TED2019
Julius Maada Bio: A vision for the future of Sierra Leone
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When Julius Maada Bio first seized political power in Sierra Leone in 1996, he did so to improve the lives of its citizens. But he soon realized that for democracy to flourish, its foundation needs to be built on the will of the people. After arranging an election, he voluntarily gave up power and left Africa. Twenty years later, after being democratically elected president of Sierra Leone, he reflects on the slow path to democracy, the importance of education for all and his focus on helping young Sierra Leoneans thrive.
Julius Maada Bio - President of Sierra Leone
As President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio seeks to find ways to make progress happen -- not to dwell on the obstacles that impede it. Full bio
As President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio seeks to find ways to make progress happen -- not to dwell on the obstacles that impede it. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
On Tuesday, January 16, 1996,
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I walked into the office of the president
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as head of state
of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
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I had not been elected.
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Four years earlier,
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I was one of 30 heavily armed
military officers,
military officers,
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all in our 20s,
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who had driven from the war front
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into the capital city, Freetown.
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We had only one objective:
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to overthrow a corrupt, repressive
and single-party dictatorship
and single-party dictatorship
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that had kept itself in power
for over 25 years.
for over 25 years.
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But in the end, it wasn't a violent coup.
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01:02
After we fired a few shots
and seized the radio station,
and seized the radio station,
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hundreds of thousands of citizens
jumped onto the streets
jumped onto the streets
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to welcome us as liberators.
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If you are thinking this seems
like a movie script, I'm with you.
like a movie script, I'm with you.
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I was part of the ruling
military government,
military government,
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and I served in several roles.
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Our goal was always to return the country
to democratic civilian rule.
to democratic civilian rule.
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But after four years,
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those multiparty democratic elections
had still not happened.
had still not happened.
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Citizens were beginning
to lose faith in our promise.
to lose faith in our promise.
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But you know what?
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I like to keep my promises.
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Some of my comrades and I
staged another military coup,
staged another military coup,
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01:55
and this time, against our own
head of state and commander.
head of state and commander.
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Again, it was a bloodless coup.
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That is how I became the new
military head of state
military head of state
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on January 16, 1996.
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I was still only 31 years old.
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Of course, power was sweet.
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I felt invulnerable.
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I had thousands of heavily armed men
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and aircraft at my command.
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I was heavily protected,
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and I lived in luxury.
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But my obligations to my nation
were always superior.
were always superior.
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Millions of fellow citizens
were either displaced
were either displaced
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or fleeing the violence
and pillage of war.
and pillage of war.
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So I engaged in a series
of diplomatic activities
of diplomatic activities
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right across the subregion
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and convinced the reclusive rebel leader
to initiate peace talks
to initiate peace talks
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for the very first time.
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I also called a national
consultative conference
consultative conference
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of civil society organizations
and stakeholders
and stakeholders
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to advise on the best way forward.
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In both cases, I shared with them
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what I believed in then and now:
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that Sierra Leone is bigger
than all of us,
than all of us,
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and that Sierra Leone must be a secure,
peaceful and just society
peaceful and just society
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where every person can thrive
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and contribute to national development.
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And so, I initiated peace talks
with the rebels.
with the rebels.
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I organized the first multiparty
democratic elections in nearly 30 years.
democratic elections in nearly 30 years.
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(Applause)
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I handed over power
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to the newly elected president,
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I retired from the army,
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and I left my country
for the United States of America
for the United States of America
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to study --
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all in three months.
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(Applause)
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In many a long walk,
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I wondered how we could
get it right again as a nation.
get it right again as a nation.
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More than 20 years later,
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in April 2018,
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with a few more wrinkles and grey hair,
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I was again head of state.
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But guess what?
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This time I have been
democratically elected.
democratically elected.
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(Applause)
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At the polling stations last year,
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my three-year-old daughter,
Amina, was in my arm.
Amina, was in my arm.
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She insisted on holding on to
my ballot paper with me.
my ballot paper with me.
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She was intent and focused.
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At that moment,
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with my ballot papers in both our hands,
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I fully understood the one priority for me
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if I was elected president
of the Republic of Sierra Leone;
of the Republic of Sierra Leone;
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that is: How could I make
the lives of Amina
the lives of Amina
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and millions of other young girls and boys
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better in our country?
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See, I believe that leadership is about
creating possibilities that everyone,
creating possibilities that everyone,
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especially the young people,
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can believe in,
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own,
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work to actualize,
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and which they can
actively fight to protect.
actively fight to protect.
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The pathway to power and leadership
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can be littered with impediments,
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but more often, with funny questions
that may seemingly defy answers:
that may seemingly defy answers:
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How does one take on the unique challenges
of a country like Sierra Leone?
of a country like Sierra Leone?
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We had mined mineral resources
for over a hundred years,
for over a hundred years,
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but we still are poor.
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We had collected foreign aid
for 58 years, but we are still poor.
for 58 years, but we are still poor.
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The secret to economic development
is in nature's best resource:
is in nature's best resource:
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skilled, healthy
and productive human beings.
and productive human beings.
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The secret to changing our country
lay in enhancing and supporting
lay in enhancing and supporting
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the limitless potential
of the next generation
of the next generation
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and challenging them
to change our country.
to change our country.
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Human capital development
was the key to national development
was the key to national development
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in Sierra Leone.
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As a candidate,
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I met with and listened to
many young men and women
many young men and women
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right across the country
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and in the diaspora
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that were feeling disconnected
from political leadership
from political leadership
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and cared little about
the future of our country.
the future of our country.
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How could we engage them
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and make them believe that the answers
to transforming our nation
to transforming our nation
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was right in their hands?
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Immediately after becoming president,
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I appointed some of Sierra Leone's
brightest young people as leaders,
brightest young people as leaders,
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with responsibility to realize
our shared vision
our shared vision
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of transforming Sierra Leone.
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I am grateful many of them said yes.
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Let me give you a few examples.
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Corruption had been endemic
in governance, institutions
in governance, institutions
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and in public life in Sierra Leone,
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undermining public trust
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and the country's
international reputation.
international reputation.
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I appointed a young attorney
as Commissioner
as Commissioner
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for the Anti-Corruption Commission.
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In less than a year,
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he had a hundred percent conviction rate
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and recovered over
1.5 million dollars of stolen money.
1.5 million dollars of stolen money.
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That is seed money for building
the country's first-ever
the country's first-ever
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national medical diagnostic
center in Sierra Leone.
center in Sierra Leone.
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(Applause)
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The Millennium Challenge Corporation
recently gave us a green scorecard
recently gave us a green scorecard
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for the Control of Corruption indicator,
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and multilateral development partners
that had left Sierra Leone
that had left Sierra Leone
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are now beginning to return.
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We are determined to break
a culture of corruption
a culture of corruption
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and the culture of impunity
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that is associated with corruption.
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Before I became president,
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I met a skinny, dreadlocked
MIT/Harvard-trained inventor
MIT/Harvard-trained inventor
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in London.
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Over coffee, I challenged him
to think and plan along with me
to think and plan along with me
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how innovation could help
to drive national development
to drive national development
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in the areas of governance,
revenue mobilization, health care,
revenue mobilization, health care,
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education, delivering public services
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and supporting private sector growth.
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How could Sierra Leone participate
in the digital economy
in the digital economy
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and become an innovation hub?
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Guess what?
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He left his cozy job at IBM,
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and he now leads a team
of young men and women
of young men and women
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within the newly established Directorate
of Science, Technology and Innovation
of Science, Technology and Innovation
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in my own office.
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(Applause)
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That young man is right in here.
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I challenged another
young Sierra Leonean woman
young Sierra Leonean woman
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to set up and lead the new Ministry
of Planning and Economic Development.
of Planning and Economic Development.
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She consulted widely with Sierra Leoneans
and produced, in record time,
and produced, in record time,
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the medium-term national development plan,
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titled, "Education For Development."
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We now have our national development needs
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in easily understandable clusters,
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and we can now plan our budgets,
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align development partner contributions
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and measure our own progress.
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But the story of my government's
flagship program
flagship program
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is even more daring,
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if I can call it that.
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Today, three out of five adults
in Sierra Leone cannot read or write.
in Sierra Leone cannot read or write.
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Thousands of children
were not able to go to school
were not able to go to school
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or had dropped out of school
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because their parents could just
not afford the $20 school fees per year.
not afford the $20 school fees per year.
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Women and girls, who constitute
51 percent of our population,
51 percent of our population,
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were not given equal opportunity
to be educated.
to be educated.
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So the obvious answer is to put in place
free, quality education
free, quality education
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for every Sierra Leonean child,
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regardless of gender,
ability or ethnicity.
ability or ethnicity.
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(Applause)
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Great idea you've clapped for.
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Right?
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But the only problem is we had
no money to start the program.
no money to start the program.
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(Laughter)
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Absolutely nothing.
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Development partners wanted to see data
before associating with my vision.
before associating with my vision.
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Of course, political opponents
laughed at me.
laughed at me.
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But I campaigned that a nation
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that invests in human capital development
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through free, quality education,
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affordable and high-quality
health care services
health care services
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and food security
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will accelerate its national
development program.
development program.
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I argued that for Sierra Leone
to produce a highly skilled,
to produce a highly skilled,
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innovative and productive workforce
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fit for the 21st century global economy,
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we needed to invest heavily in human
capital development in Sierra Leone.
capital development in Sierra Leone.
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But we had no money,
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because the previous government
had virtually emptied the coffers.
had virtually emptied the coffers.
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We clamped down on corruption,
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closed up the loopholes
for fraud and waste,
for fraud and waste,
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and we watched the money build up.
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We successfully launched
a free, quality education program
a free, quality education program
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in August last year,
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four years, four months later.
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Today, two million children
are going to school.
are going to school.
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(Applause)
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Twenty-one percent of the national budget
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supports free, quality education.
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In close collaboration and in partnership
with development partners,
with development partners,
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we have now provided teaching
and learning materials,
and learning materials,
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safe spaces for girls,
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and started implementing
school feeding programs
school feeding programs
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across the entire country.
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We have even paid backlogs
of salaries for teachers.
of salaries for teachers.
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Any girl admitted to university
to study science, technology,
to study science, technology,
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engineering, mathematics
and other related disciplines
and other related disciplines
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receives a full scholarship
in Sierra Leone today.
in Sierra Leone today.
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(Applause)
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And here is why this matters:
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in a few years, we will have
a healthier, better educated
a healthier, better educated
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and highly skilled young population
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that will lead and drive the country's
national development.
national development.
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They will be well-equipped to deploy
science, technology and innovation.
science, technology and innovation.
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Then we'll attract investment
in diversified areas of our economy,
in diversified areas of our economy,
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from tourism to fisheries
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and from renewable energy
to manufacturing.
to manufacturing.
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That is my biggest bet.
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In my mind, this is what
leadership is all about:
leadership is all about:
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a mission to listen with empathy
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to the craziest of ideas,
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the hopes and aspirations
of a younger generation,
of a younger generation,
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who are just looking
for a chance to be better
for a chance to be better
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and to make our country better.
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It is about letting them know
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that their dreams matter.
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It is about standing with them
and asking, "Why not?"
and asking, "Why not?"
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when they ask seemingly
impossible questions.
impossible questions.
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It is about exploring, making
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and owning a shared vision.
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The most audacious
and nation-changing events
and nation-changing events
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or policies or even personal choices
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happen when we ask, "Why not?"
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then make bold choices and ensure
those bold choices happen.
those bold choices happen.
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I wake up every day believing
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that our country should no longer be
defined by the stigma of the past.
defined by the stigma of the past.
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The future offers hope
and opportunity for all.
and opportunity for all.
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It matters to me that young men and women
right across the country
right across the country
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can imagine for themselves
that they, too, can be and are
that they, too, can be and are
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part of the story of our nation.
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I want to challenge them to build a nation
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where three-year-olds
like my daughter, Yie Amie,
like my daughter, Yie Amie,
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can grow up in good governance,
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quality education,
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health care
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and good infrastructure.
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I want our children
to become young men and women
to become young men and women
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who can continue nourishing
the trees that will grow
the trees that will grow
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from the seeds that we are planting today.
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Now can someone tell me
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why we should not dare imagine
that future in Sierra Leone?
that future in Sierra Leone?
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Julius Maada Bio - President of Sierra LeoneAs President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio seeks to find ways to make progress happen -- not to dwell on the obstacles that impede it.
Why you should listen
Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio is a public servant who thinks the boldest question he can ask to transform his country is: "Why not?" Bio is currently serving as the fifth democratically elected president of Sierra Leone.
Prior to his election as president, Bio proudly served Sierra Leone as a school teacher, soldier and Head of State. As Head of State in 1996, he ushered in multiparty democracy after decades of one-party and military rule in Sierra Leone. He is currently completing a PhD in Peace Studies at University of Bradford in UK. He is one of 35 children born to Paramount Chief Charlie Vonie Bio II, Sogbini Chiefdom in Sierra Leone.
Julius Maada Bio | Speaker | TED.com