President of Mauritius Congratulates Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio for African of the Year Award, Calls for Deepening Bilateral Relations
Mauritian and Sierra Leonean Presidents Meet to Enhance Bilateral Ties and Discuss Collaboration in Key Sectors, Following Sierra Leone President's African of the Year Award Win.
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, March 1, 2023 (Newswire.com) - His Excellency Dr Julius Maada Bio, President of Sierra Leone, has been congratulated on his African of the Year Award win by His Excellency Prithvirajsing Roopun, President of the Republic of Mauritius. The two leaders held a bilateral meeting, ahead of the 11th African Leadership Magazine Persons of the Year Awards Presentation Ceremony on Saturday, 25 February.
During the meeting, the two leaders expressed their commitment to working together in areas such as agriculture, tourism, education, information technology, and private-sector collaboration. President Roopun commended President Bio for his efforts in improving access to education in Sierra Leone, and shared that Mauritius has made great strides in this area as well. Education is compulsory and free between ages 5 and 16 in Mauritius, and the country's students consistently rank top worldwide yearly for the Cambridge International O Level, International A and AS level examinations.
President Bio also shared that he has pushed for healthcare improvements in Sierra Leone by starting a telemedicine and telehealth project in collaboration with ILMedicare this year.
President Bio emerged as the winner of the African of the Year 2022 award in December 2022, polling over 68% of the total votes. The poll attracted a combined total of over 15,000 votes and over 1 million active online engagements during the voting period. The previous winner of the African of the Year 2021 award was Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of the Republic of Malawi.
The two leaders affirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral relations between Sierra Leone and Mauritius, sharing experiences and collaborating at both continental and global levels.
Source: State House Of Sierra Leone