Sierra Leone’s president defends large education budget as ‘necessary risk’

Julius Maada Bio says 22% allocation of total government funding is needed to ensure all children can go to school

Sierra Leone's president has defended his decision to spend almost a quarter of the national budget on education, saying the country cannot develop unless all children go to school.

Speaking to the Guardian, Julius Maada Bio admitted that allocating 1.7tn leones (80m) this year for its ambitious educational reform programme was a risk, but said: We are throwing all our resources, all our energy into education. We cannot develop without improving education. I see it as an existential issue.