Author: gleanernewspaper

The Parliament of Sierra Leone has approved the FY2026 Supplementary Budget presented by Minister of Finance Sheku Ahmed Fantamadi Bangura. The fiscal adjustment is intended to protect the macroeconomic stability of the country and the livelihoods of its citizens in the face of increasing global oil prices and geopolitics in the Middle East.The additional budget, put forward under the slogan “Improving Budget Credibility to Secure Macroeconomic Stability and People’s Livelihood”, adjusts the initial fiscal plan as external challenges intensify. Minister Bangura informed lawmakers that international oil prices have surged beyond the previous forecast of US$70 per barrel since March 2026,…

President Dr Julius Maada Bio on Friday visited the Torma Bum Rice Farm in Bonthe District, using the occasion to call on private investors and local entrepreneurs to join government efforts under the Feed Salone Initiative to make Sierra Leone food-secure. The visit entailed inspections of active rice plots, irrigation works and other infrastructure projects aimed at scaling commercial production in the region.The president was shown rice farming activities on the site being carried out by Fambul Rice and personnel of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF), each currently farming 1.5 hectares. He also inspected the construction of…

4 August 2026 — Kuwait City: The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) has reiterated its pledge to finance the proposed construction of a comprehensive cancer centre in Sierra Leone, highlighting the Fund’s ongoing efforts to enhance the health infrastructure of the West African country. Rashaid A. Al-Bader, Acting Director-General, made the declaration during a meeting with Her Excellency Haja Ishata Thomas, Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to Kuwait, at the Fund’s headquarters in Kuwait City. Mr Al-Bader said the project is focusing on diagnostic services, radiotherapy and nuclear medicine/imaging, which goes along with KFAED’s health sector development priorities in Sierra…

State House, Freetown – President Dr Julius Maada Bio on Monday, 3rd August, 2026, hosted Gabonese Republic President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema at State House for high-level bilateral talks. The two leaders described the talks as the start of a “more ambitious chapter” in Sierra Leone-Gabon relations. The two heads of state held extensive discussions and agreed to strengthen cooperation through a structured partnership on natural resources, agriculture, maritime security, trade, and democratic governance. President Bio welcomed President Oligui Nguema and his delegation and highlighted the historical and symbolic links between Freetown and Libreville. He said the two capitals were…

Patrick Lansana, Programme Manager for Risk Communication and Community Engagement Pillar in the National Public Health Agency (NPHA) of Sierra Leone, newly elected Vice President of the ECOWAS Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) Network. By Kemo Cham Sierra Leonean Risk Communication Professional Patrick Lansana has been elected Vice President of the ECOWAS Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) Network. He was named at the just-concluded 3-day regional workshop on capacity building for Risk Communication and Community Engagement by the ECOWAS Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control (RCSDC) in Abuja, Nigeria. The Network brings together Risk Communication Professionals from member…

APC Chairman, Secretary General and key stakeholders in Parliament Sierra Leone has witnessed a renewed debate on electoral thresholds and voting systems. Still, the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) seems to be contradicting the positions it formally adopted during the constitutional review process under President Dr Ernest Bai Koroma. Sierra Leone’s constitutional review exercise began with commitments at the end of the civil war. Article 10 of the 1999 Lomé Peace Accord and the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission put the country on a track to revisit and strengthen its 1991 constitution. The first Constitutional Review Commission was set…

The Africell Impact Foundation has officially opened a Telemarketing Centre at the Milton Margai School for the Blind on Wilkinson Road, Freetown. The project seeks to provide long-term employment and vocational training opportunities to the visually impaired. The centre, to be opened on 28 July 2026, will seek to provide the visually impaired students with practical technical and professional skills to help them achieve economic independence and long-term inclusion in the labour market. “The new facility is part of Africell’s ongoing commitment to inclusive development and long-term social investment. In a fireside chat at the launch, Africell’s Dr Fatu Taqi…

H.E. Mr Mohamed S. Barrie, Ambassador of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, met H.E. Mr Sultan Abdulrahman Al-Marshad, CEO of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), at the Fund’s headquarters in Riyadh. The meeting aimed at enhancing bilateral development cooperation and speeding up the implementation of infrastructure projects financed by the SFD in Sierra Leone, with emphasis on the flagship Riyadh Referral Hospital project.The main objective of Ambassador Barrie’s trip was to formally deliver information about the revised site for the Riyadh Referral Hospital, a planned 150-bed medical facility costing $50 million and funded…

The Public Debt Management Division of the Ministry of Finance closed a two-week workshop on Friday, July 24, 2026, to refresh the country’s Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) and Medium-Term Debt Strategy (MTDS). The workshop held at Leisure Lodge in Aberdeen, Freetown, was aimed at improving the framework for managing Sierra Leone’s public debt, reducing the risks of borrowing, and ensuring that government borrowing is consistent with long-term economic growth and improved service delivery. The sessions were attended by stakeholders from the Bank of Sierra Leone, Statistics Sierra Leone, the National Revenue Authority, the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, the…

Chief Minister Dr David Moinina Sengeh has congratulated the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion (ICPNC) for its crucial role in the development of peace, accountability and national cohesion during a courtesy visit to State House where the Commission presented its 2025 Annual Report and Strategic Plan.The ICPNC delegation was led by Board Chair Rev. Shodankeh Johnson, Executive Secretary Hawa Sally Samai and key members of the Commission’s management team. The visit provided the Commission with an opportunity to brief the Chief Minister on its mandate, key achievements, ongoing programmes, institutional priorities and interventions towards conflict prevention and enhancing…