Author: gleanernewspaper

The Republic of Korea has donated Information Technology (IT) equipment worth over $200, 000 to the Foreign Affairs Academy to help support the work of the Academy. The equipment was handed over to Ambassador Soulay Daramy, head of the Foreign Academy service by the Korean Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Ambassador Kim Young Chae, in the presence of the special envoy of the President of the Republic of Korea. H.E Mr Chung Hwang-keun. Ambassador Kim Young Chae, in his statement, applauded the establishment of the Foreign Service Academy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their exemplary work in fostering Sierra…

By Ibrahim Sorie Koroma Ministry of Health and Sanitation, in collaboration with its partners, on Friday 13th October 2023, engaged Paramount Chiefs from the Southern Region at the One World Link Conference Hall in Boy City, on the Sierra Leone 2023 ITNs Mass Distribution Campaign, scheduled to kick-start in Bo District, as a pilot. The main purpose of the engagement was to orientate traditional authorities from the south on the upcoming Insecticide Treated Mosquito Net Distribution Campaign, thereby soliciting their support and commitment to achieving the desired goal/outcome of the campaign and ensuring ownership, especially in the area of reviving/enforcing byelaws on…

By Augustine Sankoh Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) and partners held a three-day inception retreat on the rolling-out of a $40 million Global Partnership for Education (GPE) grant to implement the foundational learning for all projects (2023-2027). The retreat was held from the 10th to the 12th of October at The Place Resort, Tokeh, with the theme: “Accelerating government’s commitment to Education with focus on delivering foundational learning for all children.” The Board of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) approved US$ 40 million in grants for Sierra Leone during their July meeting. The grants include a US$ 22.5…

NGOs across Africa and around the world will meet in Nairobi, Kenya, from 21-22 November 2023 to discuss sustainable peace and socio-economic development of the African continent. For too long, the realisation of peace and human development in Africa has been left in the hands of politicians. Despite the enormous contribution of African and international civil society, little has been achieved to realise sustainable peace and development across the continent. On this note, the African NGO Summit will be a meeting point for NGOs from across the continent and abroad, to converge on the socio-economic needs of the African continent.…

His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, received the report, with recommendations, from the committee that was commissioned in 2022 and mandated to investigate the extent, causes and implications of encroachment into the Western Area Peninsula National Park, WAPNP. Chief Minister, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, told President Bio that members of the committee were in his office to submit their report, adding that they discovered that there was a lot of human encroachment on the forest reserve area around Guma Valley Dam. He said the Greenbelt was first established in 1916 and was reviewed in 2013, but human activities had…

News from the Diaspora has intimated this medium that comes December 1st this year, there is likely going to be another big protest, which will impact government operations negatively, countrywide. In an interview with one of the organizers in the Diaspora, Humphrey Thomas, he disclosed that he is coming up with what he described as a ‘Pot Coba’ Protest to let the government know the challenges and frustration the masses are going through. He said that Sierra Leone has faced its fair share of economic, social, and political hardship under the current Bio administration. Freedom of speech and peaceful assembly have been…

The EU’s election observation mission to Sierra Leone on Tuesday 10th October 2023, highlighted statistical inconsistencies, intimidation and political violence in its final report on the June 24 Elections, recommending a string of measures to boost transparency, safety and freedom of expression. “Voters’ trust in the credibility of elections was undermined by (a) lack of transparency during critical stages of the process,” the mission said in the report, which it presented to President Julius Maada Bio on Tuesday. “Tabulation and announcement of results proved to be the tipping point for the credibility of the elections. The entire process was opaque,…

Of all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), African countries are clearly on track to achieve SDG 9, which aims for sustainable industrialization that benefits all and encourages innovation. Nearly 4 out of five people on the African continent own a cell phone, the world’s fastest-growing mobile phone market. However, the annual report on the MDGs in Africa points to delays and disparities in the expansion of rural roads. Internet connectivity and cell phone penetration are the anchor points for Africa’s progress towards the ninth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 9), namely to achieve inclusive and sustainable industrialization, combined with innovation and…

The new United States Ambassador to Sierra Leone, His Excellency Bryan D. Hunt, on Monday 9 October 2023, paid a courtesy call on the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu. During the meeting in the office of the Speaker in Parliament at Tower Hill in Freetown, a wide range of important bilateral issues were discussed, as well as the participation of the Opposition (APC) Members of Parliament in the governance of the State. In his opening statement, the United States Ambassador said he visited the Speaker to pay his respect before the House resumed its Recess…

Following the refusal of the Chief Electoral Commissioner for Sierra Leone to grant access to a popular pro-democracy lawyer and human rights activist, Augustine Sorie-Sengbe Marrah, he has brought an action against the Chief Electoral Commissioner and the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone, on the basis that the refusal or denial of the ECSL to grant him access to the unaggregated or disaggregated results, otherwise known as the Results Reconciliation Forms) of the 11,712 ECL’s designated polling station results for the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Council Elections held on 24th June 2023, was and is a violation of his right to freedom of…