By Gideon Maxwell
May 13, 2025
Former Nigerian Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, was the keynote speaker at the leadership colloquium held to mark Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio’s 61st birthday on May 12, 2025, in Freetown.
Osinbajo addressed the theme “From Vision to Impact: The People-Centered Leadership Model,” emphasising the urgent need for African leaders to adopt governance that prioritizes the needs of the majority, especially those at the bottom of the economic pyramid.
He highlighted Africa’s severe challenges, including the worst debt crisis in 80 years, rising poverty with 55 million more Africans slipping into poverty since the COVID-19 pandemic, and alarming youth unemployment.
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Osinbajo also warned about the surge in insecurity and democratic backsliding marked by coups in several West African countries.
He stressed that true democracy must deliver tangible benefits like food, education, safety, and hope, rather than just elections.
President Bio, who delivered the keynote address at the inaugural Julius Maada Bio Leadership Colloquium during his birthday event, reiterated his commitment to transformational leadership focused on human capital development, gender equality, and strengthening democratic institutions.
The event gathered government officials, diplomats, civil society leaders, and politicians, with plans to make the colloquium an annual platform for leadership discourse across Africa.
