Author: gleanernewspaper

The second congregation ceremony of the Milton Margai Technical University (MMTU) for the 2022-2024 conferment of degrees and awards of diplomas and certificates to 2,848 grandaunts took place on Saturday, 14th December 2024, at its Peace and Love Amphitheatre, Goderich Campus in Freetown, with the theme for this year being: ‘Education is the Catalyst for Change.’ This is the last conferment of degrees, diplomas and certificates under Njala University and the University of Sierra Leone, respectively. The keynote speaker, First Lady Dr Fatima Bio, disclosed that the law preventing girls from being married under the age of 18 had been…

Rev. James Boye-Caulker has been elected as a bishop in The United Methodist Church’s West Africa Central Conference. Delegates elected Boye-Caulker, 60, on Dec. 7 on the first ballot at the central conference’s meeting at Best Western Premier Hotel in Accra. He received 43 votes out of 59 valid ballots cast. He needed 36 votes to be elected. He was the second bishop elected at the Dec. 5-8 gathering. Boye-Caulker has been in the Ministry for 34 years and served as full-time District Superintendent of Sierra Leone’s Western District since 2016. Retired Bishop Warner H. Brown Jr. has been interim…

Three newly appointed Ambassadors presented their letters of credence to His Excellency, President Julius Maada Bio, in a formal ceremony held at State House on Tuesday, 11th December 2024, marking the commencement of their diplomatic missions in Sierra Leone. The distinguished diplomats included H.E. Rasha Soliman Mohi Edpin Soliman, Ambassador-Designate to the Arab Republic of Egypt; H.E. Julien Yombouno, Ambassador-Designate of the Republic of Guinea; and H.E. Carole Van Eyll, Ambassador-Designate of the Kingdom of Belgium. President Bio warmly welcomed the diplomats, reiterating Sierra Leone’s dedication to fostering meaningful partnerships that advance mutual interests. He underscored the critical role of…

Justice Momoh Jah Stevens                  19-year-old Edwina Hawa Jamiru In a shocking revelation, Edwina Hawa Jamiru, a 19-year-old second-year law student at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, has publicly accused Justice Momoh Jah Stevens, a senior judge at the Sierra Leone High Court, of sexual exploitation. The allegations surfaced in a video circulated widely on social media platforms, particularly WhatsApp, where Jamiru detailed her troubling experiences with the judge. In her statement, Jamiru described a long-term romantic relationship with Justice Stevens, asserting that he had impregnated her and subsequently abandoned both her and their unborn child. She characterised their…

Ongoing collaboration between Bournemouth University’s Disaster Management Centre and Sierra Leone’s government has resulted in a new crisis management practice, based on BU research. The project: ‘Driving African Capacity-Building in Disaster Management’ (AFRICAB), has been recognised as influential in determining the contexts for a major new disaster management policy in Sierra Leone. On 10 October 2024, the Sierra Leone Cabinet formally approved a new World Bank-funded Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on Relief, developed by the country’s National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA). The new SOP will govern how Sierra Leone, under the coordination of the Agency, responds to disasters and how…

By Abu Bakarr Kargbo A vibrant ceremony held at the Chinese Embassy in Freetown marked the occasion where 174 students and school pupils from Sierra Leone were honoured with this year’s prestigious Chinese Ambassador’s Scholarship and Grant Awards. Among the recipients, 144 were awarded the Ambassador’s Grant, while 30 received the Ambassador Scholarship, recognizing their academic achievements and positive attitudes towards learning. Ambassador Wang Qing, the esteemed Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone, emphasized the significance of education and human development in his address to government officials, university representatives, and school authorities in attendance. Commending the awardees for meeting the stringent…

President Dr. Julius Maada Bio reaffirmed his commitment to advancing regional trade liberalisation in West Africa, as he received the 7th Technical Committee Report on the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ). The report was presented by Dr Olorunsola E. Olowofeso, Director General of the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI), during a courtesy call at State House. The Minister of Trade and Industry, Alpha Ibrahim Sesay, expressed gratitude to President Bio for hosting members of the West African Monetary Zone and for approving the 11th annual Trade Ministers’ Forum conference in Sierra Leone. The forum, themed “International Trade Vulnerabilities of WAMZ…

At a high-level ministerial workshop hosted by the Government of Sierra Leone on Friday in Freetown, under the auspices of the World Bank Group and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), Ministers of Energy and Finance from the Central African Republic, Chad, Liberia, Mauritania, Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone endorsed the Freetown Declaration on Regional Collaboration for Scaling Distributed Renewable Energy in West and Central Africa. The Ministers pledged to leverage financial and technical support from the World Bank Group and SEforALL to establish and expand a collaborative platform aimed at scaling up distributed renewable energy solutions across West and…

During his recent visit to Angola, US President, Joe Biden, praised Africell Telecommunications Company’s significant contributions to the Lobito Corridor, which aims to improve connectivity between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Biden praised Africell CEO, Ziad Dalloul, for the company’s efforts to provide local communities with fast mobile and fintech services. Dalloul pointed out Africell’s unique position as Africa’s only US-owned mobile operator, as well as its collaboration with the US government on initiatives to improve financial security for agricultural workers. Africell is also planning to release a documentary, “Lobito Bound,” in 2025 to highlight the Corridor’s significance. President Joe…

On Saturday 30th November 2024, the Thonko Development Association (ThoDA) was launched at the Council of Churches Sierra Leone (CCSL) hall at King-Harman Road in Freetown. In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the occasion, Dr. Mohamed Lahai Samura, welcomed participants to the launch and extended the same to those who would have loved to attend but did not, because of unavoidable reasons. Dr Samura disclosed that the purpose of the meeting is to witness the launch of a wonderful initiative that has been developed by a group of Thonko people. Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Abu Kargbo remarked that…