On the 20th March 2019 a high-level delegation from the West African Examination Council, WAEC briefed His Excellency, President Julius Maada Bio at State House, on the Council’s ongoing 67th Annual Meeting in Freetown.

Chairman of the Council, Baboucarr Bouy, said they were happy about meeting the President despite his busy schedules and expressed appreciation to the Government for hosting the 67th Session in Sierra Leone, saying that without the Government’s support the Meeting would not have been possible.

He recalled that during their last meeting with the President they spoke about concerns from both Government and the Council regarding the issue of integrity around the conduct of public examinations. He further disclosed that the Council had mobilized the necessary resources and manpower that would enable them to conduct the examinations in a manner that would maintain the integrity of the Council, the governing body and certifying authority of public examinations in West Africa.

Mr. Bouy also re-emphasized that they were poised to continue ensuring leakage and malpractice free examinations. He, however, expressed fears about the challenges the Council faced with the new technology, which they must be ready to handle, adding that even though they helped in the conduct of examinations, the new technologies were also presenting challenges in a way that resources meant to be spent in other areas were being deployed to avoid potentials of malpractices.

“I want to remind Your Excellency Sir that we have raised the issue of financial resources to WAEC and we are happy to inform that the Government of Sierra Leone has started to take action and we want to further appeal that you use your office to help us deal with this. The new technology that is actually presenting big challenges to the examinations is what is responsible for the high cost on the running of our examinations,” he said.

On his part, President Bio thanked the management of the Council for their efforts in keeping the sub-region ahead in terms of education. He said his government’s flagship programme was human capital development of which free quality education was an important component. He said the integrity of examinations was very important and that his Government was happy to host the 67th Annual Meeting.

“For us, the integrity of our examinations is very paramount and you are directly in charge of that. So, you have a role to play. We want to assure you that whatever we can do, to support WAEC to make sure that the integrity of our examinations is maintained, we will do. We have to make sure we continue to work hard and provide the best quality education for our children.

“Of course, there are challenges with technology but those are challenges that we should try to surmount because they are going to keep increasing as new technologies are coming up every day. So, we have to chase them as quickly as possible otherwise they will affect the quality of examinations and education,” he urged.

During the auspicious opening ceremony of the 15th Biennial General Meeting, 24th Scientific Session and the 39th Council Meeting of the West African College of Nursing held at the Freetown Bintumani Conference hall, Her Excellency Madam Fatima Maada Bio was conferred upon, a Honorary Fellow Membership of the West African College of Nursing, as a result of her hard work and dedication to the empowerment of women and girls in Sierra Leone and her delivery drive that is result based, thereby leading by example as a robust and active First Lady.

In accepting the Honor bestowed upon her as a Honorary Fellow of the West African College of Nursing, Her Excellency Madam Fatima Maada Bio recognized the sacrifices and dedication of nurses in Sierra Leone, stating that the work they do, cannot go unnoticed, and one worth emulating. Nurses, she underscored are the back bone of health care delivery.

Her Excellency, furthermore, disclosed her admiration for the noble Nursing Profession, highlighting their tenacity and dedication to human service, as she has seen their bravery and passion when Sierra Leone was faced with the Ebola epidemic and mudslide disaster respectively.

Madam Fatima Maada Bio pledged her unflinching support to the agenda of His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio in improving Health Care system in Sierra Leone, while her office is open to work with institutions involved in improving the face of Nursing and Midwifery not only in Sierra Leone, but West Africa at large, as she strongly believes the popular saying that “Nurses does it best”.

The Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) on Wednesday 20th March 2019 In an effort to solicit sustained support on road safety campaign, engaged senior media practitioners in a one day dialogue forum.

The event was held at the Harry Yansaneh Hall SLAJ Headquarters at Campbell Street in Freetown, and brought together over 30 Managing Editors of Newspapers and 15 radio station managers across the country with representative from WIMSAL, SLAJ and Reporters Union.

In his presentation, Mr. David Panda-Noah, Executive Director of SLRSA said the institution was established by an Act of Parliament in 1996 to regulate the transport sector, also as the lead agency to promote Road Safety in Sierra Leone. He said the Authority has established thirteen (13) offices nationwide and is in the process of establishing more in other major towns and locations in the country. To achieve its mandate, he said, the SLRSA introduced Road Safety Corps on the road to enforce laws relating to road safety and to provide road safety education.

Mr. Panda-Noah said Road Safety refers to the method and measures used to prevent Road users from being KILLED or INJURED on the road. Road users include: pedestrians, cyclist, motorists, and passengers. He furthered that Road Safety is one of the most pressing challenges facing human and economic development. Noting that traffic crashes are the number one killer of people ages between 15-29 and in less than a generation, road crashes are expected to become the world’s seventh cause of death.

Mr. Panda-Noah said while road safety education has primarily been the responsibility of government in the past, limited resources have made it challenging to communicate the importance of key issues consistently and effectively. But it is not government alone that benefits from reducing traffic incidents. The benefit goes to everybody in the society from journalists, business executives, politicians, farmers etc.

The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists has lost several colleagues from road traffic crashes over the years. The most recent was Hon. Frank Kposowa, a former president of SLAJ who died in a gruesome crash along the Freetown – Bo highway. Few months ago, in October 2018, about 16 gallant and brave soldiers of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) lost their lives in what he named the most gruesome road crash in the history of the RSLAF. The Spur road – Lumley Roundabout crash claimed the live of a lady call SONIA a staff of Crown Bakery, and another one that happened at Ferry Junction East of Freetown that left a 15 year old secondary school boy legs amputated

“Reports on Road Safety requires more than a passing fatality with the driving statistics of an area or region”. He said. He called on journalists dig beneath the numbers to understand the complex interplay of the many factors that ultimately lead to a road traffic fatality.

The International Federation of Social Workers declared 19th March as World Social Work Day to celebrate the achievements of the profession and take the theme for that year into active practice, by a way of disseminating it to their communities, workplaces and to Government so they will see the need to raising awareness towards the contributions social work has impacted in society and the need for further action to be taken.

As a first year student at Fourah Bay College (USL) who is in the department of Sociology and Social Work and a Youth and Children Advocate, I will like to use Sierra Leone as a case study to reflect on what we have achieved in enhancing the well-being of human development and promoting the importance of Human Relationship. The Country has moved from eleven (11) years bloody civil war, to Ebola Outbreak, Mudslide, Flooding and Bad Leadership which are key factors responsible for the backwardness of the Country.

A Country with over thousands of organizations both local and international that do complement the efforts of government in providing an enabling environment for its citizens, but yet still we have numerous challenges facing the development of our nation. We have countless people who go to bed with an empty stomach, people that can’t access clean water and sanitation, people that can’t access good toilet facilities, children living in the streets, physically challenged people find it difficult to interpret the Disability Act of 2012 and women and girls living under suppression of domestic abuse and sexual exploitation.

Poverty and job creation have been some of the most challenging issues in the history of Sierra Leone. Social workers are providing services to less privileged people across the country, advocating for the right and welfare of people, some are serving as brokers, while others are serving in different capacities in ensuring that they uphold the ethical values of social work.

Sierra Leone has laws, policies and institutions but one of our major challenges as a nation is how to enforce these laws. Our systems are slow when it comes to enforcement and implementations but nevertheless we have lot to do as a nation in improving our human capital, thanks to the President H.E. Julius Maada Bio’s led government for the Free Quality Education and National Deceleration of State of Emergency on Rape and Sexual Violence. Even though there are lot to do in terms of sustainability and monitoring process of all these we are looking forward to the establishment of the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion that will bring different tribes, religions and cultural backgrounds together to build and re-brand the vision of our beloved nation, Sierra Leone.

These are my recommendations to the Government of Sierra Leone and its Development Partners;

1. Law Enforcement: Through the support of our donor partners or the tax payers’ money; let the government enforce the laws that protect the rights of women, girls and children so that they can live to their fullest potentials.

2. Strengthening Institutions: Government should strengthen weak institution that are not fulfilling their mandate, support active institutions to carry out their mandate, organize capacity building training for institution dealing with the well-being of its citizens. Examples; Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children’s Afffais, National Commission for Children, National Commission for Person’s with Disabilities, Family Support Units etc.

3. Review of Laws: With support from partners or tax payers’ money, government should review laws that defend the rights of the vulnerable people, especially the Sexual Offences Act 2012, which has loop holes that have allowed perpetrators to escape sentence. In reviewing this act (SOA 2012) the law will take it full course, no perpetrator of rape or sexual violence can be sentenced for seventy two (72) hours.

4. Monitoring and Evaluation: Government should monitor institutions to ensure that services provided for the vulnerable people are accessible, client’s needs are met and their issues are taken into consideration.

5. Withdrawal of Certificate: Government through the Office of the President, Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children’s Affairs, Ministry of Youth and Councils should withdraw certificate from organization(s) that embezzles donor funding without implementation or otherwise go against the code of practice of the said laws that regulates their work. Proper report should be presented to registered institution(s) for proper verification at the end of every year to ensure that funding received from donor partners is reached to their clients.

At the Commission of Inquiry presided over by Justice Bankole Thompson the Director of Crops at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Henry Kargbo, testified that the reason for the procurement of the 250,000 bags fertilizer was to increase rice and vegetable production and productivity in the country.
“The reason I wanted NPK 0-20-20 was that the initial take of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security was to increase rice production and productivity of especially vegetables, with the intention to reduce importation of those goods and control foreign exchange,” he said.
Director Kargbo was responding to cross-examination by Lawyer Lansana Dumbuya, who is representing the former Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Professor Monti P. Jones, as person of interest.
He told the Commission of Inquiry that from day one, he had indicated in his technical advice that for better rice production and productivity, the Ministry should procure NPK 0-20-20, NPK 15-15-15 and urea 40% fertilizer.
He furthered that he started working at the Ministry since 1986, but that he could not recall if at any point in time the Ministry had procured NPK 20-20-20 fertilizer.
He promised to help the Commission with the database of fertilizer procurement by the Ministry from 1996 to date.
Director Henry Kargbo, who was led by State Prosecutor Robert B. Kowa, testified before the Commission that he had advised the procurement officer to procure NPK 0-20-20-20, but that they went ahead and procured NPK 20-20-20.
He said his duties include tohelp formulate and ensure the implementation of policies in the crop sector, as well as coordinate and supervise crop activities nationwide.
He said he also carry out functions delegated to him by the Executive Management Committee (EMC) of the Ministry.
He said as Director of Crops, he was not part of the EMC during the procurement of the fertilizer in 2016, but that in 2017 and 2018, he served as Secretary to the EMC after he was promoted to Deputy Chief Agriculture Officer.
The Director continued that the EMC was established after the assumption of office by the former Minister of Agriculture, Professor Monti P. Jones, and that it was serving as an oversight committee for the entire Ministry.
He said the EMC approved major decisions for the infective and efficient running of the Ministry, as it was the highest decision making body in the Ministry.
He narrated that in 2016 and 2017, the Ministry purchased three types of fertilizer, including Urea, NPK 0-20-20 and NPK 15-15-15, and that he was once asked by the procurement officer to provide types and specification of fertilizer they were to procure.
He said before the procurement officer approached him for the specification, the EMC chaired by the Minister had come up with a flagship programme to increase production and productivity of rice and other crops, which required the use of fertilizer.
He said the idea was discussed by the EMC and that a decision was reached at for the purchase of two hundred and fifty thousand bags of fertilizer.
He said in his capacity as Director of Crops, he provided specification and types of fertilizer in written.
He admitted that the Directorate of Crops was part of the procurement committee, but that he can’t tell if the Chief Agriculture Officer was also part of the committee, noting that he was only invited when there were procurement issues relating to crops.
He said he had attended meetings of procurement relating to crops and members at that meeting were normally the Permanent Secretary, the Chief Agriculture Officer, the Chief Accountant, the Directorate or representative of Crops, the Procurement Officer and sometimes a representative from the Ministry of Finance.
He further told the Commission that it was not the responsibility of the end-user to conduct market price survey on fertilizer, but that he only provided the type and specification of fertilizer to be procured.
He noted that he never prepared or initiated any procurement recitation for the procurement of the two hundred and fifty thousand bags of fertilizer.
He recognized certain documents-invitation to various bidders for the supply of the fertilizer and that he was copied, but that he had problem with the specification of NPK 20-20-20, because the one he had advised on was NPK 0-20-20.
He said the Manager of one of the bidders- Balsam Enterprises-had written a letter to the Ministry, requesting clarification on the specification of that fertilizer.
He added that he was copied and he recalled replying to the letter that the specification should be NPK 0-20-20 and not NPK 20-20-20.
He also identified a valuation report document, whic, he said was prepared by the Ministry but that he was not part of the valuation team, whose report was approved on 19th July, 2016.
He said the type of fertilizer contained in the valuation report corresponded to the executive clearance of former President Ernest Bai Koroma

It has now been well established that the ongoing 2019 Housemates Salone Reality TV Show provides a convenient and proper channel which certain business entities are currently making use of to advertise goods and services. When cognisance is taken of the fact that the Show is widely viewed, in and out of the country, using it as a conduit for advertisement means reaching out to the wider public.
In an exclusive interview with the Managing Director of Rokel Commercial Bank (RCB), Walton Gilpin, shortly after their engagement with the Housemates in the House, he intimated that indeed they were pleased to roll out the various promotions or banking services that the Bank offers. “As a Bank we do believe that viewers outside there who were following the Show also benefitted from the briefings by myself and two female members of staff. It is my hope that most got an insight of the services we are offering,” he expressed optimism saying indeed Housemates Salone is good for business entities.
Kobi Walker, who is the Managing Director, of the National Petroleum (NP) Company confided in this medium that advertising through the Housemates Salone Show, will surely inform people about what the company has to offer. He furthered that business prosperity is closely tied to advertisement which is why they seized the opportunity to advertise through the Show.
Though the program is principally a social one where the participants are expected to display nudity, strong language and humour yet it is a learning pad. The Housemates are taken through various motivational lectures on how to live positive lifestyles,
Indeed, the principal objective of the Housemates Reality show is to promote Youth Empowerment and through engaging them mentally is geared towards achieving that,

What is certain as of now is that the ongoing close locked battle is an affair among the remaining ten who must convincingly woo the public to vote for them via Africell No 5500. The more the merrier!
According to how the reality show is tailored, the Housemates are expected to display innate talents that must captivate the populace and excite them in order to move them to vote for the Housemates they consider are fit and capable to reach the very top.
The organizers of this much talked about show, the Africa Young Voices (AYV) and Africell, with support from certain corporate entities have been hailed for putting together such a thrilling and breath-taking Realty TV Show with many saying it is indeed a show that is well organized and going on fine which according to those views it is interesting to watch on AYV Television Channel 34.
If in reality the show is very much interesting it is the role being played by the intriguing Invisible Chief with the commanding baritone voice giving intermittent instructions to the Housemates to carry out certain assignments or to ask them to articulate themselves well by responding to questions posed.

So we have witnessed fairness pervading the competition and there has not been a known instance of any foul play. There are rumours that certain fans of the various Housemates have expressed dissatisfaction over the eviction of their favourites. Cognisance, however, must be taken that in any competition which is keen there may be apprehensions and conjectures as it unfolds but the truth of the matter is that there will be winners and losers. The 2019 Housemates Salone is no exception especially when a whooping star prize of one hundred million Leones (Le 100,000,000) awaits the ultimate winner.

It must be reiterated that in reality Housemates Salone is an effective channel to widely reach out to the people in terms of advertising and serves a platform to mentally empower

Chief Minister ‘Professor David John Francis’ on the 19th March 2019, represented His Excellency the President, Brigadier (Retired) Julius Maada Bio at the 67th annual Council meeting of the West African Examinations Council.

In an address, the registrar to the WAEC c Dr. Iyi J Uwadiae Mnim welcomed the Chief Minister as Chief Guest representing His Excellency the President and other council representatives from other West African Countries who came to attend the meeting. He said the major challenge of the WAEC was examination malpractices noting that the institutions was working on modalities to introduce improve technological measures such as the use of CCTV cameras in examination halls, ICT adminstration and many more.
He said the council has compressed the period for the examination from 87 days to 46 days. The registrar thanked the Government of Sierra Leone through the Anti- Corruption Commission for helping them in the fight against examination malpractices. He registered their commitment in adding value to education in West Africa.

The Chairman of the WAEC , Mr. Abubakarr Bouy said WAEC was established to conduct examinations for all English speaking West African countries. He said WAEC collaborate with Government,Ministers and agencies in order to provide good and quality service delivery. He stated that, the Council is charged with the responsibility to monitor examinations in the sub-region. He asked Governments of the Five member countries of WAEC to consider timely payment of examination fees and subventions to the Council, which he said will make their work effective and efficient.

The Chief Minister in his keynote address thanked WAEC for promoting education in the sub-region. He said the central focus of President Bio’s Government is to develop human capital and that WAEC is expected to place itself within that category. He said the operations of WAEC should not only be based on performance but to uphold and institutionalize the integrity of the process.
“We are expecting professionalism and best practices in all of your operations including grading of students,” he maintained.

He furthered that WAEC continues to be ranked among the leading examination bodies in West Africa and therefore must build the trust and confidence in our education system. He assured the Council of Government’s commitment to provide the necessary support in combating examination malpractices. He said the Government will meet all its obligations to WAEC without delay. The Chief Minister congratulated all delegates from the five member countries for a successful conference.

Where corruption exists, the rule of law cannot flourish. It is easy for corruption to thrive in a nation where the Judiciary is blind and the Government feels comfortable with things as they are.
As such, the relationship between corruption and the justice system is crucial to sustainable growth in Sierra Leone which is why strengthening the rule of law and intensifying the fight against corruption should be a major concern for all.
Corruption in the Judiciary which is as old as post-Independent Sierra Leone that involves unethical practices like taking money to pervert the course of justice by twisting evidence, hiding dates for proceedings from defendants or complainants, depending on who has bribed court officials, endless adjournments, causing case files to go missing to frustrate litigants, etc, is, to say the least, why everybody in the country, including our MPs and even President Bio to, have a dim view of our men and women in the bar and courts.
To a Sierra Leonean who has for decades been disillusioned about the integrity, competence and impartiality of the country’s Judiciary in delivering honest, speedy justice to particularly poor citizens who cannot afford to hire costly lawyers to defend them, Francis Ben Kaifala’s assault on that bastion of inequity by conducting an unannounced investigation at the Master and Registrar and Judiciary Accounts Department, where it is believed hundreds of thousands of dollars have over the years been siphoned by unscrupulous officials, is sweet music.
The “Justice System” is the Governmental entity that is charged with enforcing the laws of the land with integrity and veracity. The relationship between corruption and the Justice system is critical, especially in a developing country like Sierra Leone.
Needless to say, in every country, the Justice system exists to ensure a fair treatment of citizens and that the Rule of law and legal system is effective. The status of the justice system in a country is largely dependent on the quality of the Government and its commitment to the fight against corruption. For instance crimes and their commensurate punishment are enforced by the justice system and without these measures; there can be no equity, no inclusivity, no fairness and no lasting social and economic development, hence a fertile breeding ground for corruption.
According to Reginald Fynn Jr. Esq. – Director of Intelligence, Investigation and Prosecution at the Anti- Corruption Commission – “the present state of corruption and the justice system is more hypothetical and academic. Recent judgments are indicative that the judiciary takes corruption cases seriously and continuing to hand down firm judgment will send the correct signal that corruption is intolerable”.
Corruption in any judicial system erodes the ability of the State and international community to tackle transnational crime and terrorism; diminishes trade, economic growth and human development; and, most importantly, it denies citizens impartial settlement of disputes with neighbours or the authorities.
When the latter occurs, corrupt judiciaries fracture and divide communities by keeping alive the sense of injury created by unjust treatment and mediation. Judicial systems debased by bribery undermine confidence in governance by facilitating corruption across all sectors of Government, starting at the helm of power. In so doing, they send a blunt message to the people in this country that corruption is tolerated.
A good judiciary empowers citizens to speak out against corrupt practices and corrupt officials. Increased confidence in the system and just punishment for offenders cannot be guaranteed if the judicial system is flawed. A corruption free judiciary increases the confidence level of the citizens; confidence in the judges, lawyers, court clerks associated with the judiciary.
Too many people fail to understand the impact of corruption on development and on prosperity. The victims exist in every developing and less developed country like Sierra Leone. More often citizens find themselves asking the question “if that which is meant to save now becomes that which kills where will the people run to in their quest for justice, peace and development”.

During a well attended ceremony His Excellency The President Julius Maada Bio has celebrated the sacrifices of nurses and midwives in Sierra Leone and announced efforts being made to develop Sierra Leone’s first ever Nurses and Midwifery Strategic Plan for 2019-2023.

“I am always curious but eternally thankful about how nurses and midwives combine their professional training with acute critical thinking and mix all of that with compassion, care, communicating with empathy, and building trust as caregivers,” he said adding that the strategic plan would lay out six major pathways for developing the nursing education and practice in the country.

Addressing the conference of the West African College of Nursing and Midwifery, the Fifteenth Biennial General Meeting and Twenty-Fourth Scientific Session and Thirty-Ninth Council Meeting on the theme: ‘The Role of Nurses And Midwives in Building Global Health Security’, President Bio said he admired their deep sense of integrity and discipline, their responsiveness as the only source of hope to the pregnant, the ailing, and the sick, and their ever calm, dignified and transformative composure in the face of challenges.
“The aims and outcomes of this conference align very closely with my flagship programme – investing in human capital development. As I have emphasized severally, human capital development involves feeding the mind through free quality education, feeding the body with food security initiatives, and taking care of the human body through delivering affordable and quality healthcare. Only an educated, productive, and healthy population can drive sustainable development in a nation.

“Let me digress for a moment and bestow special praise on our midwives. For every new child that you midwife; for every mother’s life that you save during childbirth, thank you. The great work that you do for humanity often gets reduced to statistical figures about maternal and child mortality. For me, every cry of a new-born baby and every smile of a new mother reminds me as a leader that I must work even harder to support, and continue to advocate for and invest in women’s health and in primary and maternity health care services,” he said.

President Bio said his Government recognised and had granted nurses the professional autonomy and authority to make professional decisions and act freely in accordance with their professional training and expertise.

“To my mind, this recognition empowers nurses to provide nursing care within the full scope of their practice. But, this also should be balanced against concerns about patient safety and patient health outcomes. I am therefore encouraged that in Sierra Leone, as in parts of the sub-region, a regulatory nursing and midwifery council has been set up that will oversee overall professional standards of nursing practice and ethics and also monitor service delivery to patients,” he said.

The President also told the gathering that his Government was working to address the working environment and conditions of health care professionals in the country, adding that he had therefore increased budgetary allocation to healthcare to 15% of the national budget. He said the Government had also undertaken the refurbishment of key hospitals, constructed peripheral health units, and provided free ambulance services in various districts across the country.

The principal of the National School of Midwifery, Dr. Joan Shepherd, said the presence of President Bio at the event was a resounding testament of his commitment to building a strong, resilient and responsive health workforce and more importantly a manifestation of his support to moving the nursing and midwifery agenda forward in Sierra Leone.

“In these challenging times, nurses and midwives, who form the largest workforce globally, deserve more attention and focus more than ever before. There has been an increase in the importance of the work of nurses and midwives globally. We are players in building global health security and we remain at the centre of the global health system,” she said.

She commended the Government for the bold step in declaring rape and sexual violence as a national emergency and expressed appreciation for the recent increases in the salaries of nurses and doctors across the country, saying that that had sent a clear message of recognition of those professionals as the backbone to health service delivery.

The West African College of Nursing and Midwifery also bestowed an Honorary Fellow Status on Her Excellency, First Lady Fatima Bio for championing causes that empower women and girls.