Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio Congratulated by Mauritius President for Winning “African of the Year” Award and Calls for Deeper Bilateral Relations

Sierra Leone’s President Dr Julius Maada Bio has been congratulated by the President of the Republic of Mauritius, His Excellency Prithvirajsing Roopun, for winning the “African of the Year” award, and the two leaders have called for a deepening bilateral relationship between their countries. The bilateral meeting between the leaders took place at the State House residence in Port Louis, Mauritius, ahead of the 11th African Leadership Magazine Persons of the Year Awards Presentation Ceremony on February 25.

During the meeting, President Roopun and President Bio expressed their commitment to working together in the areas of agriculture, tourism, education, information technology, and private-sector collaboration. President Roopun also praised President Bio for his efforts to increase access to education, noting that Mauritius had also made great strides in education.

Mauritius is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the southeast coast of Africa, and education is compulsory and free between the ages of 5 and 16. Mauritian students consistently rank top worldwide yearly for the Cambridge International O Level, International A and AS level examinations.

In response, President Bio thanked President Roopun for the hospitality and praised the Government and people of Mauritius for the progress they had made. He stated that both countries would share experiences and continue to collaborate at both continental and global levels.

President Bio emerged as the winner of the “African of the Year 2022” award in December 2022, polling over 68% of the total votes. The poll attracted a combined total of over 15,000 votes and over 1 million active online engagements during the voting period. The previous winner of the “African of the Year 2021” award was Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of the Republic of Malawi.

For further enquiries, please contact the State House Media and Communications Unit at statehousemedia.sl@gmail.com.