The Women’s Forum Sierra Leone has paid a courtesy call on His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio at State House, and commits to supporting government’s programs. They also used the opportunity to congratulate the President on his re-election.
President of the Women’s Forum Sierra Leone, Sally Adams, said that the GEWE Act has increased political participation and has also increased the number of women in Parliament. She said they are going to have 41 women in the new parliament as parliamentarians, representing 30.4 percent female representation.
She noted that as women of Sierra Leone, they are not in any position to look aback. She highlighted that the agenda of the president to develop the nation is theirs too, while assuring him and the Vice President that they are fully in support of their victory.
She congratulated the president and stated that the June 24 elections were successful, credible, and transparent, saying; “we had observers all over the country, and from our observation, the elections were free, fair, transparent and inclusive”.
President Julius Maada Bio, while receiving the women, described the day as historic, especially in hosting women from Sierra Leone; hence, he said: “My Vice President and I are happy to be among you here today in receiving you while you congratulate us.
“Today is important for all of us as a nation and for our women in particular, as we still celebrate the GEWE Act. We said at least 30 percent must be allocated to women in governance, and to do that, we need to work together, identify our interests as women, and work towards achieving them.
“I did not pass into law the GEWE Act because I am the President of Sierra Leone. I do that because I believe in women, and with you, we can transform our country within a short period of time. So, I am calling on all the women, especially the Women Forum, to help in cascading the Act to locals across the country. I believed that if women were informed of the GEWE Act, they would have responded accordingly in the elections,” the President expressed.
