Author: gleanernewspaper
The United States announced the first disbursement from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) for a $292 million loan to construct and operate a 105MW combined-cycle power plant in Freetown, Sierra Leone (the “Nant Project”). The Nant Project, supported by the United States and the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), is expected to nearly double the electricity generation capacity of Sierra Leone. It will be implemented by the CECA SL Generation Limited consortium, which includes private partners TCQ Power Ltd. and Anergi. This project will complement the separate $480 million power infrastructure project that the United States…
Brain Jotter & Sabinus A host of Galacticos in the entertainment industry across West Africa will grace this year’s ECOFEST in Freetown this Friday, 20 and Saturday, 21 of December, at Africell Building Beach Front at Bendu Drive, Aberdeen, Freetown, respectively. This year’s event will see two of the best comedians in Nigeria on stage in Sierra Leone. Sabinus, who is known for his interesting comedy skits, and Brain Jotter, whose recent skits brought back to life an old Nigerian Musician, will perform wonders in Freetown. This is the first time that both comedians will be coming to Sierra Leone…
Sierra Leone Ports & Harbours Authority (SLPHA) has issued a circular for all vessels operating in Sierra Leonean waters to comply with the IMO’s AIS regulations and warns that failure to do so may lead to fines or legal action. Information reaching this medium is that the SLPHA has raised concerns regarding vessels operating within the Pilotage district of Sierra Leone that have either deliberately turned off their AIS or uploaded incorrect information, which could lead to catastrophic maritime incidents. By the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Convention on Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Regulation V/19.2.4, all vessels of 300…
Deputy Minister for Protocol Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, His Excellency Abdulmajeed R Alasmari, on Monday 9th December 2024, received letters of credence from Sierra Leone’s new Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, His Excellency Mr. Mohammed S. Barrie. Presenting the letters of credence, Ambassador Barrie conveyed kind sentiments from His Excellency the President, Dr. Julius Maada Bio, the Government and People of Sierra Leone to His Majesty, the King and People of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He said he had the honour of presenting the diplomatic letters from Sierra Leone’s President, which empowers him as Ambassador Extra-Ordinary and…
A four-year, regional health care rights campaign, led by the Organization of Trade Unions of West Africa (OTUWA), is expanding its success and influence in the region with Sierra Leone’s Finance Minister last month announcing a 2 percent increase in the country’s budget allocation for the health sector, from 7 percent in 2024 to 9 percent in 2025. “The Sierra Leone Labor Congress appreciates the increase as a success of our health care campaign,” says OTUWA Executive Secretary, John Odah, while noting that Sierra Leone’s government has not met the 15 percent minimum annual budgetary health allocation to which African…
In a bid to foster development cooperation, the Leadership of the Parliament of Sierra Leone, on Monday, 09/12/2024, hosted a delegation from the Expertise France Group (AFD and the Human Capital Institute for Cooperation Project (PACOP), wherein strategic areas were pinned, geared towards Parliamentary cooperation between France and Sierra Leone, especially in the areas of Constitutional Missions of Parliament (Legislation, Oversight), Gender Issues, Administrative Organization and Financial Independence of Parliament, international partnership, and open parliament and transparency. In his welcoming address, the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament, Segepoh Solomon Thomas, welcomed the delegation to Parliament. He continued that the Parliament…
The second congregation ceremony of the Milton Margai Technical University (MMTU) for the 2022-2024 conferment of degrees and awards of diplomas and certificates to 2,848 grandaunts took place on Saturday, 14th December 2024, at its Peace and Love Amphitheatre, Goderich Campus in Freetown, with the theme for this year being: ‘Education is the Catalyst for Change.’ This is the last conferment of degrees, diplomas and certificates under Njala University and the University of Sierra Leone, respectively. The keynote speaker, First Lady Dr Fatima Bio, disclosed that the law preventing girls from being married under the age of 18 had been…
Rev. James Boye-Caulker has been elected as a bishop in The United Methodist Church’s West Africa Central Conference. Delegates elected Boye-Caulker, 60, on Dec. 7 on the first ballot at the central conference’s meeting at Best Western Premier Hotel in Accra. He received 43 votes out of 59 valid ballots cast. He needed 36 votes to be elected. He was the second bishop elected at the Dec. 5-8 gathering. Boye-Caulker has been in the Ministry for 34 years and served as full-time District Superintendent of Sierra Leone’s Western District since 2016. Retired Bishop Warner H. Brown Jr. has been interim…
Three newly appointed Ambassadors presented their letters of credence to His Excellency, President Julius Maada Bio, in a formal ceremony held at State House on Tuesday, 11th December 2024, marking the commencement of their diplomatic missions in Sierra Leone. The distinguished diplomats included H.E. Rasha Soliman Mohi Edpin Soliman, Ambassador-Designate to the Arab Republic of Egypt; H.E. Julien Yombouno, Ambassador-Designate of the Republic of Guinea; and H.E. Carole Van Eyll, Ambassador-Designate of the Kingdom of Belgium. President Bio warmly welcomed the diplomats, reiterating Sierra Leone’s dedication to fostering meaningful partnerships that advance mutual interests. He underscored the critical role of…
Justice Momoh Jah Stevens 19-year-old Edwina Hawa Jamiru In a shocking revelation, Edwina Hawa Jamiru, a 19-year-old second-year law student at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, has publicly accused Justice Momoh Jah Stevens, a senior judge at the Sierra Leone High Court, of sexual exploitation. The allegations surfaced in a video circulated widely on social media platforms, particularly WhatsApp, where Jamiru detailed her troubling experiences with the judge. In her statement, Jamiru described a long-term romantic relationship with Justice Stevens, asserting that he had impregnated her and subsequently abandoned both her and their unborn child. She characterised their…