Author: gleanernewspaper

The Sierra Leone Red Cross Society (SLRCS) has increased its efforts to improve emergency care for victims of traffic accidents by inviting Inspector General of Police (IGP) William Fayia Sellu to a strategic meeting aimed at strengthening early response and coordination along the country’s major highways.On Tuesday, senior SLRCS officials met with the IGP to discuss how the humanitarian organisation and the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) can collaborate more closely to provide timely life-saving assistance at crash scenes. The meeting is part of a larger SLRCS strategy to reduce fatalities and long-term injuries in road traffic accidents by implementing faster,…

Sierra Leone’s Minister of Finance, Sheku Ahmed Fantamadi Bangura, led a high-level delegation to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group Spring Meetings in Washington, DC (April 13-18, 2026), to advocate for support measures to mitigate the economic impact of the ongoing Middle East crisis. The delegation included senior government and central bank officials such as the Ministers of Energy and Basic and Senior Secondary Education, the Financial Secretary, the Governor and Deputy Governor of the Bank of Sierra Leone, and Chief Economists from both the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Sierra Leone.Minister Bangura began a series…

April, 2026 — The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TiKA) has provided comprehensive training to the Sierra Leone Police (SLP), with the agency’s Country Director describing Sierra Leone as one of Africa’s most peaceful nations. The offer, made during a courtesy visit to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), reflects a growing collaboration aimed at increasing the police force’s capacity and professionalism. When TiKA’s Country Director in Sierra Leone, Mirzet Muezzinoglu, met with IGP William Fayia Sellu at Kingtom, he shared the agency’s assessment of the country’s security situation. Muezzinoglu stated that during his recent visits to ten African countries,…

Development Secretary Ambrose James received a delegation of Chinese technical experts to discuss the detailed planning of a nationwide solar streetlight installation that will deploy 1,500 units throughout Sierra Leone. The meeting, held in the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development’s conference hall, reviewed previous feasibility studies, refined installation designs, and addressed operational issues such as equipment storage, expatriate staff documentation, and duty-free clearance for imported materials.Mr Li led the visiting team, which laid out a phased schedule. They will remain in the country for two months to conduct field assessments in all sixteen districts. They expect to complete their…

John Howard’s proverb, “You can’t fatten a pig on market day,” sums up a straightforward but timeless political reality: long-term planning, consistent delivery, and steady work, rather than last-minute antics, are what build success. This lesson is especially relevant to Sierra Leone’s current opposition, the All Peoples Congress (APC). The APC seems content to fight on the edge. At the same time, the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), led by President Julius Maada Bio, struggles with several worsening failures that impact many citizens’ lives, wasting a clear chance to make those failures the central topic of political sermons. Bio successfully turned public…

Andoh Obed Mensah, the newly appointed Country Manager for the African Development Bank Group in Sierra Leone, began his duties on March 22 by presenting his Letters of Credence to Francess Piagie Alghali, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Deputy Minister Alghali welcomed Mensah and reaffirmed Sierra Leone’s strong and long-standing partnership with the African Development Bank Group. She emphasised the Bank’s important role in advancing national priorities, drawing attention to interventions in a variety of critical sectors, including agriculture, transportation, energy, and water and sanitation. Alghali stated that the Bank’s programmes are closely aligned with the priorities outlined…

Soko M. Kai-Samba, Director of Partnership at the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), is representing Sierra Leone at the 16th Conference of the Parties (CoP16) of the African Risk Capacity (ARC), which begins on April 8, 2026, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The continental forum brings together African policymakers, development partners, and technical experts to promote collaborative approaches to climate resilience, disaster risk management, and insurance-based financial protection. CoP16, organised by the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission and convened as a “Common African House,” provides a collaborative space for Member States to address climate-related hazards and improve cross-border responses. The conference’s…

President Julius Maada Bio has officially commissioned a large fleet of vehicles and motorcycles aimed at improving healthcare delivery throughout Sierra Leone, signalling a major government effort to close long-standing transportation gaps that prevent access to services in remote and underserved areas. The newly unveiled fleet consists of 10 buses, 10 utility vehicles, one fully equipped mobile maintenance workshop vehicle, and 450 motorcycles. According to government sources, the deployment aims to improve health personnel mobility and the health system’s ability to reach previously difficult-to-serve populations. President Bio described the initiative as a historic milestone, stating that it is the first…

Hon. Mathew Sahr Nyuma, the Leader of Government Business in Sierra Leone’s Parliament, presided over a broad debate on the proposed National Security and Central Intelligence Bill, urging his colleagues to give the measure careful consideration before it is passed. The Bill, which seeks to repeal and replace the National Security and Central Intelligence Act 2023 (Act No. 2 of 2023), is described by its supporters as a way to strengthen the legal framework governing national security and intelligence in order to support state development. Speaking in the House, Hon. Nyuma emphasised that the State’s primary responsibility is to provide…

9 April 2026 — During his keynote address at the International Vienna Climate and Energy Conference, President Dr Julius Maada Bio called for increased global investment, stronger regional integration, and a decisive shift from promises to practical implementation of climate and energy commitments. Speaking as Sierra Leone’s head of state and Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, he urged international partners and regional leaders to prioritise projects that provide tangible socioeconomic benefits—value creation, employment, and improved livelihoods—over pledges that remain on paper.President Bio emphasised that prosperity, security, and stability are mutually reinforcing goals, and argued…