His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio and First Lady Fatima Jabbe Maada Bio on Wednesday 21st December 2022 have called for a continuation of the Peace, Unity and Growth which Kono District has been enjoying in tranquility over the past four years. Their Calls were made whilst interacting with Traditional Leaders, Political Leaders and the People of Kono during the 4th Edition of the Kono Conference under the dual themes of “Education” and “Agriculture”.
H.E. President Bio was the Keynote Speaker and he was introduced by the First Lady who is an indigene of Kono District.
Whilst introducing her husband at the Kono Conference, First Lady Dr. Fatima Maada Bio made a passionate appeal for the Unity, Stability and Peace which Kono District has enjoyed over the past 4 years, to be allowed to continue as these were prerequisites for the growth of Kono and the advancement of the children of Kono.
First Lady Fatima Maada Bio (nee Jabbe) expressed her gratitude to Kono district where she spent her childhood formative years with her parents; stating that now she is First Lady, she knows she has the blessings and prayers of Kono compatriots in all her endeavors.
First Lady Maada Bio recalled when her husband was canvassing to be elected, she took him to meet her Kono people in the year 2014 and he was given a long list of things that were needed in Kono. She said all those needs found their way into her husband’s 2018 Campaign Manifesto. First Lady Maada Bio proudly stated that her husband, on being elected in 2018, has now lived up to all those promises; and added even more.
First Lady Fatima Maada Bio therefore called on the Kono Conference to ensure they as well list down all of what their fresh aspirations now were so that at the end of deliberations of the Kono Conference, the Kono Peoole can present their aspirations to the Sierra Leone Head of State for his action on them.
On taking the microphone, H.E. President Julius Maada Bio also reiterated the importance of peace, stability and unity in Kono. He noted that he was gratified by the invitation to be the Keynote Speaker at such an august gathering. He expressed deep appreciation for the continuous love that the People of Kono have continued to extend towards him and his entire family as well as the Government he heads.
His Excellency said himself and his Wife were not just there to attend the Kono Conference but to also intensify cooperation with the district in areas of social development, human capital development, economic growth and other welfare issues.
Elaborating on welfare issues, H.E. Bio said his Wife, First Lady Fatima Maada Bio, will also use the opportunity of their Visit to Kono to open several newly built mosques that she had facilitated the construction of, in parts of Kono District. He said this is because religious welfare was also important to Mankind.
President Bio reiterated the words of his Wife that his government has already delivered many important developmental goals across the entire Nation and Kono has benefitted from all of such milestones like his flagship programme of Free Quality Education and his wife’s Hands Off Our Girls Campaign.
His Excellency concluded by promising the people of Kono his diligent attention at all times as well as more development for as long as he was President of Sierra Leone. He however appealed to the people of Kono to unite and work together along the themes of Education and Agriculture. He said those are the mainframes along which Kono will grow and progress.
Meanwhile, the event was hosted at the Thomas Saquee Resource Centre in Koidu City and it is the fourth time in this Century that the Kono Conference has been held; so as to bring the people of Kono together for the progress of everything that has to do with the development of Kono District and by extension, the Country as a whole.
Organisers disclosed the historical background of the Kono Conference to be that the initiative was brought to reality by Kono Diasporans in the UK with the maiden Edition hosted in London in the year 2016. The second edition was held the following year in Washington, D.C. in the United States and the third edition was subsequently hosted in Sierra Leone and held in Koidu, Kono. The COVID-19 pandemic however affected further holding of the Kono Conference until this 4th Edition now held. The ongoing Conference will last for three days and end on Friday 23rd December 2022.
Strategic Communications Division
Office of the First Lady of Sierra Leone.
info@officeofthefirstlady.gov.sl