Author: gleanernewspaper

KGHP Fellows Emily Bailey (left) and Cass Beck (right) with Matron Conteh at Kambia Hospital, Sierra Leone King’s Global Health Partnerships (KGHP) has introduced an exciting Fellowship programme aimed at improving maternal, child and reproductive health outcomes in Sierra Leone while addressing systemic challenges in the country’s healthcare system. The initiative, supported by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is part of Saving Lives Phase III, a five-year programme delivered by a consortium of six NGOs, led by Concern Worldwide, in partnership with Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health and Sanitation, to strengthen Sierra Leone’s health system and improve quality of…

Timothy Musa Kabba, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Dr Sandra Lako, Mercy Ships Sierra Leone Country Director Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health and Mercy Ships have agreed to keep the Global Mercy™, the world’s largest civilian hospital ship designed for medical service, docked in Freetown until June 2026. This decision marks the charity’s third con Dr. Sandra Lako, Mercy Ships Sierra Leone Country Director, consecutive field service in Sierra Leone, and its eighth visit to the country since its inception in 1992. The collaboration emphasises a shared commitment to providing critical surgical care to people in need…

During a significant meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, Julius Daniel Mattai, spoke with Al Cook, Chief Executive Officer of De Beers Group. This meeting, held at the Westin Hotel’s East Pier room on the Harbour Edge Level, was primarily intended to outline a comprehensive growth strategy for GemFair, De Beers’ innovative platform dedicated to promoting ethical diamond trading. The meeting emphasized the importance of building partnerships and promoting sustainable practices in Sierra Leone’s mining industry. Al Cook stated that GemFair was founded in response to the rising demand for ethically sourced…

His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio presided over the signing of a €35 million financing agreement between the Government of Sierra Leone and the European Union (EU) at State House. This agreement is aimed at enhancing the country’s agricultural value chains and supporting the government’s flagship initiative, the Feed Salone program. The signing ceremony was moderated by Minister of Finance, Sheku Ahmed Fantamadi Bangura, who emphasized the importance of this financing agreement as a substantial boost to the agricultural sector of Sierra Leone. He articulated that the funds would play a crucial role in strengthening the food value chain,…

On January 31, 2025, a lively crowd gathered at Family Kingdom in Aberdeen, Freetown, as A Call To Business Bank (ACTB) revealed Esther Finda Dauda of Wilkinson Road as the winner of a brand-new Suzuki vehicle valued at $13,000. The grand draw, conducted electronically, was filled with excitement as attendees, including financial sector leaders, ACTB staff, and customers from across the nation, eagerly awaited the announcement of the lucky winner. Esther, who joined ACTB just a few months prior, participated in the ‘Save N Win Babala Promotion’ launched on June 10, 2024. This engaging initiative allowed ACTB customers to win…

Communications Authority of Sierra Leone; and Solo Sima, Deputy Director General of PURA of The Gambia, affixed their signatures to the MOUs. In a landmark development for regional telecommunications, the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), the National Communications Authority of Sierra Leone (NatCA), and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) of The Gambia have signed a series of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) aimed at establishing free roaming agreements between their countries. The signing ceremony took place on January 31 at the picturesque Mamba Point Lagoonda Resort in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and was attended by key stakeholders from the mobile network operator…

In a nation grappling with economic challenges, the journey from graduation to employment can be daunting for many young people. Fatmata Turay, a recent graduate of Limkokwing University, experienced this firsthand in Sierra Leone, one of the world’s least-developed countries. However, her fortunes changed dramatically when she participated in the ITC project known as READY Salone, which introduced her to the vast possibilities of marketing her skills on a global scale through online platforms. This initiative opened up a new world of work that not only transformed her life but also ignited a spark of hope for many young Sierra…

Dr. Ibrahim Lahai Stevens, Bank of Sierra Leone Auditors from Audit Services Sierra Leone discovered a staggering discrepancy in the Bank of Sierra Leone’s vault systems, revealing a significant difference between recorded cash balances and actual physical cash held in the vaults. This alarming revelation was made during a cash count at the Kenema Branch on June 11, 2024, when auditors discovered a variance of two billion, one hundred and seventy-five million New Leones ( NLe2,175,000,000), equivalent to a staggering NLe2.1 trillion in old Leones. The audit process included a thorough review of the currency in circulation as well as an extensive cash count at the…

By Mike Omuodo A phone vibration drew my attention to an incoming message – a friend had sent a message with an attachment and a note reading, “This is so sad and needs to stop! The message was followed by some crying emojis. Curious, I opened the attachment. It was a photo of some of the carnage in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – to be precise, the photo of corpses of those killed in the DRC’s never-ending war, piled like some waste from a city garbage truck. My heart bled for the children and women of DRC, the…

Alpha Sesay is the current Attorney General and Minister of Justice of Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone is set to confront a lawsuit filed by the U.S. law firm Jenner & Block, which is seeking to recover over $8 million in unpaid legal fees stemming from several years of legal representation. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, ruled on January 24, 2023, that the West African nation must proceed with the lawsuit, rejecting Sierra Leone’s arguments that the law firm lacked a valid contract and that the country was protected by sovereign immunity. In 2022, Jenner…