By Josephine Sesay
Sierra Leone’s President, Dr. Julius Maada Bio, delivered a powerful keynote address at the Oxford Africa Summit 2025, held at the prestigious University of Oxford. Speaking on the theme, Changing Narratives Vision, Action, and Transformation of Africa, president Bio passionately advocated for African agency as a critical driver in reshaping the continent’s future.
African agency is not just a philosophical idea it is a practical framework for development, governance, and global engagement, President Bio declared, we must transition from being passive recipients of policies to active architects of our own destiny from consumers of external solutions to creators of homegrown strategies.
Highlighting Africa’s untapped potential, he noted that the continent holds 65% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, making it a prime candidate to become the breadbasket of the world by 2050. He underscored the need for climate-smart agriculture and the importance of addressing the interlinked challenges of food security, climate change, and energy access through integrated, forward-looking policies.
President Bio pointed to Sierra Leone’s ambitious FEED SALONE Programme as a model of African-led transformation. The initiative aims to enhance agricultural productivity and reduce dependency on food imports by mobilizing US$1.6 billion over five years, he also highlighted Sierra Leone’s leadership role in the Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation (ACF), launched at COP28, which seeks to accelerate investments in climate-resilient infrastructure and promote public-private partnerships for sustainable development.
In closing, President Bio called on global stakeholders to act decisively and partner with African nations in driving meaningful change, the time to partner with Africa is now, he said, we must go beyond rhetoric let us walk the talk and turn our shared aspirations into concrete action, president Bio’s remarks were met with widespread acclaim, reinforcing his reputation as a leading voice in advocating for African-led development, policy innovation, and strategic global partnerships.
Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times News on Wednesday, May 28TH, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
