chief Minister’s Communications Unit – Office of the President