Researched by Alfa Shaban
Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio granted an extensive interview to the Forbes Africa magazine as part of its Africa Undiscovered Series for the April/May 2025 edition of the publication.
In the interview, President Maada Bio spoke about the successes and challenges in his first term in office (2018 to 2022) and the journey so far in his second and final term.
The president responded to questions from tackling corruption, empowering women, education, economy, food security and job creation.
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The president told Forbes: “When I assumed office, I promised a “new direction” for Sierra Leone—a shift away from past inefficiencies to prioritize the country’s most critical resource: its people. Human capital development became our cornerstone because I believe education transforms lives…
“However, in a country where three out of five adults were illiterate, many families couldn’t afford annual school fees as low as US$20. This was unacceptable and motivated us to act,” he added.
In this fact-check, FactSpace Sierra Leone will verify two education-related claims by the president.
1 – What was Sierra Leone’s adult illiteracy figure in 2018?
2 – Did the Maada Bio administration roll out free education in its first year?
Claim 1
“… in a country where three out of five adults were illiterate (as at 2018)”
Fact-check
Three out of five means 60% of adults were illiterate when his government came into office in 2018.
Adult illiteracy is defined as “Total number of adults over age 15 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life.”
FactSpace Sierra Leone referred to adult literacy data on countryeconomy.com which showed that male to female adult literacy ratio stood at 34.85% to 51.65%. Therefore, the total adult literacy statistic stood at 43.21% as at 2018.
Subtracting the 43.21% adult literacy from 100% gives an adult illiteracy rate of 56.79%.
Verdict:
The claim is rated an overstatement because the official adult illiteracy rate of 56.79% is lower than the president’s 60% claim.
Claim 2
“We launched the free quality education initiative to ensure education was no longer a privilege but a universal right. It wasn’t easy. We inherited an economy in crisis with depleted resources, but through efficient resource allocation and anti-corruption measures, we implemented this program within four months of taking office.“
Fact-check
The free education policy was a key plank of the campaign that brought President Julius Maada Bio into office in 2018.
The president took office on April 4, 2018. Four months later in August 2018, the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) launched a phased Free Quality School Education (FQSE) initiative.
It was primarily to provide free admission and tuition to all children in government-approved schools. The policy was placed under the Ministry of Basic and Secondary School Education (MBSSE).
Verdict:
The claim that the FQSE was implemented four months after Maada Bio took office is rated True.
