Author: gleanernewspaper

The Dutch Cabinet is preparing to request a suspension of European Union development aid to Sierra Leone following repeated failures to secure the extradition of convicted drug trafficker Jos Leijdekkers. The Netherlands intends to enlist other EU partners to increase diplomatic pressure on Freetown by linking cooperation to case progress, according to Minister of Justice Van Weel on the television show Buitenhof. “It is, of course, absurd that we facilitate or support a country that simultaneously provides a haven to one of the most notorious drug criminals known to us globally,” Van Weel stated, explaining why the Netherlands is considering measures other than…

BY-SHOBHA SHUKLA – CNS This year’s Menstrual Hygiene Day, as well as the International Day of Action for Women’s Health, is a grim reminder that women’s health is far from being a fundamental human right in reality. The writing on the wall is clear: if we are to deliver on the goal of gender equality for all by 2030, we must dismantle deeply rooted stigma, secure bodily autonomy and eliminate period poverty. Menstruation – or period – is a natural and healthy biological process. Every month, more than two billion people around the world menstruate. But out of these, 500…

The Vice President of Sierra Leone, Hon. Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, has officially become a subscriber of the newly launched Sierratel MVNO service after receiving his Sierratel SIM card from the leadership of Sierratel and Africell during a courtesy engagement in his office at Tower Hill. The delegation, led by the Managing Director of Sierratel, Joe Abass Bangura, alongside the CEO of Africell Sierra Leone, Shadi Gerjawi and senior staff members from both institutions, presented the SIM card to the Vice President as part of ongoing efforts to promote national ownership and support for the country’s newest telecommunications initiative. Receiving…

Senior Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) leadership met with Sierra Leone’s energy minister today to assess progress on the $480 million Compact and discuss ongoing energy sector reforms. Acting Vice President for Compact Operations Africa, Alicia Robinson-Morgan, led the MCC delegation to a consultation with Minister of Energy, Cyril Arnold Grant.Ms Robinson-Morgan was joined by Ndeye Sesay, Chief Executive Officer of Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), MCC Country Director Steven Grudda, and Hannah Hoover, Deputy Country Director. Al-Hassan Kondeh, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, participated in discussions aimed at improving institutional capacity and service delivery in the sector as Sierra…

The Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs held a press conference to clarify the government’s position following reports of a newly formed group known as the Federation of All Tourism Associations (FATA). The meeting brought together Ministry officials, representatives from the National Tourist Board, members of the media, and stakeholders from across Sierra Leone’s tourism sector to address concerns, explain institutional procedures, and encourage cohesion as the country works to establish a unified National Tourism Federation.Speaking at the event, Director of Tourism, Travel, and Exchange Mohamed Jalloh reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to bolstering Sierra Leone’s tourism, culture, creative, and entertainment…

His Excellency Dr Julius Maada Bio, President of Sierra Leone and current Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, delivered a reflective and impassioned lecture at the University of Oxford, urging African leaders, institutions, and citizens to defend constitutional democracy in the face of growing coups and electoral uncertainty across West Africa. President Bio delivered remarks to a group of postgraduate students, faculty, diplomats, and academics as part of the Oxford Postgraduate Distinguished Lecture Series, with the theme “Defending Constitutional Democracy in an Era of Growing Coups and Electoral Uncertainty in West Africa.”President Bio warned in…

Chief Minister Dr David Moinina Sengeh led a high-level government delegation, which included senior officials and the Vice President of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), on an inspection visit to the Nant Energy Power Project construction site at Kissy Dockyard in Freetown. The visit was part of the government’s ongoing oversight of strategic national infrastructure, and it demonstrated efforts to strengthen collaboration with international development partners while ensuring the timely delivery of transformative energy investments for Sierra Leone’s development.Karim Nasser, Executive Chairman and Director of Nant Power, gave the delegation a guided tour of the facility and provided detailed updates…

Dr Mustapha Kabba, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at the Ministry of Health, reassured Sierra Leoneans at a Lungi Civic Day town hall on May 19, 2026, that the country remains free of Ebola and outlined enhanced national preparedness measures in response to recent developments in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Dr Kabba told citizens, health workers, and local officials that the ministry is closely monitoring the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in collaboration with international and regional partners, including the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.Although no Ebola…

A Belgian court sentenced Dutch fugitive drug trafficker Jos Leijdekkers and nineteen others to prison terms ranging from one and a half to ten years in a major drug case. The judge found them guilty of importing more than 11 tons of cocaine from Sierra Leone. The drugs were hidden inside a container that entered the country through the Port of Antwerp in October 2023. This is one of the largest drug seizures ever recorded in Belgium, with a street value of 550 million euros. The drugs were supposed to be picked up by one of Leijdekkers’ accomplices; however, the shipment was…

Shadi Gerjawi, CEO of Africell Sierra Leone, argued at the 18th West Africa Internet Governance Forum (WAIGF 2026) in Freetown that mobile network operators (MNOs) are critical to ensuring the region’s digital future. During the high-level five-day forum at the Miatta Conference Centre, Youyi Building, Gerjawi told policymakers, regulators, technology specialists, youth delegates, and private sector representatives that physical telecommunications infrastructure must be central to any effort to strengthen digital sovereignty in West Africa.Gerjawi emphasised that digital sovereignty is useless in the absence of strong and resilient physical networks. He stated that telecommunications towers, subsea and terrestrial fibre, and last-mile…