Author: gleanernewspaper

NGOs across Africa and around the world will meet in Nairobi, Kenya, from 21-22 November 2023 to discuss sustainable peace and socio-economic development of the African continent. For too long, the realisation of peace and human development in Africa has been left in the hands of politicians. Despite the enormous contribution of African and international civil society, little has been achieved to realise sustainable peace and development across the continent. On this note, the African NGO Summit will be a meeting point for NGOs from across the continent and abroad, to converge on the socio-economic needs of the African continent.…

His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, received the report, with recommendations, from the committee that was commissioned in 2022 and mandated to investigate the extent, causes and implications of encroachment into the Western Area Peninsula National Park, WAPNP. Chief Minister, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, told President Bio that members of the committee were in his office to submit their report, adding that they discovered that there was a lot of human encroachment on the forest reserve area around Guma Valley Dam. He said the Greenbelt was first established in 1916 and was reviewed in 2013, but human activities had…

News from the Diaspora has intimated this medium that comes December 1st this year, there is likely going to be another big protest, which will impact government operations negatively, countrywide. In an interview with one of the organizers in the Diaspora, Humphrey Thomas, he disclosed that he is coming up with what he described as a ‘Pot Coba’ Protest to let the government know the challenges and frustration the masses are going through. He said that Sierra Leone has faced its fair share of economic, social, and political hardship under the current Bio administration. Freedom of speech and peaceful assembly have been…

The EU’s election observation mission to Sierra Leone on Tuesday 10th October 2023, highlighted statistical inconsistencies, intimidation and political violence in its final report on the June 24 Elections, recommending a string of measures to boost transparency, safety and freedom of expression. “Voters’ trust in the credibility of elections was undermined by (a) lack of transparency during critical stages of the process,” the mission said in the report, which it presented to President Julius Maada Bio on Tuesday. “Tabulation and announcement of results proved to be the tipping point for the credibility of the elections. The entire process was opaque,…

Of all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), African countries are clearly on track to achieve SDG 9, which aims for sustainable industrialization that benefits all and encourages innovation. Nearly 4 out of five people on the African continent own a cell phone, the world’s fastest-growing mobile phone market. However, the annual report on the MDGs in Africa points to delays and disparities in the expansion of rural roads. Internet connectivity and cell phone penetration are the anchor points for Africa’s progress towards the ninth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 9), namely to achieve inclusive and sustainable industrialization, combined with innovation and…

The new United States Ambassador to Sierra Leone, His Excellency Bryan D. Hunt, on Monday 9 October 2023, paid a courtesy call on the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu. During the meeting in the office of the Speaker in Parliament at Tower Hill in Freetown, a wide range of important bilateral issues were discussed, as well as the participation of the Opposition (APC) Members of Parliament in the governance of the State. In his opening statement, the United States Ambassador said he visited the Speaker to pay his respect before the House resumed its Recess…

Following the refusal of the Chief Electoral Commissioner for Sierra Leone to grant access to a popular pro-democracy lawyer and human rights activist, Augustine Sorie-Sengbe Marrah, he has brought an action against the Chief Electoral Commissioner and the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone, on the basis that the refusal or denial of the ECSL to grant him access to the unaggregated or disaggregated results, otherwise known as the Results Reconciliation Forms) of the 11,712 ECL’s designated polling station results for the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Council Elections held on 24th June 2023, was and is a violation of his right to freedom of…

ByM Muhannad Ayyash For decades, Israel, aided and abetted by the American empire, has sought to politically erase Palestine from the map. Over the past few days, Palestinians have proved, once again, that they won’t easily give up their indigenous claim to and sovereignty over the land stolen from them. I do not use “sovereignty” here to mean “the authority to govern a land” in the narrow Euro-American sense. Rather, I’m speaking of an authority to govern that stems from the deep, non-utilitarian connection between a people and their ancestral land – a connection that renders meaningless all other political…

In a groundbreaking initiative aimed at revolutionising courier services and e-commerce in Sierra Leone, a comprehensive training program on the use, efficacy, and potential impact of the SENME app has been done with about a dozen bike riders in Freetown. The initiative, funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is being hailed as a commendable effort to empower Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and foster economic growth in the country. SENDME, a cutting-edge ride-hailing and delivery startup, connects customers with vetted bike riders, ensuring swift and secure deliveries. The training program aims to familiarise bike riders with the app’s…

By Anton Sokolin Valiant’s appearance in DPRK ports may indicate the ship’s purchase of or attempt to smuggle fossils or arms, experts say. An obscure Sierra Leone-flagged freighter, with a murky past, appeared in key North Korean ports in what experts described as a possible attempt to smuggle energy resources or weaponry, in violation of U.N. sanctions. The 1,361-ton Valiant sailed from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Sept. 28 and reached North Korea’s largest port of Nampho on Sept. 30 and Songnim — a DPRK port upstream of the Taedong River — on Oct. 4, Marine Traffic data shows. The vessel’s past movements and discrepancies…