By Saio Marrah
Sierra Leone’s President, Julius Maada Bio, has grabbed the 11th African Leadership person of the year award with a total score of 68%.
He emerged winner in the overall category with the poll attracting a combined total vote of over 15,000 and over 1 million active online engagements during the voting period.
The close of the poll was on Friday 2nd December, 2022, at midnight Central African Time.
The poll, which has become the continent’s premium vote-based awards, attracted over 12,000 votes on the African Leadership Magazine website and over 3000 votes via email.
Winners for the 11th edition of the award is said to be presented with the honour instruments on February 16th, 2022, during the annual African Leadership Magazine Persons of the Year Award ceremony, to be held in Port Louis, Mauritius.
The Chairman of this year’s event, Dr. Ken Giami was quoted saying, “Our nominees see progress, where others see retrogression; they see possibilities amid challenges. They are on a mission and are eager to lead Africa to the Promised Land.”
President Bio won the 2018 election on the promise of prioritizing Human Capital Development and providing free and quality education to the citizens of Sierra Leone.
Four and half years on, he has sustained his commitment amidst economic shocks blamed on the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
Recent data by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics put the country’s total government’s expenditure on education at 32% of the GDP – making it one of the highest in the world.
The African Leadership Magazine Persons of the Year Awards is Africa’s premier vote-based endorsement, reserved annually for the leading Africans who contribute to promoting the continent’s progress and positively altering Africa’s perceived negative image.
The annual event has also become a platform for honouring people-centred leadership and Africans pursuing a pan-African agenda in their chosen fields.
This year’s event is said will provide a platform to celebrate the continent’s merchants of hope, ready to lead an army of change agents and reformers, to build an Africa that works for everyone.
Other winners in the different categories include the Director General World Trade Organization, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, as African Female Leader of the Year, President of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, as African Political Leader of the year, Founder and Executive Chairman of African Rainbow Minerals, Dr Patrice Motsepe, as African Industrialist of the year.
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