Author: gleanernewspaper
U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Mike Hammer will travel to Kampala and Addis Ababa on January 17-24. In Kampala, Ambassador Hammer will attend the 42nd Extraordinary Summit of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Assembly Heads of State and Government, focused on the ongoing situation between Ethiopia and Somalia and on Sudan. The United States welcomes this IGAD diplomatic initiative and reiterates U.S. recognition of the Federal Republic of Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its 1960 borders. On Sudan, Ambassador Hammer will continue to support ongoing regional and international efforts to end the conflict, press for unhindered humanitarian…
At the World Economic Forum today, Administrator Samantha Power called for more resources and action toward a widely neglected, yet highly tractable issue affecting one in two children in low- and middle-income countries: lead poisoning. Globally, lead poisoning kills at least 1.6 million people each year – more than mortality caused by HIV and malaria combined, with the vast majority of these deaths in low- and middle-income countries. Lead is a potent neurotoxin with no safe level of exposure, and lead poisoning can cause severe brain damage, impairing educational attainment and reducing future productivity. Lead exposure may account for upwards…
Minister of Lands, Housing, and Country Planning, Dr Turad Senesie, received an update on the progress of the Resilient Urban Sierra Leone Project (RUSLP), a pivotal initiative aimed at elevating urban planning and development nationwide. The focus of the briefing was on component one, specifically the review of the Town and Country Planning Acts and the formulation of a structural plan for the western area. During the meeting at the Ministry, Dr. Senesie emphasized the necessity of ensuring that project deliverables are not only practical and advantageous, but also contribute to building local capacity and providing essential tools for effective…
Stats SL has engaged representatives from the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) on the Comprehensive Health and Epidemiological Surveillance System (CHESS) Technical Committee research implementation plans. The engagement was geared towards updating NCRA representatives about the work done so far by the CHESS Technical Committee and informing them about the readiness of Stats SL to carry out a successful CHESS research project. Welcoming the team from NCRA, the Statistician General & CEO of Stats SL, Andrew Bob Johnny, expressed delight at the visit, underscoring the amiable working relationship that has existed over the years between the two institutions, and re-echoed…
Officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs have in the ongoing Explore and Discover Month of the Tourism for All Campaign embarked on an assessment of islands, touristic and cultural heritage sites at Kaffu Bullom Chiefdom, Lungi in Port Loko District. The sites visited are Yanlensun, Mabakeh, Bombali and Kerefey island. Boat racing is prominent in these sites, hence the Ministry wants to fit it in the year-long campaign. The team led by the Permanent Secretary, Edward Kwame Yankson, including the Director of Culture, Foday Jalloh, and the Deputy Director of Tourism, Idrissa Bangura, called on Paramount Chief…
His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has received the newly elected executive of the National Olympic Committee of Sierra Leone, NOC-SL, presented by the Minister of Sports, Madam Augusta James Teima, to discuss their successes and challenges. President of NOC-SL, Prince Vandy Sualley, thanked President Bio for making time to receive them, adding that it had always been a tradition for them to pay a courtesy visit and present the new leadership. He said the Committee had also agreed to present the President with a plaque, on behalf of the African Olympics in recognition of his support and contributions…
The High Court has varied the bail conditions of former President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma (Accused/Applicant) to allow him to travel out of the jurisdiction to seek medical attention. The decision follows an application made before the Court by his Lawyer, Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara, backed by a medical report exhibited as SB 001 and supported by an Affidavit sworn on the 12th day of January 2024 by Saidu Bangura. In determining the said Application after brief arguments between the Defence team of the former President and the Prosecution, the Court ordered, “that the Order dated the 3rd day of January…
Executive Officer of the Petroleum Regulatory Agency Brima Baluwa Koroma The Executive Officer of the Petroleum Regulatory Agency Brima Baluwa Koroma is a worried man following the publication of the recruitment of 17 personnel without following the appropriate recruitment procedures to make the process open, competitive and transparent. The illegal recruitment was uncovered by Auditors from the Audit Service Sierra Leone and the report stated that the “Agency did not follow the appropriate recruitment procedures to make the process open, competitive and transparent”. Many qualified Sierra Leoneans have expressed their dismay about the way and manners of most MDAs’ recruitment procedures.…
By Tafi Mhaka When General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and former deputy chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of Sudan, landed in Gauteng, South Africa on January 4 for talks with President Cyril Ramaphosa, he looked civil and dapper in a navy blue suit. His calm, confident and businesslike demeanour implied he was on a mission to rescue Sudan from the violent excesses of his obstinate adversaries in the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Thus, as Dagalo, known widely as “Hemedti”, posed for pictures with a smiling Ramaphosa, he did not…
Dr Julius Maada BioandMadam Seraphine Wakana His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has received and welcomed the new United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone, Madam Seraphine Wakana, who was appointed by Secretary General, Mr. António Guterres, in November 2023. The envoy, who was accompanied by the Senior Human Rights Advisor, Uchenna Emelonye, Peace and Development Advisor, Simonetta Rossi and Communication and Advocacy Lead, Osman Benk Sankoh, expressed gratitude to the President for accepting her appointment. She said she came to the country at a time when there were a lot of events but was able to meet the…