Author: gleanernewspaper

May 2026 — His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has formally relaunched Sierratel as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) in a strategic partnership with Africell, bringing the state-owned telecommunications provider back into Sierra Leone’s communications landscape. The move is intended to increase access to services, reliability, competition, and job opportunities for young people involved in the country’s growing digital economy.During the relaunch ceremony, President Bio described the decision as a deliberate and forward-thinking effort to reposition the telecommunications sector for the demands of the twenty-first century. “Today, we decide to connect differently and compete seriously. This launch is…

Over 80 community leaders and stakeholders from Turtle Island and other Sherbro Island communities in Deima Chiefdom, Bonthe District, have praised the Reptile and Amphibian Program-Sierra Leone (RAP-SL) for its conservation work. They have pledged continued support for efforts to protect sea turtles, manatees, mangroves, and coastal biodiversity.On Thursday, April 30, 2026, councillors, chairladies, headmen, harbour masters, fishermen, fishmongers, sea turtle monitors, and other key actors gathered at the Dama Chiefdom Administration Community Barry in Chepu for a RAP-SL sensitisation meeting. Paramount Chief Anshun Ngabay IV, the Speaker, and other local leaders emphasised tangible community benefits since the conservation campaign…

Mahesh Nandwani of Pee Cee and Sons President Dr Julius Maada Bio paid a high-profile visit to the Pee Cee and Sons onion farm at Loko Masama in Lungi on April 16, 2026, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to accelerating the Feed Salone initiative and strengthening national food security. The farm, one of Sierra Leone’s largest onion-producing farms, represents a growing wave of private-sector agricultural investment aimed at reducing import dependence and increasing domestic production. The Pee Cee and Sons operation, which spans extensive acreage, is a model of what government-private partnerships can achieve under the Feed Salone framework. Speaking at the event, President Bio emphasised that Sierra Leone…

Following a high-level meeting with an IMF mission in Sierra Leone, President Dr Julius Maada Bio reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to continuing fiscal and structural reforms and meeting the targets of the International Monetary Fund-supported Extended Credit Facility (ECF). The delegation, led by Christian Saborowski, commended the government for making significant progress in stabilising the economy and implementing key policy measures despite adverse global conditions.Mr Saborowski informed the President that the IMF was impressed by Sierra Leone’s recent macroeconomic performance, pointing out that only a few countries had achieved comparable gains regionally and globally. He cited several tangible results from…

2026, the Sierra Leone Ports and Harbours Authority (SLPHA) collaborated with security sector partners to facilitate the public destruction of 461 narcotic drug cartons at the Transnational Organised Crime Unit (TOCU) headquarters in Freetown. The disposal followed a successful joint interdiction at the Queen Elizabeth II Quay on March 24, 2026, in which the contraband was intercepted by the SLPHA, National Revenue Authority (NRA), Office of National Security (ONS), Pharmacy Board, and Sierra Leone Police (SLP).Speaking on behalf of the SLPHA, Principal Media Officer Aruna Momoh Kargbo said the public incineration demonstrates the Authority’s commitment to transparency in the fight…

The Parliamentary Committee on Communications, Technology, and Innovation held the 2026 Stakeholders’ Engagement on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at the Atlantic Beach Hotel, bringing together government officials, regulators, mobile network operators (MNOs), and other sector players to advance Sierra Leone’s digital transformation agenda. The meeting’s theme was “Forging an Inclusive Digital Future: Ensuring Access, Quality of Service, and Affordability in Sierra Leone’s Communications Ecosystem.”Director Sheku Lamin Turay, who served as master of ceremonies, began the event by thanking participants for coming and praising the committee’s leadership for organising a timely forum. He described the meeting as an important opportunity to…

A high-level World Bank delegation led by Executive Director Dr Zarau Kibwe paid a courtesy call on President Dr Julius Maada Bio, reaffirming the organisation’s commitment to Sierra Leone’s development priorities and signalling renewed engagement amid ongoing global economic pressures.The visiting team, which includes six Executive Directors and three Alternate Executive Directors representing 67 countries, is on a three-day assessment mission in Sierra Leone. The mission is intended to assess the impact of World Bank interventions to date and identify opportunities for deeper collaboration across sectors critical to the country’s growth agenda.Introducing the delegation, Finance Minister Ahmed Sheku Fantamadi Bangura…

Cline Town, Freetown, 2026 — President Dr Julius Maada Bio officially commissioned a modern flour milling facility operated by Sierra Leone Flour Mill on Thursday, describing the investment as a vote of confidence in the private sector’s growth and Sierra Leoneans’ productive capacity.The new plant, owned by businessman Alhaji Amadu Juldeh Sowe, is expected to significantly increase domestic flour production, strengthen national food security, and reduce the country’s reliance on imported goods. According to company management, production capacity at the facility has been increased from 200 metric tonnes to 600 metric tonnes, a threefold increase that the company claims will…

Kpanga Krim Chiefdom, 2026 — President Dr Julius Maada Bio inaugurated a trio of high-profile infrastructure projects in Pujehun District on Saturday, including the 25-kilometre Bandajuma-Pujehun Road, the Julius Maada Bio Bridge, and the new Gobaru Monument, as well as the formal start of construction on the Pujehun-Gbondapi Road. According to officials, the projects are a cornerstone of the government’s larger infrastructure and Feed Salone food security agendas, and many see them as a watershed moment in the district’s development.At the commissioning ceremony, which drew a large crowd, President Bio described the projects as “pathways to dignity,” emphasising the importance…

On Sierra Leone’s 2026 International Workers’ Day, a broad coalition of labour leaders, government officials, civil society representatives, and private-sector stakeholders formally supported the Gento Group of Companies and its proposed Kent Seaport project as a key driver of job creation and national development. The event, held on May 1 at the Miatta Conference Centre, drew high-level attendees including President Julius Maada Bio, Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, ministers, parliamentarians, diplomatic corps members, employers, and workers from all over the country.  The May Day celebration, titled “Building Workers Power for Sierra Leone’s Transformative Agenda,” emphasised the importance of greater collaboration…