Author: gleanernewspaper

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…

Since launching operations in Sierra Leone in 2017, Edify Sierra Leone, which operates under the motto “Flourishing Godly Nations,” has been credited by heads of beneficiary schools with providing transformative capacity-building support that is reshaping how Christian schools operate, teach, and sustain themselves. In an exclusive round of interviews, head teachers, proprietors, and principals from Edify partner schools stated that the organisation’s programs have improved spiritual formation, administrative and financial systems, broadened learning through technology, and assisted schools in becoming more sustainable and accountable. Edify’s initial focus was on private schools like Beacon High, Agape Pre/Primary, Blossom, Nenneh, and Dunnet,…

Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, with female farmers on the farm. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) has launched a $75 million Special Agro-Processing Zone (SAPZ), funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB), to boost rice production and agricultural productivity in Sierra Leone. The program will be implemented in Port Loko and Kambia districts, two of the country’s primary rice-producing regions, and is positioned as a key component of the government’s Feed Salone initiative. During the project’s preparatory phase, MAFS and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted stakeholder consultations to review environmental and social safeguards, ensuring that…

On September 9, 2025, His Excellency Desmond Babatunde Edwards, Ambassador of the Republic of Sierra Leone, presented his Letter of Credence to President Michael D. Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin, the official residence and principal workplace of the President of Ireland. Following his appointment late last year, Ambassador Edwards’ diplomatic mission in Dublin began officially with the presentation ceremony. Ambassador Edwards was accompanied to Áras an Uachtaráin by his wife, Mrs. Susan Edwards, two sons, Emmanuel and Isaac Edwards, and Mr. Tamba Juana, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of the Republic of Sierra Leone. The delegation’s arrival was…

Alhaji Manika Kamara, President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), has urged the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) to become a truly independent public service broadcaster that represents and serves all citizens’ interests. Speaking on Tuesday at consultations on the SLBC Act 2010, Kamara described reform of the national broadcaster as both a media-sector priority and a democratic necessity. He argued that an SLBC free of government, partisan, and special-interest control would ensure equal access to diverse voices, raise programming standards, and contribute to national cohesion. According to Kamara, SLAJ’s participation in the review is part of a…

Jiwoh E. Abdulai, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, has requested full support from local authorities for the country’s first comprehensive National Forest Inventory (NFI) in more than 50 years. Speaking at a stakeholder engagement meeting on Monday, September 8, 2025, at Galliness Paradise in Bo, the Minister emphasised that the exercise is critical for sustainable forest management, climate action, and the country’s ability to access international climate financing. Minister Abdulai explained that the NFI will provide a current and accurate assessment of Sierra Leone’s forest cover, identify areas that need rehabilitation, and generate data for chiefdoms, district administrations, national…

On Tuesday, September 9, 2025, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), through its Division for Public Institutions and Digital Governance (DPIDG), in partnership with the African Union’s African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and the Government of Sierra Leone, launched a four-day training workshop aimed at accelerating the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2063 in Sierra Leone. Freetown — On Tuesday, September 9, 2025, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), through its Division for Public Institutions and Digital Governance (DPIDG), in partnership with the African Union’s African…