Addis Ababa, Ethiopia– At the 29th Ordinary General Assembly of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD), Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, was elected as the organization’s President. The assembly, held in Addis Ababa, also saw the election of Angola’s First Lady, Mrs. Ana Lorenzo, as Vice President.
As First Lady, Dr. Bio has been a staunch advocate for women’s and children’s rights. In December 2018, she launched the “Hands Off Our Girls” campaign, aiming to combat early marriage, sexual abuse, and exploitation of young girls in Sierra Leone. This initiative reflects her commitment to creating a safer environment for the girl child and promoting their education and empowerment.
Established in 2002, OAFLAD serves as a coalition of spouses of African heads of state and government, united in their mission to advocate for women’s and youth’s health and empowerment. Under Dr. Bio’s leadership, the organization is poised to continue its efforts in fostering sustainable development and social change across Africa.
Her election as OAFLAD President is a testament to her dedication to these causes. In this new role, Dr. Bio is expected to lead collaborative efforts among African First Ladies to address pressing issues affecting women and children across the continent, focusing on health, education, and gender equality.
The All Africa Media Network (AAMN) has extended its congratulations to Dr. Bio on her election as OAFLAD President. AAMN highlighted her previous involvement with the organization, noting that she chaired the African Elders and Women Intercultural Dialogue in 2021. This event was part of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW 65) parallel events, focusing on intercultural practices affecting women’s participation in development and addressing violence against women and aims to overturn them via legislation process.
All Africa Media Network the conveners of the African Elders and Women Intercultural Dialogue was incorporated in Ghana in 2009, to create a pedestal on which to rebuild Africa with positive information and re-orientation of its people on some critical issues in the community in order to trigger a behavioural change, advance cross cultural intelligence, Human capacity building among the people via Addressing of conflicts, Re-building positive community values, foster gender equity, and protect marginal groups in other to achieve social change.
The AAMN has evolved into a dialogue facilitating outfit via organising of conferences, policy briefings, specialized training sessions and civic discourse to generate awareness and understanding of what policies can be put in place to give Africa its rightful developmental place in the course of globalization and the collective aims of the global community.
