Crans Montana Awards First Lady
By Betty Milton
In recognition of her display of excellence as well as her outstanding role in women’s empowerment, Crans Montana Forum has awarded First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Her Excellency Madam Fatima Maada Bio during the closing ceremony of the 36th Annual Session held at the Merode Center in Brussels, Belgium.
In her statement of appreciation, Madam Fatima Maada Bio dedicated her award to the women and girls, who have fought hard to make the world a better place, especially women and girls in the Africa continent, stressing “it is for every woman in Sierra Leone—the girls I fight for daily to prevent them from early marriage”.
Being the only woman to receive the award for 2024, the First Lady conveyed heartfelt appreciation for the opportunity given to win the prestigious award, amidst caliber of awardees, including the President of the Comoros and Governor of the State of Lagos.
Mrs Bio commended His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio for allowing her to advocate to improve the status of women through her initiatives, serving as a voice for voiceless women and girls in Africa.
“There are several First Ladies in the world,” Mrs Bio maintained “but only a few of us have had the opportunity to speak up. Additionally, when you have a President, who is willing to give that space to his wife and say, ‘go and fight for your people’, we have to appreciate that.”
She thanked the Founders and Members of the Crans Montana Forum, especially the Chairman Jean-Paul Certeren for inspiring her as he serves his people, noting “when you serve your people, people will celebrate you. It is not about celebration”.
Announcing the nominees, Chairman of the Crans Montana Forum, Jean-Paul Certeren, said Her Excellency the First Lady is an extraordinary personality truly endowed with outstanding leadership qualities. The Crans Montana Founder stated that every progressive man should be proud of Madam Bio because of her stance on promoting and empowering women and girls.
The Chairman disclosed that during the session on natural resources, Dr. Fatima Bio urged all governments to make strong commitment to ensuring that their people benefit from the resources of the respective countries. Mr. Certeren concluded by re-echoing that President Bio is a proud man because of the gem he has in his wife.
