FREETOWN, Monday 26 October 2026 – President Julius Maada Bio is expected to deliver the keynote address at the National Unity and Social Cohesion Conference which opens today at the Bintumani Conference Centre in Aberdeen, Freetown.
The two-day conference is organised by the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion (ICPNC) under the theme: “From Commitment to Action: Rebuilding Trust, Strengthening National Unity and Advancing Social Cohesion.”
According to organisers, President Bio’s address titled “Sierra Leone’s Next Chapter of Peace and National Unity” will focus on strengthening peace, rebuilding public trust and promoting unity across political and social divides.
In a significant show of bipartisanship, former President Ernest Bai Koroma has confirmed his participation in the conference after receiving an invitation from an ICPNC delegation at his residence in Makeni. Koroma, who served as President from 2007 to 2018 and is Chairman and Leader of the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC), is expected to join current and former national leaders at the high-level gathering.
The conference will bring together a broad spectrum of stakeholders including political parties, paramount chiefs and traditional authorities, religious leaders, civil society organisations, youth and women’s groups, media practitioners and international development partners.
Participants are expected to deliberate on practical measures to prevent conflict, promote inclusion and dialogue, strengthen the rule of law and justice, and improve responsible media communication – issues that have dominated Sierra Leone’s post-election environment.
A key outcome of the conference is expected to be the Freetown Declaration on National Unity and Social Cohesion 2026, which will outline priority actions and recommendations for government, political parties, and citizens to strengthen national cohesion.
The gathering comes three years after the Government of Sierra Leone and the APC signed the Agreement for National Unity (ANU) on 18th October 2023, following the disputed June 2023 multi-tier elections. The agreement, brokered by the African Union, ECOWAS and the Commonwealth, led to the end of the APC’s non-participation in governance, the establishment of the inter-party dialogue, and the Tripartite Committee on electoral reforms.
The ICPNC, established by an Act of Parliament in 2021 and operationalised in 2023, is mandated to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts and to promote peace, national cohesion and reconciliation. The Commission is chaired by Rev. Shodankeh Johnson and Vice-Chaired by Allieu Kanu.
The conference comes at a time when calls have grown from citizens, civil society, and international partners for concrete implementation of the ANU, including electoral reforms and sustained dialogue between the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the APC.
Proceedings are expected to be streamed live and will continue until Tuesday, 27th October.
