Alusine Leigh & Samuella George the two beneficiaries and their parent
By Amin Kef Sesay
One of the key humanitarian organizations operating in the country that has been doing extremely well in giving succour to those eligible for such, Pikin Bizness, continues to assist children with congenital heart diseases which it has been impressively doing since 2005 when the first child, 6-year-old Abubakarr Jalloh was flown to Paris.
ABK, as he is popularly called, at that time, had a few months to live. Today he is 20 years old and working as an intern in the I.T. Department of Transnational SL Ltd.
According to what was understood Pikin Bizness partnership remains solid with LA CHAINE DE L’ESPOIR (PARIS) as well as the CHAIN OF HOPE (UK) and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH-UK) and OLA DURING CHILDREN HOSPITAL.
The last arrivals of patients that received treatment came back in March 2020 just about when the Lungi International Airport was closing down after these patients spent one month overseas.
Alusine Leigh 9 years and 6 years Samuella George were flown out on February 14th together with Mohamed Leigh (Alusine‘s dad) and Abibatu Esther Mansaray (Samuella’s Mum) to the Magdi YACOUB Medical Center in Aswan Egypt.
They are now back home enjoying new leases of life. Although there are other kids on stand-by to be flown out of the country, unfortunately due to the prevailing situation, that is difficult at the moment until the resumption of international flights when Pikin Bizness would then resume operations.
Over the past weekend, medical staff at the 34 Military Hospital at Wilberforce succeeded in curing six patients diagnosed with the dreaded corona virus disease. The achievement is very significant in the light of the thousands of corona virus deaths that are reported in the UK, USA, and Brazil daily for the past two weeks.
Knowledge is wealth; experience gained practically is the most invaluable form of knowledge. The success of the medical team at the 34 Military hospital in successfully treating the corona viral disease has everything to do with the vast wealth of experience that was gained by the military as frontline medical fighters in the war against the 2014 to 2015 Ebola disease outbreak, working in partnership with USA’s Center for Disease Control, and the Chinese medical teams that were sent to Sierra Leone to help in the fight against the Ebola disease.
It is good that the President on seeing the danger posed by COVID-19 did not panic but like a seasoned battle commander decided to immediately put in place combat measures to take the fight to the enemy in the military believing that the best form of defense is offense.
Why the 2014–15 Ebola epidemic ravaged us so disastrously was a combination of unpreparedness, a weak health system and lack of knowledge about the disease and how to confront it medically and clinically.
In the aftermath, numerous analyses showed that many of the 28 000 cases and 11 000 deaths in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia could have been prevented with stronger preparedness at the national and international levels and a faster, more effective response.
A strong and supported health workforce is central to a robust health system. At the onset of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, many frontline staff lacked appropriate training in emergency preparedness and response. Several health workers operated in unsafe environments with inappropriate equipment and without adequate pay, which affected their readiness, safety, motivation and the quality of care they could provide. Within this context, more than 800 health worker infections were reported.
Thus, first, and foremost, and we owe this to the former Government, what Sierra Leone with the help of our international health development partners has been doing since the end of the Ebola outbreak has been strengthening core capacities to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks, with commensurate domestic and, where needed, international investments.
Secondly, Ebola taught us that we must remain vigilant and forward-looking, implementing well-accepted control measures when an outbreak hits but also expanding these strategies to areas at high risk of infection.
When we found the courage and strength after months of fear to confront the Ebola virus disease, what we undertook most robustly was basic control strategy, and its refinement focused on rapid case identification for isolation, treatment and care, contact tracing, community engagement and mobilization, safe and dignified burials, effective infection control; and laboratory testing. Those strategies combined brought us to zero and helped us to maintain zero until the outbreak was declared over by WHO in October 2015.
The 17th April 2020 has gone down the annals of history of the Sierra Leone Brewery Limited (SLBL) as one when the company, in its usual posture, swiftly responded to the urgency of fighting the detestable coronavirus. SLBL, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility and their support towards the fight against the coronavirus in the country, on that day donated personal protective Equipment worth millions of Leones to the Government of Sierra Leone through the Covid-19 Response Team.
The impressive donation include 2,000 litres of alcohol sanitizers, 5 Milla Hand washing machines with accessories, 50 veronica buckets with accessories, 50 hand washing basins, 30 cartons of soap, 14 cartons of tissues and 12,000 cans of Maltina drinks.
Presentation of the items took place at the Forecourt of the Emergency Operation Centre at Cockerill in Freetown.
Present at the ceremony were the Human Resource & Resource Mobilization Officer of the COVID-19 Response Team, Cyrus Sheriff, Member of the Strategic Planning Team, EOC Covid-19 Response Team, Moses Miller, Managing Director of the Sierra Leone Brewery Limited, Laurent Bukasa, Corporate Affairs Manager, Albert Ojo Collier, Mrs Zorah Anthony, Head of HR – SLBL, Mrs Aminata Kassim-Carew, Marketing Manager (SLBL) and Corporate Affairs Assistant, Unisa Conteh.
In his address, the Managing Director of the Sierra Leone Brewery Limited, Laurent Bukasa, expressed appreciation to the Government of Sierra Leone for its pro-activeness in putting measures in place to curtail the spread of coronavirus in the country, adding that Brewery is a development partner underscoring how in that regard they are extremely humbled to donate the aforementioned items to the Government and People of Sierra Leone through the Covid-19 Response Team.
He said the company bought a huge quantity of alcohol which was locally processed to 70% making it possible for the 2,000 litres of alcohol sanitizer that were donated by SLBL, noting that hand washing is very key towards curtailing the spread of the virus. He said it is in that regard that they are not only donating the sanitizers but also 5 Milla Hand washing machines with accessories stressing such will be placed at various locations for people to observe regular hand washing.
He admonished citizens to adhere to the preventive measures instituted by Government and the health practitioners in order to curtail the spread of the virus in the country.
Receiving the items on behalf of the Government, a member of the Strategic Planning Team of the EOC Covid-19 Response Team, Moses Miller, expressed gratitude to the Sierra Leone Brewery Limited for the items donated praising such as a timely intervention.
He assured them that the COVID-19 Response Team will supervise the proper distribution and utilization of the donated items assuring that they will reach the targeted beneficiaries.
Managing Director of the Sierra Leone Brewery Limited, Laurent BukasaMember of the Strategic Planning Team, EOC Covid-19 Response Team, Moses Miller & the Human Resource & Resource Mobilization Officer of the COVID-19 Response Team, Cyrus Sheriff and Staff of EOCMember of the Strategic Planning Team, EOC Covid-19 Response Team, Moses Miller receiving the items on behalf of the Covid-19 Response Team.Cross Section of the items donated towards the covid-19 fightThe truck packed with the items donated towards the covid-19 fightCross Section of the items donated towards the covid-19 fight
Sierra Leone is one of the few countries in the sub-region that has presently recorded fewer cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). But in a country where the scourge of the Ebola Viral Disease left a significant footprint, the Government is taking no chances but pursuing proactive measures to stem the tide of the pandemic.
Solidaridad is committed to complementing the Government’s effort to control the spread of the disease. Working in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, through its District Health Management Teams to step up public awareness of the pandemic, Solidaridad has supported the production of relevant Information, Education and Communication materials for dissemination to over 20,000 farmers in 300 local communities. In these areas, Solidaridad is already providing sustainable solutions to improve the lives of cocoa, oil palm, cashew and coffee farmers.
“The contribution of development organizations like Solidaridad to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is crucial especially in border points of the Eastern province”, says Sheku Momoh, a community health officer in Buedu in Kailahun district of the Eastern province.
Receiving some materials for dissemination, Sheku commended Solidaridad for being the first organization to respond by providing the necessary tools to create awareness about the disease. He assured the items would be distributed to schools, clinics and local communities along the country’s borders.
The awareness drive also covers school pupils in the targeted communities.
“Solidaridad is happy to provide support to reach school pupils so that they can pass on relevant information on COVID-19 to their parents or other members of their households. This is one way we can ensure that the message reaches many people,” says Nicholas Jengre, Solidaridad Country Representative in Sierra Leone.
School pupils in Sierra Leone being taught how to cough to prevent cough-droplet-spread
Farming communities in the Eastern province where Solidaridad currently implements its cocoa and oil palm sustainability actions have in the past suffered from the outbreak of Lassa fever and the Ebola Viral Disease. With the scourge of COVID-19 on the horizon, the farmers are happy to receive information that can keep them protected.
“Solidaridad seeks to help farmers attain self-sufficiency and maximise available local resources. Cognizant of the potential adverse impact of COVID-19 on their lives, we are happy to support the Ministry of Health in a multi-sectoral approach to prevent and control the spread of the disease to farming communities,” says Nicholas.
Additionally, awareness materials on COVID-19 have been provided to border security personnel and local chiefs working with local partners. In local communities, Solidaridad has adjusted its programme implementation to incorporate coronavirus awareness in field engagement with farmers.
News making the rounds on social media indicating that the test of an employee of the Shuman Hospital has tested positive of Covid 19 has been dismissed as false by the Management of the hospital.
Based on what the Management of the hospital stated, the said victim who was tested Covid 19 positive in Kenema on the 17th April, had left Shuman hospital couple of months earlier underscoring that his contract with the hospital as a Lab Technician was officially terminated on the 3rd March 2020.
“We will like to inform the general public that the said person had ceased to be an employee of Shuman hospital on the above date of his termination and has not been within the premises of the said hospital since he went on his annual leave in February even before his termination at the beginning of March 2020”, a statement from the hospital reads.
This was further clarified by a team of contact tracers who visited the Shuman hospital to do further investigation into the allegation levied against the hospital.
“We want to reassure the general public, especially our valued clients that the hospital is open and running and will continue to give out the best treatment to patients in terms of service delivery in line with precautionary measures put in place by Government to help in the fight against Covid 19,” Management stated.
Shuman hospital is said to be one of the best private hospitals legitimately operating in Sierra Leone.
The National Petroleum –Sierra Leone Limited (NP-SL Ltd) is a very ambitious thriving business entity that continues to make the availability of various petroleum products possible and it has been commendably doing so in record time.
The company’s shareholders and Management team are always putting all the necessary modalities and contacts in place in order to avail all its esteemed customers with qualitative and high grade petroleum products to be utilized for different purposes. Even at this crucial moment when the world in general and Sierra Leone in particular are grappling to combat the killer coronavirus, the company is on top of situations and continues to ensure that arrangements are made to give its numerous customers the best in terms of petroleum products.
When it comes to the effective rolling out of the company’s customer care portfolio, NP-SL Ltd is second to none as it has mastered the art so well to such an extent that it is widely recognized as 1st for Customer Care. This is not just a mere or vague decoration as it is proactively widening its customer base by making use of different strategies all in a vain to give utmost satisfaction to many. In a very transparent manner, the company conducts transactions at its various Filling Stations, ensuring that the major and relevant concerns of customers are adequately addressed.
With calibrated pumping machines installed at its various state of the art Filling Stations in the country, the company’s attendants do pump the exact quantity of petrol or diesel requested for, with the pumping machines displaying the prices at the same time. Based on the preciseness of how these machines perform, majority of the company’s customers whom this medium talked with, expressed delight that whenever they purchase fuel at NP Filling Stations they feel good because they are exactly deriving what they are paying for.
A very unique attribute which this premier petroleum marketing company possesses is its stance to give Sierra Leoneans priority when it comes to offering of jobs. Except in rare situations, when foreign expert knowledge is required and sourced, however, the citizens of this country are first considered when it comes to employment opportunities. Putting such a premium on the implementation of the Local Content Policy is helping enormously in terms of reducing unemployment and improving standards of living.
Many have praised NP for making available cookers popularly known as NP Gas which is safe for cooking purposes. These NP Gas cookers are sold at reasonable prices and could be procured at all their filling stations as well as from authorized dealers. At a time like this when it has been recognized that it is advisable, for health reasons, to avoid using firewood or charcoal for cooking purposes the best option could be NP Gas, which is hygienic, clean and quick.
The company also introduced NP Smart Card which could be used to purchase petrol or diesel at Filling Stations as long as the card contains money .Whenever used to procure fuel the amount used to purchase is debited from the smart card and when it is topped-up then the amount is credited. One of the biggest advantages with using this card is that it avails individuals and institutions the opportunity to secure fuel without moving along with money at hand. It is a safe means of conducting transactions, has now become very trending and many are going for it.
Being a business-oriented petroleum marketing entity the success story of the company is vividly evident in the opening of branches in neighbouring Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast and The Gambia. In all these countries the company is doing extremely well and held in high esteem. In these countries, NP is paying huge amount of taxes to the host Governments thereby contributing to the revenue baskets of those countries which are used to fund certain development programmes.
The company has a good business strategy in place whereby trusted entities or customers are permitted to use chits to secure fuel and pay later. Such is very advantageous more so when those entities do not always have readily available cash at hand to be purchasing petroleum products from time to time. This symbiotic relationship with its customers has been paying huge dividends making NP very endearing to all and sundry.
NP-SL Ltd. is doing exceptionally well not only here where it has its root but in the aforementioned countries where its branches are vibrantly doing well.
The company is indeed poised to continue to make petroleum products timely available.
Many have commended Orange Sierra Leone (SL), the country’s leading Telecoms Company, for its worthwhile contributions to the fight against the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19).
On the 20 March 2019, Management of the company announced additional measures to ensure that its network and services remain uninterrupted during the current coronavirus outbreak which is affecting much of the world. This move on the part of Orange Sierra Leone comes amidst concerns that the new coronavirus (COVID-19) could affect telecommunications companies and disrupt mobile and internet services.
It also comes in the wake of consensus from global experts that the viability and stability of telecommunications networks is essential in the ongoing fight against the COVID-19.
Chief Executive Officer of Orange Sierra Leone, Aminata Kane Ndiaye, acknowledged that the rapid spread of the coronavirus has led the Orange Sierra Leone team to put in place a multipronged approach that would enable the company to protect its staff and customers, support Government’s ongoing efforts and at the same time continue to provide uninterrupted quality and affordable services to customers across the country.
According to Aminata Kane Ndiaye: “We are a socially and ethically responsible company. It is our duty to do whatever we can to ensure the continuation of telecommunications services, while also taking measures to protect our staff and customers who need service.” She stated further that the measures would ensure the continuation of all of Orange Sierra Leone’s products and services availability including voice, SMS, data communications, SIM cards, scratch cards and Orange Money services.
The company deployed hand washing stations and digital temperature readers at all its major selling points and ensures surfaces are being frequently sanitized. Aminata says that ‘social distancing’ protocols are also being implemented, both at selling points and offices: “We are drastically reducing the number of people who can enter a service delivery point at any one time and customers can queue in good conditions, with chairs and shade, with the necessary distance.”
CEO Aminata Kane Ndiaye nevertheless encouraged customers to use the digital channels such as My Orange mobile application, and Orange Money to manage their services or check their balances. And if customers need to contact the company, they are also encouraged to send a message to Orange Sierra Leone by Facebook Messenger (@orangesl).
David Mansaray, Head of Orange Money, has also encouraged customers to use Orange Money for transactions because of the ease, convenience and security of the service. He stated: “By using Orange Money, our customers are able to purchase goods, voice or data bundles, or pay their bills without having to use cash or even having to leave their homes and go into potentially crowded spaces.”
He added that in order to facilitate the usage of Orange Money, the company has decided to waive all fees on money transfer, merchant payment and bank to wallet (push pull) for 30 days, which might be prolonged if need be.
The Management of Orange also revealed that staff ,who are coming to work will follow the same safety measures as customers and will also practice safe social distancing. “We are monitoring the prevailing situation and will continue to adjust our responses as necessary, but no matter what, our goal will be to ensure uninterrupted quality service,” David Mansaray concluded.
As usual, during epidemics, all business entities in Sierra Leone contribute either financially or materially to the State coffers so that the authorities can adequately respond to the health threat.
By all indications, Orange SL is one of the business entities taking the lead to defeat COVID-19. The company’s contributions stand as a glowing testimony.
Since COVID-19 broke out in China sometime in November, last year, Sierra Leone Government embarked on proactive or preventive measures to forestall a COVID-19 outbreak in the country.
By its commitment to the fight, it is no gainsaying that Orange SL is working hands in glove with the Government to ensure a safe Sierra Leone.
Since information is crucial to the prevention of the virus, Orange SL came up with an information sharing strategy of zero-rating URL links. The strategy works well as it enhances access to messages of Prevention of COVID-19.
Being relentless and poised to see COVID-19 defeated, in March this year, Orange SL donated personal protective equipment to the people of Constituency 112 in the Western Area Rural district which hosts the telecoms company headquarters. The Member of Parliament, Hon. Haja Miatta Amara who represented the constituency in parliament received the items on behalf of her people.
In the same month, the telecoms company also bolstered the effort of Government through the donation of hand washing materials to the people of Constituency 128 in the West End of the capital including Wilberforce, Tengbeh Town and Hill Station.
The donated materials including veronica buckets, hand sanitisers, soap, gloves and other protective gears are meant to be used by residents in the Constituency. The donations were a direct response to requests made by Parliamentarians of the two Constituencies, Hon. Haja Miatta and Hon. Benjamin Turay.
On 2nd April, this year, almost three weeks ago, Orange SL launched the WANPOT package for ease of communication throughout Sierra Leone. The WANPOT package combines prepaid and post-paid features that give customers a monthly bundle of a fixed price with abundant data allowance. The offer has a price tag as low as Le150, 000 so that customers could have abundant voice minutes for local and international calls, data and SMS.
The product targets specifically corporate institutions, businesses and high profiled individuals. The new product, according to Orange SL, proffers solutions to most of the issues that the traditional post-paid service could not solve.
With the new offer, customers can control their flow with the flexibility of recharging as and when necessary or when monthly limit is exhausted at the comfort of one’s home.
On 16th April this year, Orange SL launched free on-line studies for pupils and students in secondary schools and universities. Through it, pupils and students can access teaching and lecturing programmes on-line free of cost.
Under the free on-line studies, schools and colleges can also enjoy free browsing on several learning sites such as the Ministry of Basic and Senior School Education (MBSSE) on-line classroom, Wikipedia, Khan Academy Open2Study and many more.
Pupils and students can also visit http://www.orange.sl/personal/1/101/orange -education-2986.html and other additional links without paying for the services.
The provision of the on-line services is made possible through the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Orange SL and MBSSE to offer zero-rated education portals to schools and colleges country-wide in the COVID-19 period.
The leading telecoms company has also established a healthy and direct relationship with the Ministry of Information and Communications (MOIC) to intensify the campaign against COVID-19.
Also, the company, in collaboration with MOIC, is undertaking an intensive and robust sensitisation on the prevention of the deadly virus. Towards that direction, the company has zero rated the following sites: MOIC-http://www.mic.gov.sl, World Health Organisation-https://www.who.int/ and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention-https://www.cdc.gov./.
With the availability of these facilities, the clientele can get free access to adequate and accurate information on the precautionary measures against COVID-19.
Besides, plans are underway to provide hand washing facilities and digital temperature readers in public places as effective and efficient preventive measures against the virus.
The Corona Virus Disease has become the most tragic in the world’s modern history. Since its outbreak, it has taken a death toll of over 177, 775, Over 2,557,299 cases globally are responding to medical services in treatment centres while others are in quarantine facilities.
As the country continues to record positive cases of the coronavirus, the Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Information and Communications has on Saturday 18th April, 2020 in a release urged Sierra Leoneans to wear face cloth masks in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the country.
It maintained that Sierra Leone as of Saturday 18th April, 2020 recorded four (4) new cases bringing the total number of positive confirmed cases of COVID-19 to 30, adding that the four new cases were in quarantine and are linked to previous cases.
The Release disclosed that currently, there is no death and all the 30 confirmed COVID-19 cases are being managed in isolation centers and they are all in stable condition further highlighting that the total number of persons quarantined is 532 and 1,012 have been discharged from quarantine.
The Ministry is encouraging members of the public to call 117 in cases of experiencing fever, tiredness and cough and further advised to wear cloth face masks in all public spaces including Government offices, hospitals, markets and transport services.
“All transport operators, drivers and riders must wear cloth masks. For information on cloth mask and how to use them correctly, visit www.dhse.gov.sl The Public is also advised to wash hands with soap and water frequently or use hand sanitizer; avoid touching one’s eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands; cough or sneeze into their upper arm or sleeve; and avoid close contact (arms stretched length) from others, especially in crowded areas and at social gatherings,” the Ministry cautioned.
It went further to encourage members of the public to take good care of their health to help protect against COVID-19 and urged parents to take their children for marklates and go to the hospital for Antenatal Care (ANC), safe delivery, malaria testing and treatment, and other regular treatments registering that the Hospital remains the safest place to go for health checks, treatment and care.
The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists Electoral Commission (SLAJEC) disqualified the Women in the Media Sierra Leone (WIMSAL) result outcome on the basis of not meeting the threshold of a credible and transparent process. This disclosure was made on Wednesday 15th April, 2020 after the Commission concluded its investigations into the entire electoral process.
The Commission noted that on the 5th December, 2019, the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists Electoral Commission (SLAJEC) received a petition from “Team Mariama Khai-Fornah” led by Aminata Finda Massaquoi in which it raised a number of concerns, most of them bordering on the voter register that was used for the conduct of the elections, and based on which the “Team” rejected the outcome of the WIM-SAL Elections held on 30th November, 2019 in Kenema City. Also contained in the organization’s petition letter has to do with an issue with one of the SLAJEC Commissioners whom some have said should be excluded from the investigation process.
The Commission maintained that the investigation process did not go on immediately after the petition was filed because SLAJEC lacked funding to undertake the inquiry. Funding was subsequently provided by the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) and the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG) in the week of 16th March, 2020 following which SLAJEC conducted the inquiry by engaging persons of interest in three regional cities and Freetown.
Underscoring its findings the Commission noted that in the Western Area pursuant to Article VII (A)(i) of the WIMSAL Constitution, “…a member other than a Public Relations Officer in any parastatal shall vote but shall not qualify for election to an executive position upon fulfillment of the following requirements:
Fully paid up members of WIMSAL must have registered with WIMSAL for at least three years before their nominations and that because it is unclear whether the three-year eligibility criterion is applicable to both registration and payment of membership dues or applicable only to registration SLAJEC contacted the outgone President, Tiana Alpha for any interpretation.
Ms. Alpha told SLAJEC that they agreed in one of their meetings that members should pay membership dues for the three previous years or at least for two years to be eligible to vote and be voted for. That assertion was contradicted by the National Secretary General, Fatima Sesay who said that they eventually agreed that payment of one-year membership dues is enough to qualify members to vote.
The Commission noted that regardless of the contradiction between the outgone National President and the Secretary General, SLAJEC pointed out that from the available records there are only four (4) paid up members for three years; seventeen (17)paid up members for two years and forty-six (46) members paid for one year only. Meanwhile, all members in the Western Area that voted during that election appear to be eligible to vote and five (5) members were disqualified from voting by SLAJEC because documents could not be tendered by the WIM-SAL Secretariat in Kenema to support their membership status but were subsequently found to be eligible members.
The Commission further revealed that in the Southern Region all 31 members that voted paid their membership dues for only one year contrary to what the immediate past President said they agreed on and that the Regional Executive could not tender evidences of membership (filled membership forms) of members to prove their membership.
They also maintained that receipts issued to WIMSAL members were not done in sequence, adding that a receipt was issued to one member on 22nd November, 2019 before issuance of another receipt on 11th November, 2019 and that this is a consistent pattern of such non-sequence of dates across the receipts book, but said that the explanation given was that the dates were captured on the receipts book in a non-sequential order because they decided to use the dates on the bank slips instead of capturing the dates on which the bank slips were presented to the Financial Secretary. However, no evidence was tendered to back that claim.
And that for both the Eastern Region Twenty-one (21) members paid for a year and only two (2) members paid for two years, contrary to what the National President said was agreed on before the elections and that the Regional Executive tendered no evidences of membership (filled membership forms) to prove their membership and there were no receipts available for six (6) members who voted and Two (2) people who voted in election could not be accounted for in terms of their region and/or the media institution they are working for.
It was against such backdrop that the Commission concluded that the majority of members who voted in that election were not eligible to vote when judged against the background of the criteria for eligibility to vote, pursuant to Article VII (A) (i) of the WIMSAL Constitution couple with what the National President said was agreed on in one of their meetings and that moreover, there were no proof of evidence that the entire membership in the South and Eastern Regions are bona fide members of WIM-SAL.
“Based on those findings, SLAJEC is of the conviction that the WIM-SAL elections conducted on the 30th November, 2019 at the Albertson Hotel in Kenema City did not meet the threshold of a credible and transparent process,”the Commission disclosed.
In relation to the release by SLAJEC Team Mariama Khai Fornah’s on Friday 17th April, 2020 made their Position on a press release on the SLAJEC Report noting that on the 5th December 2019 they petitioned the outcome of the Women in the Media Sierra Leone (WIMSAL) Elections held in November 2019 on the basis to draw the attention of The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists Electoral Commission’s (SLAJEC) to the fraudulent activities that took place during election.
The Team maintained that although the SLAJEC, upon receipt of the petition gave their team six weeks from the petitioned date to look into the report, six weeks elapsed on grounds that the parent body, Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) ,did not provide funding to undertake investigations into our claims. Subsequently, adding that a handing over by the outgone WIMSAL President, Tiana Alpha was done to the petitioned President even after SLAJEC had initially sanctioned that ceremony, as they were to look into the petition.
Almost two months later, SLAJEC in a public notice informed that SLAJ provided the funds to undertake the investigation and that on 15th April 2020, the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists Electoral Commission issued their report on the said petition and their team has digested the report.
The Team therefore underscored the following:
That they are satisfied with the outcome of the investigations by SLAJEC and fully endorsed the report saying they will remain committed to peace within the media landscape and would give their fullest support to maintain that peace. It was stated that they have advised their presidential candidate to ignore the electoral discrepancies and forge ahead with pursuing her personal journalistic goals, in a bid to maintain peace within the female media caucus.
They extended gratitude to all those who stood by them and believe in their vision to see that due diligence is done to the electoral process.
Friday 17th April, 2020 the Anti-Corruption Commission released a Press Release in which it informed the general public that it has established and launched the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) Response Transparency Task Force charged with the primary role to ensure and instill integrity, accountability and transparency in the utilization and management of funds relating to the COVID-19 response activities.
The ACC appealed to those who engaged in the receipt and utilization of COVID-19 funds to be mindful of the provisions of the Budget and Accountability Act of 2006 and the Anti-Corruption Act of 2008 as Amended in 2019, dealing with Mismanagement and Misappropriation of Public and Donor Funds and Properties.
ACC also highlighted that all National and International Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are encouraged to make public any money, donation or pledge received for and on behalf of the People of Sierra Leone in regard to the control and containment of the coranavirus pandemic and that any complaint of suspected acts of corruption and or corrupt practices in the Corona Virus Response programmes will be investigated as a matter of priority and urgency under the Anti-Corruption Act 2008 as Amended in 2019.
The ACC further urged to make any complaint or report to the ACC at its 3 Gloucester Street or any of their regional offices across the country and the Commission further reassuring the public of its undeterred commitment to controlling corruption at all levels.
