Author: gleanernewspaper

The panel event and cocktail reception coincided with the March 2024 Modern and Contemporary African Art exhibition at Sotheby’s in London, spotlighting African creative excellence. What is the relationship in Africa between economic growth and creative expression? According to actor, musician and entrepreneur Idris Elba, the connection is solid and direct. “There’s a stigma in Africa attached to creative industries as not being serious business”, Mr Elba explained at a panel discussion hosted by the Africell Impact Foundation and Sotheby’s in London on 20 March. But if investors and policymakers change this attitude, he argued, the arts could become a “significant…

The Founder and coordinator of the Media Initiative for Women and Girls Empowerment (MIWGEM), Adama Bai Conteh, has disclosed that 40 young women across the country are currently undergoing a week’s Public Relations Media Empowerment training. The training, conducted at the former Special Court premises in Freetown in partnership with Leone Rock Metal Group, started on Monday, March 25th, and will end on Friday, March 29th, 2024. She pointed out that MIWGEM is a young women’s advocacy organisation in Sierra Leone working with young women and girls interested in media and media-related work. She added that they train young women…

Alhaji Koroma, a soldier in the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF), entered a plea of guilty and was given a thirty-year prison sentence for the failed coup attempt on November 26. Koroma was put on trial before a Court Martial in Freetown along with 27 other military personnel. The accused was facing a total of 88 charges. Numerous offences were included in the charges, such as mutiny, aiding the enemy, speaking with them, stealing government property, and even murder. The extent of their alleged involvement in the attempted coup, which sought to topple the government, was made clear by…

On March 12, Sierra Rutile announced in the Australian Stock market that a company owned by U.S. Mining Mafia, Craig Dean, PRM Service LLC, had purchased an 8.19% share in the company, leading to concerns of a potential takeover. The move was described as “unsolicited” by the company, raising questions about Dean’s intentions in the Sierra Leone mining sector. Investigations revealed that PRM Service LLC, registered in the Commonwealth Republic of Puerto Rico, is associated with Gerald Group, of which Craig Dean owns 75%. Despite this connection, it was noted that Craig Dean is the authorizing person behind PRM Service…

By Issa Davies Freetown – Evette Regnant sits on rows of neatly spread mats on the floor of a newly built two-classroom Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre in Taiama Community in southern Sierra Leone. She is joyously flanked by cheerful preschoolers who are rhythmically chanting, “We should always wash our hands with soap before eating and after using the toilet.”Evette has been an ECD teacher for over two years, teaching early skills and nurturing children between the ages of three and five years at the ECD centre of the Roman Catholic Primary School in Taiama. “I am a trained ECD educator,…

The spouse of notorious drug lord, Abdul Kamara, popularly known as Bigitel of Mamaba Ridge in the Moyiba Community, East end of Freetown, Juliet Kamara, was taken into custody by the Harbour Division Police during a well-thought-out operation that targeted drug dealers across the nation. This represents a significant advancement in the war against drug trafficking. A sizable amount of illegal drugs were taken from Kamara’s home, as a consequence of the operation that resulted in her arrest, suggesting that she may have been involved in the drug trade. Along with two of her sales agents, Mariatu Koroma and Fatmata…

The Sierra Leone Maritime Administration (SLMA) is proud to announce the inauguration and handover of a state-of-the-art Police Station to the people of Bonthe. This milestone achievement underscores the commitment of the SLMA towards bolstering community safety and security, in line with the vision of His Excellency President Bio. Following the reinstatement of Mr. Paul Sobba Massaquoi by His Excellency the President in January 2023, initiatives were swiftly undertaken to enhance Sierra Leone’s maritime reputation on the global stage. The administration prioritized the domestication of all maritime international conventions, reaffirming the nation’s commitment to adherence and compliance with international standards. …

By Ibrahim Sorie Koroma Ministry of Health, in collaboration with its partners, in April this year, will roll out FREE Malaria Marklate in 15 Districts in Sierra Leone, excluding Western Area Urban. The Programme Manager of the Expanded Programme on Immunization, Desmond Maada Kangbai, said that they are targeting at least 80% of over 286,253 surviving infants in 15 selected districts with 4 doses of the malaria vaccine, adding that the introduction age cohort of the vaccine is at 6 months, which means only children at age 6 months at the time of the introduction/roll-out will be eligible for the…

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED), the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), the European Union (EU), and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in Sierra Leone have officially launched the project titled ‘Salone Access to Finance’ in Freetown at the Sierra Palms Resort. Funded under the EU’s Jobs and Growth Programme, this pioneering initiative will improve access to finance over the next five years, contributing to scaling up digital financial solutions and piloting insurance to 500,000 low-income farmers, including women, and youth entrepreneurs. At the heart of the ‘Salone Access to Finance’ Project lie four crucial pillars: investment -creating access to credit, insurance – a climate adaptation SafetyNet, digitalization -leveraging technology for…

By Agnes Aineah Dozens of survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Sierra Leone have completed a skills training program that Caritas Freetown designed to help the victims of abuse get back on their feet. In the programme that ran for two years, ending with the Wednesday, March 20 graduation, 25 SGBV victims from Waterloo, a highly populated settlement in Sierra Leone’s Western Area Rural District, were equipped with catering and knitting skills. At the graduation ceremony, the 25 participants in the programme were also awarded start-up kits for income-generating ventures, based on the skills they had acquired. In his address…