Yankuba Gbassa Kai-Samba: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 18 May 2026:
Given the unprecedented frequency of President Bio’s overseas trips to attend meetings, there is significant public concern that public funds are being wasted. Critics accuse him of seeking validation abroad while failing to deliver for the people at home.
Why not delegate some of these international meetings to the Vice President, relevant ministers, or diplomats abroad, who would be far less costly?
The fact that President Bio appears to be the only sitting African president attending this Oxford conference is seen by many as part of a pattern to convince an unsuspecting public that his travels are not in vain and that his presence plays an important role in the equation of glabal politics.
They point to his role as ECOWAS Chair and Sierra Leone’s UN Security Council seat as examples he uses to justify the trips.
However, it does not need to be this way as Sierra Leone is a small poor country without the leverage of soft power like South Africa.
Costly
Frequent presidential travel is expensive – charter flights, delegations, allowances. When domestic services like electricity, healthcare, and roads remain weak, the optics are poor.
Delegation
Most countries send ministers, ambassadors, or the VP to routine international forums. The president’s time is usually reserved for high-stakes bilateral summits or UNGA. Sending the president to every meeting can look like a mismatch of priorities.
Credibility gap
If Sierra Leone is in the news for drug trafficking allegations and for harbouring a convicted European drug lord, it is likely that foreign audiences discount the messaging from presidential visits. Visibility and fine speeches do not equal credibility.
I respectfully recommend the following to assuage public frustration over the use of public money to travel overseas.
Specific deals or funding secured after a trip, with amounts and timelines published.
Transparency. Publish delegation costs against outcomes, so that the public can judge.
Without these, the argument rests on intent and access, which is why public scepticism remains high.
For the 2026 Oxford Africa Conference which took place last weekend, May 16-17, announced Julius Maada Bio – President of Sierra Leone as the only sitting head of State attending. He was also listed as a headline keynote speaker.
The conference website says over 15 keynote addresses have come from heads of state across 16 years, but for 2026, only Bio is listed as a sitting president.
The other confirmed speakers were George Weah – former President of Liberia; Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang – Vice President of Ghana; Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa – Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, keynote speaker; and Dr. David Moinina Sengeh – Minister of Education & Chief Innovation Officer of Sierra Leone.
The rest of the lineup was made up of ministers, business leaders, academics, and entrepreneurs.
The conference website says over 15 keynote addresses have come from heads of state across 16 years, but for 2026, only Bio is listed as a sitting president, which means he is the only African president who chattered private jet at enormous cost to public money to attend a meeting which is usually not attended by sitting presidents.
