Former President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma has pledged to support President Julius Maada Bio by sharing his experience to strengthen leadership and national unity.
Koroma made the commitment on Monday at the Bintumani Conference Centre during the National Unity and Social Cohesion Conference 2026, organised by the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion (ICPNC).
Addressing a packed hall that included President Bio, Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, Speaker Segepoh Solomon Thomas, Chief Justice Komba Kamanda, diplomats and political party leaders, Koroma commended President Bio for convening the gathering.
“I commend President Bio and assure him that, as a former president, I am ready to share my experience to support his leadership and contribute to the country’s continued progress,” he said.
The APC Leader and former President, who governed from 2007 to 2018, said the task of leading Sierra Leone is enormous.
“President Bio, I wish you well on this journey. The responsibility of a president is not only to govern, but also to hold the country together. That is no small responsibility,” he said.
Koroma reflected on Sierra Leone’s peace journey since the end of the civil war in 2002, noting that successive governments worked with international partners to rebuild institutions, disarm combatants and promote reconciliation through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
He described his presence at Bintumani as proof of progress. “Peace is not an event, it is a process that must be nurtured every day,” he said.
Koroma had cut short his participation at the Tana Forum in Ethiopia to attend. He was received by Vice President Jalloh and SLPP Chairman Jimmy Batilo Songa — a moment many described as symbolic.
The two-day conference, held under the theme “From Commitment to Action,” will end Tuesday with the Freetown Declaration on National Unity and Social Cohesion.
