Sierra Leone’s President Ernest Bai Koroma stressed his commitment to increasing women’s participation in his government during an event on

UNAIDS Michel Sidibe & President Ernest Bai Koroma after the signing of the grant agreement

8th March 2013, celebrating International Women’s Day in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He said that the many appointments of women to high positions his government has sent “a clear message that discrimination against women no longer has a place in Sierra Leone”. He said, “My government will enact legislation for a 30% quota for women’s participation in governance pretty soon. Gender is not just a social issue but also a development issue. And so we recognize the fact that men and women have to work side by side to achieve sustainable development.”