President Bio departs Freetown on a ten-day business trip abroad

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 1 February 2020:

President Dr Julius Maada Bio has departed Sierra Leone today for South Africa to attend the ‘Investing in African Mining Indaba 2020’, billed as the largest of such conferences in Africa.

According to State House Media and Communications Unit report, President Bio will be delivering a keynote address at the event, which will be hosted in Cape Town, South Africa from Monday 3rd – 6th February 2020.

Tom Quinn, the Head of Content for Mining Indaba said that: “The theme for Investing in African Mining Indaba 2020 is ‘Optimising Growth and Investment in the Digitised Mining Economy’ – and President Julius Maada Wonie Bio is the new generation African leaders, recognising that innovation and technology will drive mining investments on the continent”.

Last year, the Mining Indaba attracted around a thousand delegates, including CEOs of reputable mining companies, financiers, investors, government ministers and Heads of State, including the President of South Africa and the President of Ghana.

“President Bio has been recognised to deliver the keynote address for his admirable leadership in promoting reforms and safeguarding national interests in Sierra Leone’s mining sector,” says State House in Freetown.

Following the event in South Africa, President Bio will attend the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa from 9th – 10th February 2020.

The theme for the summit is: “Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa’s Development”.

During the AU summit, the President will present a report as Chairperson of the Committee of Ten Heads of State and Government on the Reform of the United Nations Security Council.

The summit will also discuss progress on the institutional reform of the African Union, the African Continental Free Trade Area and Peace and Security.

President Bio has suspended or terminated the contracts of several mining companies in the country, with massive effects on the country’s export revenue. Thousands of jobs have also  been lost as a result.

The President must now find new investors willing to risk their cash in what is fast becoming a volatile investment climate in the country.

6 Comments

  1. Today you can see an interesting article in “organiser.net” about the travelling costs of the president and his wife, for this new year. With this money you could feed about 30.000 poor Sierra Leoneans for 1 month.

    • Bintumani 4 in the office of the Gentleman Deputy Minister of the Interior Mr. Reinhard Weicha. God bless Mr Reinhard Weicha for his contribution on this glorious platform.

  2. Here we go again,another ten days on a wild goose chase,that the People of Sierra will have to pay reluctantly for.This unstable,escapist attitude of the Con artist in State House,now clearly shows that Maada Bio is not a man to be taken seriously at all. Plainly,and simply,he is just another freeloading,unremorseful exploiter of our meagre,scanty government revenues. It’s crystal clear to me,that he and his cronies have now found an easy way to fleece,and milk the system dry through the exploitation of a wide range of provisions,and consolations being made in travel allowances and bonuses,that are legally considered as Per Diem.

    Serious minded people will be quick to tell you that a bird in hand is worth two in the bush,but not so,with this President,that is notorious for his authoritarian inclinations. He believes in the use of threats,bullying,and intimidations in order to get investors to comply with his nonsensical, and impractical demands. I mean seriously, how disconcerted
    from reality are these ignorant people,that still stupidly believe seasoned investors will ignore the fact that their dysfunctional, regressive, government lacks credibility, because it totally disregards,and doesn’t take agreements,and legally binding contracts and commitments seriously? Listen, Investors are one family, and their unspoken mantra is this: “Whatsoever You do to my comrades, that also will you do unto me” So true!

    Why would anyone trust you after seeing the lawless,arrogant attitude that was perpetrated against investors like SL mining,and others whose contracts were unrightfully, and illegally terminated? Wild goose chasers,that’s exactly,who they really are; unprofitable fishermen with leaking boats, full of holes, unskilful butchers with dull and unsharpened knives – Wake the hell up and see the light; Its Daybreak! Rising Sun Will Rise Again.

  3. The President is on the GO again. Violence and barbarity is unfortunately going to be the order of the day against the APC whilst he’s on the go.. The barbaric, reckless and tyrant attitudes of the Gentleman Deputy Minister of the Interior will be on the GO. Has the APC taken the necessary security precautions to protect their headquarters, properties and members from the barbaric, reckless and violent hoodlums? I definitely hope so. Nothing must be taken for granted in terms of the Law of the Jungle and barbarity whilst this President is on the GO. Even in his presence, their is leadership failure, let alone his absence. Barbarity all the way unfortunately.

    All I’m asking the mighty APC party is to try very hard to use their excellent political skills and maturity as always, to handle any violence and barbarity against their party office and members with political professionalism. Let the tyrants and hoodlums know that, they can’t break the resolve of the APC and all Sierra Leoneans with such acts of fear and barbarity. They should also know that the APC, is on the right track to 2023.

    These tyrants and barbaric hoodlums want to create a chaotic atmosphere before 2023 to give excuses to arrest and unlawfully incarcerate opposition politicians and supporters to enable them win in 2023. They know, the only way to win in 2023 is to cause chaos and anarchy in the country by mistake with such tyranny and barbarity or, to put a puppet Chairman at the NEC. That’s not going to happen. Believe you me.

    My advice to the APC is to be alert and take no con political bait that will plunge our lovely country into chaos and anarchy before that 2023 election. The APC must know what it means when Soja becomes President. Mostly, the result is, the Law of the Jungle kicks in. Can you imagine? God bless the APC and their leadership.

    • Indeed the flying president on the GO again. Fly, fly, and fly. Spend millions, millions, and millions of dollars in traveling expenses with nothing to show for. For almost 2 years, one investment forum to another, but nothing meaningful happens, yet the PAOPA regime couldn’t think of a change of strategy.

      As an immigrant acquiring an education in the States, I was working since high school all the way to college supporting myself and family back home. In light of this, I never realized the importance of seeking internship whilst in college. Each summer or school break, I will either double up my working hours or travel back to Freetown for an holiday instead getting an internship.

      So after graduation, I spent almost 2 years looking for a job. With a 3.8 graduate GPA, I thought that was enough to land me a job. However, interview after interview, all I received was the usual ‘unfortunately, you have not been selected for this position’. After so many attempts, I essentially decided to step back from applying. Three months down the road, I received a strange phone call, with the individual on the line offering me a job interview within my field. I did not take that the conversation serious. I went there the next day, only to be told i was hired. I am still working at the same job.

      So I am not really sure why our president cannot just refocus his energy at home and put the necessary conditions in place—peace, security and business friend environment. Once things are good at home, the investors will come knocking. Right now, it is a complete waste of our meager resources engaging from one foreign trip to another.

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