This week with President Bio's Development Agenda...

By: Ishmael Bayoh

In this week’s highlight, we feature a very important implementation from the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 

Delivering the Keynote address at the opening of the Salone Civic Festival, His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio declared 18th January as a National Remembrance Day to be commemorated as a Peace and Reconciliation Day in respect of Sierra Leone’s decade old brutal war. 

This declaration is an imperative recommendation of the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission which has now been implemented.

Paragraph 202 of the TRC Report calls for January 18 to be set aside as a national day to honour victims, promote reconciliation, and strengthen peace.

This day will now be dedicated to civic education, community service, peacebuilding activities, and remembrance of victims and survivors. As we come to the end of the year 2025, this week’s episode is the last for the year 2025. i wish you a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous 2026. 

At the Armed Forces Training Centre, Benguema Barracks on Thursday 11th, President Bio formally commissioned 1,017 newly trained soldiers and officer cadets into the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF). The officers comprised 89 cadets and 949 enlisted soldiers, including 212 female recruits and 15 female officer cadets. They underwent nine months of intensive preparation at the Armed Forces Training Centre and the Peace Mission Training Centre.

Chief Minister, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh on Wednesday 10th commended Sierra Leone’s national robotics team for their participation in the FIRST Global Robotics Competition in Panama, held under the theme “Eco Equilibrium. Investment in robotics. STEM education, and youth innovation directly support President Bio’s Big Five Game Changers, especially Human Capital Development, Youth Empowerment, and Technology-Driven Growth.

Government on Monday 8th officially opened the 2025 Policy Conference on Financing for Development, a high-level national dialogue aimed at mobilizing sustainable financing to accelerate delivery of President Julius Maada Bio’s Big Five Game Changers and the country’s vision of becoming an inclusive, green, middle-income nation by 2039. The three-day conference, jointly convened by the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, the Ministry of Finance, and the United Nations, brought together development partners, private sector leaders, academics, civil society, and financial institutions to explore innovative solutions for domestic and external development financing.

Sierra Leone hosted the First Ladies of Liberia, Senegal, Gabon, Burundi and Cape Verde honouring the Invitation of the First Lady of Sierra Leone Dr. Fatima Maada Bio who is also the President of all African First Ladies to celebrate the 7th Anniversary of Hands Off Our Girls, A campaign championed by the First Lady of Sierra Leone to protect girls and to enable their potentials.

The 3 day 2025 Salone Civic Festival started on Thursday 11th and will end on Saturday 13th. It  was the most engaging and insightful events of the year hosted by the Ministry of Information and Civic Education in partnership with the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development,. It is also the largest national civic gathering of its kind as it drew the participation of esteemed guests from the United States, South Africa, and beyond delivered speeches, led talks, and conducted masterclasses.

The Hon. Vice President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, secured fresh backing from the French government to strengthen Sierra Leone’s role in UN peacekeeping during his visit to Paris where he met with General Stephane Richou, who leads France’s Directorate of Defence and Security Cooperation. They spoke about raising the country’s capacity to field a stronger and better-equipped peacekeeping contingent.

Government, in partnership with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency and the state-owned Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority launched in Tombo the expansion of electricity supply across the Freetown Peninsula. This will boost grid capacity, reduce energy costs by an estimated $20m annually, and connect thousands of new consumers in support of broader national economic goals.