EBEMA

Today, I had the privilege of delivering a public lecture at the Institute of Public Administration and Management, IPAM University Freetown, on the theme “Women in Leadership: Breaking Barriers, Building the Future.”

As an advocate for the empowerment of women and girls, I place great value on engaging university students. You are the generation being prepared to take the helm of affairs in the coming years. It is therefore incumbent upon me to speak to you candidly about the realities of leadership, the barriers that often accompany advocacy, and how society receives women who choose to lead.

I also encourage you to pay attention to character and alignment. Your reputation is built now, while you are in university. Align yourself with people of integrity and clean records. The company you keep today can shape the path you walk tomorrow.

Dream without limits. Do not shrink yourselves to fit expectations. Be present in decision-making spaces and claim your place at the table. Thankfully, Sierra Leone now has the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act. Use it. Do not live in fear. Be confident, be resilient, and take up your rightful place.

When I launched the Hands Off Our Girls campaign, I faced strong resistance, particularly from those who believed girls could not be protected and valued equally. But the support of the nation made the campaign stronger than the opposition. That resistance is the barrier I set out to break.

Today, the simplest way an underage girl can assert her right to protection is to say, “I am Fatima Bio’s daughter.” That is the change we have achieved by breaking barriers together.

I am confident that my name will be remembered in every room where the protection and empowerment of women and girls in Sierra Leone and across Africa are discussed. My commitment remains unwavering: to ensure that every girl grows up safe, educated, and free to reach her full potential.

First Lady Fatima Maada Bio

FMB.