Conjoined Sierra Leonean Twins Surgically Separated in the USA

March 4, 2020

By Amin Kef Sesay

Recently, conjoined Sierra Leonean twins were separated successfully at the Columbia University Hospital in New York City. The twins were born in Sierra Leone in September 2019 and flown to the United States in December 2019 for surgical separation.

The separation was done by nurses and doctors at Columbia Presbyterian Children’s Hospital. Columbia University Hospital did the surgery pro-bono (free of charge) after Ms. Zainab Bangurah of Maryland, an advocate for the twins reached out to several hospitals in the United States seeking help. The Columbia University Hospital help came through Ms. Kathleen Bateh Thomas, a Sierra Leonean nurse at the Columbia University hospital.

Ms. Thomas convinced her doctors at Columbia University Hospital to do the separation surgery for free after her friend Ms. Bangurah reached out to her for help. Through Ms. Zainab Bangurah outreach The Women’s of Substance, a non-profit organization based in the DMV area and FPU-NA through it New York Chapter FPU-NY got involved.

The Women’s of Substance who have been very active in amazing charitable causes in Sierra Leone played a vital role in the Conjoined Twins cause both financially and morally. The FPU-NY and it very hard-working President, Abdul Rahim Jalloh and his beautiful family have been very active in the lives of the twins and their parents.

Mr. Rahim and his family have been hosting the twins and their parents at their home in Brooklyn since the Conjoined Twins arrived in New York. While his wife and children help with caring for the twins at home, Mr. Rahim Jalloh has been very active in accompanying the twins and their parents to every appointment.

Ms. Mimi Betts and Nurse Laga accompanied the twins to New York and also provided help while they were in Sierra Leone. The nurses at the Cottage Hospital in Freetown also provided care for the twins in Sierra Leone before they were flown out to the United States as well as people of Sierra Leone for supporting the twins and their parents.

The Government of Sierra Leone also supported the twins both at home and abroad. It provided $12000 for the upkeep of the twins in New York City and $4000 to the two nurses who accompanied the twins to the United States (tickets/per diem) (&16000 total).

Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh was also very instrumental in showing keen interest in the cause of the twins and their parents as well as Dr. Edwina Thomas who also played a major role. Friends, supporters and strangers donated money and offered prayers for the twins and their parents.

After Gruesome Killing of its member… Fullah Community Calls for Prevalence of Justice

March 4, 2020

By Foday Moriba Conteh

During the burial ceremony of late Abdulai Jalloh, on Friday 28th 2020 at the Kissy Road Cemetery in Freetown, members of the Fullah Community in Sierra Leone has called on the Government of Sierra Leone to give them justice. This plea came in the wake of the death of Abdulai Jalloh, a young man who was allegedly murdered at the Guinean Embassy, along Jomo Kenyatta Road, Brookfields in Freetown.

Addressing Press men and members of the Fullah Community at the cemetery, Mohamed Sarjoh Jalloh (SAJ), Acting Western Area Fullah Community Tribal Head, said the death of late Abdulai is a big loss to the Fullah Communities in Guinea and Sierra Leone, adding that he was one of the youngest vibrant men who was always working in the interest of the Fullah Community in the country.

SAJ stated as the Acting Fullah Tribal Head, “it is our responsibility to embrace, protect and look after the welfare of every Fullah in the country, be it Fullah from Guinea or Sierra Leone and the Fullah Community is known to be made up of very peaceful individuals, so for our brother to be killed just like that we are very much concerned and are crying for justice to be done”.

Chairman Western Area Fullah Community Tribal Heads, Alhaji Sarjoh Portal Bah, disclosed that the death of Abdulai came as a shock and surprise to the Fullah Communities, because the Fullahs are known to be a peaceful and law abiding people. He stated that when they received the news of Abdulai’s death on Saturday 22^nd February 2020, on Monday they went to the Embassy and engaged them to know the cause of the death and going further to proffer solutions to end the violence, but there was no positive response given by the Ambassador and Embassy staff.

He continued that they were made to understand that these young guys went to the Embassy to collect their voters ID Cards for the Sunday 1^st March 2020 Guinean Parliamentary election and referendum which will see President Alpha Konde running for a third term, but they were denied the opportunity to have their IDs, adding that It was also allegedly learnt that the embassy was selectively distributing ID cards to some set of people which prompted an argument to ensue between the young men and Embassy staff, on allegation that they were being denied their ID cards and their right to vote, which was deemed as a form of human right violation by the Embassy authorities.

“We are very much concern that those who were thought to be the perpetrators are walking freely, while some of the victims are in police custody. So we are calling on the Sierra Leone authorities to speedily investigate the matter, as justice delayed is justice denied,’’ Portal further underscored.

Mohamed Silvin Bah, Chairman and Leader of the National Fullah Youth Liberation Movement, said their movement is totally against any form of violence and needs justice in this matter, so as to avoid future similar occurrences. He assured the Fullah Community that the Movement will work with the Sierra Leone Police and the relevant authorities to speedily investigate so that justice will prevail.

Audit Service SL Dilates on Procedures of Auditing Imprests

March 4, 2020

By Edward Vamboi

There has been divergent views in auditing imprests and in a bid to throw light on that, Audit Service Sierra Leone on the 2nd March, 2020 as part of its public education and information drive dilated on the procedures in the audit of imprests stressing that Part 10 of the Public Financial Management Regulations 2018, deals exclusively with the establishment, utilisation and retirement of imprests.

According to Section 117(1) of the Public Financial Management Regulations 2018 an imprest fund is established for making payments of petty expenditure that cannot be made through the ordinary payment process required under the Act and the Regulations without undue inconvenience.

In other words an imprest can be defined as a fund disbursed to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for small items of expenditure and restored to a fixed amount periodically. It can also be referred to as an amount disbursed to an MDA to undertake a specific activity. Imprests are paid into the accounts of the MDAs in advance, and the MDAs are required to retire imprest disbursed in full.

There is what is known as a Standing Imprest which is an amount allocated/disbursed to an MDA for the payment of small items of expenditure and utilised amount of which can be replenished upon retirement and request. Standing imprest is maintained throughout a financial year.

The other type of imprest is Special Imprest which is established for making specific payments in respect of specific activities or events. A special imprest is not replenished and must be fully retired 30 days after the completion of the activity.

Section 119(2) of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone mandates the Auditor-General to audit the public accounts of Sierra Leone and all public offices. It further states that the Auditor-General shall have access to all books, records, returns and other documents relating or relevant to those accounts. The MDAs expenditure relating to imprests are part of the records, returns and documents submitted to auditors for audit purpose.

The main objective of auditing imprests is to verify whether a particular MDA complies with Sections 117 to 124 of the Public Financial Management Regulations, 2018.

When we look at the procedures involved in auditing imprests it will be realized that first the auditors establish whether the auditee maintained standing imprest and/or requested and received special imprest during the period under audit by reviewing the budget and the bank account of the auditee,

reviewing the IFMIS expense analysis printout and interviewing key personnel of the entity. When once the existence of imprest is confirmed, the auditors will then request for all retirements relating to the imprest and review them to ensure that they are appropriate and complete,

It must be confirmed that special imprests are utilised only for the intended purposes and fully retired, There is also the need to confirm that the entity comply with the sections on imprests and issue query on any deviations or exceptions observed.

The unsatisfactory response and supporting evidence to query or observation on imprests form part of the audit issues that goes into the Auditor-General’s Annual Report that is sent to parliament in line with section 119(4) of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone.

Imprest holders are therefore advised to fully comply with the provisions in Sections 117 to 124 of the Public Financial Management Regulations, 2018 in the management of imprest.

It has been established that Audit Service Sierra Leone will continue to carry out its mandate of being the guardian of Sierra Leone’s economic security.

Poor State Governance & Poor Service Delivery… A Weak Self-Serving Public Service Is The Cause

March 4, 2020

By Amin Kef Sesay

The Civil Service refers to the body of officials who carry out functions of Government under the direction and supervision of the head of Government. Employees of state-owned enterprises, the army, teachers, the judiciary and the police together with civil servants, collectively constitute the public sector.

As such, the effectiveness of the civil/public service is a function of good governance that is central to not only proper service delivery but the overall governance mandate of engendering national development. If that branch of the Government is weak and self-serving, it tells a lot on the quality of service delivery and national development.

Thus, any reform to promote proper service delivery through good governance should begin by addressing, first and foremost, the institutional roots of the problems faced by the public sector.

Civil Service arrangements are the most important mediating institutions which interface between the state and its citizens. Traditionally these were monolithic, centralized, powerful structures with immense power over the management of the affairs of a nation and often not very responsive to the changing needs of governance and public management.

However, in recent times many Governments have realized the importance of greater efficiency (both economic and functional) in the delivery of services to their citizens. Thus Governments in different parts of the world have initiated large-scale reform in their civil services to achieve greater efficiency, effectiveness and responsiveness.

In practice good governance involves promoting the rule of law, tolerance of minority and opposition groups, transparent political processes, an independent judiciary, an impartial police force, a military that is strictly subject to civilian control, and a free press and vibrant civil society institutions, as well as meaningful elections. Above all, good governance means respect for human rights.

Good state governance is particularly relevant to our society, where the Government is the major constitutive element of the governance process. It underlines the important role of the State/Government in providing the regulatory environment and institutional underpinning to facilitate efficient market exchange.

State governance which cuts across all modes of governance and is central to the effectiveness of the entire system of governance as it is supposed to take place through the interplay of a host of institutional arrangements and policy strategies that the State puts in place.

For example, without courts to interpret and enforce agreements, commercial life would become chaotic; without laws to define, and police and courts to enforce them, property rights would be non-existent.

Lack of transparency in governance often leads to wrong political, social and economic decisions many of which affect Civil Service Reforms.

Having defined governance and the modes by which it may be executed, the next challenging task is to address the issue of what constitutes ‘good governance’.

In line with the definitions of governance above, ‘good governance’ materializes if the State is able, through the power and authority vested in it, to allocate the nation’s resources and coordinate economic activities in an optimal manner. The notion of optimality connotes efficiency and effectiveness.

It means that governance is conducted within the framework of effective rules and policies that underpin social harmony and sound development.

In the context of State governance, good governance implies the capacity to formulate and implement sound economic policies, to institute effective legal institutions, to ensure public oversight and participation of civil society, and to have in place a credible civil service that provides citizens with an acceptable level of public services in an effective and efficient manner. These constituents of good governance must, however, be gauged against certain predetermined criteria.

Good governance is widely identified with the following attributes: transparency, accountability, efficiency and fairness. These are the ground rules of governance, which must be used to assess governance outcomes.

Therefore, good governance does not only mean that the State operates effective policies and laws, but it also means, and more importantly, that it executes those policies and laws of the State in a transparent, accountable, predictable, efficient and fair manner.

NP-SL is a Strong Pillar to National Development

March 4, 2020

By Amin Kef Sesay

The National Petroleum (NP) SL Limited continues to positively contribute to the socio-economic development of the country in diverse ways. With a capable Board of Directors and Management at the helm, the company has provided job opportunities and continues to do so for those who were hitherto unemployed thereby contributing greatly towards poverty alleviation.

Customer care is key to the National Petroleum Sierra Leone (NP-SL) Limited viability and sustainability in a highly competitive market. This is according to recent research done on the viability and sustainability of the operations of Sierra Leone’s most viable and sustainable international service deliverer – the National Petroleum Sierra Leone. The research included tests on the standard and quality of the National Petroleum products which customers say they have never had cause to grumble.

Being Sierra Leone’s leading and longest serving oil marketing company, the National Petroleum (NP) SL Limited continues to weather the storm gallantly as it endeavours to give optimum satisfaction to its esteemed customers across the country as well as in neighbouring Liberia, Guinea, Ivory Coast and The Gambia where it also operates as a truly multinational Sierra Leone company.

Since its establishment, NP has been meaningfully contributing to economic growth through payment of taxes and rolling out meaningful interventions in the discharge of Corporate Social Responsibility that are transforming lives and improving communities.

The company always ensures that petroleum products are available, thereby preventing shortages that could create shocks in many quarters. The level of confidence which overseas business partners have reposed in the company has made it possible for it to enter into payment agreements thereby keeping the demand and supply chain open and running.

The company has gained reputation for offering a variety of managerial and technical jobs to Sierra Leoneans and other individuals throughout the countries it operates; thereby helping in improving standards of living in the respective countries where it operates.

NP-SL by giving preference to employing Sierra Leoneans is a clear indication that it adheres to the country’s Local Content Policy. Utilizing local talents make it possible for indigenes to acquire useful knowledge and skills through training courses that could be applicable in other places.

In addition, the company sells the best cooking gas that is available in hundreds of outlets across the country, thereby contributing to creating cleaner environments, thus aiding the work of EPA.

In this digital age, moving away from the traditional way of transacting business has now become the norm. As such, NP introduced the use of smart cards with which customers can procure any quantity of petroleum products easily.

“Using NP smart card makes transactions very easy and convenient for me,” Musa Koroma, an engineer informed this press.

The public’s recognition of the invaluable contributions of NP both to its numerous esteemed customers across the country and to national development has seen it bag meritorious awards from different organisations.

Owned mainly by Sierra Leoneans who established it years back the company, through its corporate social responsibility has championed various development projects just as a way of giving back to society. One main thing that is very characteristic of this petroleum entity is its effective churning out of its corporate social responsibility. It has been very supportive to other institutions by way of capacitating them. For example, late last year the company provided a water facility for the National Fire Force, Kissy Branch which cost millions of Leone. The water facility, with a standby generator, serves as a backup from which water is sourced and utilized for extinguishing fire outbreaks within the Greater Freetown metropolis.

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.

President Julius Maada Bio’s Agenda for New Direction and “Enemies of Progress”

March 3, 2020

Author: [Chief] Dr. Saio S. Marrah Former Director General – Central Intelligence and Security Unit Former Intelligence and Security Adviser to President Ernest Bai Koroma and President Julius Maada Bio

By (Chief) Dr. Saio S. Marrah

“Wise men speak because they have something to say, fools because they have to say something” (Plato).

In the dusk of the Agenda for Change, when preparations were underway to unveil the Agenda for Prosperity, I did an ex-post facto analysis of the former agenda which albeit depicted with the best of intentions by the former President (Ernest Bai Koroma); was however punctuated if not utterly perforated with challenges.

The aim of the analysis was to identify the challenges and problems of the Agenda for Change and effectively use them as warning signals for the soon to be hatched Agenda for Prosperity so that the latter will not suffer similar faith as it sister agenda – the Agenda for Change. After that retrospective analysis and in the dawn of the Agenda for Prosperity, I summarized my scientific findings of the research in a piece titled, “President Koroma’s Agenda for Prosperity and Enemies of Progress”. In that piece published in 2013, I argued if not advised amongst other issues the following fundamental points for the consideration of the then president and indeed the consumption of the general public.

I started by pointing out that, “Prosperity for the people of Sierra Leone is President Koroma’s ultimate aim……. but it’s an open secret that President Koroma’s Agenda for Prosperity is highly infested with grave problems emanating from some of his ministers and top civil servants. Whereas President Koroma is talking the talk and working the work of prosperity; very few if any of his Ministers, Directors, Managers and the like are in parallel pace with the President – hence most of the Ministers and key policy implementers are only talking the talk but not working the work of prosperity. Such behavioural pattern by highly placed individuals is not only hypocritical, duplicitous and treacherous to nation building but exceedingly perfidious to the confidence reposed on them by President Koroma”.

I further dilated that, “President Koroma’s remaining years at the helm of power has questionably appeared to some voracious and rapacious government officials – if not all of them as if the world is coming to an end. There is blatant and naked self interest as opposed to national interest; underscoring the cynical but rational assessment of critics that such retrogressive and backward-looking state officials are real enemies of state. Such egoistic, penchant and avaricious attitude of these enemies of state has the proclivity and inclination of tarnishing the unblemished character of the new APC and essentially soiling the legacy of President Koroma. There isn’t any collegiality between and amongst ministers and other top civil servants. Ministers are fighting Deputy Ministers, Managers are against their Deputies, and Permanent Secretaries against God knows who. The only reason I can adduce for such anti-prosperous attitude is my coined phraseology “Corruption Race against time”. Why all this mess? Remember all is vanity, so work hard and leave a legacy”.

As if that was not enough, I further highlighted that, “as the general public (in Sierra Leone) and the International Community are positive and forward-looking towards achieving President Koroma’s prosperity package for the people of Sierra Leone, certain Ministers, Directors, Managers, Permanent Secretaries and others in very important positions are derailing or stalling projects on a daily basis. These groups of trusted individuals have outwitted their usefulness and have virtually become untrustworthy if not entirely futile to the state. President Koroma’s determination and the peoples’ expectations are insidiously sabotaged by these people I will encourage everyone to call “Enemies of Progress”.

In a rather startling and astounding mood, I posited thus; “I am marveled by the grave insatiability, self-indulgence, impiety and absolute lack of patriotism of these enemies of states who are always asking for reward or bribe before they can lift their pen and scribble their unreadable signatures on policies that will bring prosperity to the people of Sierra Leone. These enemies of states are so callous, inconsiderate and thoughtless such that, if their requests are not met, they can stall or rather freeze significant developmental project proposals and eventually discourage investors from doing any further business in the country”.

I concluded the piece by maintaining that “it’s morally and ethically flawed, politically incorrect, economically disastrous and socially untenable if not religiously transgressive and sinful to be a saboteur against prosperity. What an awful, appalling and horrendous way of thinking and doing politics; derailing development in a country that has ravaged and riddled itself in a ten year civil conflict”.

In a relapse of misfortune, it’s saddening and sickening to see the same heinous administrative inaptitude which greatly affected former President Ernest Bai Koroma persist to voraciously eat into the flesh of President Julius Maada Bio’s administration with irreverence and disdain. As the economic situation under President Julius Maada Bio is not only deplorable and terrible but totally despairing, it is but apt to bring to his notice such advice so that he can take prompt actions to ameliorate the situation in the country as the suffering on the people of Sierra Leone is agonisingly unbearable and intolerable.

Since 2018, whenever and wherever we see President Bio delivering a speech either to his people or the international community, he is always gyrating around his Agenda for New Direction. After almost two years of President Bio at the helm of affairs, it appears that his Agenda for New Direction is suffering from “enemies from within” [his SLPP]. The enemies of progress against the Agenda for New Direction are people whom the president have elevated to positions of trust (though myriad of them lack the alacrity and experience) – nevertheless, instead of helping the president to achieve his goals, they are busy pulling him down in the name of fighting against the APC – and the APC aren’t your enemies.

In demonstrating their hate and anger against the APC, top government officials of the Bio administration are adamantly refusing and or rather stampeding potential investments in Sierra Leone simply because such investments or investors are being brought in country by APC supporters or sympathisers. By this way such retrogressive and debased SLPP top government officials think they are fighting against the APC, failing to realise that they are derailing development and by extension frustrating President Bio’s effort in achieving his Agenda for New Direction. Ironically therefore, these back-peddling government officials who are impairing development do not have an iota of idea or credibility to bring any serious investor to Sierra Leone hence the prime factor why the retired Infantry General (President Bio) has been transformed into an Air Borne President.

Having said that, the profound question is, is it really necessary to drop names of enemies of the Agenda for New Direction for the attention of President Bio and the general public? I don’t think so. Why do I negate? I say so because, by now President Bio should have known his “enemies from within” his SLPP who are by extension “enemies of progress” against his Agenda for New Direction. I hold that, those educated fools that are preaching tribalism and sectionalism with the aim of ostracizing other Sierra Leoneans who are not SLPP supporters are merely being hedonistic, epicurean, self-indulgent and disingenuous. The current economic adversity in Sierra Leone is been exacerbated by such cronies of President Bio who are actually “enemies from within” and essentially “enemies of progress”.

Mr. President, the APC is a matured political party enthralled and engrossed with patriotism and nationalism. The APC is a socialist nurtured and driven political party whose main objective is the development of the people and the country as a whole. Had you embraced and worked with the APC, the country’s economy wouldn’t have been in such a cluttered and messy situation. It is not the wish of the APC to see President Bio fail. Why do I say this? It is logically clear that if the president fails it’s the people of Sierra Leone that will suffer and perish and not the president. In light of this therefore, as development is an ongoing process, it was and persists to be our wish for President Bio to succeed in achieving all his goals hence taking Sierra Leone a step further in our developmental gait. But this will never be possible without bringing the APC onboard in Parliament, local government, the private sector and the like. Mr. President, beware of blind and parochially minded cronies because as Les Brown cautions, “people who can’t see for themselves can’t see for you”. Let me conclude with Machiavelli’s insightful but brute reality that, “when you betray the people, you commence to offend them and show that you distrust them either through cowardice or lack of confidence and both of these opinions generate hatred”. Mr. President, if you do not change the direction of your new direction, you may end up where you are heading.

Climate Change Is On The Agenda… Not Much Being Done To Mitigate Its Causes & Effects

March 2, 2020

By Amin Kef Sesay

In October 2019, over 90 Mayors of the world’s biggest cities signed a Global Green New Deal in Copenhagen, among who was Freetown’s Mayor, Yvonne Aki-Sawyer.

The deal was to recognize a climate emergency and commitment to inclusive climate action and staying below the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal of the Paris Agreement.

Africa is more vulnerable than any other region to the world’s changing weather patterns. Generally, given what we have seen in recent times in South Africa with a mix of extreme drought and extreme rainfalls leading to flooding, Africa will be hardest hit by climate change, even though it has contributed the least to its causes.

The African continent will be hardest hit by climate change for two main reasons. Even a little less rainfall in the future could endanger the forest and its massive carbon store:

African society is very closely coupled with the climate system; hundreds of millions of people depend on rainfall to grow their food.
The capacity for adaptation to climate change is low; poverty equates to reduced choice at the individual level while governance generally fails to prioritize and act on climate change.

We know remarkably little about that climate system – it is scarcely even monitored. For example, there are more reporting rain gauges in the UK county of Oxfordshire than the entire Congo Basin. The impacts of climate change are very real and present, with very little that is systematic and consistently being done by government and communities to adopt and implement on a sustainable basis, durable policies and strategies to mitigate the impact of climate change in the country.

The former Executive Chairperson of EPA SL, Haddijatou Jallow, warned that Sierra Leone is already suffering from the impacts of climate change and that it might adversely affect the country’s drive towards prosperity.

“Mudslides, flash floods, changing rainfall patterns with terrible impact on farmers, resulting in poor food production, is already here.” She said, adding that “Coastal communities around the country are feeling the strain too, with increased coastal erosion that is seriously affecting these communities.”

UN Development Programme (UNDP) Country Director, Sudipto Mukerjee said: “Climate change is a reality that we all have to face and we have little time left. There is alarming evidence that tipping points, leading to irreversible changes in major ecosystems and our global climate system, may already have been reached or passed.”

Mr. Mukerjee called for “Hydrocarbon-based energy systems and economies to be transformed and appropriate adaptation measures put in place.”

According to analysis done in 2012 for the development of Sierra Leone’s Second National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, climate change will lead to severe consequences in Sierra Leone including:

Decreased agricultural productivity,
Degradation of the coastline and damage to coastal structures,
A shift from tropical rain forest to dry forest, food and nutrition insecurity,
Water stress and severe economic impacts that will undermine decades of development gains

To ensure we play our part in not going beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius, we are going to create carbon sinks: we are committed to planting 1 million trees in 2020 and increasing our vegetation cover by 50% by 2022.

Urgently needed concerted mitigation interventions against climate change by the newly created Ministry of Environment working in strong partnership with EPA-SL, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Lands, Local Government, all the Local Councils and all the country’s paramount chiefs and traditional leaders, before it is too late, must include massive nationwide economic tree planting to replace lost forests and bushes to reduce deforestation by the logging and charcoal industries, strengthening the resilience of the water sector, protecting the coastal lines from excessive economic exploitation and increase capacity for climate information and early warning.

MOHS & Partners Validate Hepatitis B & C Treatment Guidelines

March 2, 2020

By Edward Vamboi

Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) together with their partners have organized a two day conference to validate Hepatitis B and C guidelines for treatment, at the Bintumani Hotel in Aberdeen.

The chairman of the conference Rev. Dr. Thomas Samba said this validation is happening after months of research and studies done by the team put together by the ministry and China CDC.

He said this is the first such report on this dangerous ailment and hope at the end of the two day programme there would be positive results and guidelines to treat all those affected.

Declaring the conference open, the deputy Minister of Health Dr. Jonathan Sandy said this is the first time of such report in Sierra Leone and the ministry is very happy to have coordinated the research in collaboration with China CDC, Partners in Health, WHO and UNICEF.

“We are very happy to have this research done as Hepatitis B has been a killer disease in the country. I am particularly honored to thank the Chinese CDC for their continued role in our health system to make it stronger and better. They have been very effective in the drive to make sure no Sierra Leonean die of these viruses anymore.”

He said the full scale study that was launched by MOHS with their partners has been successful and validation of the guidelines will come out positive that will be used to treat Sierra Leoneans in the future.

The Deputy Chinese Ambassador Mr. Wang Xinmin said China is always happy to help where necessary and that is the reason they have sent three sets of medical teams to Sierra Leone to work and help in the improvement of health.

“Even when we are fighting the coronavirus we are still determined to complete all our projects in Sierra Leone and this Hepatitis B and C which is very dangerous to Sierra Leoneans cannot be underestimated, as we believe the research that has gone on for months have now yielded much needed results that will be validated in the next two days. Mr. Wang said he hopes that the support from China CDC will continue to be pivotal to MOHS as they collaborate to eradicate diseases in the country.

The lead for Laboratory Technician Working Group Dr. Isata Wurie said that 16.9% of anti-natal population is positive with Hepatitis B and C and that it is not good for the country. She averred that they are happy to be part of the study and hoped that the validation will help to treat patients with the ailments.

Dr. Wurie said they are at the frontline and they would want to receive more training and expertise so that the testing for these diseases will be easy and effective.

Director of China CDC Professor Duan said the validation and training of the national viral hepatitis B and C guidelines in Sierra Leone has come at a time when it is very necessary to stop the cases of liver cancer that is a product of Hepatitis B. “Viral hepatitis is one of the greatest public health threats in the world, which is responsible for an estimated 1.4 million deaths each year from acute infection and hepatitis-related liver cancer and cirrhosis – a toll comparable to that of HIV and tuberculosis. In fact, hepatitis can be prevented, diagnosed, treated and managed well now. However, only a minority of patients is accessing treatment. This makes viral hepatitis be a truly silent epidemic,” he said.

Professor Duan noted that viral hepatitis remains a great challenge. There are still more than 1.3 million viral hepatitis cases reported annually and about 28 million chronic HBV patients need to be treated and they can get a robust validated national viral Hepatitis B and C guidelines for Sierra Leone with your hard work.

He said they can enjoy better health security with professional skills from every training and effort, and China CDC will support more activities for the control of hepatitis and other public health issues in Sierra Leone.

UNIDO Trains 40 Senior University Staff

March 2, 2020

By Dauda Musa Bangura

On 26^th February 2020 the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in collaboration with the University of Sierra Leone ended a one day intensive Training of Trainers (ToTs) for over 40 senior cadres of the University of Sierra Leone at IPAM campus in Freetown on Quality Management Systems.

The training brought together Deans of different faculties, senior lecturers and administrative staffs from Fourah Bay Collage, COMAHS and the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) as well as other partners and it was based on Quality Management Systems in Sierra Leone.

Giving the oversight of the training, David Gbao, the Director, Strategic Planning and Quality Assurance/Project Coordinator- University of Sierra Leone expressed the view that the project aims at building QMS capacity in Sierra Leone and involves developing a QMS curriculum to be delivered by the University of Sierra Leone further stating which is why they carefully selected lecturers who will progress to the QMS certification training and serve as tutors in sync with few administrative and postgraduate staff to support the project.

“The programme is part of UNIDO’s efforts geared towards increasing Sierra Leone’s competitiveness through enhanced productivity and trade compliance in selected value chains,” Mr. Gbao noted.

Welcoming participants from the three institutions, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of IPAM, Prof. S E Nonie highlighted that Sierra Leone has little to show when it comes to quality management systems which is why they are appreciative of the support from UNIDO to empower the University with trainings and skills to ensure quality is maintained in Sierra Leone.

The Professor called on participants to take the training very serious as they are going to serve as Ambassadors in Quality Management Systems.

He pointed out that last year they held the first session on Quality Assurance and Management underscoring how it was a starting point. He requested for salient points to be included in the operation of standards in our daily activities.

Dr. Thomas B. R. Yormah, Executive Secretary of the Sierra Leone Standards Bureau revealed to participants that his institution was established to ensure that quality and standards are maintained. He said without proper monitoring of standards the country will face a lot of issues impinging negatively on health. “We are working assiduously with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization which deals with standards and procedures in ensuring that good standards are enhanced,” he informed furthering how he promised to work and support the University of Sierra Leone to maintain standards.

Dr. Nigel H. Croft, UNIDO Consultant for the QMS ToT from UK delivered different presentations ranging from the background and concept of quality management system to the ISO 9000:2015 in providing the fundamental basis for quality management systems.

The British ISO expert on the second part of his presentation was able to give a clearer and detailed insight on ISO 9001 and the requirement standards citing processes that are risk-based focused further captivating the participants by the Plan, Do, Check and Act (PDCA) concept.

Finally, Dr. Croft expanded on the topic: “Looking Beyond ISO 9001 towards ISO 904 and the Broad Quality for Organisational Effectiveness and Efficiency” pointing out reasons why Sierra Leone must embrace quality management.

Participants expressed their profound thanks and appreciation to UNIDO and the Directorate of Quality Assurance for organising such a wonderful training exercise.

One of the beneficiaries, Dr. Haja Ramatulai Wurie, the Dean of Faculty, Senior Lecturer and Head of Biochemistry Department at the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences-USL expressed happiness for being part of the QMS Training of Trainers (ToT) stating that it was timely and prudent for the University of Sierra Leone to host it. “We have to ensure that whatever we are doing we do that with the Quality Management lens,” she averred.

The Young Dean further noted that “We have to be mindful that as academic institutions we are training the future leaders of our nation and so we must take to account quality.”

The Deputy Registrar of the University of Sierra Leone, David Condor Brima revealed that as a new department they need people with such knowledge to help train staff from the University. He said the training is beyond the training session to how participants can impact other sectors in the society.

Alpha Kanu, an Assistant Researcher at IPAM stated that the training is beyond description because the various topics where well handled by the UNIDO QMS specialist and called for more of this type of training in order to continue to improve the quality of standards within the University.

Minister of Planning Re-echoes Commitment to Accelerate Delivery in 2020

March 2, 2020

By Foday Moriba Conteh

Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Francis Kai-Kai, has said the government of President Julius Maada Bio is focused on making sure this year of delivery becomes the most important thing in Sierra Leone’s development and that NGOs are considered critical actors in the actualization of the President’s Agenda.

He made this statement, as twenty-eight (28) more NGOs signed the Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the Ministry of Social Welfare. Already, two batches of NGOs serving in the Health and Education sectors have signed the SLA.

Dr. Kai-Kai opened his remarks with acknowledgement of the contributions of NGOs to Sierra Leone’s development prior to, during and even after the civil war. He noted that the government strongly relies on NGOs in taking development to the last mile within the country. He said the government was committed to leaving no one behind, as demanded by the MTNDP (2019-2023) and also the Sustainable Development Goals (2030).

Dr. Kai-Kai noted the importance of monitoring and evaluation processes in the implementation of development projects; emphasizing the need for NGOs to effectively collaborate with Local Councils, especially in the area of reporting their activities to the Councils. He said the Ministry was at an advanced stage in establishing District Coordination Committees (DCC) to address development issues in the districts.

In her statement, the Minister of Social Welfare, Baindu Dassama, noted the significance of the signing, in the road to deliver effective social services to the people of Sierra Leone. She said the NGOs should continue working with community stakeholders in the formulation and implementation of programs, which would ensure ownership and sustainability.

Minister Dassama encouraged the NGOs to always provide line Ministries with feedback on challenges encountered during the implementation of projects. She also urged the NGOs to deliver on their projects.

Chad McCordic, Program Director, Community Led Development Program, delivering the vote of thanks on behalf of NGOs said they would be fully committed to the President’s agenda of delivering urgent results in 2020, working in key areas of the development sectors.

Other dignitaries in attendance included: The Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, The National NGO Coordinator, Eric Mansallay, The Compliance and Partnership Coordinator, Ansumana Konneh among others. Among those that signed include: Defence for Children Sierra Leone, TROCAIRE, Save the Children, Talking Drum Studio, One Village Partners, Home Leone.

In a related engagement, the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development on Thursday 27th February 2020 in Freetown conducted the signing of Service Level Agreement (SLA) between the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) and ten (10) NGO’s.

The signing ceremony, which took place at the MBSSE conference room, was geared to ensure that the NGOs provide a defined set of services within the educational sector.

The Deputy Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Robert Chakanda, who recognized the invaluable role NGOs play in meeting the aspiration of Government; noted that NGOs were considered as critical actors in the actualization of the Medium Term National Development (MTNDP 2019-2023).

“When NGOs align their plans with the MTNDP, it will be very easy to promote effective service delivery and discourage duplication of function. The President Bio-Led administration will ensure that NGOs work within the specifications set by the line Ministries to ensure that at least 70 percent of the funds for a particular project is used for direct implementation”, he said.

Dr. Chakanda implored NGOs to continue the good work and encouraging them to always attend coordination meetings at both national and district level.

In his address, the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh thanked the Ministry of Planning for championing the process of delivering the SLA’s; stressing the need for a singular vision in addressing the several challenges within the education sector. He emphasized on accountability and transparency to the citizens in the delivery of targets and plans.

Dr. Sengeh noted the importance of collaborating with NGOs in strengthening systems and providing efficient data analytics for effective service delivery. He urged the NGOs to support government institutions to jointly monitor progress of project implementation within the sector, which according to him, ‘will give an independent assessment and objective view of progress and errors/challenges in the implementation’.

Delivering the vote of thanks, the Head of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Paul Emes, while thanking everyone for their commitment to making the event happen, described the signing as an important moment in promoting service delivery in the education sector; noting that NGOs would continue to work in the interest of developing the various sectors within the governance structure of the country.

Other dignitaries in attendance included: The Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Prof. Aiah Gbakima, The National NGO Coordinator, Eric Mansallay, The Team Lead- Service Level Agreement, Emmanuel Deoud among others. The NGOs selected include: Sierra Leone Opportunities Industrialization Centre (SLOIC), Caritas Bo, Plan International, CRS, OXFAM, Concern Worldwide, COOPI, AVSI Foundation, TFSL and EDUCAID.

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