Author: gleanernewspaper

On June 7th, 2024, Borup became the first town in Sierra Leone to be electrified with clean energy backed by Sustainable Energy for All’s (SEforALL) results-based financing (RBF) multi-donor fund, the Universal Energy Facility (UEF). This achievement is the culmination of seven months of intensive work carried out by UEF grantee Energicity (SL) Limited (Power Leone). The 27 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) and 85 kWh battery mini-grid will provide 150 electricity connections and will directly benefit 1,300 people, powering households, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and public institutions. “This is a big achievement not only for the Universal Energy Facility…

Specialists in competition and consumer protection from different ECOWAS countries have been in the conclave since Monday 10th June 2024, in Lomé for training focused on case management in consumer protection. Among the participants were the Senior Permanent Secretary of Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Trade, Mr Al-Hassan Kondeh, and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Consumer Protection Commission (NCPC), Mr Lawrence Landi Bassie, who shared their experience on the consumer space and briefed the gathering on progress made so far in the development of a Competition Bill to address issues of monopoly in the country. Indeed, Sierra Leone and Togo, like other…

The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation’s (DFC) Deputy CEO (DCEO) Nisha Biswal attended a groundbreaking ceremony today for the Nant Energy project, which is expected to nearly double Sierra Leone’s energy capacity and strengthen its ability to draw outside investment. Formerly known as the Western Area Power Generation Project, the facility will be Sierra Leone’s first gas-to-power plant. It will address a critical need for the Sierra Leonean people’s access to reliable energy infrastructure. Construction is now beginning and is expected to reach completion in 36 months. Milele Energy, a Nairobi-based independent power-generation company, and energy project developer TCQ Power…

Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General on Road Safety, Ambassador Jean Todt, has paid a courtesy call to His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio, updated on his work and called for collaboration on the campaign to address road accidents. First Lady Fatima Maada Bio, while introducing the Special Envoy, said he was in the country on a special mission to engage different stakeholders, including young people on the importance of road safety in Sierra Leone. She recalled that while in Turkey, she was appointed to serve as the champion of road safety. She revealed at that moment she…

Chief Executive of Leone Rock Metal Group, Gilbert Zhao Sierra Leonean workers at the Leone Rock Mining Company, former Kingho Mining, have been complaining of improper treatment by the Company. They made these complaints pointing at the poor condition of service meted at them, and highlighted long hours at work, and low wages, among other mistreatments. They further maintained that apart from the fact that few Sierra Leoneans are manning top management positions, there is complete discrimination against Sierra Leonean workers as to those of other nationalities, especially the Chinese. Another concern raised by the Sierra Leonean staff is the…

By Jack Jenkins You are walking through the bustling centre of Bo, Sierra Leone’s third-largest city. Following the crowd, you turn off the main road onto a narrower thoroughfare and find yourself in an open-air market. Shelters constructed from timber and sheet-metal roofing line each side of the narrow, unpaved walkway. A foul smell hits your nose. The source? A young woman is raising an axe over the carcass of a duiker, a type of small antelope, laid out on a butcher’s block at the edge of the pathway. As you pass by, you are sprayed with the animal’s fluids.…

His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has expressed hope in the partnership between Sierra Leone and Korea, both now serving as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, emphasising the need for shared growth, sustainability and solidarity. In his national statement to the inaugural 2024 Korea-Africa Summit, aimed at elevating the dialogue between Korea and African nations from the ministerial to the highest levels, President Bio kept to the theme: “The Future We Make Together: Shared Growth, Sustainability, and Solidarity”, and assured of his country’s commitment to working with his counterparts. “Sierra Leone looks forward to leveraging its…

The tragic incident in Kawonsor Village, Madina Town, Kambia District, Tonkoh Limba Chiefdom, which led to the alleged shooting of one Momoh Dumbuya, a resident of Kawonsor, by one Musa Sesay commonly known as Musa Baylaybaylay of Mapendehun Village, has been treated with levity by the Police in Kambia. The Regional Crime Officer of the North West Region, CSP Lamin Kamara, said that they requested the file because they noticed that the matter was moving at a very slow pace, but that upon their request, no file was submitted on the alleged shooting of Momoh Dumbuya. He said that there…

In an impressive ceremony held at the exquisite King’s Fund, 11-13 Cavendish Square, London, Ms Olayinka Williams of the Sierra Leone High Commission (SLHC- London) was honoured with the Diplomats’ Long Service Officer of the Year Award for Africa.Deputy High Commissioner, Mrs Yvonne King Odigboh, along with a cross-section of the SLHC staff, attended this prestigious event held to celebrate the remarkable achievements of one of their own. Ms. Olayinka Williams has served the Sierra Leone High Commission for 29 years, as a Confidential Secretary. Her steadfast dedication, admirable professionalism and unfailing commitment have strongly endeared her to both staff and…

The Anti-Corruption Commission Sierra Leone (ACC-SL), on the 28th and 29th May 2024, served as the host for a two-day Joint Experience Sharing Exchange meeting at its Conference Room, Integrity House, Tower Hill, Freetown, involving; the Liberian Anti-Corruption Commission ( LACC) and the National Human Rights Commissions of Sierra Leone and Liberia, facilitated by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Liberia. The engagements, which were anchored on the theme; “Scooping Best Practices for Strengthened Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Anti-Corruption in Liberia and Sierra Leone” attracted the Leadership and Senior Management Officials…