Timothy Sam

Expert Programmer, Business development mgr, Governance, Child and Youth Participation expert with 20+ years of leadership.

[Timothy Sam @timosam]

@DeProvincialBl1 @ministry @Cee_Bah @MoiceComm Delighted to Project Lead this initiative. Incredible step to Foster mindset shift for Civic and patriotic leaders in Content creation.

[Ministry of Information & Civic Education S/Leone @MoiceComm]

Minister @Cee_Bah Delivers Keynote Speech at the 30th AFS Youth Assembly in New York.

Good morning, friends, fellow changemakers, and young leaders from over 80 countries.

Standing here today feels like déjà vu. Exactly 11 years ago—on this very date—I stood on this same stage, then as Chair of the UN Secretary-General’s Youth Advocacy Group for the Global Education Initiative. I told my story—of growing up in war, of refusing to be silent, and of believing that education could be the bridge from despair to peace.

I remember the standing ovation. I remember the hope in the room. Today, I return—older, in a different role—but telling the same story, now with new chapters, to a new generation in a changed world.

I grew up in Sierra Leone, once called the “Athens of West Africa.” We had the first schools, the first university in the region—yet deep divisions remained. By the 1990s, our literacy rate was about 20%. Corruption was rife. And then came war—deliberately targeting schools, tearing communities apart, forcing children into violence.

I was a child then. I went to school to the sound of gunfire—until I too was forced into exile. But exile didn’t silence me. Out of that darkness, I found my voice.

We didn’t know terms like “SDGs” or “global citizenship” back then. But we knew this: education was the only way forward. It could heal. It could unite. It could give us the tools to imagine a different future. We marched for it, we demanded it—because we knew that without education, there could be no lasting peace.

Today’s young leaders face a different battlefield. Hatred, misinformation, and propaganda travel at lightning speed. Climate change denial, conspiracy theories, and manufactured fear divide nations. In Sierra Leone, some of the same forces from my youth still exist—sometimes fuelled from thousands of miles away—with the same goal: to fracture communities, keep children from school, and weaken democracy.

And yet, the solution is still the same: education. Education that teaches peace, citizenship, and resilience against lies.

The dream we fought for is now shaping national policy. Under President Julius Maada Bio, Sierra Leone invests 22% of our national budget in education. We sit on the UN Security Council. Our President chairs our sub regional Ecowas bloc. We have progressive policies. We have eliminated the death penalty. Our cabinet has approved the decriminalizing of abortion. We ended criminal libel. We made education free. And we are not feeding our people through “Feed Salone.” We have the youngest cabinet in African history, with over a third being women.

As our President says:
“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.”

As Minister, I have worked to bring governance closer to the people—weekly press briefings in our national language, civic festivals, and presidential town halls. We have climbed nine places on the Global Press Freedom Index. We are modernising broadcasting, protecting digital rights, and making civic education address climate, health, and technology.

My journey—from war-affected child, to young activist on this stage 11 years ago, to Minister today—is proof that defying adversity is not a slogan. It is a daily choice.

Sierra Leone’s story proves that no country is too small, and no history too broken, to build lasting peace through education.

So to you, the young leaders of the AFS Youth Assembly: see adversity not as a wall, but as a doorway. Lead with courage. Unite with purpose. Build with love.

If a child who grew up under gunfire can return here, decades later, to speak to 700 young leaders from 100 countries—then nothing, truly, is impossible.

Thank you.

#AFSYouthAssembly #YouthLeadership #CivicEducation #SierraLeone #YouthVoices #GlobalCitizenship #ReclaimOurNarrative #AFS2025

[Timothy Sam @timosam]

Proud to join the launch of @PlanSierraLeone’s brand new building - an Innovation hub - a bold step for youth leadership + staff wellbeing. Big thanks to @esindayigaya & @MuniratuIssifu for making it happen. Real spaces for real youth power! It is a REALITY Space.

[Timothy Sam @timosam]

Minister @Cee_Bah Champions Africa Strategy in Denmark 🇩🇰 to uphold its 0.7% GNI aid commitment, stressing that human capital investment = security & resilience.Danish leaders reaffirmed support for education , gender equality & economic cooperation in Africa. #EducationForAll

[Plan International @PlanGlobal]

They died while helping others.
In 2024, a record 356 humanitarians were killed. How many more will it take before we act?
Demand respect for International Humanitarian Law.
Demand protection.
Demand accountability.
Humanitarians are #NotATarget @UNOCHA

[Timothy Sam @timosam]

https://t.co/nuXyBCClFL Indeed we elevated the conversation on civic education to new heights with our first Exclusive Civic Education Seminar.

[Timothy Sam @timosam]

Fantastic news in advancing #civiceducation and fostering mindset shift for our young people and community.

[KAS Dialogue Politique en Afrique de l'Ouest @KAS_DialoguePol]

We are delighted to announce that the @MoiceComm represented by Hon. Minister @Cee_Bah, and @KAS_DialoguePol represented by Dr. Stefanie Brinkel have signed a Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to the collaboration on civic education.

#kas4democracy #kasdialoguepol

[KAS Dialogue Politique en Afrique de l'Ouest @KAS_DialoguePol]

We are delighted to announce that the @MoiceComm represented by Hon. Minister @Cee_Bah, and @KAS_DialoguePol represented by Dr. Stefanie Brinkel have signed a Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to the collaboration on civic education.

#kas4democracy #kasdialoguepol

[Timothy Sam @timosam]

Feeling inspired to be part of the opening ceremony of the #Logos Hope Ship in Sierra Leone today! I had the chance to take my family on a tour and, of course, grab more books to fuel our minds. If you haven’t been yet, make sure to visit! #LogosHope #ReadersAreLeaders

[Ministry of Information & Civic Education S/Leone @MoiceComm]

Key MDAs & partners join @UNDPSierraLeone in strategic retreat to draft bold initiatives for sustainable development. @timosam of @MoiceComm emphasized the role of civic education in driving youth and marginalized communities to actively support national priorities.@Cee_Bah

[Timothy Sam @timosam]

Yes, delighted to work with @UNDPSierraLeone & other MDAs at this retreat. I emphasized that aligning national priorities with #civiceducation and info systems is key to fostering the mindset shift needed for SLE’s youth and communities to drive #SDGs @Cee_Bah @PresidentBio

[UNDP Sierra Leone @UNDPSierraLeone]

Our #ResRep @FredAmpiah has called on MDAs at a UNDP-hosted retreat to craft a transformative strategy for people-centered sustainable development in 🇸🇱.

The retreat will propose bold initiatives to support the government achieve its national priorities over the next 6 years .

[Timothy Sam @timosam]

“Will the Cotton Tree Civic Education Road Map is Redefine, Re-center and Rediscover Sierra Leone?” by Timothy Sam
https://t.co/cVkONooS8w

[UNDP Sierra Leone @UNDPSierraLeone]

Promoting social cohesion through inclusive dialogue. @MoiceComm & @UNDPSierraLeone recently hosted a High-Level Dialogue on the Draft National Civic Educ. Strategy & Policy. Our #DRR @SayedSahibzada emphasized its potential to foster greater understanding and promote unity.

[Timothy Sam @timosam]

@USEmbFreetown @WashFellowship No doubt in these gems. Sierra Leone has hope with these. Can't be proud enough of the joy, experience, and mentoring skills our young people will harvest from them. bravo team #SierraLeone

[Timothy Sam @timosam]

As #ECOSOC2024 sets d stage 4 #summitofthefuture, SLE's youth, powered by #UNFPAsierraleon, linked up with ECOSOC in NY for a concurrence session!Thrilled to facilitate a session with young leaders. Kudos #UNFPA for amplifying the voices of youth! @SustDev @NadiaRashd @MoiceComm

[Timothy Sam @timosam]

Great Energy at the #ICPD30 Global Youth Dialogue conference: On transforming education, expanding opportunities and Civic Education. #UNFPA #shedecides

[Timothy Sam @timosam]

With over 15 years experience as a development, project, and humanitarian expert, I'm thrilled to announce a new opportunity! I've recently begun lecturing as a part-time lecturer of Contract Management at the Project Management Department at the #IPAM #UniversityofSierraLeone.

[Timothy Sam @timosam]

@Cee_Bah @UNDPAfrica @ahunnaeziakonwa @PresidentBio @UNDPSierraLeone Indeed, #civiceducation can be our biggest opportunity to build Sierra Leone. Delighted in mobilizing key partners like #UNDP to drive this vision.

[Timothy Sam @timosam]

I am a New Face of Salone. Are you? Tell me.

[Chernor Bah @Cee_Bah]

Check out the video highlights from the Freetown premiere of “The New Face of Salone” a documentary done by the Kenya based “The African Perspective” about the changing face of #SierraLeone and Africa’s leadership. You will be able to watch the documentary soon!!!!
#SaloneAboveAllElse

[Timothy Sam @timosam]

Thrilled to be part of UNFPA's Country Programme development consultation! Collaborating with partners, UNagencies, MDAs, CSOs, & input from youth. Kudos to @ormanbangs, @moped2023 & @NadiaRashd urging gender programming investment & tackling GBV in communities. #UNFPA @MoiceComm