Author: gleanernewspaper

National Security Coordinator, Abdulai Caulker The Office of National Security (ONS), in collaboration with the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) and the Sierra Leone Police, has improved security in and around Freetown ahead of the 69th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State. The summit will be held on July 19, 2026, by His Excellency Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone and current Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, at the newly built Julius Maada Bio International Conference Centre, Lungi. Ministers, officials, delegates and guests from the West African region will…

4 June 2026, Freetown. The Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone has presented 15 Lifan motorbikes to the Office of National Security (ONS) during a ceremony at the ONS headquarters on OAU Drive, Tower Hills, Freetown. The donation, which is aimed at enhancing the mobility and operational capacity of the ONS, was formally handed over to the National Security Coordinator (NS Coord), Mr Abdulai Caulker, in the presence of senior officials of the ONS and the Chinese diplomatic delegation. Deputy National Security Coordinator Dr Ahmed Sannoh, in his opening remarks, warmly welcomed His Excellency Zhao Yong, Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone…

Freetown – The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Alpha Sesay Esq., held a high-level consultative meeting on Tuesday 7 July 2026 at the Guma Building, Lamina Sankoh Street, to review progress and agree a timetable for the completion of the Tripartite Committee’s electoral reform recommendations.The meeting gathered key stakeholders including representatives of the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion (ICPNC), National Moral Guarantors of the Agreement for National Unity and legal representatives of the All People’s Congress (APC). Participants took stock of reforms already introduced, reviewed the status of measures already underway and agreed on a clear roadmap…

The Sierra Leone High Commission (SLHC) was represented today at a Basic Life Support (BLS) training session organised by community group Wel Bodi Beteh Pas Gentri (WBBPG) and delivered by Dr Mohamed Kamara, Emergency Consultant at Tameside & Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust in Greater Manchester. The practical session took place at the Crawford Estate Tenants Hall in South East London and was live-streamed online to participants from across the UK and further afield, who received practical training on emergency response and life-saving interventions. The training included expert presentations and practical demonstrations to guide participants in recognising and responding…

Mrs Christiana S.H. Fallah, Minister Plenipotentiary and Head of Chancery, Sierra Leone High Commission in London, attended the Milton Margai Alumni UK & I Cultural Evening on March 7, 2026, at Lambeth Town Hall, Brixton, South East London. Mrs Fallah, a proud former student of the then Milton Margai College of Education and Technology, stated that she was truly delighted to see former students and colleagues come together to celebrate their common background, restore friendships that span decades and foster a sense of togetherness among Sierra Leoneans living in the UK. Mrs Fallah took the opportunity to reflect on the…

A pensioner and long-time customer of Mercury International went home with Le692,000 on Monday, July 6, 2026, after correctly predicting the outcome of 15 football matches on the company’s betting platform. Leslie Prince Mensah-Coker received the cheque in a brief ceremony at Mercury International’s headquarters on Walpole Street, Freetown. The event highlighted the operator’s commitment to timely payments and its commitment to instilling customer confidence. During the presentation, Beresford Bournes-Coker, Chief Operations Officer of Mercury International, took the opportunity to highlight the company’s promotional structure and financial reliability. The company, he said, was the “Bonus King,” referring to a 100…

Freetown, July 7, 2026 – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation today officially took delivery of 15 protocol vehicles donated by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, a gift aimed at enhancing Sierra Leone’s logistical preparedness for the upcoming Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Summit.The handover ceremony was held in the Ministry Conference Room on July 7, where officials stressed what they described as the enduring friendship and strategic cooperation between Sierra Leone and China. The donation comes at a crucial time when Sierra Leone prepares to host regional leaders, heads of State and…

Sierra Leone’s Minister of Trade and Industry, H.E. Alpha Ibrahim Sesay, speaking at the celebration of ECOWAS Day, held at the United Nations Trusteeship Council Chamber on 26 June 2026, highlighted the importance of economic integration and trade in building peace and resilience in West Africa. The ECOWAS Group of Ambassadors in New York and the ECOWAS Permanent Observer Mission organised a meeting to mark the 51st anniversary of ECOWAS and the 20th anniversary of the UN Peacebuilding Fund, bringing together senior UN officials, regional commissioners, ministers, development banks, private sector leaders and civil society. The keynote address was delivered…

His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio, in his capacity as Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), formally commissioned the new ECOWAS Headquarters in Abuja, greatly contributing to the regional bloc by overseeing the completion and official opening of the complex.  The new headquarters, hailed as a symbol of shared ambition in West Africa, is expected to serve more than 450 million people across the region. It will serve as the home of the ECOWAS Commission, Parliament and the Community Court of Justice, creating a central point…

The Sierra Leone Diaspora Investment Conference marks its first international expansion beyond the United States and proves the diaspora is done waiting. LONDON, United Kingdom — June 29, 2026 The fourth annual Sierra Leone Diaspora Investment Conference “SLDIC London 2026” concluded on Saturday at the InterContinental Hotel Park Lane, having sold out its two-day programme and drawn in more than 400 diaspora delegates, investors, entrepreneurs, and policymakers from across the United Kingdom and beyond. The conference, held on June 19 and 20, marked SLDIC’s first international expansion beyond the United States and its most ambitious edition to date, bringing the…