President Bio
As he clocks very close to one hundred days in office President Bio has continue to make headways both at home and abroad as to the way he steers the ship of state.
Since his assumption into office he has taken a number of actions that has met the expressed approval of our international players especially the International Financial institutions .They have all expressed willingness to restart all their programs back in the country mainly due to the commitment of the Bio government to financial discipline and other institutional reforms.He has categorically committed his government efforts to fighting graft, indiscipline and Poverty while insisting that it would no longer be business as usual .
The British Government, the country’s colonial masters has also expressed a similar commitment to support the new government to succeed. This has been manifested by the visit of a number of high profile British politicians to the new Freetown Government, such as the British Minister for African Affairs, former Prime Minister Tony Blair and others. His invitation to the Commonwealth meeting in April, together with a special invitation to dinner with the Queen amongst selected African heads of State immediately after he was sworn in as President was also a clear endorsement of his election victory by the British.
The British has committed substantial funds to President Bio Free and Quality Education program and has also rallied around other Western countries to do the same.
The sending for the very first time of an American delegation to his inauguration together with the huge presence of several African Heads of States and other international diplomats to his inauguration ceremony was also a show of approval and commitment to work with the new government.
The appointment of very experienced and seasoned diplomats and people with the requisite international clout who will definitely inject the much needed experience and expertly into his government has further strengthened the international credibility for the Bio government.
At the recently concluded 31st Ordinary session of the African Union Assembly in Nouakchott, Mauritania President chaired the African Committee of on the reform of the United Nations Security Council, replacing former President Ernest Bai Koroma his predecessor. In that meeting he urged colleagues Heads of States to speak with one voice towards actualizing the dreams of securing extra seats for the African Continent at the Security Council.
Most importantly the President was also able to sign the Free Trade Agreement for Africa which many say is a breakthrough for the President and Sierra Leone at the Regional arena .The signing of the Free Trade Agreement would break the cross-border trade barriers for productive economic activities among African countries .
Close aides to the President have disclosed that the signing of the agreement is part of the President ambitious agenda to ensure that not only Sierra Leone has access to the continental market but also to use trade and investment as oxygen for economic revitalization.
The pact hopes to increase Sierra Leone’s trade and investment opportunities within Africa ,promote economic diversification and accelerate industrial development intra-trade .It is projected that by 2030,Africa mar emerge as a $ 2.5 trillion USD potential market for household consumption and $4.2 trillion for business-to-business consumption .
These are all practical instances to show that the President continues to make giant strides bot at home and abroad to fly the country high.