In his keynote address, the President thanked the people of Bo district for the unrivalled support for him and his party over the years. He noted that his government was committed to developing the district, especially in areas of electricity, road construction and providing safe drinking water for residents.

He also warned against rape and teenage pregnancy on women and girls. He stated that teenage pregnancy was a major cause for the high drop-out rates among school girls. He, however, disclosed that his government was working on punitive measures to try and punish perpetrators of rape and teenage pregnancy. He, therefore, called on local authorities to discourage their subjects from engaging in any of those antisocial practices.

“My government is providing the opportunity for everyone to have access to quality education. We have to allow particularly our girls to be educated and help in the development process. My government will frown at perpetrators of rape or teenage pregnancy and we will appropriately punish anyone caught engaging in such practices,” he warned.

On his part, Resident Minister South, Mohamed Alie, said after months of waiting in anticipation, they were pleased to finally welcome their son as President of Sierra Leone. He expressed, on behalf of the people of Bo district, his appreciation of President Bio for appointing sons and daughters of the district to his government. He commended him for launching the road project within the municipality and other development plans geared toward the development of the district.