Author: gleanernewspaper

November, 2025: Sierra Leone’s President and current Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, His Excellency Dr. Julius Maada Bio, put Africa’s mineral endowment center stage at the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, calling for a formal G20-Africa Compact on Critical Minerals.Ensure fairness, value addition, and transparency as the world moves toward a clean-energy transition.In a forceful intervention, President Bio argued that Africa, which holds nearly one-third of the world’s critical minerals needed for renewable technologies, advanced manufacturing, and artificial intelligence, should not be excluded from the economic benefits of the global transition. He recalled Sierra Leone’s…

Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, who chairs the United Nations Security Council, welcomed the adoption of Resolution 2803 on Monday, November 17, 2025, as a significant step towards ending the Gaza conflict and laying the groundwork for long-term peace. The United Nations resolution, drafted by the United States, was passed with 13 votes in favour and two abstentions — China and Russia — and authorises the deployment of an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in Gaza, as well as the establishment of a Transitional Board of Peace to oversee governance during the transition. Solution 2803 advocates for demilitarisation, reconstruction, and a conditional pathway…

Representatives from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), which works to commemorate those who died in the two world wars, marked Remembrance Day this year at the Freetown Memorial in Sierra Leone on November 9. Richard Hill, CWGC’s Director of Commemorations, laid a wreath in honour of Sierra Leonean soldiers and carriers who served during the First and Second World Wars. During the First World War, non-combatant labourers and soldiers from across Africa contributed to war campaigns. The Carrier Corps were the men who enabled the soldiers to fight, transporting supplies and materials across terrain by foot. Conditions were appalling and many…

Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio urged the international community to fully implement a United Nations Security Council resolution — cited in the transcript as “27 19” — that recognises the need for predictable financing for African peace operations and establishes a framework for case-by-case contributions. Speaking about the deteriorating security situation in the Sahel and its spillover into West Africa, President Bio stated that terrorism and violent extremism pose a serious threat to international peace and security, and that African efforts to combat the threat must be supported by strong and sustained international cooperation.The president emphasised the importance of…

Tuesday, November 18th 2025 — Sierra Leone’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Alpha Sesay, welcomed the Inspector General of the Liberia National Police, Hon. Gregory O. W. Coleman, for a high-level security engagement aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two countries. Inspector General Coleman led a senior Liberian delegation that met with Sierra Leone’s top police officials, including Inspector General of Police William Fayia Sellu and Assistant Inspector Generals Sylvester Koroma and Senesie.The discussions centred on strengthening operational ties across the shared frontier, with a particular emphasis on coordinated joint operations, improved intelligence and information sharing, and faster, more…

The tenth group of medical volunteers from Spain’s Surgeon In Action Foundation arrived in Sierra Leone this week to conduct a week-long free general surgical program at the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) Hospital. The visiting team was formally welcomed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr William Fayia Sellu, who thanked the medics for their continued support of the hospital.During a welcome ceremony, IGP Sellu expressed his gratitude for the foundation’s ongoing assistance, noting that their regular missions have played an important role in improving the quality of care at the SLP Hospital.He cited growing regional confidence in the…

On Wednesday, November 19, 2025, Chief Minister Dr David Moinina Sengeh met with Mr Ben Black, Chief Executive Officer of the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), in Washington, D.C., to advance discussions on expanded US private-sector financing for Sierra Leone. The session centred on improving trade and investment ties and aligning new project opportunities with Sierra Leone’s National Development Plan (NDP).Dr Sengeh stated that since President Julius Maada Bio took office in 2018, the United States Development Finance Corporation has provided $725.5 million in financing and insurance for Sierra Leone projects.These commitments have aided several initiatives throughout the…

Sierra Leone spoke at COP30’s Resumed High-Level Segment in Belém, Brazil, advocating for swift and equitable global climate action based on moral principles. Hon. Jiwoh Emmanuel Abdulai, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, struck a clear and urgent tone: Sierra Leone is on the front lines of a climate emergency that it did not cause, and the world must respond quickly, solidarily, and meaningfully. The Minister spoke from the Amazon, a powerful symbol of what is at stake globally. He highlighted Sierra Leoneans’ lived realities and the country’s practical steps to build resilience and reduce emissions under NDC 3.0.Minister Abdulai…

The Minister of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED), Madam Kanyah Barlay, together with ECOWAS Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Mr John Azuma, on Monday, 17 November 2025, officially handed over the site for a new border market in Wai Village, Sorogbema Chiefdom, Pujehun District, to contractors Sierra Brothers Construction Services (SL) Limited. The project, supported by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is intended to bolster cross-border trade and regional integration between Sierra Leone and neighbouring Liberia.Wai was selected for its strategic location between Sulima and the Liberian border, a position organisers say will facilitate the flow of goods…

Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio presided over the United Nations Security Council’s adoption of a US-sponsored resolution that transforms President Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza into an international mandate, allowing stalled security and reconstruction measures to move forward. On November 17, 2025, the Council approved Resolution 2803 with 13 votes in favour and two abstentions from China and Russia.  The resolution authorises the deployment of an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) to Gaza and establishes a transitional Board of Peace to oversee governance and reconstruction during the transition. Its provisions call for the demilitarisation of the enclave, coordinated reconstruction…