By Joseph Momoh, Reporter D.S
GENEVA — His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio has concluded a landmark first official visit to Geneva, Switzerland, where he held a series of high-level engagements that strengthened Sierra Leone’s voice on peace, regional cooperation, democratic governance and global health.
President Bio was accompanied by First Lady, Her Excellency Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, and other members of his delegation. He was received on arrival by Ambassador Thomas Gurber, Permanent Representative of Switzerland; Mr. Samy Bensalem, Deputy Chief of Protocol of the Canton of Geneva; and Sierra Leone’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Dr. Lansana Gberie.
A major highlight of the visit was President Bio’s participation in the High-Level Opening of the Geneva Peace Forum at the Centre International de Conférences Genève (CICG), where he delivered a keynote address.
His address provided a platform for Sierra Leone to contribute to global discourse on sustaining peace and international cooperation, drawing on the country’s own experience in peace consolidation and positioning Sierra Leone as a country sharing valuable lessons on building peaceful societies.
President Bio also delivered a keynote lecture at the Geneva Graduate Institute as part of the Director’s Global Leadership Series on the theme: “Building Lasting Peace in Africa: The Catalytic Role of ECOWAS.”
Drawing on Sierra Leone’s peacebuilding journey, the President underscored the critical role of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in conflict prevention, mediation, democratic governance and sustainable peace, emphasizing regional cooperation as vital to addressing Africa’s peace and security challenges.
Through both engagements, President Bio shared Sierra Leone’s perspective on the importance of collective regional action and strong multilateral cooperation in tackling contemporary security challenges.
Beyond peace and diplomacy, the President focused on global health partnerships. He held a bilateral meeting with Dr. Sania Nishtar, Chief Executive Officer of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, where discussions centered on deepening cooperation in immunization, health systems strengthening, child health protection and advancing universal health coverage.
As part of his programme, President Bio also met with staff of the Sierra Leone Embassy and Permanent Mission in Geneva, commending them for their hospitality, coordination and protocol arrangements, and encouraging them to continue working as a cohesive team to protect national interests and project the country’s image positively.
The Geneva visit brought together critical pillars of Sierra Leone’s international engagement — peacebuilding, regional cooperation, global health and multilateral diplomacy — and provided another opportunity to strengthen ties with key international institutions and partners.
President Bio departed Geneva on Wednesday, 14th October 2026, for Freetown.
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