Sierra Leone’s President Bio gets political boost with country’s AFCON qualification

This month, Sierra Leone qualified for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) for the first time in 25 years with a dramatic win in the final qualifier against Benin. The huge reception that the government later held for the team at the 45,000-seater Siaka Stevens Stadium (despite potential health concerns) underscores the political significance attributed to this feat as President Maada Bio prepares for general elections in two years.

Significance – Tok and do

Since his 2018 election at the helm of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), the president’s store of political capital has been taxed by economic volatility, corruption allegations against his government and episodes of political unrest. For example, the president sacked his interior minister in May 2020 after several riots linked to the opposition and the government’s cancellation of SL Mining’s licenses (See: Sierra Leone mining dispute shows familiar signs of contract risk). And in February this year, the chief minister David Francis’ aides were accused of withdrawing cash from official accounts without appropriation.

Bio has since begun preparing for the 2023 elections. Francis has been replaced with Jacob Saffa who ran his winning campaign in 2018, and his government is also now looking to organise a midterm census that the opposition fears would be used to rig the 2023 elections considering the precedent (See: Sierra Leone's parliamentary fault lines).

Meanwhile, the Leone Stars’ campaign at the 2022 AFCON qualifiers has presented an opportunity for Bio to shore up popularity. Bio often touted the slogan ‘Tok and do’ as he supported the Leone Stars on the way to this AFCON qualification. The slogan in local pidgin means to ‘talk and do’, or to fulfil one’s promises. The president promised the country he would motivate the team to qualify for AFCON, and he promised the footballers money and choice real estate if they qualified. Sierra Leone has now qualified, granting Bio and the SLPP a major political point because this slogan resonates with constituents and is associated with the president’s performance.

Outlook – Momentum for Bio

AFCON will be held in Cameroon from January 2022, and Leone Stars’ outing at the competition could be a salient political issue as elections draw near. Having managed to stabilise the political environment, Bio will look to sustain the current momentum that his administration has gained from the team’s recent achievement. The team’s qualifying alone has markedly improved the president’s public perception. Any progress beyond the second round in that competition would raise that perception and could have an impact on the elections in 2023.

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*photo credit: Connor Coyne

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