President Dr Julius Maada Bio has accepted an honorary doctorate degree at a prestigious conferment ceremony from the China University of Geosciences and committed to more development in Sierra Leone.

This honoris causa degree has been awarded in recognition of President Bio’s contributions to the development of Sierra Leone and his service to humanity globally.

In his acceptance speech, President Bio stated that he was deeply humbled and profoundly honoured to receive the prestigious recognition from the esteemed China University of Geosciences, adding that that was not just a personal development but a testament to the enduring friendship between Sierra Leone and China.

He said it was gratifying to see that his efforts toward building a prosperous Sierra Leone had received a worthy commendation from the University. He highlighted the legacy he had always wanted to leave as a leader from his legacy of a safe, peaceful and prosperous Sierra Leone.

He recalled handing over power to a democratically elected government as a young military leader, his first term legacy built on human capital development through investment in education and radical inclusion to his second term legacy anchored on the “big five game-changers”.

President Bio expressed his admiration for the transformational leadership of the Chinese Communist Party to unite the Chinese people, organise the labour force and adequately produce for themselves and others.

“You do not need to be a leader to serve; rather, you have to be in service to others to become a leader. We all possess the incredible potential of intrinsic worth to serve humanity; our respective communities eagerly await us to address the myriad complexities and challenges facing mankind today,” President Bio passionately stated.

Following the conferment ceremony, a Memorandum of Cooperation between China Geosciences University and Kono University of Science and Technology was signed by Wang Yanxin, President of China University of Geosciences and Sierra Leone’s Minister Technical and Higher Education, Haja Ramatulai Wurie to foster exchanges and cooperation.