Sierra Leone Members of the Female Parliamentary Caucus have met with His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio to present recommendations from their visit to Parliaments in the East African countries of Kenya and Rwanda. Presenting the report of their benchmarking exercise at State House, President of the Female Parliamentary Caucus, Honourable Veronica Kadie Sesay, said the recommendations were products of the relentless efforts of the Caucus to support President Bio’s 2018 Elections Manifesto to the women of Sierra Leone. She said the report pushed for the need to amend Section 74 of Act No.6 of the 1991 Constitution to include a new sub-section that would provide for two women Members of Parliament for each district who, subject to the provisions of the Constitution, shall be elected in such manner as may be prescribed by or under any law. The Member of Parliament, representing Constituency 094 in the Moyamba District, continued that Government should develop programs to ensure that political, economic and socio-cultural factors that impede women’s participation in public life were addressed. She said they had also recommended for the amendment of the section of the Constitution dealing with resignation from public office from twelve to six months for women aspirants before elections, including other sections or provisions that limit women’s equal representation and effective participation at levels of public decision making. “Government should review the country’s laws and policies to make room for corrective action with land reforms vis-a-vis women’s equal right to land ownership, retention and distribution. It should establish a campaign fund for women in politics, make resources available to women and girls to enhance their skills and prepare them for service and establish a National Women’s Council,” she added. In his response, President Bio said he was pleased to see women taking the bold step to champion issues relating to their welfare. He said he was particularly concerned with women’s issues because women play important role in nation-building, adding that it would be a lip service to talk about development without including women, considering the fact they constitute the majority of the country’s population. He disclosed that he had worked on a few of the submissions in terms of gender-based violence, especially as it related to rape. He noted that the declaration of a State of Emergency on rape was a way of protecting innocent girls that were being violated. He said he would look into the recommendations and discuss them within the framework of governance and assured of his continued support to women’s issues.

His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has paid two separate visits to flood victims in Wellington and Tombo, in the Western Urban and Rural Areas respectively, empathised and provided them with humanitarian support. The two separate visits to the flood victims were facilitated by the Office of National Security, the government’s primary coordinator for the management of national emergencies such as disasters both natural and man-made. At Wellington, a densely populated residential neighbourhood in the east end of Freetown, the President told the affected communities that he had come to them with a heavy heart, knowing that the flooding had caused huge devastation to their lives and property. He said he was saddened by the level of destruction across the country, adding that the flooding had gotten worse in recent years because people chose to build in dangerous areas and without any proper environmental planning. President Bio warned that state authorities would continue to ensure that people who had erected structures or continue to live in areas prone to natural disasters were relocated. Whilst he commended state institutions, development partners and NGOs for their support to flood victims, the President also encouraged young people in flood-prone areas to continue their vigilance and support in helping victims. He prayed for those who had lost their lives and assured the victims that Government and its partners would continue to provide support to them. President Bio also admonished the audience that they should listen to the instructions of authorities whenever they were advised on safety matters. Later, President Bio also visited Tombo, a coastal fishing town located on the southern coast of the Western Area Rural District of the country, where he addressed affected persons and their families. In a similar message, he told them that he was in Tombo to sympathise with those affected by the heavy rains in the last few days. “I am President for all Sierra Leoneans and whenever any citizen is affected by natural disaster we must all unite in that sadness,” President Bio said. In both Wellington and Tombo, the President made separate donations of 300 bags of rice, 1000 blankets, 200 mosquito nets, bales of clothes and dozens of buckets. He was received in both places by community stakeholders, councillors and sitting All Peoples Congress Members of Parliament. President Bio was accompanied by senior advisers and ministers including the Chief Minister, Professor David J. Francis and Minister of Lands, Housing and Environment, Dr Denis Sandy.