Author: gleanernewspaper

Minister of Trade and Industry Alpha Ibrahim Sesay Sierra Leone’s government has announced a breakthrough in attracting private capital for industrial development, with up to US$700 million set aside for the expansion of the country’s manufacturing sector. Minister of Trade and Industry Alpha Ibrahim Sesay announced the Civic Day Series in Karene District. Minister Sesay stated that the investment will support local production of goods such as beverages, tomato paste, iron rods, and flour, which currently account for a significant portion of Sierra Leone’s imports. “By next year, we will have companies producing beverages, tomato paste, iron rods, and many…

On April 14, 2026, President Julius Maada Bio received letters of credence from five newly accredited envoys in a ceremony that highlighted Sierra Leone’s determination to expand diplomatic, economic, and technical cooperation with international partners. The ambassadors from the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and the United Mexican States were formally introduced to the President by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Timothy Musa Kabba. The envoy from Russia, Ambassador Andrei Stolyarov, described Sierra Leone and Russia as longtime partners and praised the country’s progress in key…

His Excellency Julius Maada Bio concluded a high-level virtual meeting of the G7+ Eminent Persons, urging intensified collective action to confront political and security challenges in fragile member states, particularly Guinea-Bissau and South Sudan. The meeting, convened by Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, aimed to strengthen cooperation, solidarity, and strategic engagement among G7+ countries and formalise bilateral relations between Timor-Leste and Sierra Leone. President Bio acknowledged Timor-Leste’s leadership in hosting the G7+ Secretariat and reaffirmed Sierra Leone’s commitment to the group’s core principles of peace, resilience, and sustainable development. He emphasised the importance…

Over 350 students from primary and junior secondary schools in Freetown participated in a two-day junior basketball clinic hosted by Africell Sierra Leone in collaboration with NBA Africa. The event, which took place on Thursday, April 16 and Friday, April 17, 2026, at the National Stadium Basketball Court in Brookfields, aimed to help beginner players improve their fundamental skills and confidence through hands-on coaching and structured drills. Throughout the clinic, participants were taught the fundamentals of the sport — dribbling, passing, and shooting — as well as teamwork and game awareness. Experienced coaches led age-appropriate drills that made the sessions…

Alpha Sesay, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, met a delegation of International Moral Guarantors to discuss progress on Sierra Leone’s electoral reform agenda and the implementation of the Agreement for National Unity. The April 14, 2026 meeting brought together international figures charged with monitoring the country’s political reconciliation and electoral readiness in advance of upcoming national milestones. The visiting delegation, led by former Gambian Vice President Her Excellency Fatoumata Jallow Tambajang, included the Deputy UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for West Africa and the Sahel, the UN Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone, and ECOWAS and Commonwealth representatives.…

Sierra Leone’s Minister of Youth Affairs, Ibrahim Sannoh, used a high-level Side Event of the 2026 ECOSOC Youth Forum on 16 April to press international and domestic stakeholders to convert commitments into concrete, youth-led solutions that accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The event, convened by the Commonwealth Youth Council in partnership with the Governments of Sierra Leone and Ghana and UNESCO, brought together policymakers, UN agencies, development partners, private sector representatives and youth leaders to deliberate on how to boost meaningful youth engagement in sustainable development. In a keynote that combined urgency with a practical roadmap, Minister…

President Julius Maada Bio President Julius Maada Bio has defended his frequent international travel, telling Sierra Leoneans that he often travels to “Manjalaji” (a local term meaning to beg for help) in developing countries to support young people and address pressing national issues. Speaking to a small group during his Easter vacation in the country’s southern region, President Bio dismissed criticism of his travel schedule, saying, “People always complain about my frequent travelling, but they don’t know I’m going to ‘Manjalaji’ to support the youths and solve the many problems we face as a nation. To make his point, the president used…

Freetown, Sierra Leone, April 2026- Sierra Leone’s judiciary will host the ECOWAS Judicial Council for the first time in history, when the regional judicial body meets in Freetown from April 20 to 24, 2026. The five-day conference will be held at the Atlantic Hotel on Lumley Beach and is expected to draw a high-level delegation from throughout West Africa.The organisers anticipate the attendance of approximately 12 Chief Justices, 15 Judges, and numerous senior judicial officials from ECOWAS member states. The meeting will be chaired by the Honourable Chief Justice of Sierra Leone, His Lordship Justice Komba Kamanda, who has positioned…

Dr Isata Mahoi, Chair of the ECOWAS Ministers of Gender, made a pointed call to eliminate the financial barriers that prevent many West African women from participating in politics at a side event held in New York during the Commission on the Status of Women’s 70th session. Speaking on the theme “Breaking the Financial Barriers – Addressing Women’s Political Leadership in West Africa,” she emphasised that, while women are the backbone of communities and economies throughout the region, the costs of candidacy and campaigning, limited access to finance, and entrenched cultural biases continue to limit their political participation.Dr Mahoi argued…

The Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) and the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society (SLRCS) have formed a strategic partnership to improve national road safety and emergency medical response. The two organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the SLRSA headquarters on Kissy Road in Freetown, establishing a collaborative framework to improve accident response, first aid capacity, and public awareness of safe driving.The SLRSA and SLRCS will collaborate on several priority areas, including providing first aid training to responders and members of the public, improving coordination during road traffic crashes, and sustaining road safety education campaigns. The agreement is…