Presidential Lodge, Freetown, Sierra Leone, Monday 8 March 2021 – His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio has announced on Twitter that apart from celebrating International Women’s Day 2021 he will also engage Parliament on the Affirmative Action Bill this year.
“Today, I reflect on the challenges we’ve faced and the gains we’ve made towards the empowerment of women. I was proud to launch the GEWE policy last December. This year, my Government will present the Affirmative Action Bill in Parliament. Happy International Women’s Day,” he tweeted.
On their website, the United Nations Development Programme in Sierra Leone said that such a decision would have a far-reaching impact in terms of highlighting key issues in Sierra Leone on gender issues and the achievement of Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals.
On this day last year the President referenced Cluster 6 in the country’s National Medium-Term Development Plan (2019-2023), which recognised gender equality and women’s empowerment as critical to national development.
He noted that together with his wife, First Lady Madam Fatima Maada Bio, the Government had worked seamlessly and tirelessly to address issues like early marriage, teenage pregnancy, menstruation, and reproductive health and education.
