Sierra Leone’s Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor Bah, delivered a stirring keynote address at the 30th AFS Youth Assembly on August 9–10, 2025 in New York City, sharing his journey from war-affected child to national leader and urging young people to see adversity as a doorway rather than a wall.
Speaking to more than 700 young leaders from over 80 countries, Chernor Bah recalled that exactly 11 years ago, on the same date, he stood on the same stage as Chair of the UN Secretary-General’s Youth Advocacy Group for the Global Education Initiative. “I told my story then of growing up in war of refusing to be silent and of believing that education could be the bridge from despair to peace,” he said.
He described Sierra Leone’s history as both rich and challenging, once known as the “Athens of West Africa” but later torn apart by conflict. Chernor Bah recounted his own childhood, marked by attending school to the sound of gunfire before being forced into exile. “Exile didn’t silence me,” he said. “Out of that darkness, I found my voice.”
The Minister warned that today’s young leaders face new threats; rapidly spreading misinformation, propaganda, climate change denial and manufactured division. “Yet the solution remains the same: education; education that teaches peace, citizenship and resilience against lies.”
Highlighting national progress under President Julius Maada Bio, Chernor Bah pointed to Sierra Leone’s investment of 22% of its national budget in education, the abolition of the death penalty, the decriminalization of abortion, free quality education and the “Feed Salone” initiative. “We have the youngest cabinet in African history, with over a third being women,” he noted.
Quoting President Bio, he added: “When I talk about Human Capital Development, I mean feeding the brain with education, feeding the tummy through agriculture and caring for the body through healthcare.”
Chernor Bah also outlined reforms in civic engagement, press freedom and governance transparency, including weekly press briefings in national languages, civic festivals and modernization of broadcasting. “Sierra Leone’s story proves that no country is too small and no history too broken, to build lasting peace through education,” he said.
The keynote coincided with a landmark moment for Sierra Leone at the Assembly. On August 10, during the closing ceremony of Sierra Leone’s side event, Minister Chernor Bah and Daniel Obst, President and CEO of AFS Intercultural Programs, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that formalizes a strategic partnership two years in the making.
AFS Intercultural Programs, a century-old global non-profit present in over 60 countries is dedicated to fostering peace and justice through intercultural learning, education and exchange. The agreement will open opportunities for Sierra Leone’s young leaders, educators and students to participate in initiatives such as the AFS Global STEM Accelerators, the AFS Global STEM Educator program and the Effect+ for the Classroom initiative.
“This partnership is both deeply personal and nationally significant,” Chernor Bah said, recalling his long association with AFS since his youth advocacy days, including speaking at its centennial celebration in Paris in 2014. “AFS has been part of my own journey and now it will be part of Sierra Leone’s journey to develop a generation of confident, globally minded change-makers.”
Daniel Obst hailed the agreement as a milestone: “We are thrilled to partner with Sierra Leone in expanding access to transformative intercultural experiences. Together, we will ensure that young people gain the skills, networks and perspectives they need to tackle global challenges and lead in their communities.”
The MOU marks the beginning of an ambitious collaboration aimed at equipping Sierra Leone’s youth with the global competencies, leadership skills and civic values necessary to drive positive change both at home and internationally.
