President Julius Maada Bio has declared that he intends to hand over power at the end of his current presidency in 2028, describing the planned transition as another democratic transfer of power.

Speaking during his engagement at the Harvard Kennedy School in the United States, President Bio said: “In 1996, I handed over power as a soldier. In 2028, God willing, I will hand it over again as a democrat.” The statement was shared in a social-media post attributed to Yusuf Keketoma Sandi.

The remarks come as President Bio participates in a Harvard Kennedy School forum focused on leadership, democratic resilience and the strategic choices facing Sierra Leone and Africa. Harvard’s Institute of Politics confirmed that Bio was scheduled to speak at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum on September 29, 2026.

Bio’s reference to 1996 relates to the historic transition from military to civilian rule. On March 29, 1996, then-Brigadier Julius Maada Bio, who had become head of the National Provisional Ruling Council after a January 1996 palace coup, handed power to Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, following the presidential election. Contemporary records confirm that the military government transferred power to the newly elected civilian president.

The President’s latest statement therefore places his planned 2028 departure from office within the context of his personal political history, contrasting the 1996 military-to-civilian transition with what he says would be a future democratic handover. The 2028 transition remains a future event, and the statement should be understood as President Bio’s declared intention rather than a completed political development.