Dr. Fatima Maada Bio the wife of President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone is widely regarded as one of Africa’s most outspoken first ladies because of her highly vocal stance in support of the interests and demands of underprivileged members of society.
Very early in the tenure of office of her husband she indicated to the public that she would be an independent advocate of issues that she considered important when she initiated a vehement protest movement against sexual abuse known as “The hands off our girls movement”. She encouraged public exposure of perpetrators of such abuse, regardless of their status in society, and encouraged victims to resist any attempt to prevent such exposure.
This campaign signalled her independence of spirit as well as her determination to support the transformational objectives of her husband’s political party the Sierra Leone Peoples Party’s (SLPP’s) declared objectives. Over time her activism has expanded to encompass issues of the universal importance and relevance of the values of fairness and equity in ensuring African social progress.
In recent times some social media platforms have mounted attacks against her provoked, by a major campaign which she has mounted on behalf of mine workers in her home district of Kono in south-eastern Sierra Leone. In spite of her privileged position she has identified with the workers who have complained that their conditions of service and remuneration are inadequate and she has said that if the company does not improve its performance it should leave the country.
She is widely praised by many of her compatriots for her homely ways but she has also been recognised outside of her homeland. She has been elected President of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD).
