Author: gleanernewspaper

On June 5, 2026, His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio attended the Mercy Ships Partners’ Thank You Event. The event marked the end of Mercy Ships’ three-year mission in Sierra Leone and celebrated the Government and Mercy Ships’ commitment to strengthening the country’s health sector. The partnership provided life-changing surgical care, professional training, and health system support to thousands of Sierra Leoneans. The meeting established a framework for future collaboration.Mercy Ships Managing Director Matt Murray kicked off the event by thanking President Bio for his “visionary leadership and steadfast support,” which he said created the enabling environment for Mercy…

President Dr Julius Maada Bio hosted a farewell lunch for Sierra Leonean crew members and volunteers from the Global Mercy ship, using the occasion to reaffirm his administration’s commitment to improving collaboration between Mercy Ships and the Sierra Leone government. The event marked the conclusion of a three-year field service that government officials and Mercy Ships leaders described as transformative for the country’s surgical care, workforce development, and institutional capacity. Mercy Ships leaders, Sierra Leonean volunteers who served on board, senior government officials, and health sector representatives attended the event. Mr Matthew Murray, speaking on behalf of the Mercy Ships…

The world celebrates World Environment Day 2026 with the theme “Inspired by Nature. For Climate.” For Our Future,” Sierra Leone faces a stark reminder that nature’s health is essential to human survival, particularly the forests and watersheds that sustain Freetown and its surrounding communities. A recent assessment conducted by the Guma Valley Water Company (GVWC) between December 4, 2025 and January 8, 2026, revealed alarming levels of deforestation, settlement encroachment, and unsanitary human activity across critical catchments in the Western Area — trends that jeopardise the city’s water security.For over sixty years, GVWC has been the primary source of potable…

The Klymax Breed Foundation presented food supplies valued at approximately Le25 million to the Milton Margai School for the Blind on Wilkinson Road in Freetown. The donation was made in response to the school’s appeal and is intended to help with the students’ daily needs.Ten bags of 50-kilogram rice, sachets of drinking water, three bags of onions, powdered milk, lunch meat, and tinned tomatoes were among the items distributed. The foundation described the quantity and mix of staples as sufficient to meet immediate needs while also supplementing the school’s feeding program.Klymax Breed Foundation Program Manager Akiwumi Benjamin presented the donation,…

By Manon Demarie EUROPE’S most wanted drug trafficker, ‘Bolle Jos,’ has once again come under fire after investigators linked his Dutch criminal network to Spain’s largest cocaine seizure. Investigators believe the shipment was part of Joseph Johannes Leijdekkers’ international trafficking network, which allegedly used Spain to transport massive amounts of cocaine to Europe.  The case has also rekindled interest in his long-standing presence on the Costa del Sol, where luxury apartments, expensive cars, and secret meetings with international gangs helped to establish Marbella as one of the feared Dutch fugitive’s key bases. Leijdekkers allegedly first purchased a luxury apartment in Puerto Banus…

The official groundbreaking of the Waterloo Innovent Power Park Project in Waterloo marked a significant step in Sierra Leone’s energy transformation, according to the Ministry of Energy. Hon. Cyril A. Grant, Minister of Energy, presided over the ceremony, which brought together government officials, project developers, traditional authorities, and members of the host community to witness the start of construction on a facility aimed at improving electricity supply in the Western Area and promoting local agricultural development. Minister Grant thanked President Brig. (Rtd) Julius Maada Bio for prioritising energy on the national agenda during his keynote address. “Under His Excellency’s leadership,…

The National Investment Board (NIB) leadership, led by Executive Director Dr Edward Hinga Sandy and Deputy Executive Director Ms Fatima Mahawa Sandi, has advocated for increased investment in mineral value addition and beneficiation as a key strategy for industrial growth, job creation, and broader economic transformation in Sierra Leone. The appeal was made during a high-level panel at Sierra Leone Mining Week 2026, which coincided with the 11th African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA) Council of Ministers Meeting at the Bintumani Conference Centre in Freetown. Dr Sandy spoke as a panellist in a strategic session on mineral beneficiation and industrial development,…

His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, who also serves as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, delivered a Presidential Lecture at the Africa Together Conference 2026 at the University of Cambridge. He urged African nations to embrace strategic leadership, build resilient institutions, and make bold choices in the face of mounting global disruption. Under the conference theme “Africa in an Age of Disruption: Power, Agency, and Strategic Choice,” President Bio addressed scholars, students, members of the African diaspora, and a distinguished international audience, framing the continent’s situation as one of urgent…

At the NaTCA Consumer Parliament 2026, Africell Sierra Leone’s CEO, Shadi Gerjawi, reaffirmed the company’s long-term commitment to driving digital transformation, expanding connectivity, and investing in national development. Gerjawi addressed a diverse audience that included the Honourable Minister of Communications and Innovation, Members of Parliament, the Director General of the National Communications Authority, the Mayor of Kenema City, traditional leaders, government officials, sector representatives, civil society organisations, media, and consumers, framing Africell’s plans as both a business strategy and a civic commitment to Sierra Leone’s future.Gerjawi cited Africell’s 21st year of operations in the country as a watershed moment that…

The Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE) held a high-level stakeholder meeting in Freetown to discuss the proposed Centralised Admissions System (CAS) for tertiary education in Sierra Leone. The meeting, held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, brought together university leaders, regulators, examination bodies, technology partners, telecommunications and civil registration authorities, and representatives from Nigeria’s education authorities to discuss how a unified, digital admissions framework could improve transparency, equity, and efficiency in admitting students to universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.Permanent Secretary Mohamed Sheick Kargbo opened the session, describing the consultation as a watershed moment in…