Freetown, 10th November 2025- In an address that blended personal testimony with continental vision, Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio used the convocation stage at Baze University in Abuja to deliver a powerful message: Africa’s future depends not on arms, but on educated minds.
Speaking at the university’s 12th Convocation Ceremony, President Bio challenged the Class of 2025 and the wider African youth to treat education not as a personal achievement, but as a public trust. “This is not your ending,” he declared, “it is your enlistment.”
The ceremony, attended by regional dignitaries including Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, marked more than a graduation. It was a moment of continental reflection, as President Bio urged young Africans to lead with integrity, innovation, and service.
President Bio’s message was deeply personal. He recalled walking miles to school as a child in rural Sierra Leone, framing education as the force that lifted him from obscurity to statesmanship. “When I say education transforms lives,” he said, “I speak from the dust of experience, not the comfort of privilege.”
That conviction has shaped Sierra Leone’s national policy. Since 2018, the country’s Free Quality Education programme has reached over 2.2 million children, trained thousands of teachers, and integrated technology into classrooms. “Ignorance has always cost nations far more than education ever will,” he warned.
President Bio’s speech was not just a celebration; it was a challenge. He called for a “New African Mind” rooted in confidence, competence, and ethical leadership. “Africa’s next revolution will not be fought with arms,” he said. “It will be led with ideas.”
He urged graduates to lead wherever they find themselves, in science, entrepreneurship, policy, and climate resilience. “The future is not waiting for you,” he said. “It is waiting on you.”
In a gesture that underscored the power of education to unite nations, Baze University announced the establishment of the Julius Maada Bio Postgraduate School. President Bio described the honour as a “sacred trust,” linking his personal journey to a shared continental destiny.
He also celebrated the historic intellectual ties between Sierra Leone and Nigeria, recalling Fourah Bay College’s legacy as “the Athens of West Africa.” “Our friendship is ancestral,” he said, “written in the language of learning and sealed in the ink of shared destiny.”
As he closed his remarks, President Bio left graduates with a final charge: “Paint boldly, with integrity, innovation, and inclusion.” His words were more than ceremonial, they were a call to build a peaceful, prosperous Africa, shaped by educated citizens and sustained by visionary leadership.
