His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio yesterday Thursday 11th April, 2024 stated that the significant number of the Constitutional Review Committee’s (CRC) recommendations which his Government approved and accepted in the White Paper in 2022 will, in the coming weeks, be tabled before Parliament as Constitutional Instruments for revising the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone.

Addressing the Honourable Vice President, the Acting Chief Justice, Chief Minister and other Ministers of his Cabinet, Excellences and Ambassadors, Development Partners and Diplomatic Community, as well as distinguished ladies and gentlemen at the Special Presidential DEPAC Meeting on the Constitutional Review Process, President Bio recalled:

“This Review Process, a fruit of the Lomé Peace Agreement in 1999 and a pivotal recommendation of our nation’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), was initiated in the aftermath of the civil war in 2002. Today, I am before you, reiterating my unwavering commitment to this pledge.”

The President stated that “the TRC recommended the revision of the Constitution through ‘a wide and thorough consultative and participatory process’ that ‘must lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which every citizen is equally protected by the law.’”

He recalled that the first Constitutional Review Process led by the late Dr. Peter L. Tucker was initiated by the late President Ahmad Tejan Kabba in 2007, culminating in the submission of a Report in 2008, adding, “Five years later, former President Ernest Bai Koroma established an all-encompassing 80-man Constitutional Review Committee (CRC), chaired by the late Justice Edmond Cowan, for a second Review Process that operated from 2013 to 2017 with the technical and financial support of Development and Diplomatic Partners.

President Bio emphasized that he was very instrumental in ending the civil war and ushering in the peace we now enjoy in our country, adding, “Hence, when I was first elected President in 2018, we prioritised the conclusion of the TRC’s recommendation for a Constitutional Review Process from where it stopped in 2017.”

“Consequently, my Government developed and issued a White Paper on the Justice Cowan Constitutional Review Committee Report in 2022, which, we believe, reflects the contributions, aspirations and determination of the people of Sierra Leone to improve and sustain the rule of law, lasting peace, and human capital development,” the President states, noting that “the Government’s White Paper concluded the initial phase of the Constitutional Review Process and launched a new phase of the Review Process.”

He said while they try to take this process to a conclusion, his Government has already taken significant steps to advance several reforms and laws recommended by the Constitutional Review Process, including reform of media laws; the abolition of the death penalty and amendment of relevant legislation; reform of land laws; the free quality education programme and rights of pregnant girls to education; the amendment of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act; Enactment of the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act; (GEWE Act); and, the Enactment of the Political Parties Regulatory Commission Act, among others.

President Bio assured that they are now moving into a new phase of the Constitutional Review Process and through the Office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, they are concluding the technical details of this process, noting that they will move into drafting Constitutional Instruments for non-entrenched provisions in the Constitution and Parliament will debate the proposals.

“A revised Constitution will be drafted for our country, and accordingly, some laws will need to be reviewed. Some provisions, which are part of the Constitution's entrenched clauses, will require a referendum,” he said, adding, “The Constitutional Review Process is not a mere revision of a legal document. It is a transformative journey that will redefine the future of our beloved nation, fostering comprehensive inclusivity and ensuring our Constitution remains a vibrant reflection of our values and aspirations.”