The distinguished First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone

A Glimpse of Her Excellency, Dr. Madam Fatima Bio

By: Miracle the Seer

On the 27 November, a beautiful child was born into the Madingo tribal circle in the Kono district. She attended the Ansarul Secondary School but had to migrate to Banjul, The Gambia during the 11 year civil war in Sierra Leone.

Whilst in Gambia, she narrowly escaped child marriage, an experience that latently contributed to her outlook to child issues.

She started philanthropic work at the tender age of 16.

The illustrious First lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Madam Fatima Bio is motivated by Pan African ideals. She is a strong crusader in women empowerment and believes ardently that women empowerment is key to sustainable development. She gave tangible expression to her passion for women empowerment when she staged a historic campaign against gender based violence in freetown in December 2018, an event that attracted First ladies from different african countries.

This was the gestation of the campaign themed "HANDS OFF OUR GIRLS".

Mrs Fatima Bio holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Performing Arts from Roe Hampton Institute in London and in journalism from the University of Arts, London College of Communication .

She has garnered laurels through hard work over the years in the entertainment industry as an Actress, Scriptwriter, Executive Producer and a multi- award winning face of Nollywood industry. She featured prominently in the film, "Mirror Boy"

The sweeping success of HANDS OF OUR GIRLS campaign encouraged the government of President Bio to push through the National Emergency on Rape and Sexual Violence in Sierra Leone on 7 February 2019 and the subsequent review of the Sexual Offences Act in September 2019.

The First Lady has internationalized the HandsOffOurGirls campaign by luring Canada during the "Women Deliver Conference". Very recently, President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone launched the #HandsOffOurGirls# campaign at high level meeting on the margin of the 74 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the 25th of September 2019 at St Regis, New York, USA.

On the 4th June 2022, the American International University in West Africa conferred the Honorary Degree in doctor of Human Letters on the First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone in The Gambia in recognition of her humanitarian and philanthropic interventions across the globe.

According to Dr. Sallah, she was also the face of The Gambia beauty Pageantry and a beauty Queen as well.

Because of her relentless fight for women in Africa, AU recognized her feat in that area on May 28 2021. During the ceremony Mrs Fatima Bio further said that hygiene and sanitation remain a serious challenge and needed urgent attention.

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