Geneva, Switzerland – Sierra Leone’s President, Julius Maada Bio has outlined five priorities for securing lasting peace in Africa, calling for stronger democratic institutions, preventive diplomacy, regional cooperation, people-centred security and sustainable financing for African-led peace operations.
Delivering a keynote lecture titled ”Building Lasting Peace in Africa: The Catalytic Role of ECOWAS” at the Geneva Graduate Institute in Switzerland, as part of its Director’s Global Leadership Series, President Bio stressed that lasting peace requires more than ending hostilities; it demands addressing the underlying conditions that drive conflict.
“The absence of war is the beginning of peace. It is not its guarantee,” he declared.
Drawing on his experience as a former soldier, Sierra Leone’s post-war recovery and his tenure as immediate past Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority, President Bio highlighted the country’s journey from receiving international peacekeeping support to contributing to peacekeeping efforts abroad.
He emphasised that while regional and international solidarity can create the conditions for peace, national ownership, justice and effective institutions are essential to sustaining it.
The President identified preventive diplomacy and early intervention as critical to averting conflicts, proposing a Regional Prevention Compact under which agreed early-warning triggers would automatically initiate mediation before crises escalate.
He called for stronger democratic institutions and accountable governance, arguing that peaceful political transitions and public confidence in institutions are fundamental to preventing instability. Citing Sierra Leone’s peaceful transfers of power in 2007 and 2018, he urged policymakers to measure peacebuilding success not only by wars ended but also by conflicts prevented.
On regional cooperation, President Bio advocated cooperative sovereignty, urging West African states to confront shared security threats collectively rather than in isolation.
He reaffirmed the importance of dialogue with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, while acknowledging that ECOWAS must learn from its shortcomings and deliver tangible results for citizens.
He further called for people-centred security and greater investment in opportunities for young people, stressing that peace is difficult to sustain where insecurity, injustice and economic exclusion persist.
He also underscored the need for sustainable financing for African-led peace operations and reiterated Sierra Leone’s support for reform of the United Nations Security Council to give Africa a fairer voice in global peace and security decisions.
“The greatest achievements in peacebuilding are the wars that never began, the elections that passed peacefully, the young people who found work instead of weapons,” President Bio said.
He concluded that lasting peace must be measured not simply by the silence of guns, but by whether people, especially young people, enjoy the security, opportunities and confidence needed to build a better future.
