President Bio's Magic Touch…
Another Win in the Justice Sector
By Elizabeth Campbell
President Julius Maada Bio has achieved another milestone in the country’s justice sector. This is another big win in the reform of the justice sector after efforts for over 20 years to repeal the criminal procedure act of 1965. The criminal procedure act of 1965 finally saw the light of the day in Parliament on July 5 as MPs unanimously passed into law the Bill entitled ‘The Criminal Procedure Act, 2024,’. The new law will repeal and replace the Criminal Procedure Act of 1965.
Under President the Bio the Sierra Leone parliament has saw a big leap. The Sierra Leone parliament had 57 plenary sittings during which they enacted 7 critical bills, 12 statutory and constitutional instruments, ratified 13 rules, grants, and agreements, 4 protocols, conventions, and treaties, and approved presidential nominees.
Also in the Judiciary there are several undergoing reforms from training to the appointment of new court officials and speedy trial of cases to the hosting of the Legal Legacy of the Special Court of Sierra Leone and the hosting of the ECOWAS Court’s Conference in Sierra Leone.
President Bio’s flagship programme, the Feed Salone Initiative, received an increased budgetary allocation and additional support from the government, donors, and international partners, especially for farmers through the Bank of Sierra Leone to increase productivity. Just recently, the country has witnessed the construction of six new peripheral health units, the installation of 12 oxygen plants, the establishment of the National Public Health Agency, the construction of a pediatric hospital, reduction in maternal mortality, and the employment of more health practitioners nationwide.
In the week ending and starting of the month of July President Julius Maada Bio received the Cross-Party Initiative Committee’s report on the Electoral Systems and Management Bodies Review couple with his first one year in office since winning the June 2023 elections defeating Samura Kamara of the opposition All Peoples Congress (APC).
Just in one year in his second and final term, the government of President Bio has achieved so much ranging from the funds for boasting energy, the MCC Compact, OPEC Pledge and many more.
The launch of “WeAreEqual campaign on Tuesday June 2nd, usher in the Prohibiting of Child Marriage Bill into law. Sierra Leone’s First Lady Mrs. Fatima Bio received several commendation for her leadership and dedication in pioneering this important bill which marks a significant step in protecting the rights of children.
This piece of legislation and the launch of WeAreEqual in Sierra Leone is an important step towards empowering every child to reach their full potential and advancing gender equality.
