Author: gleanernewspaper

By Hajaratu Bangura Tuesday, September 30, 2025, in New Carrollton, US: Alhaji Fanday Turay, Minister of Transport and Aviation, announced that the country intends to reintroduce commercial train transportation. Minister Turay was speaking at the Civic Day series in the United States on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. “His Excellency envisions having a train in Sierra Leone as well. To accomplish this, we have already established an agency, and they will start doing the research right now. They will meet with business people shortly after the research is completed, and I believe this is an opportunity for the diaspora as well,”…

On Saturday, September 20, 2025, CTC Mining (SL) Limited formally commissioned a newly constructed and fully furnished 12-classroom block with a teachers’ office at Jeremiah School, Rogbereh Junction, Maforki Chiefdom, Port Loko District. Traditional leaders, political representatives, government agency officials, school staff, and community members attended the event, praising the company for fully implementing its Community Development Action Plan (CDAP) and delivering a project that directly addresses local needs.  In his welcome address, Paramount Chief Bai Forki Fianka II praised CTC Mining as the district’s most compliant company in terms of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and CDAP implementation. He emphasised…

Sierra Leone’s Chief Minister delivered a powerful keynote address at the Sierra Leone-Canada Trade, Investment, and Cultural Show 2025, urging investors, policymakers, and diaspora stakeholders to prioritise digital transformation as the foundation for inclusive national development. He framed his remarks around President Julius Maada Bio’s “Big Five Game Changers,” arguing that digitisation is required — not optional — to increase opportunity across the country. Addressing a diverse audience of potential partners, the Chief Minister highlighted concrete advances in connectivity, including the widespread expansion of 3G and 4G mobile networks, as well as pilot 5G deployments that are reaching even remote…

The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), in collaboration with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), has distributed critical relief items to families affected by the recent floods in Freetown, including those who have lost loved ones. The donation ceremony took place at the NDMA Headquarters at 64 Sir Samuel Lewis Road in Aberdeen, where the Church presented a large consignment of food, roofing materials, and bedding to be distributed to verified victims. The Church donated 150 sacks of rice (50kg each), 150 five-litre containers of vegetable oil, 50 cartons of canned fish, 50 cartons of tin…

On Friday, September 12, 2025, President Dr. Julius Maada Bio met with Her Excellency Rasha Soliman Mohi Eldin Soliman, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Sierra Leone, at State House in Freetown for a bilateral briefing and discussions aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation. The meeting reaffirmed the growing partnership that developed following President Bio’s state visit to Egypt in March 2025. Ambassador Soliman used the occasion to reiterate Egypt’s commitment to deepening collaboration in areas of mutual interest. She highlighted the progress made in implementing the comprehensive cooperation agreements signed earlier this year, which cover critical sectors such…

A member of the 26th batch of the Chinese medical team in Sierra Leone instructs local trainees in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training. The first Sierra Leone-China On-Site First Aid Training Centre was officially opened on Wednesday at the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Hospital in Freetown, ushering in a new era of medical collaboration between China and Sierra Leone. The centre’s goal is to strengthen local emergency medical capacity by teaching Sierra Leoneans practical first aid skills and preparing them to respond effectively to a variety of urgent health situations. Liu Longfei, chief of the 26th batch of the Chinese medical team…

At the International Skills and Workforce Alliance 2025 (ISWA2025), Sierra Leone’s Minister of Youth Affairs Ibrahim Sannoh emerged as a compelling voice for a youth-led and ethically grounded digital transformation across Africa. Moderating a high-level session titled “Linking Industrial Skills Transformation with the Demographic Dividend and Inclusive Development,” Minister Sannoh used the platform to press for urgent action on responsible artificial intelligence (AI), stronger ties between academia and industry, and continent-wide collaboration in research and development. Sannoh argued that AI must be governed by clear, principled guidelines if the continent hopes to harness the technology for inclusive growth rather than…

Tiwai Island in Sierra Leone has emerged as a must-see off-the-beaten-path destination in 2026. It was ranked first on Intrepid Travel’s latest “Not Hot List,” recognising lesser-known destinations prioritising sustainable tourism and authentic cultural encounters. Tiwai Island, located within the Gola Forest National Park, is a community-run wildlife sanctuary also known as the “Land of the Apes.” The small rainforest haven is home to chimpanzees, rare colobus monkeys, and a variety of other species that thrive beneath a canopy of towering trees. According to Intrepid, the sanctuary’s community-led management model and recent UNESCO World Heritage site designation have helped raise…

On Friday, September 5, 2025, the African Union (AU) welcomed the Republic of Sierra Leone’s formal deposition of its instruments of ratification for the African Road Safety Charter, bringing the continent one Member State closer to the Charter’s entry into force. Sierra Leone is now the 14th AU member state to have completed ratification. H.E. Rex Bhonapha, Deputy Minister of Transport and Aviation of the Republic of Sierra Leone, deposited the instruments at AU headquarters. He was accompanied by Hon. Duwai Sellu Lungay, the country’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the African Union. Professor Hajer Gueldich, AU Legal Counsel and Acting…

By Kemo Cham Campaigners have called for collective efforts in the fight against drug abuse in Sierra Leone as a new report confirms the presence of a dangerous chemical in Kush, the substance at the center of the ongoing drug epidemic in the country. Kush is believed to have caused the death of thousands of people in the country. And study conducted by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) revealed that it contains mainly Nitazene, a synthetic opioid responsible for multiple deaths in Europe and north America. Preliminary findings of the study co-authored by the Clingendael Institute, were…