The President, Julius Maada Bio has continued to demonstrate strong knack for female empowerment. In 2022 he exhibited such by reforming the Gender Empowerment Act, and in recent times appointed over 30% of women as ministers and deputy ministers.

The law, called the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act, was signed by President Julius Maada Bio and its mandates 30 percent of seats in parliament and cabinet reserved for women.

It also requires companies to set aside 30 percent of senior-level jobs for women, with equal pay and at least 14 weeks of maternity leave.

The law seeks to increase the number of women in decision-making roles in both private and public sectors.

The Act create room for Employers who fail to meet the quota risk a fine of at least 50,000 new Leones ($2,580), and jail sentences of at least three years for denying equal financial support.

Bio described the Act as a real change and that it will revolutionize our government’s engagement with WOMEN – making them equal partners in our task to build a strong and vibrant country.

However, after his re-election in the June 24th, 2023 presidential election, has released fresh list of cabinet ministers and other appointments. It will be noted that the first list published on the 10th of July 2023 consists of 7 women and the second list published on the 15th of July 2023 features 8 female personalities appointed as Ministers and deputies. Few female that is benefiting under President Bio’s ‘real Change’ on gender empowerment Act;

Dr. Ramatulai Wurie, appointed as Minister of Higher and Technical Education, and she has served as Senior Lecturer and Multi-disciplinary researcher at the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of Sierra Leone.

Another substantive minister is Madam Manty Tarawalli, appointed as a Minister of State in the Vice President’s Office. She was serving as the Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs and a pioneer of the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Law.

Madam Jeneba Bangura, former Commissioner General of the National Revenue Authority has been appointed as Deputy Minister 1 of the Ministry of Finance.

Francess Paigie Alghali who has been appointed as the deputy minister, of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was serving as a Minister of State in the Vice President’s Office.

Dr Sao-Kpato Hannah Max-Kyne who serves as Commissioner for the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) coming in now as Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation.

Some of the appointees were in the previous administration but will now serve in different capacities after Parliament approves their appointment.

However, President Bio has added 26 additional Ministers, 21 additional Deputy Ministers and 10 additional other Presidential Appointees.

Of the 146 MPs in the country’s parliament and cabinet almost 32% are currently women, and advocates of women’s rights are cheering  that this new law has had positive effect on the governance system of the country.

President Bio has laid the precedence that the new gender empowerment law, barriers to parliamentary representation will be a thing of the past after his reign.