Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair says that he is not favouring Sierra Leone’s President Ernest Bai Koroma and his

All People’s Congress Party inspite of claims made by the main opposition SLPP Leader Julius Maada Bio.

He made this statement at a press briefing after the launch of the Blair-Elumelo Fellowship along with fellow philanthropist, the Nigerian entrepreneur Tony Elumelo in the month of March. Mr. Blair said he would support any government democratically elected by the people of Sierra Leone.

In an article published on the Guardian Newspaper in the United Kingdom late 2011, Julius Maada Bio Complained that ex-UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has been supportive of Koroma’s APC government and asked for a more critical assessment of his regime. Mr. Blair previously referred to President Koroma as one of “Africa’s visionary leaders”. In short, Bio believes that Blair’s support of Koroma’s government could jeopardize Sierra Leone’s fragile democracy. Mr. Blair however denied this claims, noting that the purpose of his fellowship was to help capacitate the private sector in Sierra Leone.

Mr. Blair said the great ambition of African governments should be to wave the donor community good bye and take their destinies into their own hands. He says the Blair-Emulemo Fellowship will help in supporting the private sector in Africa, noting that there is no better place to start than in Sierra Leone. Fellow philanthropist Tony Emulemo, encouraged the local private sector to work with the government in it transformation agenda.