President Maada Bio Calls For Africa to Tell Its Own Story at Oxford Africa Conference

Sierra Leone’s President, Dr. Julius Maada Bio has during the Oxford Africa Conference 2025 held in London, urged Africans to take control of the narrative surrounding their continent and promote “African Agency.”

Speaking on the eve of Africa Day, President Bio delivered a keynote address focused on the theme “Changing Narrative: Vision, Action and Transformation of Africa.”

In his address, President Bio criticized the long-standing global portrayal of Africa, which often emphasizes themes of “dependency, conflict, and underdevelopment.”

He reiterated the need for African scholars, leaders, and citizens to challenge those external narratives and reshape how Africa is perceived both at home and abroad.

“For centuries, the narrative of Africa has been shaped by outsiders,” President Bio stated, asserting the impact of those narratives on global perspectives and stressed the importance of self-perception among Africans.

The President introduced the concept of “Quotidian African Agency,” referring to the daily contributions of individuals across the continent the likes of farmers, artists, entrepreneurs, and students who are actively working to improve their communities and transform their societies.

In detailing Sierra Leone’s approach to development, President Bio presented the country’s five “Game Changers”: food security, human capital development, youth employment, technology and infrastructure, and public service reforms. He described those initiatives as African-led strategies aimed at fostering sustainable growth.

President Bio further called for the decolonization of knowledge, emphasizing that Africans must lead the production of knowledge about their own continent. “By reclaiming our intellectual sovereignty, we lay the foundation for all other forms of agency,” he asserted.

Throughout his speech, President Bio reiterated the need for unity among African nations, particularly on pressing issues such as climate change, trade, global governance, and economic justice. He invoked the historical efforts of African nations to assert their dignity, referencing the formation of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963.

“Africa is watching. The World is listening. History is waiting,” he concluded, reinforcing his call for collective action and strategic vision among African countries.

The audience, which included notable figures such as WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, scholars, and members of the Oxford Africa Society, responded with a standing ovation, spotlighting the resonance of his message. President Bio praised the Oxford Africa Society as “a powerful community of change agents.”