Fatima Bio’s OAFLAD Presidency: A Detriment to the Struggles of Sierra Leone’s Girls and Women

by Fatima Babih, EdD

Fatima Bio’s “Big OAFLAD Achievement” Means Nothing for Sierra Leone’s Girls Left Behind

In recent months, Sierra Leone’s “First Lady,” Fatima Bio, has paraded her rotational presidency position in the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) as a monumental achievement for the nation. Images of her seated among African first ladies and speaking at international events, and even flying by private jet to social events at the expense of taxpayers, all in the name of commitment to women’s development in Africa.

To some, this title might look impressive. But to those of us who work directly with vulnerable women and girls in communities in Sierra Leone and other parts of Africa, it is something else entirely.

OAFLAD Is Not a Development Agency

OAFLAD is not UNICEF, not UNFPA, not the Global Fund, and indeed not a grassroots empowerment organization. It is a social club of African first ladies who claim to provide advocacy, not services, not legal reforms, and no direct community action in their respective countries.

The Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries defines advocacy as,

“public support that somebody gives to an idea, a course of action, or a belief.”

According to OAFLAD’s own published materials, the organization,

Engages first ladies in advocacy around maternal and children’s health, HIV/AIDS, and gender equality. (OAFLAD strategic documents)

Most of OAFLAD’s “achievements” are:

• Speeches delivered.
• Campaigns launched, not implemented.
• Declarations signed.
• Events hosted.
• Photos taken.

Meanwhile, the lived reality of millions of African girls and women remains unchanged. In Sierra Leone today, girls are raped with impunity and without justice, a high number of mothers are dying in childbirth, and young women are being forced out of school due to early marriage and pregnancy,

There is a considerable gap between Fatima Bio’s international stage performances and the realities faced by girls and women on the ground in Sierra Leone. Here are some of them:

OAFLAD’s Rhetoric vs Reality in Sierra Leone

• Ending HIV in newborns: Over 42% of women in Sierra Leone report not having access to basic health care; pediatric HIV remains high due to failing maternal health system in the country.
• Championing justice reforms: Prosecution of rape cases in Sierra Leone remains under 5% and those that are prosecuted linger on for years until families give up (e.g., the Bo gang rape case has been lingering in court after 3 years).
• Supporting women’s progress: the Sierra Leone Gender Equality Women’s Empowerment Act’s 30% quota was passed but was not implemented; women in Sierra Leone who are not connected to Julius Maada Bio’s network are consistently excluded from leadership (e.g., Dr. Femi Claudius-Cole and Mrs. Lara Taylor-Pierce).
• Protecting young women: Alleged sexual exploitation by powerful men, including court judges, goes unpunished and is even publicly defended by civil society elite organizations, while Fatima Bio ignores them.
• First Ladies driving change: Not in Sierra Leone, where poverty, drug addiction, early marriage, and teenage pregnancy are still rising among young Sierra Leonean women.

True empowerment requires courage, not flamboyance.

OAFLAD Presidency for Exploitation

The reality is that Fatima Bio is only using her OAFLAD presidency to promote her political ambition in Sierra Leone while also ripping huge financial benefits. Meanwhile, Sierra Leone, the country she represents remains one of the most dangerous places to be a girl or a woman today.

Her use of the OAFLAD presidency is purely to bolster her profile for political manipulation despite the position having no regional or domestic impact, because today, Sierra Leone has,

• One of the highest maternal mortality rates globally.
• An explosion of drug use and sexual exploitation among girls.
• A judiciary failing to protect adolescent rape survivors.
• A First Lady who has been linked to allegations of corruption, intimidation, and political manipulation.

What does a global title matter when the girls in Bo, Kenema, and Kono still cannot access justice, healthcare, or education?

Africa Needs Accountability Not First Lady Pageantry

If African First Ladies want to make a real impact, they must:

• Champion implementation, not just symbolism.
• Stand with survivors, not perpetrators.
• Prioritize village clinics over foreign podiums and stages.
• Use their platform to challenge co/rrupt governance, even when it implicates their husbands.

Authentic leadership is not about sittinklg at high tables on the international stage. It’s about standing up for girls and women in your backyard when the cameras are off.

Until then, OAFLAD will remain what it has been for years: a beautiful picture frame with no picture, just a blank canvas inside that holds no meaning for ordinary women in Africa.

Africa does not need fancy speeches by first ladies.

It does not need meaningless titles or staged appearances by first ladies.

It needs concrete justice for girls at the grassroots.