Former Minister of Social Welfare, Gender, and Children’s Affairs, Sylvia Olayinka Blyden, has said that President Julius Maada Bio is the only Sierra Leonean president whose level of international recognition comes close to that of the late President Siaka Stevens.
She made the statement on Truth Media on Monday, 12 January 2026, during a discussion on Morning Devotion. According to Blyden, Sierra Leone has not seen this level of international attention and engagement since the era of Siaka Stevens, who ruled the country from 1968 to 1985.
Siaka Stevens was widely known beyond Sierra Leone. During his time, he built strong ties with world leaders and international organisations. Sierra Leone played an active role in regional and global politics, especially within the Organisation of African Unity and the Commonwealth. Stevens was often seen at major international meetings, and the country had a strong diplomatic presence during the Cold War period.
Blyden said that President Maada Bio has, in recent years, brought Sierra Leone back into the international spotlight in a similar way. She pointed to Bio’s frequent participation in global forums, including the United Nations, the African Union, and international climate and development meetings. Under Bio, the government in Sierra Leone has strengthened its relationships with its development partners and donors, foreign countries, and other players in the sector.
She said: “Bio’s international profile has contributed to placing other issues in Sierra Leone on the international radar, such as education, climate change, food security, and governance.” She believes that due to Bio’s international presence, Sierra Leone has once again made its presence felt on a global platform after being less influential on a global level for so many years.
Sylvia Blyden, who served as a minister under former President Ernest Bai Koroma, made it clear that her comments were not about party politics, but about leadership style and global presence. She said that while different presidents have made their own contributions, the scale of international recognition enjoyed by Bio stands out in recent history.
Her statements have since generated trending debates among Sierra Leoneans, with views supporting that indeed President Bio has elevated the international status of the country, while others persuade that international recognition should at least depict positive results locally.
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Nevertheless, Blyden’s utterance has reopened debate regarding the perception of Sierra Leone abroad, as well as comparisons between different regimes regarding international recognition, especially between the Stevens era and that of Julius Maada Bio.
