After Defense Counsels closed their case in the Court Martial trial on Tuesday May 7, 2019, the Presiding Judge Advocate Alhaji Momoh-Jah Stevens disclosed that the trial has ended.
“The trial has ended. What comes after the closure of the case is not a trial but a process,” Judge Advocate Stevens told both the defense and prosecution counsels. “The case has been closed. If you have written addresses, you will submit them.”
Justice Stevens stated that the court will not sit next week so that both the defense and prosecution counsels will have enough time to prepare for their address. He added, “After the address, I will do a summing up the following week.”
He cautioned the legal representatives to make use of the time given to them because he will not give them an additional day for their address. “Please don’t ask me for another date for the address,” he warned. He said that this is a very serious matter because just single missing ammunition will be a big issue in the army, “let alone talk about thousands of missing ammunitions”.
The trial came to an end after 19 appearances.
The trial was presided by the Judge Advocate, Alhaji Momoh-Jah Stevens and the Court Martial Board: Lieutenant Colonel Kerifa Kamara, President of Court Martial Board; Lieut. Col. A. B. Keita; Major Victor Momoh; Major Brima Ngavuwa Sama; and Major Sallieu Kallon.
The court martial was constituted in Freetown to hear a case of three soldiers of the former Joint Presidential Guard Forces (JPGF): Captain Patrick E. Kamara, 1st accused; Samuel Conteh, Warrant Officer Class 1, 2nd accused; and Abu Bakarr Jalloh, Warrant Officer Class 2, 3rd accused. They are accused of wilfully damaging service property – 1,600 rounds of 14.5 mm anti-aircraft ammunition and 178 rounds of 12.7mm anti-aircraft ammunition, all to the value of $10,401.40, Le88, 401,900 property of Government of Sierra Leone; conspired to steal ammunition; and involved in a conduct which is prejudicial to the group order and military discipline.
In proving its case, the prosecution initially called 20 witnesses. It is the principle of law that it is the prosecution that will prove the case beyond all reasonable doubt. Prior to the closing of the case after 11 court martial hearings, the prosecutors led 20 witnesses and tendered about 15 exhibits to prove its case against the accused persons. The witnesses comprise senior officers from both military and Police including two civilians. The evidential burden lies on the prosecution to prove its case beyond all reasonable doubt.
In defending the case, defense counsel for the first accused, Lawyer Ady Macaulay called Captain P. E. Kamara to take the witness stand and two additional witnesses on behalf of the first accused.
The defense counsel for the second accused, Lawyer D. Taylor did not call his client to the witness stand but rather rely on the voluntarily caution statement his client made at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Also, the defense counsel for the third accused, Amadu Koroma did not call an additional witness, but his client took the witness stand.
In total, the prosecution led 20 witnesses, and the defense counsels led four witnesses. The prosecution tendered about 15 exhibits, while the defense counsel for the first accused, Lawyer Macaulay also tendered some exhibits, but the counsel for the second and third accused did not tender exhibits.
Giving the reason why his client [3 accused] did not take the witness stand, Lawyer D. Taylor said, “I have been carefully examining the case against the second accused. I am of the view that the prosecution has failed to make a case against the second accused on all the count charges.”
He added that none of the evidences tendered in the court martial whether direct, indirect or oblige have established any of the Actus reus or mens rear that is required to prove the charges as prescribed upon which the trial is predicated.
“Even the circumstantial evidence proffered by the prosecution is legless,” he claimed. “During the course of the prosecution case, a number of other possibilities were raised. Possibilities in which in some instances during the course of the investigation, the investigators turned blind eyes to.”
He said that “some of the count charges naturally have to fall because they are based on the same sequences [duplicate]. One of the most palpable demean of the prosecution is to lean on the conspiracy charge. No evidence of conspiracy has been established.”
He claimed that the evidences clearly show that at the time the second accused was removed, there was an undisputable disharmony between the second accused and the first accused. “The second accused narrated the circumstances upon which he was removed and the investigators did not verify it,” he claimed. “Nothing in the custody of the second accused where missing. As the investigation did not establish or enquire into the stock he took. In fact, the investigators were indifferent to knowing and on the basis of this, the nature of the investigation cannot permit them.”
“We have no case to answer on all the counts the second accused is standing trial,” he claimed.
The Judge Advocate Stevens said that what Lawyer Taylor has said will be determined by the court.
The defense counsel for the third accused, A. Koroma told the court that the third accused was not given the opportunity to explain certain things during the cause of his investigation. “So, this is the only reason why my client is taking the witness stand so that he will explain it.”
The Judge admonished the third accused that this is the only opportunity he has as defense witness. He told him to really explain what he knows about the case, cautioning him to be patient when giving his evidence .
In his evidence in chief, the four defense witness, Abu Bakarr Jalloh told the court that he joined the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces on August 12, 1991. He testified that he was posted at JPGF as a security on March 10, 2008. He said that on June 9, 2011, the first accused called him and took him to his boss, now Lieutenant Colonel S. T. Sesay [Officer Commanding]. “Lieutenant Colonel Sesay asked me if I have any logistics certificate and I answered in the affirmative,” he said. “So, he [OC] told me to take over the RSLAF operational store as Camp Quarter Master Sergeant (CQMS) at the Presidential Lounge,” he said. “I took over the store but there was no formal handing over. I went to the first accused and he advised me to go to the store and take inventory of all the items in the presence of the Warrant Officer Class One, Abu Bakarr Suma.”
Defense counsel showed exhibit AC 1-3 [Inventory of the items] to him. He said that exhibit AC 1-2 is the inventory of items he met in the store.
He said that the inventory was only taken for operational purposes. “That is, personnel will take it and also bring it after the operational duties,” he said. “Apart from what I met in the store, I received ammunitions.”
He said that after the last day of firing exercise at Benguema in 2012, the Chief Instructor at JPGF, Staff Sergeant Dakowa [now late] by then Sergeant, came with 225 of 7.62× 23mm ball at the operational store. I receive 3000 of 7.62×54mm ball in 2012 from the first accused. The day before receiving this 3000 round, “I received four heavy machine guns from the first accused and he told me that he received it from the Joint Logistics Unit, Supply Services Squadron for operational purposes.”
He testified that in 2013, there was a firing exercise at Benguema and at the end of the exercise, Staff Sergeant Dakowa returned 200 rounds of 7.62×54mm ball after the exercise. He added that in 2014, he received 16 rounds of 9×18mm pestle from the first accused when he [first accused] was travelling to Canada to pursue a course, adding that he also receive 1172 rounds of 14.5mm AA in 2014 from Staff Sergeant Sesay [now deceased]. He testified that Sergeant Sesay got the ammunition from the mounted three barrel truck. “He [Sergeant Sesay] told me that he has taken the vehicle to the garage.”
“In the same 2014, I received 3519 rounds of 7.62×39mm ball from the former Vice President Lodge [Sam Sumana] among the guards was one Warrant Officer Class one Thomas Kargbo. He said that this was in relation to centralized all arms and ammunitions because one Semi Machine Gun was missing at the VP Lodge,” he said.
“Thereafter, the guards at former VP Lounge were collecting arms and ammunitions at JPGF when on duty and returning it after duty. This practice continues even during the tenure of VP Foe and so on. I recorded all of these in a form called AFG 10:33 and kept it in boxes but I don’t have the form again,” he said.
He explained that after the announcement of 2018 election results, the former President, Ernest Bai Koroma left the Lodge and went to live in his private house at Goderich. “I noticed that Brigadier A. Y. Kargbo came with Military Police and other personnel from Forces Intelligent Security Unity (FISU) to backload the presidential arms and ammunition store,” he said.
He testified that the former guards also returned their arms and ammunition, but they did not take it again, adding that within two or three days, the Lodge became empty. He said he explained this situation to the first accused. “I also told him that we should try to backload the arms and ammunitions in the operational store because it was only himself with two store men [Corporal Samuel King and Warrant Officer class two George Williams] and about two or three other general duty police officers who were at the Lodge.”
He said that after explaining the situation to the first accused, he [Captain Kamara] told him that he was negotiating for a vehicle to backload the arms and ammunitions, adding that after two to three days, the first accused came with a vehicle[one of the escort vehicles] for the back-loading. “But the vehicle was small. So, we were only able to take the arms and ammunitions for back-loading, leaving out the boxes containing documents, and old uniforms. “All the arms and ammunitions I was having in the presidential arms and ammunition store were back-loaded at 3 Brigade at Wilberforce,” he testified.
“Whilst offloading the arms and ammunition, the first accused told him that he has received a call for the vehicle because it is going to be used by the current guards to attend a meeting between the former president and the current President Bio,” he said. “So, we were not able to return for the boxes and other items we left at the Presidential Lodge.”
The matter was adjourned to Tuesday May 21, 2019, for both the defense and prosecution counsels to submit their addresses.

“For too long, adolescent girls have been invisible and ignored. Making sure that girls count is a critical way to guarantee that their rights and needs are recognized. When they’re educated, healthy, safe, and counted, they can transform their communities and the world we live in”, Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh made the statement at the Shiaka Steven Stadium on 9th May, 2019 during a Day’s Conference organized by the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education. Vice President Jalloh told the Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) Career Volunteers that the Vision of the Government of Sierra Leone is to provide more opportunities for girls to take up STEM subjects in schools; he added that girls do not have saying in decisions that affect their lives. He maintained that girls deserve to participate in their communities, advocate for their rights, and be role models to others.
Vice President Jalloh educated the participants about the alignment of Government priorities of providing Free Quality Education that is inclusive, and inspires the children of Sierra Leone to adopt Science, Technology and Innovation as the way forward for human capital development. He described the STEM Conference as an excellent first step initiative to provide the sensitization that Sierra Leone needs for STEM careers, though opportunities for girls are negatively affected by poverty, he emphasized. Dr. Jalloh maintained that empowering every child will increase their competitiveness to global market.
The Honourable Vice President explained that Government key priority is to promote STEM subjects in schools, reinforce STEM teaching and facilities in the next five years. He told the pupils that his presence at the Conference to deliver keynote address was to encourage them to be studious as anyone of them could become Vice President in the future.

The Honourable Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has launched three mineral sector policies at the Bintumani Conference Hall in Freetown on Thursday 9th May, 2019. Vice President Jalloh informed the gathering of the overwhelming importance the New Direction Government of President Julius Maada Bio attached to the mining sector by improving the governance and management of the mineral sector in Sierra Leone. Dr. Jalloh clearly stated that Sierra Leone is yet to benefit from the mineral endowments; he attributed bad governance and chaotic management of the mineral sector as the factors responsible for the country not benefitting from its minerals over the decade. He said that the country now have the opportunity to move forward, and create the condition for value added chain. Vice President Jalloh elaborated that deriving such gains require viable management including the overall governance, beginning with the establishment of appropriate legal framework and policies.
Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh believes that the three mineral policies will set the stage for moving the country forward, and set out clear frame work through which to manage the sector. He said that the policies will provide Government the chance to ensure its derive economic transformation, growth and development of Sierra Leone. The policies, he said will provide opportunities for environmental safeguards, and improve rural livelihood. The Vice President furthered that the three policies will provide a comprehensive pathway to a promising prospect of an improve governance of the mineral sector. Dr. Jalloh buttressed that the three policies are demonstration of Government of Sierra Leone compliance with the Africa Union Vision on mineral.
Vice President Jalloh revealed four critical issues affecting mining communities to the Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources. They include the need to address the effect of State disengagement and it impact on mining companies. Vice President Jalloh explained that the present condition of mining communities is as a result of State collapsed in the past, he stated that it is the traditional responsibility of Government to provide social services for it citizens like road whilst mining companies pay royalties. The Honourable Vice President also raised the issue of institutionalization of Corporate Social Responsibility by mining companies. He suggested to the Mines Minister for the establishment of a Unit that will oversee Corporate Social Responsibility issues and draft a document that will explain in simple terms its meaning. The three mining policies were the Artisanal Mining Policy, the Geo-Data Management Policy and the Sierra Leone Minerals Policy. The programme was organized by the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Resources.

Vision:Lifee.V. (VLeV) on 23rd March, 2019 donated school materials and scholarships as school support to 26 pupils in Leicester and Portee communities in Freetown. Recipients of the award included fifteen girls and eleven boys at primary, junior and senior secondary school levels.
Vision:Lifee.V. (VLeV) is a non-profitable charity organization headed and managed by Dr. Lucy Tengbeh, Yeama Bangalie, Christopher Hudec and Christoph Ende in Germany. They and others engaged members and donors are focused on supporting education for under-privileged children in Sierra Leone.
The bulk of the support was allocated to the purchase of textbooks, uniforms and other school materials. A few of the pupils who are in private schools have to pay school fees for which their own allocations went towards the payment of their fees.
Presenting the scholarships, Ms. Emily Tengbeh and Mrs. Rosaline Mcarthy, who are implementing the program in Sierra Leone, admonished the pupils to be studious to give others the opportunity in future and appealed to parents to monitor their children and wards to produce excellent results that would encourage the donors to do more.
Partners/organizations are manifesting their interest in investing in the human capital development of the nation through their philanthropic initiatives.
Ms. Emily Tengbeh and Mrs. Rosaline Macarthy commended the donors for the According to Mrs. Rosaline Macarthy, the philanthropists began their journey of assistance in Sierra Leone in 2017/2018 by supporting two schools at Leicester and Portee communities with school materials, renovation of toilets at the school in Portee and award of scholarships to 9 pupils in both schools.
This second round of support has come at a time when the Government is implementing its flagship project, the Free Quality Education Program; it is a good sign that other invaluable gesture which they underscored would complement government’s Free Quality Education and prayed that God richly bless them.

The new Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone Hu Zhangliang informed journalists that he was posted here to pursue the Sino-Sierra Leone dream as both countries will be celebrating 48 years of excellent relationship.
Ambassador Hu Zhanliang said Sierra Leone is respected by China for what they did 48 years ago and that respect have seen China ready to work with the government of Sierra Leone to undertake economic and developmental projects that will be of immense value to the country.
“Recently I was with President Bio when the Juba Bridge was opened that was built by China Railway Seventh Group (CRSG) with funds from both countries. These are the kind of projects that China is looking forward to continue to work with the Government to achieve more of such projects,” he noted.
Ambassador Hu said China and Sierra Leone have always belonged to a community of shared future. Over the past five decades, they have always been good friends who stand together through thick and thin, good partners who share weal and woe, and good brothers who fully trust each other despite changes in the international landscape.
“China always adheres to the principles of its Sierra Leone policy — sincerity, practical results, affinity and good faith, upholds the values of friendship, justice and shared interests, and push for new leapfrog growth of its friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation with Sierra Leone. It never interferes in the internal affairs, never imposes its will on them, and attaches no political strings when providing aid to Sierra Leone.”
The Ambassador said in September 2019, President Xi Jinping announced “Eight Major Initiatives” for China-Africa cooperation at FOCAC Beijing Summit in the coming three and more years, namely, industrial promotion, infrastructure connectivity, trade facilitation, green development, capacity building, health care, people-to-people exchange, and peace and security, depicted the blueprint for developing China-Africa cooperation in the new era.
“China has and will continue to create greater synergy with Sierra Leone, select cooperation fields and fully tap into the strengths of each other to effectively implement the FOCAC Beijing Summit outcomes.”
Talking on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Ambassador Hu Zhangliang said Although protectionism and unilateralism are mounting these days, China he said will continue to hold high the banner of peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit and uphold its fundamental foreign policy goal of preserving world peace and promoting common development, and to forge a new form of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice, and win-win cooperation, to build a community with a shared future for humanity.
He said Sierra Leone has signed up to the BRI and there will be more benefits for Sierra Leone in the near future.
“In autumn of 2013, President Xi Jinping proposed that jointly build the “Belt and Road” Initiative (BRI) to enhance both China’s development and its cooperation with global partners and focus on the future of human development. The BRI has yielded remarkable achievements and fruitful results since its inception six years ago, becoming an international cooperative platform with extensive participation and a popular public good in the world today.”
Ambassador Hu Zhangliang said all of this shows that Belt and Road cooperation is in sync with the times, widely supported, people-centered and beneficial to all. This year’s forum he said sends a clear message and more and more friends and partners will join the BRI, and the cooperation will enjoy higher quality and brighter prospects. The “Belt and Road” initiative originated in China, and the opportunities and achievements the Ambassador said belong to the world.
“This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and over the past 70 years, under the strong and correct leadership of the communist party of China (CPC), the people have forged ahead as one in the last 70 years and made great strides that have truly impressed the world.
“Firstly, China’s economy has grown by epoch-making leaps and bounds and when China was founded in 1949, it was a poor and backward agricultural country. Today, China’s GDP totaled $12 trillion, accounting for about 15 percent of the world economy. China has become the world’s second largest economy, the largest industrial country, the largest trading nation of goods, the largest foreign exchange reserve country and top producer of more than 220 products.”
He said at present, China’s economy has shifted from high-speed growth to high-quality development. China has made major breakthroughs in high-tech fields such as manned spaceflight, lunar exploration, deep sea submersible, supercomputing, beidou navigation and quantum communication, and is at the world’s advanced level in high-speed rail, mobile communications and nuclear power.
“Secondly, living standards of the Chinese people have significantly improved. The Chinese people have emerged from scarcity to abundance and from poverty to moderate prosperity. With this, China realized the UN Millennium Development Goal as well as UN Sustainable Agenda for poverty reduction ahead of schedule.
“Between 1949 and 2018, China’s per capita GDP increased from 27 US Dollars to nearly 10,000 US Dollars. According to current UN standards, more than 700 million Chinese people have been lifted out of poverty. The largest middle-income grouping the world has been formed in China with a scale of over 400 million people.”
Ambassador Hu said China’s relations with the world have been transformed historically. The once closed and semi-closed country becomes one that opens up on all fronts.
“Today, China is a contributor to world economy. China’s contribution to the world economic growth has surpassed 30% for many years consecutively and it has been a key engine driving world economic growth. As the world’s largest developing country, China is a sincere friend and close partner of other developing countries. Through experience sharing, aid and personnel training, China has supported other developing countries in their fight against poverty.”
He rounded up by saying that as of today; China has provided nearly 400 billion Yuan in development aid to more than 160 countries and international organizations, and as of the end of 2017, China’s foreign direct investment stock was 1.8 trillion US dollars, ranking second in the world.

Chairman of Westminster Group, a London-based company, the Right Hon. Sir Tony Baldry has told journalists that he is in town to see how the company is moving and to look at ways to continue investing in the country.
He said Westminster is a British owned company with all the shareholders being British and the company is listed in the London Stock Exchange, and they are operating in about 50 countries across the world.
“We started operating in Sierra Leone in 2012 when the country was in dire need of a profession company to handle the ground handling of the Lungi airport. At that time we sent in 30 experts to work with Sierra Leoneans and today only three are still in the country adhering to the Local Content Policy.”
Hon. Tony Baldry said they have spent millions of Pounds to raise the handling standard of the airport and today the airport is safe and with less complaints of stealing luggage. He said they will continue to invest in modern equipment and sniffer dogs because wherever they work they believe in giving quality and adhering to standard.
He said he met with President Bio and Vice President Juldeh Bah as he said he cannot come to Sierra Leone and doesn’t meet with the President to discuss on how his company can help in the development process of the country.
“Discussing with President Bio was an opportunity as we talked about how to modernize the airport, how we can work on bringing down the ticket prices, to get direct flights from London to Sierra Leone, ecotourism and how we can help in the investment conference next month in London.”
Hon. Tony Baldry said the Government and Westminster will start talks soon on how they can reduce the price of tickets so that it can be at par with other Mano River Union countries so that Sierra Leone too will be competitive.
“On my return I will look for flights that will start operating between London and Sierra Leone as presently there is no direct flight between the two countries. I will try and all my best to make sure that we get cheap flight to operate this route. Today in Uganda and Kenya ecotourism is doing very well and I am sure it will be the same for Sierra Leone, so it is another area that we will pursue to help the tourism sector grow in the country.”
The Chairman said they are the only British company working in Saudi Arabia and Iran and they have partners in Saudi Arabia for ecotourism that they will talk to for them to come and invest in Sierra Leone. He said Sierra Leone has all it takes to develop ecotourism in the country and he is determined to see it grow in Sierra Leone.
“I was told by the President of the investment conference to be held next month in London that Sierra Leone is a prominent participant. We discussed at length on how Westminster will be of immense help to work with the Sierra Leone High Commission in London to make sure the conference is successful. As we are one of two British companies in Sierra Leone, we would be at a vantage point to entice more British companies to come and invest in Sierra Leone. We will do all in our power to make sure that this investment conference becomes successful that will see more British companies coming to invest.”
When asked about the atmosphere in Sierra Leone for investors, Hon Tony Baldry said if the atmosphere was not conducive, Westminster will not be here. He said in every country there are challenges, but those challenges are always overcome. He said with more investment in the country it will create more job opportunities, services and products for the people.
The Chairman averred that Sierra Leone is open for business and the President is doing all in his power to attract more investors in various areas. He said they will look at other areas like agriculture also to invest and he will not relent to help bring investors into the country.

A Non- Governmental Organization, Christian Lawyers Centre, also known as Legal Link on Monday 6th May 2019 released a Press Statement in reaction to an alleged assault of one of its Legal Volunteers, Morlai Kanu Conteh, by two military officers who were manning the main entrance to the Parliament building during the State Opening of the House on Thursday 2nd May 2019.
In an exclusive interview, Morlai Kanu Conteh disclosed that on that fateful day he was officially invited to the State Opening of Parliament in his capacity as President of the National Youth Coalition and at the time when the APC Parliamentarians were walking out, he came outside to have a clearer picture of what was happening for proper and accurate reporting.
He further narrated how he was attacked by two military officers dressed in military fatigues saying they were dark skinned in complexion.
“One of the officers even remarked that they beat me up because of my criticisms against the ruling SLPP Government on TV and Radio while the other OSD officer even threatened to shoot me,” he bemoaned.
He sustained a swollen rib, arm and face due to the severe blows and kicks he received from his alleged military attackers. Morlai Kanu Conteh is currently responding to medical treatment.
In the wake of the incident, Christian Lawyers Centre, an organization that defends the rights of human rights defenders in Sierra Leone, made recommendations that they stated should be looked into as soon as possible some of which are as follows:
1. That an independent investigation by the military be undertaken to weed out these few bad cops that are trying to dent the good image of the military in Sierra Leone.
2. That the Chief of Defence Staff must come out openly and denounce this unprofessional behavior of these two military officers against a civil society activist.
3. That an open apology be made by the administrative head of the military to the civil society activist and all medical expenses incurred by fully reimbursed.
4. That the Government of Sierra Leone and the Parliament endeavor to pass a law that will protect the rights of Human Rights Defenders in the country.
Rashid Dumbuya Esq., Executive Director of Christian Lawyers Centre (Legal Link) said the following recommendations should be adhered to within the next 7 days, if not they will be left with no option but to institute criminal actions against the administrative heads of the military to be held liable for the acts of their subordinate officers.
Another Civil Society Organization, Campaign for Good Governance condemned the actions of the two military officers. Its Executive Director, Madam Marcella Samba-Sesay stated that: “We view such an attack as completely unwarranted and a veil threat to silencing critical civic voices on national issues, thereby reducing the scope for genuine political participation and advocacy in Sierra Leone. We therefore urge the Government to take immediate steps to ensure that the right to defend human rights and fundamental freedoms are respected, protected and fulfilled.”

As it continues to make landmark achievements in and out of Sierra Leone the result oriented Sierra Leone Brewery Limited (SLBL) in collaboration with Krones, a German firm that specializes in the supply and modernization of production plants, together with a large team of SLBL’s locally trained Sierra Leonean engineers and technicians have recently successfully installed and started operating a new production line.
This project which cost over Le 278 billion is one of the most expensive which the Brewery embarked upon to expand and upgrade its facilities. It was another large investment of the company to the economy and manufacturing sector of Sierra Leone, which is a major step in the improvement of their facilities in their journey of reaching state-of-the-art status.
In the same vein, the SLBL quite recently collaborated with the Freetown City Council to support sanitation projects in Ward 406 worth over 400 million Leones through Heineken Africa Foundation (HAF) and also provided a Toyota Dyna van to collect and dispose waste. This has been going on since 2017.
It could be recalled that the SLBL has been playing a key role in maintaining sanitation in its local community since its establishment.
The Sierra Leone Brewery as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Wellington, where its factory is located has done much to develop communities including Peacock Farm such development interventions have been of great assistance to especially women and children.
Providing safe water and encouraging women’s participation in agriculture and other economic activities have been the main thrust of the SLBL over the years. The SLBL is ensuring through small water enterprises that businesses provide safe, reliable, affordable water to communities in need; agencies that create economic opportunities for women to create benefits to their communities and be able to contribute to the health and well-being of families.
Sierra Leone Brewery Limited (SLBL) is indeed making steady progress in its production chain. The company has been rated as one of the most progressive business entities that have been positively contributing to overall national development impacting meaningfully on the lives of many people.
In order to ensure that the company continues to meet the needs of its numerous esteemed customers in and out of the country it is heavily investing in both capital and human resources with the view to make use of latest machinery and best brains that will collectively add value to its production drive.
The SLBL can now boast of having increased fermentation tanks; an upgraded waste water treatment plant, mash filter equipment and cooling plants thus putting it on a better stead to produce qualitative and safe beverages which many have confessed are of high standards.
It should be mentioned that in addition to the many great things the SLBL is doing for the people of this country and in accordance with government policy, the SLBL is ensuring that in the provinces there are farmers who grow sorghum and the company is in close relationship with them going to the extent of continuously empowering them through trainings and inputs. These sorghum farmers, who are over 25,000,000 in number, are steadily supplying the Brewery with the ingredients the company needs and by so doing they are becoming financially independent.
The Sierra Leone Brewery Limited is tax compliant and is contributing towards local revenue mobilization that is helping government to have the financial muscle to fund different development programs across the country.
In an earlier development, SLBL Corporate Affairs Manager, Albert Ojo Collier, disclosed to the press that they have invested over 278 billion Leones in the last three years as part of their expansion project to meet international standards and the growing demands of customers. He made this disclosure during a recent press tour for journalists conducted at the SLBL head office, Wellington Industrial Estate, East of Freetown.
He informed journalists that ‘in order to upgrade our Brew House, we recently overhauled our packaging bottling line costing 3.5 billion Leones. Since 1962, we pride ourselves with that rich heritage tied to the history of the country, with a vision of growing with Sierra Leone to further improve the efficiency of our bottling operations and to ensure our service to our revered customers and consumers.’
In a most recent development, the Sierra Leone Brewery Limited (SLBL) on Tuesday 30th April, 2019 commissioned submersible solar-powered water wells, one in Kamara Town and in another nearby community. This is the fifth out of seven that have been commissioned so far in the Wellington Industrial area.
During the commissioning the Corporate Affairs Manager, Albert Ojo Collier, informed his large audience that the project which was supported by Heineken Africa Foundation amounted to EUR 69, 4.
He called on Sierra Leoneans and especially those directly benefitting from the project to ensure they take good care of the submersible solar-powered water well and report anyone found damaging or stealing from these facilities.

In what has been described as positive development the Sierra Leone authorities and IMF mission concluded discussions, ad referendum, on economic policies to pave the way for consideration by the IMF Executive Board of the first review under the ECF-supported program; continued actions to mobilize revenue and manage public finances remain key priorities to reduce public debt and create fiscal space for investing in people and infrastructure; stepping up structural reform efforts will be crucial to managing fiscal risks, ensuring greater accountability, and diversifying the economy for the benefit of all Sierra Leoneans.
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission, led by Karen Ongley, visited Freetown during April 23-May 7, 2019 to conduct the first review of the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement approved by the Executive Board on November 30, 2018.
At the end of the visit, Ms. Ongley issued the following statement:
“The economic landscape in Sierra Leone remains challenging. Yet, the authorities navigated these difficulties well in the year since taking office, helping to stabilize the economy. Real GDP looks set to pick up this year to 5.1 percent, thanks in part to the resumption of iron ore mining. After peaking above 19 percent last September, inflation moderated to 17.5 percent in March and is projected to continue tracking down over 2019.
“Faced with serious constraints on budget financing, the authorities kept the budget in check through stronger than programmed revenue performance and spending well below the budget. As a result, the overall deficit narrowed from 8.8 percent in 2017 to 5.8 percent in 2018. However, delays in donor receipts and uneven liquidity in the banking system, posed challenges for deficit financing and monetary policy, and impacted program performance.
“While program performance is broadly on track, slower than expected progress on structural reforms reflects the magnitude of policy challenges. Nine of the ten quantitative targets were met for end December 2018 and end March 2019. However, the Net Domestic Assets of the Bank of Sierra Leone (BSL) at end December 2018 exceeded the program target (performance criterion), partly due to BSL’s credit to government and continued foreign exchange market sales to stem depreciation of the Leone. Moreover, three of five structural benchmarks—the forensic audit of the BSL, developing a strategic plan for the two state-owned banks, and a strategy for clearing domestic arrears—have been delayed, as the underlying issues are proving to be more complex than anticipated.
“With this in mind, the Sierra Leonean authorities and the mission reached understandings, ad referendum, on economic policies aimed at enhancing accountability in managing public resources, diversifying the economy and promoting more resilient and inclusive growth. The authorities’ commitment to mobilizing domestic revenue and improving expenditure management to achieve a gradual reduction in the deficit will help ensure that public debt returns to a sustainable path. Notwithstanding pressures on the budget, the authorities will safeguard poverty-reducing spending and other priority spending under the Government’s National Development Plan. Limiting the recourse to domestic financing will also reinforce the BSL’s objective of bringing inflation down to single digits by the end of the program. Maintaining a flexible exchange rate system and increasing foreign exchange reserves will boost resilience to economic shocks.
“The authorities have calibrated their policies to address longstanding vulnerabilities, but this also requires maintaining policy discipline and stamina. Notwithstanding their ambitious revenue goals, the program reflects a more cautious revenue assumption as a buffer to deal with fiscal risks, such as reliance on donor financing, the large outstanding stock of domestic arrears, and high prospective debt service payments. Stepping up efforts on the structural reforms underpinning the program is crucial to the goals of managing fiscal risks and ensuring greater accountability for the benefit of all Sierra Leoneans.
“The IMF’s Executive Board is expected to consider first ECF review by end-June 2019. Completion of the review would make available SDR 15.56 million (US$ 21.5 million), bringing total disbursements under the program to about SDR 31 million (US$ 43 million).
“The mission met with Vice President Jalloh, Minister of Finance Jacob Saffa, Deputy Minister of Finance Patricia Laverley, Governor of BSL Kelfala Kallon, Finance Secretary Sahr Jusu, other senior government and BSL officials, representatives of the financial sector, civil society, and development partners. Mr. Kingsley Obiora, Alternate Executive Director representing Sierra Leone, also joined the concluding meetings.
“The mission wishes to thank the Sierra Leonean authorities for their warm hospitality, and the constructive and rich discussions during our visit to Freetown.”