Author: gleanernewspaper

Eni S.p.A., Italy’s energy giant, has signed a Reconnaissance Permit Agreement with the Government of Sierra Leone’s Petroleum Directorate, marking its first major offshore engagement in the country.The agreement grants Eni the right to undertake technical reconnaissance and evaluation work across five blocks—G113, G129, G130, G131, and G132—covering approximately 6,790 square kilometers of Sierra Leone’s offshore waters, and signals renewed international interest in the country’s hydrocarbon The agreement gives Eni the right to conduct technical reconnaissance and evaluation work across five blocks — G113, G129, G130, G131, and G132 — covering approximately 6,790 square kilometers of Sierra Leone’s offshore waters,…

The additional funding will help to support integrated landscape management (ILM) and biodiversity conservation, as well as improving food security and resilience in vulnerable communities. The World Bank has approved an additional $18.34 million grant to support Sierra Leone’s biodiversity protection, environmental sustainability, and climate change resilience through increased investments in Nature-Based Solutions (NBS). The funding, provided by the Global Environment Facility’s Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), will be used to expand activities under Phase 2 of the West Africa Food System Resilience Program (FSRP), a major regional initiative aimed at transforming food systems throughout West Africa. A Step Forward…

Africell’s original docuseries, One Week in…with Pelumi Nubi, has been shortlisted in the ‘Branded Entertainment’ category at the Indielab Innovation Awards 2025, earning international recognition for its innovative approach to media and storytelling. The Indielab Innovation Awards, based in London, are a highly respected creative industry event that recognises excellence in television, film, and digital media. The Branded Entertainment category recognises companies that use storytelling to strengthen brand identity and build meaningful connections with their audiences. This nomination, combined with the work of renowned documentarian Louis Theroux, highlights Africell’s emergence not only as a leading telecommunications provider in Africa, but…

Johannes “Bolle Jos” Leijdekkers presents a gift to Alusine Kanneh (Sierra Leone’s Chief Immigration Officer at the time), who celebrates his 50th birthday in June 2024 at LOR, an upscale restaurant in Freetown, Sierra Leone. On the right is Andrew Jaiah Kaikai, the Executive Director of Sierra Leone’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). Sierra Leoneans are sceptical of President Julius Maada Bio’s commitment to combating drug trafficking, following high-profile associations between senior officials and the Dutch national portrayed in international reports as a major cocaine trafficker.  President Bio announced five decisions during a State House stakeholders meeting last week. The review…

At the inaugural Sierra Leone Agri-Food Investment Summit, His Excellency Dr Julius Maada Bio urged both international and local investors to take advantage of new opportunities in the country’s agriculture sector, promising tax breaks, clearer investment laws, and regulations.Reforms designed to create a modern, self-sufficient food economy. Tory reforms aimed to create a modern, self-sufficient food economy. Ory reforms aim to create a modern, self-sufficient food economy. Ry reforms aimed to create a modern, self-sufficient food economy. y reforms designed to create a modern, self-sufficient food economy. The summit drew over 25 international investors and approximately 40 local companies.Economy,” President…

Sierra Leone’s Vice President, Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, has reiterated the government’s determination to shift the country away from import dependence and toward a future based on local production, innovation, and industrial growth.Dr Jalloh described the inaugural National Manufacturers’ Roundtable and Made in Sierra Leone Exhibition, held at the Bintumani International Conference Centre in Freetown, as “a true celebration of Sierra Leone’s manufacturing potential.” Dr. Jalloh described the inaugural National Manufacturers’ Roundtable and Made in Sierra Leone Exhibition at the Bintumani International Conference Centre in Freetown as “a true celebration of Sierra Leone’s manufacturing potential,” an “innovative platform that demonstrates…

Afrimoney and the Freetown City Council (FCC) have launched a digital payment solution that allows residents and businesses to pay property rates and business licenses using their smartphones, eliminating the need to visit physical payment locations. The partnership, which was formally announced on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at FCC offices in Freetown, aims to accelerate the city’s transition away from cash-based transactions while also improving revenue collection and service delivery.The platform, created by Afrimoney and FCC’s technology and finance teams, allows citizens to make civic payments at any time and from any location. According to Martinson Obeng-Agyei, CEO of Afrimoney,…

Sierra Leone has taken decisive action to accelerate public sector reform by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Kingdom’s Civil Service College in London. The agreement was signed by Mr Prince E.O. Cole, Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Civil Service, and Mr Kalilu O. Bah, Chairman of the Public Service Commission, and countersigned by Ms Denise Smart, Director of the UK Civil Service College.The ceremony was witnessed by Hon. Amara Kallon, Minister of Public Administration and Political Affairs, and Mr Sulaiman Phoray Musa, Director of the Public Sector Reform Unit (PSRU) in the Office…

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED) convened the Third Quarter 2025 Ministerial Development Partnership Committee (DEPAC) meeting on Thursday at the Foreign Service Academy, Tower Hill, bringing together senior government officials, development partners, and members of the diplomatic and financial communities to deliberate on new approaches to mobilize capital for Sierra Leone’s Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) 2024–2030. The forum — held under the theme “Exploring Opportunities for Raising Capital Investment for Sierra Leone – Lessons from Seville (FfD4)” — focused on pragmatic ways to expand financing sources, improve public investment efficiency, and translate international commitments into locally…

In the blistering heat of Freetown, tired young men gather in clusters on street corners, their limbs swollen and eyes glazed — a visible manifestation of a growing public health emergency. The substance at the centre of this human wreckage is known locally as kush, a cheap, highly toxic synthetic drug that has spread from obscurity to crisis in the space of a few years. Kush is believed to have appeared in Sierra Leone around 2016, but its human toll has accelerated sharply since. Between 2020 and 2023, the country’s only psychiatric hospital recorded 1,865 admissions linked to the drug,…