Author: gleanernewspaper

February 2026: Sierra Leone’s Minister of Youth Affairs, Hon. Ibrahim Sannoh, visited the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) at its country office to prioritize international cooperation for youth empowerment. Both sides described the meeting with TİKA Country Director, Mr. Mirzet Müezzinoğlu, as warm, constructive, and forward-looking, highlighting a shared commitment to expand practical collaboration on youth-focused programs.Mr. Müezzinoğlu welcomed Minister Sannoh and praised his leadership as “visionary and result-oriented.” He emphasized Sierra Leone’s growing visibility on the global youth stage, citing the country’s increased participation in United Nations youth engagements as proof of deliberate policy direction and bold stewardship…

February, 2026: The Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE) has hosted experts from Nigeria’s Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), as Sierra Leone moves closer to establishing a centralised admissions system for universities and technical institutions.The engagement centred on knowledge sharing, technical guidance, and implementation planning for the reform, which seeks to modernise and streamline tertiary admissions.Dr Haja Ramatulai Wurie, Minister of Technical and Higher Education, welcomed the delegation and stated that the government is working to modernise and streamline admissions by establishing a Centralised Admissions Secretariat, noting that legal provisions for such a system already exist in the…

As part of its ongoing commitment to education and community development, African Global Logistics (AGL) Sierra Leone has announced a significant donation of school supplies worth Le 444,825 to 1,400 students from three communities—Moa Wharf, Sea Side, and Matheagba Village in Karene District. The handover ceremony was held on Thursday, February 5, 2025, at the Freetown Terminal Limited (FTL) Conference Hall, and was attended by community leaders, education stakeholders, and senior management from both AGL and FTL.The supplies distributed to the recipients included school bags, 200-page notebooks, 80-page exercise books, erasers, geometry sets, ledger books, Oxford dictionaries, pencils, blue and…

February 2026 — President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone has launched a presidential initiative, 300 Days of Focused Activism, aimed at accelerating the delivery of lifesaving interventions, with a particular emphasis on reducing maternal mortality. President Bio announced the effort on the sidelines of the African Union Assembly’s 39th Ordinary Session, inviting other African leaders and development partners to join Sierra Leone in a concentrated push to close implementation gaps that continue to cost lives.  The 300 Days of Activism, which will begin on March 1, 2026, aims to improve the continuum of care for pregnant women by prioritising uninterrupted antenatal care, promoting safer deliveries,…

February 2026 – His Excellency Julius Maada Bio, President of Sierra Leone and Coordinator of the African Union Committee of Ten (C-10). The Conference of Heads of State and Government on the Reform of the United Nations Security Council has urged African leaders to step up collective action and unity to advance Africa’s long-standing demand for meaningful UN Security Council reform. Speaking at the Meeting of the C-10 Heads of State and Government held on the margins of the 39th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly in Addis Abeba, President Bio described the moment as decisive, marking two decades…

Dr Maxime Houinato, the UN Women’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa, arrived in Sierra Leone on February 16, 2026, for an official mission that will last until February 21, 2026. The visit is intended to expedite high-level partnerships with Sierra Leone’s government and development partners, as well as to accelerate progress toward gender equality and women’s empowerment throughout the country. During the mission, Dr Houinato will attend several high-level somencluding thomany Excellency the President, Dr Julius Maada Bio, selected Cabinet ministers, and diplomatic personnel. He will also meet with a diverse range of civil society stakeholders, including women’s rights…

Africell Sierra Leone has launched a nationwide toll-free radio call-in service aimed at removing financial barriers to public participation in broadcast media while also strengthening the country’s communication, disaster response, and security systems. The initiative was officially launched on Friday, 13 February 2026, at Africell’s headquarters in Wilberforce, Freetown.Africell subscribers will be able to call into participating radio shows for free with the new service. Africell stated that the move addresses long-standing barriers to listener engagement, particularly for low-income and remote communities whose ability to participate in live discussions has often been limited by the cost of airtime. “Radio access should…

For many years, women in Sierra Leone who were diagnosed with cervical cancer were frequently faced with the unavoidable decision of either trying to raise money to travel overseas for treatment or staying at home and only receiving palliative care. That is starting to change. Sierra Leone has quickly increased access to cervical cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment nationwide thanks to the Ministry of Health’s resolute leadership, as well as coordinated assistance from WHO, UNFPA, Friends of Africa, and international partners, including South-South assistance from Zambia and technical assistance from China.The number of operational screening sites reached 25 by…

KAILAHUN — Alpha Bingo Ndolleh, the Town Chief of Kailahun, led a traditional libation on Sunday to mark the start of artificial turf installation at the Kailahun Mini Stadium, a project fully funded by Dr Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai, Executive Director of the NSA.Seeking blessings from God and the land’s forefathers, Chief Ndolleh described the initiative as a long-term legacy for the town. “The field was in bad condition. With the artificial turf, we will now refer to this location as a mini stadium because the current atmosphere fits it,” he said, expressing gratitude that the upgrade will improve the venue’s…

By Kemo Cham KnowHep Foundation Sierra Leone is set to embark on a massive hepatitis screening exercise in a new project that targets at-risk women and newborn babies. Some 1000 pregnant females will be targeted in the initiative as part of the Foundation’s drive to raise awareness and promote access to services for Hepatitis B, a major public health issue. KnowHep Foundation, a member of the World Hepatitis Alliance, is dedicated to raising awareness about the disease, which is considered by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a growing global public health crisis. Dr Manal Ghazzawi, Founder of KnowHep Foundation Sierra Leone, is leading the implementation of the…