Author: gleanernewspaper

During the team’s training session this morning at the Sierra Leone Football Association’s (SLFA) headquarters in Freetown, the technical staff and players were formally introduced to Abdul Karim Bangura (AKB), the recently hired Team Manager of the Leone Stars. Mohammed Benson Bawoh, the Acting General Secretary, gave the introduction. In his introductory remarks to the players and technical staff, Bangura said: “I accept this appointment as the Team Manager of our beloved national team, the Leone Stars, with great pride and humility. This is not just a personal honour but a call to national service, and I want to sincerely…

President Dr. Julius Maada Bio welcomed the newly elected executive of the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA), led by President Babadi Kamara, to State House. The courtesy visit highlighted the association’s commitment to promoting peace, unity, and transparent administration throughout the country’s football landscape. Dr. Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai, Executive Director of the National Sports Authority (NSA), took the opportunity to thank the government for its continued investment in sports, particularly football. He emphasised the game’s broad social and economic benefits, pointing out that football has created job opportunities for Sierra Leonean youth both locally and abroad, as well as contributed…

There is “no more business as usual” when it comes to bureaucratic delays in implementing crucial development projects, as the Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Madam Kenyeh Barlay, has strongly warned civil service administrators and stakeholders. “The time is now to ensure civil servants can access affordable financial services for medical needs, school and college fees, and other emergencies,” Madam Barlay said during a High-Level Stakeholder Meeting on the Operationalisation of the Civil Service Cooperative Credit Union (CivSCCU), which was held in the Ministry of Finance’s George Street conference hall. The meeting aimed to strengthen the common goal of…

The concession and related stakeholder documentation for the reconstruction of the 85-kilometre Mano Junction–Tongo–Bumpeh road were approved by the Sierra Leonean Parliament on Wednesday, along with several amendments intended to safeguard the interests of the State and road users. The following agreements were presented to the House last Monday: (1) a concession agreement dated August 4, 2025, between the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) and the Ministry of Works and Public Assets (MoWPA) on behalf of the Government of Sierra Leone, and Societe Djura Maritel Construction (SDMCO) Ltd and partners for the design, reconstruction, tolling, operation, and maintenance of the…

Local chiefs and landowners have accused the Sierra Leone Mines and Minerals Development and Mining Corporation (SLMMDMC) of trying to revoke a locally negotiated lease with the Gento Group of Companies, escalating a contentious dispute over control of the iron ore-rich Kasafoni concession in Tonkolili North. Community leaders claim that if the government does not move swiftly to mediate and protect impacted citizens, the standoff could spark broader social unrest, jeopardise customary land rights, and result in grave human rights violations. To resolve the conflict, Chief Minister David Moinina Sengeh informed Parliament more than a month ago that the executive…

State Lodge, the presidential residence in Sierra Leone Jos Leijdekkers is described as a frequent visitor to State Lodge, the lavish presidential residence in Sierra Leone, in a recent article by New Lines Magazine that follows his travels and affiliations. Staff and security guards stationed at the compound took notice when Leijdekkers was spotted there several times, the magazine reported. According to a security officer who spoke to New Lines, a well-dressed man occasionally visited State Lodge and, on his way out, would throw $100 notes to the group of guards as he headed for a fancy SUV. One man identified as…

A young man rolls kush as other users sleep at a hideout in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Associated Press/Alamy In the blistering heat of Freetown, Sierra Leone, young men gather on street corners, their limbs swollen, eyes glazed. They are the victims of kush, a cheap and deadly synthetic drug sweeping the country. But kush is not an isolated tragedy. From the townships of apartheid South Africa to the 21st-century streets of the UK, synthetic drugs have a long history of flourishing in places where society has abandoned its most vulnerable. Kush first appeared in Sierra Leone around 2016, but its spread in…

Ibrahim Sesay, Minister of Trade and Industry  and Rasha Suleiman, Egypt’s ambassador to Freetown Ibrahim Sesay, the Minister of Trade and Industry of Sierra Leone, met with Rasha Suleiman, Egypt’s ambassador to Freetown, to discuss specific measures to improve the two countries’ trade and economic ties. The goal of the negotiations is to translate high-level engagement into useful commercial cooperation, building on the momentum created by President Julius Maada Bio’s March 2025 visit to Egypt. One of the main recommendations that came out of the meeting was to hold a joint Egypt-Sierra Leone Business Forum soon. The forum is intended to…

On behalf of His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has toured the BGP offshore seismic vessel anchored at Queen Elizabeth II Quay and been given a thorough briefing on the findings, limitations, and next steps resulting from a significant offshore seismic survey that was carried out this year. Jim Gulland, Director of GeoPartners Limited, gave the update and thanked President Bio and the Petroleum Directorate for starting the project to evaluate the offshore oil and gas potential in Sierra Leone. The GPSL25 3D Seismic Geophysical Survey was the name of the seismic campaign,…

The Sierra Leone Chief Minister led an inter-ministerial delegation on a strategic inspection of the Western Area Peninsula Protected Area to assess a proposed re-demarcation effort. The team included representatives from the Ministries of Environment, Lands, Internal Affairs and Finance, as well as the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), National Protected Area Authority (NPAA), Guma Valley Water Company (GVWC), Office of National Security (ONS), Sierra Leone Police and the Sierra Leone Armed Forces. On site, the Chief Minister underscored the government’s determination to prioritise water security, environmental protection, disaster mitigation and public safety in line with President Bio’s national development…