 BIOGRAPHYHis Excellency Julius Maada Wonie Bio was elected president of Sierra Leone on April 4, 2018. On May 12th, 2018 H.E Julius Maada Wonie Bio was inaugurated as the 5th President of the Republic of Sierra Leone. He is a retired Brigadier General in the Sierra Leone Army and he was the military Head of State of Sierra Leone from January 16, 1996 to March 29. He initiated the peace process that brought peace to Sierra Leone and handed power to a democratically elected government. The key elements of His Excellency’s strategy for transforming Sierra Leone are investing in human capital development, investing in science, technology and innovations, ensuring efficient and effective management of the economy, and fostering good governance. In this regard, President Bio became the first Sierra Leonean president to introduce free quality education for primary and secondary school students in public schools throughout Sierra Leone. President Bio has also eliminated application fees for students in government run public universities. He has rationalized domestic revenue mobilization and expenditure through a single treasury account. He has established the Directorate of Technology, Science and Innovations and the Ministry of Technical and higher Education. In his fight to eradicate corruption, the human resource capacity of the Anti-Corruption Commission has been strengthened and has launched a commission of inquiry to eliminate corruption in government. More and more people are realizing the benefits of fighting corruption as looted monies are being paid back to the treasury. The new President is also committed to the creation of an enabling environment to foster trade and investment. H.E. President Bio completed his primary, secondary and undergraduate education in Sierra Leone. Always driven by a passion to serve his country, H.E. President Bio started his illustrious public service journey as a school teacher before joining the Sierra Leone Army where he rose through the ranks as Brigadier. He previously served as Chief Secretary of State, Chief of Defence Staff, Minister of Information, Minister of Marine Resources, Deputy Head of State, and ultimately as Head of State of Sierra Leone from January to March 1996. After graduating from secondary school, the future president applied for admission into Fourth Bay College in Freetown in 1985 at age 21. However, he ultimately enrolled in the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces military academy at Benguema, just outside the capital city of Freetown. President Maada Bio graduated from the Military academy as a Second Lieutenant in the Sierra Leone Army in October 1987 at age 23. His first post as a commissioned officer was at the Lungi Garrison in Port Loko District in 1987, he was again re-posted at Lungi and trained by United Nations forces in aviation security. After the training, President Bio was transferred to Benguema as a platoon commander. In 1990, the Sierra Leone Government contributed military personnel to the West African Peacekeeping Force, ECOMOG, which was mandated to keep the peace in the Liberian civil war. President Bio and several other Sierra Leonean soldiers were deployed to Liberia as part of Sierra Leone’s contingent to ECOMOG. President Bio is a well-known Philanthropist and Humanitarian through the work of the Maada and Fatima Bio Foundation. The Foundation has donated food and other items to victims and families affected by the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone and during the environmental disasters of 2015. President Julius Maada Bio is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C with a Master’s Degree in International Affairs. Most recently, he was a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bradford, United Kingdom, pursuing a doctorate programme in Peace Studies. His Excellency, the President, Brig. Rtd Maada Wonie Bio was born on May 12th 1964 in Tihun, Sogbini Chiefdom, Bonthe District. He was one of 35 children born to Paramount Chief Charlie Wonie Bio II, Sogbini Chiefdom. H.E. President Bio credits his mother, Mamie Amie, as the person from whom he acquired all his driving principles in life – calmness, hard worker, and a staunch believer in God. President Bio second Term Acceptance speech
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