Journalist Laments Empty Seats During President Bio’s Address at UNGA

A Sierra Leonean journalist has drawn attention to the sparse attendance during President Julius Maada Bio’s address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Wednesday, contrasting the empty hall with the president’s calls for a greater global role for Africa.

Chernoh Bah, Editor of the Africanist Press, shared a photograph on social media platform Facebook showing rows of vacant seats in the UN hall.

Accompanying the image, Bah commented, “There were more empty seats than people while Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone read his script at the United Nations General Assembly this afternoon.”

In his post, Bah drew a historical parallel to former Sierra Leonean leader Albert Margai, who, he claimed, failed to establish a significant voice on the African continent in the 1960s. “As it was with Albert Margai, so it is today with Maada Bio,” Bah wrote. “The truth is: Sierra Leone has yet to produce a leader with a REAL VOICE on the global stage.”

The critical observation came as President Bio delivered his speech to the 80th session of the UNGA. In his official address, President Bio reiterated his call for “bold multilateralism” and a United Nations that is “not only reformed but reinvigorated.”

The President used his platform to call for immediate ceasefires in the conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan, emphasising the urgent need to protect civilians.

A central pillar of his speech was the long-standing demand for Africa to be granted a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, arguing that the world requires a “braver UN” that works for all.