Fatima Maada Bio


Fatima Maada Bio is the current First Lady of Sierra Leone as the wife of Julius Maada Bio, 5th President of Sierra Leone.
Fatima Bio was born and raised in Koidu Town, Kono District in Eastern Sierra Leone. She is an actress, screenwriter and film producer in United Kingdom based Nollywood movies. Fatima Bio is widely regarded as the most influential First Lady of Sierra Leone since Patricia Kabbah, wife of former Sierra Leone"s President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. Fatima is one of the most highly influential people in her husband Julius Maada Bio presidency.
Fatima Bio is a devout Muslim and a member of the Mandingo ethnic group.

Early Life and education

Fatima Bio was born in Kono District to Tidankay and Umar Jabbe on November 27, 1980 during the Presidency of Siaka Stevens, the first President of Sierra Leone. Her mother is Sierra Leonean and her father is Gambian.
She grew up in Kono and attended primary school at the Ansarul Islamic School. She later went to St Joseph Convent Secondary School in Freetown.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours degree in Performing Art from the Roehampton Institute in London. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism at the University of the Arts, London College of Communication in 2017.

Career

Prior to her marriage to Julius Maada Bio, she had a successful career in the entertainment industry under her maiden name Fatime Jabbe.
In 2000, she won the Miss Africa competition.
She began working in the African Film Industry in London. She wrote, acted, and produced Nollywood films including "Battered", "Shameful Deceit", Ibu in Sierra Leone”, "Expedition Africa", "The Soul". She starred in the film "Mirror Boy" and won a "Best Supporting Actress" at the 2011 ZAFAA Awards.
In 2013, she won The Pan-African "Woman of the Year Award" from ‘All African Media’. In 2013, she earned a Best Female Actress at the African Oscars in Washington DC. The same year she won the Gathering of African Best Awards for promoting a positive view of Africans around the world.

Marriage and family

She married Rtd. Brig. Julius Maada Bio at a private ceremony in London on 25 October 2013.
On 27 June 2014, she gave birth to a son, Hamza Maada Bio who died three days after birth.
On 7 September 2015, a year after losing their son, she delivered a healthy daughter, Amina.

Charity

Bio is a Patron of a number of charities in the UK, including the John Utaka Foundation which helps African children and young people cope with health challenges.