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Gleaner Newspaper is the Home for exclusive local news, views, and adverts from Sierra Leone. Publisher: Gleaner Communications Sierra Leone.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday commended Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio during a bilateral meeting at UN Headquarters, calling the head of state a unifying figure in Sierra Leone and the wider West Africa region. Mr Guterres welcomed President Bio’s visit and commended Sierra Leone’s recent contributions to global diplomacy, notably its membership of the UN Security Council for 2024-2025. Sierra Leone played a constructive role in consensus-building during its tenure and made an effective contribution to promoting international peace and security while serving on the Council, the Secretary-General said. Mr Guterres also reaffirmed his long-standing focus…
Sierra Leone will boost its financial contribution to the 14th replenishment of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) by at least 50 per cent compared to IFAD13, President Julius Maada Bio announced Friday, citing the government’s heightened focus on agriculture, food security, and rural livelihoods.President Bio made the commitment during the IFAD14 African Leadership Moment at the Goals Lounge at United Nations Headquarters in New York, where he said agriculture is not just a sector, but the bedrock of Sierra Leone’s future. Agriculture means more than a sector for Sierra Leone. “It is the foundation of our food security,…
Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Communications, Technology and Innovation hosted a cross-ministry and private sector roundtable during the week of the 2026 United Nations General Assembly in New York to discuss the interrelated issues of energy security, digital sovereignty, connectivity, and regional trade. Senior government officials, telecom operators and international infrastructure players met during a session led by Minister Salima Monorma Bah to identify practical investment opportunities across the digital value chain. The discussions involved the Ministries of Energy, Trade and Industry, and leading private-sector and technology partners, indicating a coordinated government approach to meeting the needs of a rapidly evolving…
MADRID, Spain – A multi-sectoral delegation from Sierra Leone has concluded a five-day benchmarking study visit to Madrid to convert the country’s national solar waste management strategy into an operational blueprint for the country’s first pilot. UNOPS led the mission under the Salone Off-Grid Renewable Energy Acceleration (SOGREA) initiative, an EU-funded project implemented by UNOPS in partnership with the Ministry of Energy of Sierra Leone, from 21 to 25 September 2026. Participants included the Ministry of Energy (MoE), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Electricity and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC), the Public Private Partnership Directorate (PPP), Sierra Leone Standards Bureau (SLSB), Fourah Bay…
His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio has laid out five guiding principles he said are critical to transform the G7+ Framework for Peace through Dialogue and Reconciliation from an aspirational text into a working tool for conflict prevention and sustaining peace, when he gave a statement at a High-Level Summit on the margins of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York.In his role as an Eminent Person of the G7+, President Bio spoke at the summit, urging participants to formally endorse the Framework and move quickly from declaration to delivery by establishing clear responsibilities, predictable financing, and mechanisms for…
While the United Nations General Assembly packed meeting rooms and schedules across the city, a dozen or so Sierra Leone ministers stepped away from the diplomatic fray and into a Columbia University classroom for a focused executive seminar on improving how government serves citizens.Hosted by Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, the high-level seminar focused on practical approaches to translating policy into measurable outcomes. Faculty from the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health led sessions on systems thinking, implementation science, and evidence-based policy and practice—tools meant to help senior leaders navigate complex problems, coordinate across agencies, and achieve…
Where the story of the Amistad and its unlikely legal victory is enshrined in stone and scripture, Sierra Leone’s President Dr. Julius Maada Bio used a visit to Quincy to turn historical memory into a contemporary demand: reparatory justice for the ongoing harms of enslavement and the transatlantic slave trade.“The relationship between my country and Quincy is historical, human and, in places like this, deeply personal,” President Bio said, speaking on the theme, “Celebrating Courage: Honouring the Historic Link Between Quincy and Sierra Leone.” He made the remarks after visiting Adams National Historical Park, where he viewed the Mendi Bible…
Sierra Leone’s President, Dr Julius Maada Bio, has warned African countries not to repeat historical patterns of economic extraction in the coming era of artificial intelligence at a high-level roundtable convened by Kenyan President William Ruto on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly. In an address to fellow Heads of State, government officials and experts, President Bio urged the continent to take an active role in the development, governance, and benefits of technologies reshaping the world economy. President Bio argued that Africa faces a stark choice. “Will Africa be a passive recipient of artificial intelligence systems built elsewhere, or will it actively shape the infrastructure,…
Sierra Leone joined representatives from across the continent at a Tripartite Labour Migration Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, on September 22-23, 2026, where African governments, employers’ organisations, and workers’ organisations sought to develop a shared regional approach to labour migration ahead of the Doha Dialogue.The Sierra Leone delegation included Commissioner of Labour Sinneh Bockarie, Executive Secretary of the Sierra Leone Employers Federation (SLEF) Albert Ojo Collier, and Deputy Secretary-General of the Sierra Leone Labour Congress (SLLC) Edward Y. Kamara. The African Union Commission organised the meeting with support from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), bringing together participants from selected African countries…
The Ministry of Finance continued its FY2027 Bilateral Budget Discussions this week, with detailed presentations from the Ministries of Health and Gender and Children’s Affairs. Deputy Minister of Finance I, Kadiatu Allie, implored participants to look beyond headline allocations and ensure resources are meticulously aligned with national priorities for measurable results.The Ministry of Health requested NLe341.27 million in recurrent funding for FY2027, above the budget ceiling of NLe153.30 million, resulting in an excess recurrent requirement of NLe187.96 million. The Ministry proposed NLe211 million in new capital projects to strengthen immunisation, family planning, HIV/AIDS, TB/Leprosy and malaria programs; build regional hospitals;…