Best Supporting Actress
2011 ZAFAA Awards for The Mirror Boy, in which she appeared as Fatima Jabbe.
Her Excellency
Dr. Fatima Maada Bio
First Lady of Sierra Leone
Dr. Fatima Maada Bio’s commitment to women and girls draws on her own experience of escaping child marriage. Before becoming First Lady, she pursued charity work and built a career in film as Fatima Jabbe.
Early life and advocacy
Fatima Maada Bio was born into a Mandingo community. By the age of ten, she knew whom she was expected to marry. She narrowly escaped child marriage and began charity work at sixteen. After moving to London, she continued that work, supporting vulnerable children, particularly in Africa.
Her experience shaped her advocacy for girls. Guided by Pan-African ideals, she sees women’s empowerment as central to sustainable development. In December 2018, she brought together First Ladies from across Africa for a peaceful march through Freetown against gender-based violence. The march marked the beginning of Hands Off Our Girls.
Film and education
As Fatima Jabbe, she acted in the 2011 feature The Mirror Boy and was credited as an associate producer. Her film career also included screenwriting and production.
Education
- London College of Communication, University of the Arts London
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, as listed in the Office’s biography
- Roehampton Institute, London
Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts, as listed in the Office’s biography
- UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
Master of Healthcare Administration, Class of 2026
Selected honours
Warrior Award
She received the Warrior Award at the International Women of Power Luncheon in California for her work with women and girls in Sierra Leone.
Most Influential People of African Descent
She was recognised in New York among the Most Influential People of African Descent under 40.
Miss Africa
She won the Miss Africa title in 2000.
Best Actress, BEFFTA Awards
She received Best Actress at the Black Entertainment, Film, Fashion, Television and Arts Awards.
People’s Choice Best Actress, African Oscars
Recognition at the Nollywood and African Film Critics’ Awards in Washington, DC.
All African Media Network profileGathering of African Best award
She received the award for promoting a positive image of Africans around the world.
Advocacy in Sierra Leone
Hands Off Our Girls
Dr. Maada Bio helped bring public attention to child marriage and sexual and gender-based violence through the Hands Off Our Girls campaign, launched in December 2018. A march in Freetown brought together First Ladies from across Africa. In February 2019, President Julius Maada Bio declared rape and sexual violence a national emergency. Parliament amended the Sexual Offences Act later that year.
Menstrual health and school access
Through the Free Sanitary Pads Initiative, the First Lady has promoted menstrual health and helped distribute free pads to schoolgirls. The initiative aims to remove a practical barrier to school attendance. Distribution visits included Kenema and Kono.
Food support during COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the First Lady launched the National Food Basket programme. The programme was set up to provide rice, oil, salt and other staples across Sierra Leone’s districts.
Water, sanitation and hygiene
She supported solar-powered boreholes to improve access to water in hard-to-reach communities. In 2021, the African Ministers’ Council on Water named her an African champion for sanitation and hygiene at a ceremony in Freetown.
Health care in Freetown
The First Lady advocated for the expansion of 34 Military Hospital. In December 2024, she toured the new 600-bed complex, which included a Centre of Excellence designed to support survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
Explore the hospital expansion
International leadership
Hands Off Our Girls on the international stage
In September 2019, Dr. Maada Bio led African First Ladies in bringing Hands Off Our Girls to a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. They called for international support to end child marriage and sexual violence against women and girls. Rwanda’s First Lady, Jeannette Kagame, read a declaration of support from African First Ladies. The Office also records campaign outreach at the Women Deliver Conference in Canada, through the BBC in London and at the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
African Development Bank account of the 2019 meetingWorking with African First Ladies
In 2025, the Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) elected Dr. Maada Bio president for the 2025–2027 term. The organisation’s work covers health, education, prevention of gender-based violence, and women’s economic empowerment.
OAFLAD election announcementChild protection at the United Nations
In 2022, she championed the adoption of the UN World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence, observed on 18 November. In September 2026, she introduced Sierra Leone’s draft resolution to establish the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage. The General Assembly adopted it and designated 27 November as the annual observance.
UNAIDS and the UN advisory board on waste
UNAIDS named her a champion for the empowerment and engagement of adolescent girls and young women in Sierra Leone in 2023. She has also championed Education Plus and served on the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Zero Waste.
Selected milestones
- 2011
Appears in The Mirror Boy and receives an associate producer credit as Fatima Jabbe.
Film production credits - 2018
Hands Off Our Girls launches in Sierra Leone.
Campaign background - 2022
Champions the adoption of a UN observance on preventing child sexual exploitation, abuse and violence and supporting healing.
UNAIDS profile - 2023
Named a UNAIDS champion for adolescent girls and young women in Sierra Leone.
UNAIDS profile - 2025
Elected president of OAFLAD for the 2025–2027 term.
Election announcement - 2026
Graduates from UCLA’s Master of Healthcare Administration programme and introduces Sierra Leone’s child marriage observance resolution at the UN.