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Former White House Assistant Director For Public Health Launches The Mansaray Foundation

 

Saibatu Mansaray                                                       FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 10/28/2020

The Mansaray Foundation

info@mansarayfoundation.com

FORMER WHITE HOUSE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR PUBLIC HEALTH LAUNCHES NON-PROFIT FOUNDATION

From Sierra Leone to the White House and Back

#fightforourmothers

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In order to help save mothers’ lives lost during childbirth in areas where the rate is six times higher than the global average, today marks the introduction of The Mansaray Foundation.

The non-profit organization will focus its efforts on driving down the death rates in the hardest hit areas of Sierra Leone.

Maternal mortality remains a universally recognized public health priority, despite efforts and some successes in addressing this issue. Sierra Leone currently has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world, where deaths from preventable childbirth complications are six times higher than the global average.

According to UNICEF’s latest report, in Sierra Leone, 1 in 17 mothers has a lifetime risk of dying in connection to childbirth compared to 1 out of 30,000 being at risk in Sweden. A Sierra Leonean woman is 300-400 times more likely to die from childbirth and the country is listed as one of the worst places to give birth alongside Chad, Central Republic of Africa, Nigeria and South Sudan.

The Problem: Women in developing countries suffer the most because of inaccessibility to facilities and skilled medical personnel. With younger women in rural areas being the most vulnerable Founder, Saibatu Mansaray, says, “no woman, despite geographic, economic, or literacy status should die from the complications of childbirth.”

The Opportunity: The Mansaray Foundation is immediately positioned to effect change by partnering with InovCares and CEO/Founder, Mohamed Kamara. Through this groundbreaking partnership, InovCares will provide 24/7 obstetric telehealthcare throughout the region. Kamara, a native Sierra Leonean, says, “We cannot allow Sierra Leonean women to be forgotten. They deserve the best possible care.”

Sierra Leone leads the world with the highest maternal mortality rate (1,360 of every 100,000 live births).

It has only 1.2 obstetric and newborn facilities per every 500,000 (the UN’s recommendation is 5 for every 500,000). WHO estimates that three quarter of maternal fatalities and complications can be prevented with access to the right medical staff and facilities.

Our Vision: A Sierra Leone where the maternal mortality rate is among the lowest five in Africa (Egypt, Morocco, Libya, Botswana and South Africa).

Our Mission: To utilize a simple, scalable and sustainable health-systemic approach to prevent maternal mortality, promote maternal health, and prolong the quality of life of rural women in Sierra Leone through multi-stakeholder partnerships that is in line with global best practices.

Strategic Priorities: Nested under 3 pillars: (1) Improve access to care; (2) Improve service delivery systems; and (3) Improve quality of care.

The initiative is the latest step in the long line of public service by Sierra Leone-native Saibatu Mansaray, a retired United States Army officer after 23-years of service and two tours of duty to Iraq.

Mansaray served as a White House Physician Assistant and Tactical Medical Officer to President Obama and Vice President Biden followed by Director of Medical Operations and Military Aide to two Vice Presidents. Upon retiring, Mansaray joined Vice President Pence’s team as his Director of Advance. Her final assignment was as a White House senior executive and Assistant Director for Public Health at the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Learn More:

www.mansarayfoundation.org

On all platforms: @ The Mansaray Foundation

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Cultivated by Miracle…   Harvesting on 32 Acre Rice Farm Commences in Upper Pataloo

Sheku Koroma (Miracle)

By Amin Kef Sesay

In a bid to complement Government’s efforts in making food sufficiency real in Sierra Leone, Sheku Koroma (Miracle) on the 25th October 2020 joined the people of Upper Pataloo in Baoma Chiefdom, Bo District to start harvesting a 32 acre of rice farm he singlehandedly supported.

Delivering a “thank you” statement to Sheku Koroma, the Section Chief, Nikson Boddy Senesie thanked him for his kind-hearted gesture to the people of Upper Pataloo and called on Government and other stakeholders to reciprocate the same especially to the people of Upper Pataloo.

In his submission, the Section Youth Chairman, Sheku Abu, disclosed that the farm was financed by Sheku Koroma (Miracle) from start to finish. He further reiterated that the farm wasn’t finance by anyone else rather than Miracle with the intent of complementing President Bio’s vision to make Sierra Leone a food sufficient State through local production.

Sheku Koroma in a statement said he undertook the venture because of the plight of residents of Upper Pataloo especially in the area of accessing sufficient food.

He noted that the produce of the farm will be utilized by the community people and furthered that as a Civil Society activist who believes in empowering people, he decided to embark on farming activities with the sole purpose of complementing President Bio’s vision of food sufficiency in Sierra Leone.

Miracle has engaged community stakeholders of Upper Pataloo upon request to plant cassava and other viable agricultural products on the harvested rice farm land during the next coming season. He revealed that the sole purpose of embarking on this drive is to achieve sustainable food production through subsistence farming in the Upper Pataloo Section in Baoma Chiefdom.

Relevant stakeholders within Upper Pataloo sand over two hundred people were in attendance. Over 53 bushels of rice were harvested on the first day of harvest. The produce is for community use only,it was stated.

ECOWAS Speaker Prioritizes Protection of Right to Food

Regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, His Excellency Sidie Mohamed Tunis

By Abdul Malik Bangura

Speaker of the Regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, His Excellency Sidie Mohamed Tunis has on Monday 26th October 2020, whilst serving as chair of a high level regional meeting with West and Central Africa Parliamentarians on mobilizing them and keeping nutrition as a priority during this COVID 19 period called on the regional law makers to prioritize advocacy on the protection of the right to food.

HE Sidie Mohamed Tunis made this passionate call whilst making his address during the opening and general introduction session of the meeting.

He said “this meeting is very timely as early indications coming from research shows that COVID 19 is likely to affect food security and nutrition as movements of farmers are being restricted thus disrupting the chain of production, processing and food supply.”

The Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament furthered that as Members of Parliaments (MPs) they must be seen to vigorously working with their respective Governments and non-governmental organizations and UN Agencies so as to ensure quality food intake is maximized during this global pandemic.

As a way of highlighting what they as MPs have done so far to achieve the threshold of food sufficiency in the West Africa region during this COVID 19 period, ECOWAS Parliament Speaker confirmed that some of the Parliaments in the West African region, including the one in his home country Sierra Leone have “established the Parliamentary Alliance on food security and nutrition and have engaged in several capacity building training workshops and activities on right to food, legislative approaches to improving nutrition, school feeding, responsible investment in agriculture and food systems and land tenure for food security, as well as existing legal frameworks for food and nutrition security and gaps.”

 Hence, therefore, HE Tunis said due to the capacity building which MPs have undergone, Parliamentarians are now in better positions to envisage likely impact of COVID 19 on food security and nutrition in their countries and possible areas of policy and legal reforms.

Meanwhile, Dr. Namoudou Keita, a representative of the West Africa Health Organization (WAHO), whilst dilating of the epidemiological situation and easing measures observed in the response to COVID 19 in ECOWAS region confirmed that as at Sunday 25th October 2020, there is 92.7% recovery rate of COVID 19 cases in West Africa. He said out of 187,483 confirmed cases in the region, ECOWAS region has 173,818 recoveries, with 2,739 deaths.

Mohamed Diop, Regional Representative Action Against Hunger West and Central Africa said the success of Africa as a whole in fighting COVID 19 shows that Africans are a resilient people. He said, “ all of our successes come from the fact that we have expertise in fighting diseases pandemic.”

He however said that we are fraught with situations of malnutrition which might affect the socio-economic development and growth of our countries. He said, the goal of the workshop is to further mobilize MPs in their efforts on food sufficiency and security during the COVID 19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, a lot of other deliberations where held during the meeting including a session on the situation of COVID 19, impact and resilience of West and Central Africa communities; and another session on the Role and Responsibilities of Parliamentarians and their Innovative Initiatives Supporting National Responses.  These sessions were followed by a plenary session on the discussion of all group work and endorsement of the declaration.

The meeting was climaxed by closing remarks of the Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament, Honourable Sidie Mohamed Tunis, who advised all MPs to work on achieving points made in the declaration. He said his office is always open to assist with whatever is required of him to ensure that malnutrition is curtailed in the region.

The meeting between West and Central Africa Parliamentarians on mobilizing Parliamentarians and keeping nutrition as a Priority during COVID 19 was conveyed by Action Against Hunger, Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation and a host of other international NGOs and took place by virtual videoconference and comprised of MPs and representatives from nine (9) West and Central Africa countries including: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone.

NaCOVERC Raises the Bar High On Financial Transparency

Deputy Coordinator National COVID-19 Emergency Response Center (NACOVERC), Sheku Bangura

By Foday Moriba Conteh

In order to provide updates on the workforce rationalization, epidemiological data, finances and other related matters in the COVID-19 response in the country, the National COVID-19 Emergency Response Centre (NaCOVERC), has on Monday 26th October, 2020 held a session with Journalists and Civil Society activists. The event was held at the Bank Complex, Kingtom in Freetown.

Giving an update on key considerations by the National COVID-19 Emergency Response, Spokesperson of the National COVID-19 Emergency Response Center (NACOVERC), Solomon Jamiru Esq. stated that Sierra Leone announced its index case on the 31st March 2020 at a time when the entire country could boast of only a 30 bed isolation center at the 34 Military Hospital, Freetown, for COVID-19 related cases.

He added that presently there is about a thousand bed capacity for Community Treatment Centers (CTCs) and Community Care Centers ICCCs) combined, and currently, not up to 5% of the capacity is occupied.

Solomon Jamiru further revealed that Six WHO-certified COVID-19 Laboratories have been established in the course of the Response (four in the Western Area, one in Makeni and one in Kenema): with plans to broaden the scope of Laboratories nationwide.

He said this is the 30th week of the outbreak in Sierra Leone and the epi-data indicates a general downward trend in cases and the last three months have seen a considerable decline in cases nationwide as well as limited number of persons in Quarantine (all of whom are in home-quarantine). Jamiru furthered that with a total bed capacity for CTCs and CCCs at 997 only 39 beds are occupied; with the bulk of active cases in home isolation.

It against such a backdrop, he pointed out that it is very obvious that the large workforce (over 9,000)  has been maintained for the duration of the Response to date, which, he said, has contributed immensely to COVID-19 disease prevention and control, ensuring that cases have not spiraled out of control.

He maintained that given the epi-data, it is clearly not prudent and fiscally sustainable to maintain the current workforce.

“As COVID-19 has had significant impact on sectors of our society, rationalizing the current workforce would relieve Government’s fiscal space tremendously and make room for a good percentage of the funds to be directed to the payment of risk allowances to personnel, to be repurposed and refocused on other priority areas (including health and emergency Systems strengthening),” he maintained stating that  notably, personnel affected by the rationalization are already largely employed and receiving remuneration from Government.

The Spokesperson of the National COVID-19 Emergency Response Center (NACOVERC), Solomon Jamiru Esq. further stated that the rationalization, however, doesn’t mean that the COVID-19 outbreak in Sierra Leone is over, as evidence across the world indicates that the virus is still very active and could resurge in Sierra Leone.

He added that consequently, the workforce is being rationalized with this factor very much in mind and the strategy being put in place makes provision for rapid upscaling should the need arise.

On his part, Deputy Coordinator National COVID-19 Emergency Response Center (NACOVERC), Sheku Bangura gave an update on the status of finance of the COVID-19 Response.

He stated that NACOVERC has received the total of about 212, 014, 768, 377.62 Billion Leones and they have disbursed Le171, 133,179,030.27 Billion Leones, leaving a balance of 40,881,589,347.35 Billion    Leones in the coffers.

Sheku Bangura added that their books are always open for inquiry saying they will continue to maintain an open door policy.

He assured the people of Sierra Leone that they are fully committed to public accountability and transparency in the management and use of public funds allocated to them in the fight against COVID-19 in the country.

He revealed that they have been cooperating with the Audit Service Sierra Leone and doing real-time audits, as well as responding to audit queries promptly to enhance transparency and accountability in the use of public funds in order to ensure that they fight the fight and win it. The Deputy Coordinator National COVID-19 of the Emergency Response Center (NACOVERC), Sheku Bangura, further added that they want to give confidence to the people of Sierra Leone that theirs is a decisive and focused leadership which is guided by a technical and scientific advisory team to take any decision at any point in time in the fight against COVID-19 in Sierra Leone.

 

Media Team Eulogizes Ambassador Anthony Navo Jr

By Amin Kef Sesay

The Media Team of Ambassador Anthony Navo Jr has expressed profound thanks and appreciation to all those who have asked many questions, sent kind sentiments and testimonies about Ambassador Anthony Navo, Jr. (Junior Navo) and Africa Young Voices Media Empire (AYV).

It continued that in a country where the great strides of Ambassador Anthony Navo Jr have touched many lives and communities they want to use this platform for all to be part of Ambassador’s journey so far as a young entrepreneur, philanthropist, humanitarian and an acclaimed media owner.

In answering the question who is Ambassador Anthony Navo, Jr. the Media Team disclosed that he is currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Africa Young Voices (AYV) Media Empire, Chairman of All Works of Life (AWOL), Chairman of East End Lions F.C. and Council Member of the Sierra Leone Chamber of Commerce.

The Team furthered that he is also the Proprietor of Navo’s Group of companies, a conglomerate of electronic business, foreign exchange bureau and importation of milk from the Netherlands.

According to what was stated, Ambassador Anthony Navo, Jr was born at Fourah Bay, Freetown, in a devout Muslim family and he has always described his mother Fatmata Badara Navo (Nee Thorpe), as his guiding angel while his father, Anthony Navo, as the embodiment of inspiration.

From both his mother and father, he acquired his values in life: honesty, compassion, hard work, integrity and commitment to national service, the Team intimated.

“Navo, Jr. started his academic sojourn at the St. Philips Primary School and later attended the Prince of Wales Secondary School. His passion for business was crystalized after he attained a BA (Hons) in Business Management from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom,” it was also disclosed.

As a loving husband, stated the Team, Amb Navo, Jr. is married to Mrs. Haja Navo who is a lawyer in the United Kingdom and he is an adoring father of three sons: Abdulai, Amjid and Ayaan adding that for Ambassador Navo, he has always put his family at the heart of his success.

“Amb Navo, Jr. is the recipient of the Most Credible Africans Award; Man of the Year Award from the Women’s Group – Sisters Choice; Lifetime Achievement Award from National Entertainment, Most Influential Person of the Year – Sierra Leone, and host of others,” the Media Team informed.

With regards his passion for business members of the team maintained that  in a country where many young people have skills and talents for entrepreneurship, but with little or no opportunities, Amb Navo Jr. started with only a leap of faith.

“With hard work, commitment and overcoming personal challenges, he started off with establishing a foreign exchange bureau in London helping the Sierra Leone Community in London to support relatives and friends in Sierra Leone,” they furthered.

It was relayed that after creating jobs for young people in London, in 2001 his commitment to nation building after the war motivated him to return to Sierra Leone.

“For almost two decades since his return, Amb. Navo Jr. has created a consortium of business ventures described as Navo’s Group of Companies dealing in electronics business, foreign exchange bureau, and importation of milk from Netherlands and perhaps the largest investment in media and entertainment industry at the AYV Media Empire,” they recounted some of his achievements.

The Team pointed out that through these various investments, Ambassador Anthony Navo Jr., over the years has created thousands of jobs for Sierra Leoneans, made huge contributions to the national revenue mobilization through payment of taxes and has been a strong pillar in the private sector as a Council Member of the Sierra Leone Chamber of Commerce.

Dilating on the establishment of the AYV Media Empire the Media Team revealed that the ambition to establish the AYV Media Empire started as a dream Ambassador Anthony Navo Jr  shared with friends and family members yet everyone asked: “How is it going to be possible when he doesn’t have the financial strength to make such huge investment?”

They furthered that, however, for Amb Navo Jr., his dream of creating a Media Empire was never going to die.

It was disclosed how he started with a newspaper and later used his private house as collateral to secure a loan of $1.2 million United States dollars from the Bank.

They said that loan provided the necessary funds for the purchasing of global standard equipment for setting up the television and radio stations and covering initial operations.

“Over the years, Amb. Navo Jr. has invested single-handedly over $10 million United States dollars in AYV Media Empire with the recent construction of a multi -million dollar complex hosting the Housemates – Salone Season-2,” they also disclosed.

According to them, from a small project, which started with a newspaper and 19 staff, today AYV Media Empire is the largest private media investment in Sierra Leone comprising newspaper, printing press (machines), film production, television stations, radio station and employing over 700 Sierra Leoneans at home and abroad.

They affirmed that it is the only Sierra Leonean owned television station with a broadcasting house in London furthering how as part of its international portfolio, in March 22nd 2019, the AYV Media Empire announced a new partnership with the World Service Programme of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), in London.

The Media Team attested that empowering young people has always been the guiding motivation of Amb. Navo Jr.

“Over the years, he has worked with and supported many talented and celebrated Sierra Leonean artists during their early years of their music careers,” it was stated by the Media Team adding that presently, he continues to create more opportunities for artists through partnerships, supporting music shows and promoting Sierra Leonean Music through the AYV TV Entertainment Channel and through the AYV films. Ambassador Anthony Navo, Jr. has invested in supporting Sierra Leonean filmmakers, actors and actresses in Sierra Leone and across Africa,” they stated with pride.

The Team stated that he has produced one of the best movies Sierra Leone and the continent should be proud of –“NEXT PRESIDENT”. That movie, according to them, featured local and international stars in the film industries in Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

“For Ambassador Anthony Navo Jr., he passionately believes that if other African nationals can invest and make a difference in their countries, Sierra Leoneans can and must also invest to empower young people, which will in turn create jobs and promote talents,” it was stated.

The Ambassador Anthony Navo Jr. Media Team said unfortunately, as is known, COVID-19 is having a significant impact across the globe.

It was stated by the Media Team that they continue to maintain their investment to deliver great service to the public at the AYV Media Empire, but are also experiencing production challenges with “Caught on Camera” and the ‘’Cypher Uncensored Show’’ as a result of the COVID -19 restrictions.

However, they assured that if you are a fan of those programmes, don’t be worry as they will resume shortly after the COVID-19.

Talking about Ambassador Anthony Navo’s passion for entertainment shows, the Media Team said he started when he used to watch many TV entertainment programmes in London and across other TV channels in Africa.

According to them the question has always been for him: why not in Sierra Leone?

It was stated that the maiden programme of “Big Sister” Sierra Leone was a great partnership with ZedZee Multi-Media Consult and Africell – Sierra Leone.

“Together, we took Reality TV show to the homes of many Sierra Leoneans and captured the attention of the country but before that Ambassador Anthony Navo Jr. had a great history of working together with many private companies and organizations,” the Team pointed out.

Giving an instance, reference was made to 2018 when the AYV Media Empire collaborated with the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists to host the first successful national debate for presidential candidates in the 2018 elections.

They said it was successful and they look forward to such collaboration in future with SLAJ.

The Media Team also extended thanks to ZedZee Multimedia Consult for the great partnership in the maiden “Big Sister” show.

“Ambassador Anthony Navo Jr wants to assure all entertainment companies that AYV Media Empire stands ready to collaborate, promote and support all Sierra Leoneans in the entertainment industry,” he stated.

They asked the question : “Why “Housemates – Salone”?

The Team said like any partnership in entertainment, there are always challenges and we must respect people for their personal choices in life. More importantly,

It was revealed that AYV Media Empire also received a correspondence from an international firm challenging the legality of the use of the name “Big Sister” in Sierra Leone among other things.

“We sought legal opinion from our lawyers and we were advised appropriately. However, despite this international legal challenge, AYV Media Empire wanted to continue in creating the platform for young people to showcase their talents and provide an entertainment show of an international standard. We wanted it to be a unique Sierra Leonean reality TV show and named it “Housemates Salone” ,the question was answered.

They said the new project allowed Ambassador Anthony Navo Jr to invest in the construction of a new building and installation of media equipment running to the tune of millions of United States dollars.

“This new building consists of seven stories and has an Amphitheatre, three studios for production, car park holding over 500 cars, an ultra- modern swimming pool and luxury rooms for the accommodation of crew members and guests,” it was disclosed by the Media Team and added how the complex can be used for meetings, shows, presentations and corporate hospitality.

“This will provide another infrastructure for entertainment companies to host their shows, for artists to organize performances and the general public to organize social programmes,” it was stated.

Based on what the Media Team disclosed, the new building is located at Wesley Street, Tower Hill and currently hosting the “Housemate Salone – 2020”.

They said for Ambassador Anthony Navo Jr, every project, show or investment in Sierra Leone the guiding principle is: how will this benefit people in the entertainment industry and improve the profile of Sierra Leone?

The Team also expressed gratitude for the long-standing partnership with Africell – Sierra Leone over the many years.

In a message of unity and partnership by Ambassador Anthony Navo Jr,  he said  we have a small population of a little over 7 million people and that less than the estimated number of people in the entertainment industry in Nigeria.

He said it means all those who work in the entertainment industry must see themselves as belonging to a family stating how they may not always see things the same way or believe in the same ideals but must always support one another to promote talents.

“We must promote healthy competition because it should provide choice for the public,” Ambassador Anthony Navo Jr admonished.

He said whether in music, filming or reality TV shows, healthy competition also helps to learn on how all can transform the entertainment industry by improving quality and service for the public.

“At AYV Media Empire, we are not in competition with anyone because it is our hope that other television stations will give equal opportunities to entertainment companies and artists to promote their shows and programmes,” he maintained.

Ambassador Anthony Navo Jr said just as they work hard to succeed as a media and entertainment company, they also want other entertainment companies to succeed because if they do it is better for Sierra Leone and create more opportunities for young people.

Addressing fans who promote artists or shows against the other, he said they can still do so by engaging in civil, courteous and constructive dialogue or conversations.

“Entertainment is not a life or death matter rather it is about entertaining the people in an atmosphere of fun, love and peace, so as fans and supporters you can all make a promise to stop abusing one another and stop the unnecessary and unhealthy competition,” he further advised appealing for them to spread love and not hate as well as spread unity and not disunity; promote healthy competition and not sabotage.

“For members of the public whether you watch the two shows on different television sets or one show on your television set and the other on your mobile phone, you must be proud that they are both Sierra Leonean shows promoting Sierra Leonean talents,” Ambassador Anthony Navo Jr stated underscoring that he and AYV Media Empire remain committed to partner with other institutions and want to extend their best wishes to the “Big sister – Season 2 and other entertainment shows.

“We only have one Sierra Leone,” he reminded all.

20th Anniversary of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Celebrated

Chinese Ambassador Hu Zhangliang

By Amin Kef Sesay

The Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone, H.E. Hu Zhangliang, in a statement to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of China-Africa Cooperation stated that in October 2000, China and African countries jointly established the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) which ushered in a new era of historical development of China-Africa relations.

He disclosed that this year marks the 20th anniversary of FOCAC adding how not long ago, H.E. President Xi Jinping of China and H.E. President Macky Sall of Senegal, the current African Co-Chair of FOCAC, issued a joint congratulatory message on this significant occasion.

“Over the past two decades, a total of three Summits and seven Ministerial Conferences of FOCAC have been successfully held. Under the FOCAC mechanism, China-Africa relations and cooperation have been constantly enriched with fruitful outcomes produced,” the Ambassador also revealed.

He noted that the concept of “China-Africa community with a shared future” has been deeply rooted in the hearts of both Chinese and African people.

In 2019, the stock of direct Chinese investment in Africa, he said, reached US$49.1 billion, up by nearly 100 times from the year 2000.

China-Africa trade reached US$208.7 billion in 2019, 20 times that of 2000 and China’s contribution to Africa’s economic growth has been over 20% for several consecutive years, he said.

According to Ambassador Hu Zhangliang, being the largest developing country and the continent with the largest number of developing countries, China and Africa enjoy huge complementary advantages, which greatly boosted their cooperation in various fields.

He went on to state that China-Africa relations have been elevated from “a new type of partnership” to “a new type of strategic partnership” and now to “a comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership”.

For the past two decades, he intimated, FOCAC has been a dynamic platform for dialogue and an effective mechanism for practical cooperation between China and Africa.

It has been a pacesetter for upholding multilateralism and achieving mutual benefits and by taking the “FOCAC Express Train”, China-Sierra Leone friendship has also embarked on a new journey.

China-Sierra Leone mutual trust has been enhanced over the past 20 years through high level visits and other harmonious exchanges, he also stated.

He said from participating in the First Ministerial Conference in 2000, to the attendance of H.E. President Julius Maada Bio at the FOCAC Beijing Summit in 2018 and the Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mrs. Nabeela Tunis at the Coordinators’ Meeting on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Beijing Summit in 2019, Sierra Leone has always been an active member of FOCAC.

“Over the past two decades, China and Sierra Leone have maintained close exchanges and frequent high-level visits. Three Sierra Leonean presidents visited China five times. There have also been over 20 important exchange of visits by Presidents’ special envoys/special representatives, Vice Presidents, Speakers of Parliament and Foreign Ministers between the two sides,” he intimated and added that a good number of Sierra Leonean Ministers were invited to visit China.

“These high-level visits not only set the direction for the development of China-Sierra Leone relations, but also laid the foundation for enhancing mutual political trust and promoting the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries,” he said.

He furthered that by implementing relevant FOCAC projects and initiatives, the two-way people-to-people exchanges have also been on rapid increase.

Various seminars, training courses, think tank exchanges, cultural visits and other activities have been conducted, effectively consolidating public support for the friendly and mutual beneficial cooperation between China and Sierra Leone, he stated.

The Ambassador said China-Sierra Leone win-win cooperation has been deepened and expanded over the past 20 years through joint efforts and contribution. FOCAC has brought important opportunities for China-Sierra Leone cooperation, he informed.

He said over the past two decades, China-Sierra Leone economic and trade cooperation has made great progress.

“The bilateral trade increased from over US$8.6 million in 2000 to US$510 million in 2019,” he said adding that despite the impact of  the COVID-19 pandemic, the trade volume between the two countries still hit US$320 million in the first eight months of 2020.

He said China has been Sierra Leone’s largest trading partner for more than ten years in a row disclosing how China’s high-quality and cost-competitive products have enriched Sierra Leone’s market, saved Sierra Leonean people’s expenses, and helped improving production conditions and economic efficiency for Sierra Leone.

At the same time, dozens of Chinese companies have come to invest in Sierra Leone, creating about 4500 direct jobs and injecting vitality into the development of infrastructure, transportation, telecommunications, tourism, manufacture, fishery and mining etc, the Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone continued.

He said projects under the Chinese Government assistance such as the Office Building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bo Stadium, hydro-power stations, hospitals, schools, roads, bridges, vehicles, rice aid, medical and health assistance and agricultural technical cooperation etc. have been implemented.

More than 500 Sierra Leonean students were awarded Chinese Government Scholarships to study in China, and over 5100 personnel from all walks of life in Sierra Leone have been invited to China to attend various short-term training courses, the Ambassador informed.

He said such practical cooperation has given a strong boost to Sierra Leone’s economic and social development, contributing to the enhancement of welfare of the Sierra Leonean people.

“China-Sierra Leone friendship has grown stronger over the past 20 years as the two sides rendering precious support to each other. China and Sierra Leone have always stood together to overcome one challenge after another. When FOCAC was just founded, China worked with the international community to help end the civil war in Sierra Leone, support the post-war reconstruction, and assist the consolidation of peace and stability. When Ebola epidemic broke out in 2014, China rushed to the rescue immediately by sending more than 300 Chinese doctors and nurses to Sierra Leone and supplying planeloads of medical equipment, which contributed immensely to the final victory over the epidemic,” he highlighted.

He added that in 2017, when the tragic mudslide hit Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown, the Chinese side provided urgent humanitarian assistance and took an active part in the relief work.

“At the initial stage of China’s hard battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, H.E. President Julius Maada Bio sent a message to H.E. President Xi Jinping expressing sympathy and solidarity, the Parliament of Sierra Leone awarded a certificate of solidarity to the National People’s Congress of China and passed a special resolution to support China’s fight. Friends from various circles in Sierra Leone also showed their solidarity with China,” he acknowledged.

He pointed out that on her part, in spite of huge difficulties and pressure in pandemic prevention and control at home, China made every effort to help Sierra Leone fight against the pandemic.

The Ambassador said the Chinese side has provided several rounds of urgent donation of most needed medical supplies to help Sierra Leone enhance her prevention and control capacity.

According to his statement, the three Chinese medical experts teams sent to Sierra Leone under the Chinese Government aid program have been working day and night with their local counterparts in virus detection, patient treatment and technical training.

He said in the international arena, China and Sierra Leone have been working closely on issues of common concern and upholding justice and shared interests.

“Sharing weal and woe, China and Sierra Leone have proven themselves to be genuine friends,” he noted.

 

500 Forest Guards Resonates Pres. Bio’s Promise to Create Jobs for Youths… -VP Juldeh Jalloh States

Vice President Juldeh Jalloh

By Aaron Bundu Lahai

Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone has reiterated President Bio’s determination to give support to ecosystem governance.

The Vice President Jalloh referred to President Bio’s statement in Parliament in 2019 to support ecosystem governance furthering how the recruitment of five hundred game/forest guards to patrol protected areas in Sierra Leone is in sync with that statement. The employment of the five hundred forest guards, Dr. Jalloh, said was done in line with the New Direction Government’s promise to create jobs for the youth, taking into consideration the gender perspective.

Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh admonished the guards to showcase professionalism, respect for law and order and the community they are sent to. He called on the game guards to serve the community people, respect and treat the people with the highest standard of professionalism. Vice President Jalloh informed the guards of Government’s plans to monitor the activities of the game guards.

“Government will not tolerate any behavior that is outside the broader expectation. You are not sent to the community to sell land or beat people,” Vice President Jalloh also admonished.

He informed the attendees during the graduation ceremony of the recruited guards that the recruitment of the guards was a decision by the Government of Sierra Leone to strengthen the enforcement mechanisms of the National Protected Area Authority (NPAA).

The Vice President added that the recruitment of the guards will enhance the patrolling and monitoring of all protected areas. Vice President Jalloh described the recruitment as a commitment of the New Direction Government to robustly support environmental management as encapsulated in the Mid Term National Development Plan.

“Before the recruitment of the new five hundred guards who graduated this past weekend, the NPAA was constrained with manpower to manage fifteen networks with land coverage of over 250,000 km/sq across Sierra Leone,” Vice President Jalloh explained.

He furthered that NPAA had only two hundred and eighty guards. The inadequate manpower and capacity of the Authority, Dr. Jalloh stated, is responsible for the massive deforestation, encroachment especially in the Western Area Peninsula National Park, undermining livelihoods and water supply saying they are posing the greatest challenge to Government’s efforts to enhance conservation.

Saturday 24th October, 2020 marked the date of the graduation ceremony which was held at the Peace Mission Training Center at Hastings and was attended by Government functionaries, diplomatic community and family members of the graduates.

NP-SL: An Efficient Petroleum Entity Worthy of Commendation

By Amin Kef Sesay

Positive development strides of the National Petroleum (NP) SL Limited, has made it the epitome of a viable Indigenous national enterprise in the Petroleum industry. It embodies what the ordinary Sierra Leonean can achieve when they come together with a shared vision and goal. With a capable Board of Directors and Management the company has contributed positively to the development of the nation.

NP SL-Ltd has turned the fortunes of this company since its inception into a viable profit making and job creation entity. In its employ are Sierra Leoneans occupying various senior and junior positions. With honouring its tax obligations to Government via the National Revenue Authority (NRA) in a timely manner, the company has contributed to the boosting of the country’s economy as well as the steady and meaningful execution of its Corporate Social Responsibility, which has improved the standards of living of many Sierra Leoneans.

The pro-active and sterling initiatives of NP’s Board of Directors and Management in respect of timely procurement of petroleum products and ensuring its availability on the market for public consumption, has seen a marked deviation from the days of fuel shortage to that of abundance.

It is highly commendable for a well-established and result-oriented company like NP to have climbed to such an enviable position especially when cognizance is taken of the fact that it is exclusively owned by Sierra Leonean shareholders, a typical testimony of how local entrepreneurs could raise the bar high.
Going down the annals of history the former British Petroleum Company decided to sell its shares to the Government of Sierra Leone that was in Governance at that material period of time.

Things took a different twist when in 1996 the Government sold its 60% shares in NP to some of the company’s members of staff. Again it was made known that 55 % was paid upfront from the end of service benefits of the workers from BP and the 5% offered to all the other workers. Thus the company known as LEONEOIL was born.

The 55% sale of Government shares to NP came as a result of the World Bank’s advice to privatize the latter. It was also revealed that among the 4 companies that bided, which included ELF, LEONOIL won the international competitive bidding conducted by Arthur De Little, a United States based Management consultancy firm hired by the World Bank.
It could be recalled that the World Bank, which advised Government to privatize NP, monitored the bidding process for the three international companies and one local company that competed culminating in LEONEOIL, which metamorphosed to NP, meeting all the set criteria.

Financial experts, whom the Calabash Newspaper had the privilege to talk with, noted that the aforementioned members of staff were indeed entrepreneurial enough to properly manage the company to such an extent that, unlike others, it survived most of the bottlenecks that it encountered throughout the years it has been in existence.
Shedding light on the historical background of NP, it came out glaringly that the 40% PMMC’s stake in the company, owned by the late Jamil Sahid Mohammed and Tony Yazbeck, was given as collateral for a loan from a Bank by one of the parties.

The business mogul, Jamil Sahid Mohammed, later sold to Cape Oil PMMC’s 40% shares to offset a fidelity loan, but LEONE OIL was not satisfied with that move and took the matter to court on the grounds that it was in violation of the M and A which dictates that the other side has the first option to buy. The outcome of the matter was that the High Court gave judgement in favour of LEONE OIL.

For mischievous reasons certain individuals have been churning out rumours that NP has a monopoly over the petroleum market in the country which is totally untrue, baseless and misleading as it has been factually proven that there are other Marketing Companies marketing petroleum products that are registered with the Petroleum Agency.
It must be noted that Petro-Leone is a storage company developed by both Addax and Leone Oil so that petroleum products will always be available in the country and avert shortage. Experts further stated that if such a venture is disrupted, the country will relapse to the former state of shortage of fuel and long queues will once more re-surface across the country, causing a lot of inconvenience and national hiccups.

At present, NP-SL has filling stations in different parts of the country with other facilities like tyre mending, mini marts and sale of gas in some of them. The company was also established in neighbouring Liberia offering various petroleum and other related services.
It can be asserted that the National Petroleum Limited is one that has grown by leaps and bounds. The company is an embodiment of sterling local entrepreneurship that is worthy of emulation.

Orange-SL & Thinking Pink Embark on Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign

By Foday Moriba Conteh

Orange-Sierra Leone, the country’s dependable mobile services provider, Orange-Sierra Leone, in collaboration with Thinking Pink Breast Cancer Foundation, has on Monday October 26th, 2020, undertook breast check-up for Orange staffs as part of  the World Breast Cancer Awareness month, which was celebrated worldwide.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Foundation Manager, Orange Sierra Leone, Desmond Spaine, in a statement revealed that Sunday the 25th October 2020 was declared as Breast Cancer Day.

He further disclosed that for several years, Orange Sierra Leone, has been working with Thinking Pink Breast Cancer Foundation saying  such will enable them to create a platform and opportunity for women who do not have the opportunity to go to the hospital to do their breast cancer check-ups.

He said this opportunity is not only being limited to their members of staff but they are also visiting market places to meet the grass roots and give them the opportunity to check their breasts.

Spaine said Orange is also supporting the treatment of breast cancer victims to the extent of financing operations that are needed to be done on those victims.

He continued that because of the corona virus in the county this time around they are doing an awareness campaign involving a cross country marathon to raise awareness about breast cancer.

“We will sensitize people about breast cancer and what they should do to prevent it,” Desmond Spaine said.

He said they are educating people on how to check themselves to know if there are lump in their breasts and to make reports if such are discovered.

Desmond said a lot of women are victims of breast cancer.

“They are seeking for help for them to undergo operations so that they will be healed and become healthy,” he informed.

Annie Wonnie- Katta, Public Relations and Corporate Affairs Head, Orange Sierra Leone, said the campaign is not only limited to women but men as well, “Because breast cancer does not only affect women.”

She said there is no awareness among men about breast cancer.

“We also need to take caution and to check their breasts,” she said.

Annie further revealed that the money donated in cash to Thinking Pink Breast Cancer Foundation was Le 75M plus other added items given for the campaign.

She said Orange Sierra Leone also provided cars for Thinking Pink Breast Cancer Foundation to do sensitization in various communities as the campaign is intended for men and women to be aware of their breasts saying they should not be left out in any kind of way.

“They need to be checked. If lumps are earlier detected in their breasts they will be treated and lives will be saved,” Annie Wonnie- Katta said.

She said despite the fact that there is corona virus in the country other sicknesses should not be forgotten.

She stressed the move will complement the work of health practitioners  adding that people should be aware that it is not only corona virus that can kill but other sicknesses as well like breast cancer.

The Chief Executive Officer for Thinking Pink Breast Cancer Foundation, Cremenda Pratt, thanked Orange Sierra Leone for their support.

“It is good when an office is taking care of their members of staff because a healthy work place is a positive and reproductive one,” she stressed.

She said breast cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and Sierra Leone is part of the globe. Annie pointed out that people have to learn to be aware by checking their breasts ten days every month after menstruation.

Madam Cremenda continued that women have to understand what to look for in their breast saying because it is about early detection and if noticed quickly it will be cure, and if noticed late it will cause morbidity or death or the breast of the person will be cut because the cancer have gone far and has spread wide.

She appealed to the nation that early detection can save lives.

Madam Cremenda revealed that Breast Cancer Day was celebrated all over the world adding that women have died in numbers because of the silence. She said one person, one organization or one nation cannot fight the sick except everybody comes together as one.

She furthered that during the checkup if they find out that a person has breast cancer, it will be confidential and they will explain to the person what is involved stating that all that is needed is treatment. She said, after that, the person can choose the best option whether to do the operation in Sierra Leone or abroad.

The Chief Executive Officer for Thinking Pink Breast Cancer Foundation said Sierra Leone is trying as far as treatment is concerned but if a person needs proper treatment that person has to go to Ghana or India.

Madam Cremenda ended by stating that the support given to them by Orange-Sierra Leone is not enough but it will take them far. She pleaded with the Government to help in the fight against the disease.

Fatima Bio Justifies Interacting with Housemates on Saturday

By Amin Kef Sesay

The 31st October 2020 will mark a turning point in the ongoing Reality TV Show, organized by Africell and the Africa Young Voices, as the First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Her Excellency Fatima Bio, will pay the Housemates a surprise courtesy visit.

According to Fatima Bio, she has been fortunate to have good hearted organizations and individuals supporting her campaign to protect and educate young girls.

She revealed how the Hands Off Our Girls initiative was launched by President Bio in 201 furthering that Africell and AYV have supported the Hands Off Our Girls campaign and still do so in words and in action.

She said her visit to the Housemates is geared towards showing sincere appreciation for the support (moral and financial ) that Africell and AYV have given to her campaign, more especially the groundbreaking work AYV is doing in empowering youths through employment and inspiring creativity .

The First Lady expressed the view that the show will be used as a platform to reach out to the young audience stating that it will be a very interactive.

According to her, AYV is the only TV station in Sierra Leone  to formally endorse the Hands Off Our Girls campaign and fully supported the national tour underscoring how the AYV’s new news studio even has the HANDS Off Our Girls logo.

She revealed that Africell has been with her office  and coincidentally both the CEO of Africell and AYV  joined the peaceful protest March against rape in Freetown in 2018 walking from Cotton Tree to Aberdeen alongside other African First Ladies.

“This kind of loyalty from the private sector more importantly from men joining the fight against rape can only be rewarded by Allah,” she stated.

Housemates Salone has in store for the lucky winner the whopping sum of Two Hundred and Fifty Million Leones (Le250M) plus undertaking a round trip to Dubai.

Apart from bagging the Star Prize of Two Hundred and Fifty Million Leones (Le250M), all other participants are entitled to their daily allowances of Le100, 000 each whilst they still remain in the House and accumulatively given to them whenever they are evicted.

All the Housemates are yearning for votes from members of the public. The voting process is simple: To vote for your favourite contestant just send his or her respective number via SMS to 5500 or dial *5500#. For Diaspora Voting supporters of the respective contestants can call +232 99 00 5500.

Interestingly, during particular stages of the Show, based on the percentage of votes scored by a particular Housemate such determines if he or she will be evicted from the House. Evictions will continue until the ultimate winner emerges.

Housemates Salone is all about Youth Empowerment. As the successful Housemates are in the House they are assigned certain tasks to be performed that will shape their characters, they are currently availed the opportunity to learn new skills, improve on existing ones. They are also emotionally tested, afforded the space to find panacea to certain human problems and do a host of other things.

Furthermore, the Housemates are currently benefitting from widespread exposure as the Show is now watched near and far. Talents are been spotted and vistas of opportunities opened as some of the Housemates would be earmarked to become Brand Ambassadors, movie artists, models etc.

As they are now in the House the Housemates are expected to appear sexy and display some form of nudity.

Again, if they are talking harshly then it is because they are to intermittently use strong language and act funnily as the expectation is for them to of be humorous. Manifestation of these traits is what is really making the Reality TV Show very interesting to watch, providing some form of comic relief for viewers and serving as a therapy to reduce stresses.
Organisers of the event, Africa Young Voices (AYV) and Africell are very enthusiast to enhance youth empowerment in the country and Housemates Salone is one platform that is providing that for the young competitors.

What is clear for now is that many people are really enjoying the Reality TV Show, Housemates Salone, as they continue to watch fun packed episodes that ignite lots of laughter and discussions in various circles.

Throughout, viewers are encouraged to continue to stay glued to their TV sets by positioning yourselves in your comfort zones to watch the much talked about “Quarantine Drama”.

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