President Bio’s Dreams Gradually Becoming Reality

By John Kelly Marah

In 2018, whilst running for president of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio campaigned on the ticket of free quality education, curbing corruption, human capital development, restructuring the civil service to name a few. Through this program, there are today more children in schools than at any other time in the history of Sierra Leone. Even child mothers have a place in school. To further enhance skills training among adolescents, His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio encouraged the establishment of vocational institutes, where young people who were unable to complete secondary school for one reason or the other now have the opportunity to learn a skill or trade that will make them self-reliant.

Moreover, in his bid to improve the health sector, the President Bio administration has reconstructed and rehabilitated hospitals across Sierra Leone and provided equipment for these facilities.

Under the New Direction leadership, we saw in October 2020 the expunging of the fifty-five years’ old Seditious Libel law, that criminalized free speech and limited freedom of the press. This gave journalists the latitude to practice their profession without fear of being locked up for speaking the truth.

Under President Bio, fighting corruption occupies the first agenda in his manifesto. Sierra Leone’s reputation on corruption control has been enhanced including transparency.

According to the international corruption Afro Barometer Rankings, Sierra Leone was third in 2019 among 35 countries in the fight against corruption.

Meanwhile, 66% of citizens believe in the government’s seriousness to fight corruption and Sierra Leone stood at 79% in the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact since Bio came into office in 2018.

With these kinds of huge landmarks, President Bio has made, the agendas in his manifesto dubbed: “The People’s Manifesto” are increasingly becoming reality and Sierra Leoneans can expect that in the not-too-distant future their livelihoods will change and the country will see much development in all sectors.

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