Tuesday 29th November, 2022.

Buckingham Palace, London.

Her Majesty the Queen Consort, on Tuesday 28th November, 2022 hosted Mrs. Fatima Maada Bio, First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone, at a Buckingham Palace reception comprising a powerful galaxy  of distinguished women from around the world, including HM Queen Mathilde of The Belgians, HM Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, HRH the Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, and HRH the Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg.

Also in attendance were selected Secretaries of State, and government ministers as well as the Commonwealth Secretary General the Rt. Honorable Baroness Patricia Scotland.

The event which took place in an exclusive sector of the palace was organised to mark the United Nations Day for the fight to end violence against women- The “UNITE” campaign- which calls for global action to increase awareness and promote advocacy, “aims to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls around the world”.

By Abubakarr Bah, Information Attaché

The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) on Tuesday, November 29, 2022, successfully concluded a three-working-day counter-terrorism symposium on the theme "The Role of the Media in Countering Terrorism".

The Minister of Information and Communications and Head of the Sierra Leone delegation, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, whilst speaking on the topic "Using social media to Curb the Spread of Extremism” said “hate speech is fodder for conflict. It undermines peace and social cohesion and engenders intolerance and hatred."

He reiterated that social media have become “a double-edged sword”, adding that the need for peace building cannot be overemphasised. He urged state actors in society to jealously guard against its abuse.

Abuja, Nigeria, Sunday 4 December 2022 – His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio is one of three West African Presidents at the foundation laying ceremony for the construction of the new headquarters of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS.

He joined other colleague leaders of the regional economic and political bloc, in the Nigerian capital, on Sunday for their sixty-second session under the aegis of the Chair of Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government and President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, His Excellency Umaro Sissoco Embalo.   

President of the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency Omar Alieu Touray, welcomed the Heads of State and Government at what occasion he described as historic, before thanking host President, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari, the community people for providing the 7.2 hectares of prime land area and the Government of the People's Republic of China for funding the project.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Friday 2 December, 2022 - Sierra Leone’s President, Dr. Julius Maada Bio has sent a congratulatory message to the Government and People of the United Arab Emirates, UAE on the occasion of its 51st National Day celebration.

“Hearty congratulations to my brother & friend, H.H Sheikh MohamedBinZayed, the government & people of the UAE on your 51st National Day. I commend your strides and leadership and restate #SierraLeone’s readiness to sustain the bonds of cooperation between our two countries,” President Bio said in an official tweet.

He also used the occasion to reaffirm his determination to work closely to further advance and deepen the shared values and ambitions of the two countries.

The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven Emirates formed on 2nd December, 1971. The late His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the country’s first President also known as Father of the Nation for his role in the formation of the UAE. The current President is His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

State House, Abuja, Nigeria, Monday 5 December 2022 – His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio returns to Freetown on Monday after a successful meeting of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, that swears in the new President of the ECOWAS Commission and discusses governance, peace and security and other reports.

At the opening of the Sixty-Second Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State in the ECOWAS, he took part in the swearing-in of the new President of the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency Dr Omar AlieuTouray, the Gambian diplomat and development professional, who was appointed by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government on 3 July 2022.  

In his acceptance speech, DrTouray presented four strategic objectives to include enhanced regional peace and security; deeper regional integration; good governance and inclusive and sustainable development as well as two enablers – capable institutions and equitable partnership.