Author: gleanernewspaper
A team of experts from COWI A/S Consortium- a global engineering and consulting business, has arrived in Freetown from Denmark. Their arrival follows the successful CRET 2024 National Dialogue hosted by the Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security (PI-CREF) held at the Freetown International Conference Centre at Aberdeen. At the Dialogue, the Danish Energy Agency (DEA), a member of the Accelerated Partnerships for Renewables in Africa (APRA) announced a targeted technical assistance programme to support the operations of the Electricity Distribution and Supply Agency (EDSA) and its operations through the Grid Loss Reduction Technical Assistance Programme…
By Vickie Remoe Drizilik has achieved another first for Sierra Leone. Freetown’s most prolific kriofusion and afrobeats musician is the most streamed home-based artist on Audiomack. With over ten million streams and 73,000 monthly listeners, Drizilik is taking Salone music where it’s never gone before. Just over two years ago, in March 2022, Drizilik set the first streaming record in SL. He was the first local artist to hit two million streams on Audiomack, which he joined in 2018. Drizilik’s growth is exponential. While it took four years to hit two million streams, it’s just two years to hit the…
The Sierra Leone Maritime Administration (SLMA) has hosted the Defense Attaché from the Chinese Embassy during a courtesy visit aimed at strengthening maritime collaboration between Sierra Leone and the People’s Republic of China. The highlight of the meeting was the announcement of full scholarships for the training of four technical personnel in China, a significant step toward enhancing SLMA’s capacity and technical expertise. During the discussions, the Executive Director, Mr Daniel Kaitibi, emphasized the urgent need to boost search and rescue operations, improve safety at sea, and address challenges at crossing points, particularly the lack of adequate aids to navigation.…
The National Consumer Protection Commission (NCPC), established under the Consumer Protection Act of 2020, was officially launched on November 22, 2024, at the Bank Complex, Kingtom. This milestone marks the operational commencement of the Commission, which is fully constituted and poised to enhance consumer rights and welfare across Sierra Leone. Delivering the keynote address, Chief Minister, Dr David Moinina Sengeh, reaffirmed the government’s dedication to safeguarding citizens from harmful products and substandard services. He emphasized the importance of balancing support for the private sector with ensuring compliance with best practices in service delivery. Highlighting the government’s economic diversification policies, Dr…
His Excellency, President Dr Julius Maada Bio, launched the nation’s first-ever iron rod manufacturing factory, owned by Odhav Multi Industries (SL) Limited, reaching a historic industrial milestone. The facility is projected to save the country between US$250 million and US$500 million annually in iron rod importation costs while reducing dependency on foreign exchange. In his keynote address, President Bio emphasized that the factory represents a significant leap forward in the country’s industrial development and economic self-sufficiency. He noted that the facility, which will produce 120,000 metric tons of iron rods annually, aligns with his administration’s vision of fostering a thriving…
Sierra Leone’s President, His Excellency, President Julius Maada Bio, officially opened the 29th Ministerial Committee Meeting of the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) at the New Brookfields Hotel, Freetown. GIABA, a specialized ECOWAS institution, coordinates efforts to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing (ML/TF/PF) across West Africa. In his opening remarks, the Director General of GIABA, Mr. Edwin W. Harris Jr., expressed gratitude to President Bio for gracing the conference. He highlighted the publication of a regional report, which underscores the need for intensified efforts to address financial crimes in West Africa. “While…
By Augustine Sorie-Sengbe Marrah The energy infrastructure project is nearly as old as our nation’s republic. The Bumbuna hydroelectric dam was commissioned in 1975 and held immense optimism for power generation. Since then, successive governments have promised to complete the Bumbuna hydro project, which now seems like redirecting the course of the Atlantic Ocean. And Bumbuna has become the politician’s favourite playbook in which their solutions wrapped in gimmicks are laid out in quintessential theories and conjectures. At least in the last twenty years, politicians from all spectrums have promised, licking a finger and pointing it to the sky, that…
Sierra Leone’s Deputy Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, Umaru Napoleon Koroma, has highlighted the government’s significant reforms in managing critical minerals during the Commonwealth high-level roundtable meeting. This session, held as part of the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals, and Sustainable Development (IGF) 20th Annual General Meeting, aims to develop a comprehensive handbook to guide member states in managing critical minerals for the global energy transition. The Commonwealth Secretariat has been instrumental in providing technical assistance to member states in the energy and extractive sectors, particularly Sierra Leone, fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister…
By Michaela Bonnie Sierra Leone’s Embassy in Seoul took part in the 7th Model African Union (AU) Assembly, held on November 15 and 16, 2024, at the National Assembly Members Building in South Korea. This year’s assembly, organised by the AU-Korean African Foundation in collaboration with the National Assembly Forum for Africa and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, aimed to foster an understanding of African issues among Korea’s youth. The event brought together African and Korean representatives to engage in insightful discussions on the theme, “Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century.” The gathering…
By Ishmael Bayoh Hon. Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, on Saturday, 16th November 2024, told Sierra Leonean artists at the Embassy who are participating in the 15th edition of the Dak’Art that he was proud of their participation in showcasing their talents and marketing Sierra Leone. The Hon. Vice President, who came to engage in several bilateral meetings with government officials of Senegal, joined the renowned group exhibition of Sierra Leonean artists exploring the ancestry of freed enslaved people, feminism in Africa, tribal unity, postconflict transitional justice and African landscapes, which is happening for the first in the history…