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Sierra Leone News: 3 Global Leadership Awards to CEO of Leisure Hotel  

Tamba Allieu-Kokobaye the Chief Executive Officer for Leisure Hotel

The Covenant Life Ministerial Organization (USA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Reconciliation, Songs and Praise/Worship Liberia INC/Sierra Leone presented three straight awards on Global Leadership  to Tamba Allieu-Kokobaye the Chief Executive Officer for Leisure Hotel Aberdeen, Kono and Kenema.

The special merit award Seal of Excellence was presented to Mr. Kokobaye on Wednesday 10th July 2019 at the hotel premises.

Apostle John Marvelous Kallon, Founder/General Overseer, National Co-ordinator Sierra Leone Global Leadership Network, said among other things that they have an eagle eye to look for people that are doing well in various fields to award them.

Tamba Allieu-Kokobaye is the first Sierra Leone to benefit from such award after presenting awards to the Nigerian High Commissioner to Sierra Leone and the President of Chambers of Commerce.

He said they found Tamba Allieu-Kokobaye on the impact he has created in leadership and business careers, as they saw him as a role model.

“We are grateful to God for a Sierra Leonean to be awarded for the very first time. We don’t give award because individuals have money or positions but we are monitoring what they do.”

He continued to say Tamba Allieu-Kokobaye’s leadership in both his business and family are very great.

“His excellent management and leadership skills are very great.”

The Africa Director Bishop, Bishop Success Hans, said Global Leadership Award is a division of Covenant Life Ministries Organisation of which he is the President.

He explained that they are looking into communities and award people that are doing well.

“We leave everything we do in this world and whatever we are doing we are watched by God or by human. We thank God for giving Tamba Allieu-Kokobaye such a position. We have come to thank him and celebrate with him. He is a great man,”he commended.

After receiving the award, Tamba Allieu-Kokobay CEO, Leisure Hotel described the day as a great one for him.

He said when he was called to send his biography he thought about it and was surprised because it was too sudden.

He thanked the team which was headed by the Bishop for the opportunity accorded to him from the Ministry and the global network worldwide.

He disclosed that Leisure Hotel is not only in Freetown but Kenema and Kono saying it gives him lot of satisfaction to serve people and communities.

“We are changing lives and making a difference,” he said adding how his interaction between him and his staff is just like a family.

“Now I know that I belong to one family. I don’t see my staff as staff but family. There is more to life than money and the care we drive.”

Tamba Allieu-Kokobaye promised to do more to impact lives.

Allieu Kokobaye, son of the CEO thanked the awardee for the award and all those that graced the presentation.

He described his father Tamba Allieu-Kokobaye as a man of principle whom he always admires.

Leisure Hotel situated at the heart of the historic Aberdeen, West of Freetown is one of the most prestigious, highly technological and well-equipped hotel in the country.

 

Sierra Leone News: 15yrs to Life Imprisonment for Rapists

On Thursday 11th July 2019 the Parliament of Sierra Leone debated the Bill entitled “The Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2019” and committed to the Legislative Committee for further scrutiny in consultation with other Committees in Parliament.

The Bill was piloted by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr. Priscilla Schwartz with the aim of amending The Sexual Offences Act of 2012 by prescribing life imprisonment as a maximum penalty for perpetrators of rape and sexual related offences such as penetration of minors.

The said Bill is primarily aimed at curbing this dreadful social malaise in our society by upping the sentences for such crimes against minors by paedophiles from fifteen years to life imprisonment. The Bill also made provisions for the introduction of offences related to aggravated sexual assault, alternative conviction of aggravated sexual assault, prosecution of offences under the same Act as well as the making of court rules in order to empower the Court Committee to further regulate the practice and procedure under the Act and provides for other related matters.

Addressing the Honourable Members of Parliament after a motion was accepted for the Bill to be tendered to the Legislative Committee, the Presiding Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Segepoh Solomon Thomas urged the MPs to be patriotic when considering those amendments for eventual passage by the House. “I want you to remember certain facts being drawn to our attention during the debate” he stated adding that “this is a situation that is very serious and we as a nation have to be ashamed of ourselves”.

The Presiding Speaker also wittily ordered the appearance of the Inspector General of Police, the Director of Correctional Services and the Director of Crimes Management to come before the Committee of Internal Affairs to assist with information gathered from perpetrators as to the causes of rape and other forms of violence against women and children in the country. He observed that “at a certain time I begin to address my mind that there are some rituals associated to certain sexual penetrations” he revealed.

On his part, Hon. Sama Sandy of SLPP said the necessity and crucial nature of the Bill needs not to be over-emphasized.  According to him, the document has to do with the reproductive aspect of women and girls. He expressed dismay over the wicked attitude of rapists, pointing out that some of them are not supposed to be part of the current generation.

Hon. Shiaka M. Sama, an Independent MP from Pujehun District suggested an amendment on the Bill to consider the protection of young boys who may be used by ladies to fulfil their sexual desires. According to him, that aspect is not mentioned in the document.   He also drew the attention of other Honourable Members to critically look into a situation where some bad women may want to use this law to punish men through the allegation of rape. “Men should stop illegal sex and this Bill is very important and dangerous” he advised.

Hon. Hassan Sesay of APC called the attention of colleague MPs to look at grey areas in the Bill relating to customary and other laws with the aim of harmonizing them to suit the prospective amendments.

Chairman of the Legislative Committee, Hon. Hindolo M. Gevao informed the House that some witnesses have brutally been killed in relation to the issues of rape at Aberdeen. He appealed to the Minister to properly investigate the matter of rape before prosecution. He also said a large percentage of women and girls are being abused in Sierra Leone. He used the opportunity to ask the authority to increase the number of police stations and magistrate courts to fast track cases of sexual penetration and related offences in remote areas in the country.

Hon. Bernadette Wuyata Songa of SLPP said that Sierra Leone has several laws but is challenged with the implementation of these laws, whilst calling on the Minister and colleague MPs to change the situation regarding the Sexual Offences Amendment Act 2019. She informed that in some cases, matters relating to rape are not reported.  She therefore called on the stakeholders to conduct awareness raising programmes relating to the implementation of this Bill.

Hon Rebecca Y. Kamara of C4C described herself as a potential victim of rape. “I am indirectly a potential victim of rape because I am a woman and I also have girls” she asserted. She informed the Honourable House that her District is one of the most vulnerable places for rape because of the mining activities taking place in that part of the country. She said, in most cases, the perpetrators go unpunished and sometimes the victims died as a result of psychological impact and poverty.

Hon. Paramount Chief, Matilda Y. Minah from Pujehun District called for a speedy approval of the Bill, whilst appealing to the stakeholders and state authorities to provide logistical support to social workers in that part of the country. She informed that sexual penetration is very high and most times perpetrators quickly cross to neighbouring Liberia to escape prosecution.

Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Chernor R.M Bah thanked President Bio for listening to Parliament and urged colleague MPs to pay keen interest during the amendment and to avoid any attempt to duplicate the laws that are subsisting in other Acts of Parliament.

Concluding the debate, the Acting Leader of Government Business Hon. Mathew S. Nyuma said they as a Government want to change the narrative of the situation regarding the offences relating to sexual penetration. “The whole issue of rape is an intentional business”, he noted adding that they were not going to repeal the law but were going to treat it with seriousness. He described rape as a “filthy thinking” and that it should not be compromised. He encouraged all MPs to follow the spirit of the law and remember the conditions of the victims, some of whom he said had died as a result of those circumstances.

The debate was climaxed by special prayers for victims who had died of rape.

In another engagement, the Parliament of Sierra Leone has also on the 11th July 2019 debated and unanimously ratified $ US 34.12 Million on financing agreements for regional rice value chain programme and food self-sufficiency aimed at increasing rice production in the country.

MPs who spoke to the motion appreciated Government’s interventions in promoting and increasing rice production through mechanized farming for the citizenry of Sierra Leone.

The following financing agreements were ratified by Parliament:

  1. Framework Agreement Installment Sale Financing for Regional Rice Value Chain Development Program Between the Republic of Sierra Leone and Islamic Development Bank;
  2. Agency Agreement Installment Self-financing for Regional Rice Value Chain Program Between the Republic of Sierra Leone and Islamic Development Bank;
  3. Technical Assistance Grant Agreement Between the Republic of Sierra Leone and Islamic Development Bank (ISDB) Concerning Regional Rice Value Chain Development Program; and
  4. Loan Agreement Between the Republic of Sierra Leone and Islamic Development Bank (In Its Capacity as the Administrator of the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development) Regarding Regional Rice Value Chain Development.

 

Sierra Leone News: Sierra Leone moving towards Peace and Stability

HE Julius Maada Bio

Sierra Leoneans in recent times have congratulated the ruling SLPP government, led by President Bio, for taking bold steps towards maintaining peace and stability.

Those moves, according to many citizens, are ones to be   reckoned with as it could be recalled that the country has gone through series of political tension since the March 2018 elections that brought the then main opposition SLPP to power.

The political tensions cut across supporters and sympathizers of   the two main political parties, SLPP and APC, during which we have witnessed women and children from both political parties partaking in violence. 

Among many other things that led to increased tension was the walking out of the main APC opposition party out of Parliament in the form of a protest, the indictment of various former APC political officials of being corrupt, the sacking of lower and higher level bureaucrats of the APC party members within various Ministries, Departments and Agencies, the withdrawal and replacement of the security personnel of the former President.

The other that added salt to injury was the court decision of removing nine members of the APC from Parliament bringing in its wake protest that led to the firing of tear gas canisters on APC supporters and arresting some at the party’s Head Office in Brookfields.

Recent moves by state functionaries like the visit of Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh to former President Koroma in Makeni, the half payment of benefits to former   government officials and allowing the security personnel to return to the former President have led to some semblance of peace and stability in the country. We have seen recently the former President visiting his party office in Freetown after his last visit many months ago and also his visit to the leader of the NGC to sympathise with him for being bereaved.

It should be noted that meaningful peace in any country is based on peaceful coexistence among political parties especially between the two main political parties in this country.

Peace must be gained through open communication and problem-solving via non-violent channels as the present government has already started. The Government must not relent in its strives to bring lasting peace and stability to our beloved country as no country can succeed in terms of development without peace and stability.

Sierra Leone News: Govt. Now to Pay Lecturers

Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Prof. Aiah Gbakima

Within the framework of getting rid of certain challenges that used to plague tertiary institutions in the country, the Government of Sierra Leone has decided to start paying salaries and other allowances of academic and administrative staff of those institutions. To that effect, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between and among the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE), the Ministry of Finance and various tertiary institutions (universities/colleges).

The signing ceremony took place at the conference hall of the Finance Ministry on Friday July 12 2019.

The Minister of Finance, Jacob Jusu Saffa said the tireless efforts of the MTHE officials in making the intervention a reality justify the decision of the President to separate the Education Ministry.

“Integrating the university payroll into the national payroll is part of the government’s public expenditure review which includes payroll audit,” he disclosed.

The new arrangement, he said, will ensure prompt monthly payment to university staff.

The MOU dictates that the government undertakes payment of salaries and allowances including rent, medical, annual leave and 10% NASSIT contribution of core staff.

The Minister noted that salary payments to associate lecturers and other allowances including ex-gratia payment to contract staff will be undertaken by the institutions using government subvention and internally generated funds.

He called on tertiary education institutions to ensure prompt reporting of staff termination, replacement, recruitment and all relevant information.

The Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Prof. Aiah Gbakima said the days of strike actions by lecturers are over, noting that the new direction government prioritises lecturers’ welfare.

He called on the universities/colleges to ensure timely submission of relevant information to the Ministries of Finance and Higher Education.

“We expect high level of efficiency from the lecturers with this new arrangement,” he appealed.

Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr. Turad Senesie described the event as a milestone that will support quality education.

“This move marks the end of an era where lecturers go for months without salaries,” he noted, while highlighting the challenges being faced by university staff over the years.

According to him, “we have witnessed situations of staff allowances being accumulated over a period of one year with no assurance of bulk payment”.

Lecturers, he said, have been struggling to maintain their respect and dignity in various communities as their kids were being asked out of schools for failure to timely pay tuition fees.

He however noted that the latest laudable intervention by the government will require commitment from the lecturers to improve on the standard of education in the country through better service delivery.

With the new arrangement, the Government will ensure timely payment of salaries on a monthly basis, he said.

“This New Direction government places premium on welfare of lecturers,” he reiterated, adding that the Government is determined to minimise poverty and support savings.

The Deputy Minister assured the public that the current Government has prioritised human capital development ‘and will continue to take steps to ensure sustainable solutions to chronic challenges in all sectors’.

Tertiary Education Commission’s Prof. Alghali said this epoch making step will address welfare challenges and minimize strike actions.

He however called on all stakeholders to ensure they embark on ‘forward planning’ to ensure that the challenges with the new system are minimised.

He urged the beneficiary institutions to be proactive and swift in responding to queries and requests to ensure seamless delivery of service.

In a separate development Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with Universities and teacher training colleges in the country for a computerized payment system for academic, administrative and other staff at.

According to the Minister of Finance the new payment system would ensure prompt payment of salaries and other allowances for staff of universities and teacher training colleges nationwide as their salaries, transport, medical and leave allowances would be paid directly into their accounts articulating that government wants to effectively manage the payroll, the reason the Ministry of Education was separated into two but lamented that a new Ministry is very difficult to start.

Jacob Jusu Saffa said the signing of the MoU is part of the public expenditure review to sanitize Government’s payment control expenditure, that the entire payroll system is being audited and affirmed that the initiative is a signal that more stringent measures would be taken to sanitize the system underscoring that institutions of higher learning are key to government’s human capital development.

The Minister of Finance also revealed that all tertiary institutions are indebted to the National Revenue Authority, that government payroll is over-blotted in all the colleges, especially Njala University, disclosing that the computerized system would soon be rolled out to health workers revealing that the BADEA project and other donors have allocated $68 million to rehabilitate four government schools including the Bo School, Kenema Government Secondary School and the Prince of Wales, two tertiary institutions-Bunumbu Teachers College and the Milton Margai College of Education and Technology in Freetown assuring that government would do more to promote higher education and that the next agenda is to look at the conditions of service of lecturers and other staff.

Dr. Turad Senesie, Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education enlightened that the computerized payment system would integrate lecturers and other staff into the national payroll system marking the end of an era when lecturers went without pay for three months and allowances for a year and affirmed that the new scheme would help them to be committed to duty as they would promptly receive their salaries and other allowances.

Head of the Tertiary Education Commission, Professor Aliyagin Algalie revealed that the event is epoch-making and a novelty, that the timely payment of salaries and allowances would end strike actions but reminded heads of universities and teacher training colleges that there is a moratorium on new recruitment and promotions and urged heads to promptly inform the Commission about  replacements.

He also observed the differences in the identity cards and bio- data of some staff members for which an integrated ICT system costing $200 million would be created, disclosed plans for a uniform condition of service for lecturers and other workers aligned to the budget circle and called for tertiary institutions and teacher training colleges to be proactive in responding to the Commission.

The Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Professor Aiah Gbakima said while serving as Vice Chancellor of the University of Sierra Leone from 2005-2019, he experienced the challenges of none-payment of salaries to lecturers and other staff that resulted to strike action and observed that the University of Sierra Leone is not part of the scheme due to late submission of data for which it would not receive its subvention until the information is submitted to the Ministry of Finance.

He also informed that government would pay the salaries of lecturers and other staff of universities and teacher training colleges, Pay as You Earn Tax (PAYE) and cautioned heads of universities and teacher training colleges to notify the Ministry if the need arises as there is a moratorium on new recruitment for which exceptions would be made.

Professor Aiah Gbakima also reminded lecturers to be effective in their work and that punitive action would be taken against defaulters such as withholding of salaries.

The vote of thanks was rendered by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education, Mr. Gilbert Cooper.

 

Sierra Leone News: High Court Delivers 296 Criminal Verdicts

Hon. Chief Justice of the Republic of Sierra Leone Hon. Justice Desmond Babartunde Edwards

In a bid to fast track the wheel of justice, three High Court judges of the Judiciary of Sierra Leone, Hon. Justice Alfred Ganda in Moyamba, Hon. Justice Samuel O M Taylor in Port Loko and Hon. Justice Augustine K. Musa in Kono have completed two hundred and ninety-six (296) criminal cases ranging from murder, aggravated robbery, wounding with intent and other indictable offences.

As part of the Judiciary’s commitment in ensuring that justice is delivered not only to victims but accused persons, the Hon. Chief Justice of the Republic of Sierra Leone Hon. Justice Desmond Babartunde Edwards approved the holding of a Special and Regular Criminal Sessions of the High of Court of Sierra Leone in Port Loko, Moyamba and Kono. The former commenced on the 10th and ended on 21st June, 2019 and the latter from the 24th June to the 5th July, 2019.

These judges were supervised by Justices Allan B. Halloway JSC, Alusine Sesay JSC and Ansumana Ivan Sesay JA and they completed two hundred and eleven (211) criminal cases in the Special Session and eight-five (85) in the Regular Session making it a total of two hundred and ninety-six (296) cases completed out of four hundred and six criminal cases (406) that were assigned to them.

One hundred and forty-three (143) verdicts were delivered in Port Loko, eight-two (82) in Kono and seven-one (71) in Moyamba with sixty-two (62%) conviction rate. The sessions ensured not only access to justice but expeditious trial for hundreds of persons who have been waiting trials for several months.

Community leaders including paramount Chiefs, Ward Councilors and religious leaders expressed appreciation and described the sessions as expeditious, fair and accurate.

“I have been in prison for several months without being tried and today I have been released because there is no evidence against me…I am appealing to the Hon. Chief Justice to ensure that Port Loko District which one of the biggest districts in the country has its own high court with a resident judge,” a released inmate requested.

 

Sierra Leone News: At SLAJ Triennial General Meeting… VP Juldeh Cautions Journalists

Vice President Dr. Mohammed Juldeh Jalloh

On the first day, 12th July 2019, during the opening ceremony the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists Triennial General meeting at Golden Tulip-Kimbima Hotel, the Honorable Vice President Dr. Mohammed Juldeh Jalloh gave the keynote address.

He started by recognizing the outgoing Executive for their tremendous efforts in reconstructing journalism in Sierra Leone.

He also mentioned that journalism in Sierra Leone today is not well remunerated, and that if the media has the financial support they need they would remain professionals.

The Vice President further stated that journalists need to maintain a high standard of professionalism stressing that  if journalists are credible, if their stories are well researched, they will earn more respect in society.

He also mentioned that, “he would select more journalists than any other professionals to attend the Forum for African Summit in France very soon”

VP Juldeh mentioned that the Government will relax the Libel laws but with an alternative because they are going to package and repackage it so that there would still be a law to guide the work of the media.

He said journalists need a dialogue to establish Headquarters for them in the country and that the Government is going to discuss about the subventions for journalists as well as to empower them to be professionals.

“The media should move from a social infrastructure to an economic one, which would also be part of our dialogue approach,” he disclosed.

He concluded by stating that he sees a bright and common future for journalism in Sierra Leone underpinning the need for a methodological shift on how journalists do business adding that they must keep their moral grounds in order to strengthen State relationship

The Vice President appealed to journalists to make use of the social media to positively inform the public.

Deputizing the Minister of Information and Communications, his Deputy, Mamadi Goba Kamara thanked His Excellency the President, Dr. Julius Maada Bio for her appointment saying she sees such as a daunting task, though challenging saying it is a litmus test to unleash her potentials.

According to her the theme for the triennial SLAJ general assembly meeting – ‘Social media and the Future of Journalism in Sierra Leone’, coincides with the Global Conference for Media Freedom that is co-hosted in London by the UK and Canadian governments from July 10 to 11, 2019.

She said on the 13 June, 2019 delegates of news agencies from five continents including Sierra Leone, prominent journalists from foremost world media outlets around 100 countries, held discussions, in Sofia, within the frameworks of the 6th News Agencies World Congress.

“The focus was on fake news, new models of ownership of news agencies and new sources of information,” the Deputy Minister disclosed.

Mamadi Goba maintained that the theme of the Triennial General assembly meeting of SLAJ is actually the theme of the future of mankind because we can no longer imagine our everyday life without the burgeoning development of technology and without the increasingly dynamic information flow we live in. “The impact of journalism in the 21st century is significant in many respects not least because the media plays an essential role in strengthening an enlightened citizenry. With the advent of social media, there is no shortage of news the world over and Sierra Leone is not an exception,” she posited.

The future of Journalism is clear, she pointed out, in the sense that the functional media perspective of informing, educating and entertaining the general public will always be at play. She noted, however, that with the proliferation of all sorts of news and issues via social media, journalism needs to be more proactive furthering how today most issues are first seen online before traditional newsmen go out to source information proper.

She admonished journalists to brace up and work in line with the Independent Media Commission Code of Practice.  “For instance, the IMC code makes it clear that newspaper and periodicals should take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading and distorted information including pictures. They should take care to check and fact-check the accuracy of their information prior to publication,” she admonished adding how as a Government they are taking steps to protect citizens against Press subjugation.

The Information Deputy Minister maintained that while His Excellency President Bio remains committed to fulfil his campaign promise of decriminalizing the 1965 Public Order Act, measures will also be put in place for citizens who are maligned to seek redress through the appropriate means which includes recourse to the IMC or the Civil Court.

She revealed how efforts by Government to enact appropriate laws for cyber-crimes which will also provide recourse to redress through civil action are far advanced.

“The future of journalism in Sierra Leone is still very bright just if newsmen and women continue to give in their best and report things with utmost precision,” she expressed optimism.

Quoting Fabrizio Moreira ‘Fake news is a big thing in the field of Social Media Journalism, Fake news can be as simple as spreading misinformation or as dangerous as smearing hateful propaganda,” the Deputy Minister ended up wishing SLAJ members a fruitful deliberation.

 

Sierra Leone News: NP-SL Keeps Forging Ahead Amidst Teething Challenges

National Petroleum Sierra Leone Limited

The National Petroleum (NP) Sierra Leone Limited is indeed striving amidst challenging times to give optimal satisfaction to its esteemed customers in all the places it is providing services. Many, whom this medium talked with, frankly intimated that they are very much appreciative of the quality services that they do receive whenever they interface with the company.

1st in terms of customer care, the Management of NP is very mindful of the fact that giving maximum attention to customers is very key to its viability. This is all the more reason why NP has become so endearing to many countrywide.

It has gone down the annals of history that the company is impressively one of the most successful indigenous entities that sustainably forged ahead when others collapsed for a variety of reasons.

A marked reality of the company’s viability is evident in its opening of branches in Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, The Gambia and in all of those places providing qualitative customer care services to residents has become a prime priority.

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

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

The company has gained reputation for offering different jobs to Sierra Leoneans throughout the country where it is operating and this has helped in improving standards of living.

NP-SL gives preference to Sierra Leoneans with regards offering jobs, a clear indication that it is strictly poised towards adherence to the country’s Local Content Policy.

Utilizing local talents makes it possible for indigenes to imbibe useful knowledge and skills through training exercises that could be applicable in other places.

The company has one of the best cooking gadgets, known as NP Gas that offers suitability for cooking purposes. There are different sizes and they could be found at all the filling stations of the company and also accessed from agents.

In this digital age, moving away from the traditional way of transacting business has now become the norm. It is along such a line that it was thought wise on the part of the shareholders and Management to introduce the use of smart cards. With these cards, customers can procure petroleum products of whatever quantity they do desire.

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

For its solid service delivery to its numerous esteemed customers right across the country, the company over the years, has gained widespread recognition and admiration evident in bagging awards from different organisations.

The latest was being awarded “Best Company of the Year” on 6th July 2019 during the National Business Award 2018/2019.

NP is really around for business though there are challenges to be overcome.

 

 

 

Sierra Leone News: The Die is Cast… New SLAJ Executive Emerges

Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) new executive

The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) held its Triennial General Meeting at the Golden Tulip Hotel at Aberdeen in the West End of Freetown with the theme ‘Social media and the Future of Journalism in Sierra Leone’ from the 12th July to 13th July 2019 .

On the last day of the meeting, an election was conducted during which paid up SLAJ members from all over the country cast their votes for the candidates of their choice.

The atmosphere was highly charged and the moment was tense as journalists lined up to vote but impressively the whole process was very peaceful as there was no iota of violence that marred the elections.

There was a lot of fun, last minute campaigns were taking place right there on the ground, as journalists were seen cracking jokes, throwing taunts were as some were standing in small circles guessing, within the context of predicting the outcome of the election.

SLAJ has over the years turned out to be a very formidable pressure group which is always at the forefront to agitate for social justice, equality, widening of the political space, gender parity among a host of others.

It is for the simple fact that being the gatekeeper Governments have considered the Fourth Estate to be a force to reckon with.

The Fourth Estate plays key roles in the areas of informing, educating and entertaining the populace on important issues ranging from politics, economics, social matters, the environment and other areas.

Today, the social media has become very popular and now an accessible platform to capture a variety of news items but the only snag is that some individuals are misusing it to cause mischief.

The media can influence change in society but journalists must act professionally while practicing the trade in order to avoid defaming unassuming individuals. This is why it is of essence for the creation of opportunities for journalists to be taken through training programs in order to avail them the leeway to imbibe basic skills and techniques to perform professionally.

The New SLAJ Executive; Ahmed Sahid Nasralla aka De Monk (President) defeated his opponent Mustapha Sesay in the Presidential election (253 Votes), Esther Kine Kargbo is now Vice President thrashing Ahmed Sheriff (186 Votes), Asmieu Bah was duly elected as the new SLAJ Secretary General defeating Elias Bangura (196 Votes), Alhaji Manika Kamara – uncontested SLAJ Assistant Secretary General, Fatmata Jalloh SLAJ Financial Secretary, Abubakar Singateh Jalloh SLAJ Organising Secretary – uncontested and Princess Gibson – uncontested SLAJ Public Relations Officer.


The newly elected President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists, Ahmed Sahid Nasralla (De Monk) has promised to be President for all SLAJ members and not a faction of the association.

He made this statement while delivering his victory speech at the just concluded SLAJ Presidential Elections at Golden Tulip in Freetown.

President Nasralla secured 253 votes beating Mustapha Sesay who polled 69. Political Analysts described this as a ‘Tsunami’ for the minority.

“Thank you all for voting me as your president for the next three years. I assure you I will not disappoint this confidence you have reposed in me”, the President noted.

“For those who do not have that confidence in me, I say thank you also. I assure you I will surprise you. I now have your mandate. I will be president for all SLAJ members, not a SLAJ faction”.

He congratulated his colleague candidate, Mustapha M K Sesay for sparring with him in this contest in a civil manner. President Nasralla ended by thanking the Kelvin Lewis Executive.

After the jubilation, celebrations die down it is expected that this new SLAJ Executive will positively champion the interests of journalists and solidly address burning issues one of which borders on welfare and repeal of Part V of the 1965 Public Order Act that criminalizes libel and sedition.

Sierra Leone News: SLAJ Gears up for a New Executive

Ahmed Sahid Nasralla alias D-Monk and Mustapha Sesay

I wanted to keep my mouth shut on this year’s Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) elections due to the unpalatable outcomes of the last election but was prompted this time round to express my views bordering on the reactions of journalists during the 10 July 2019 SLAJ Debate at the British Council, organized by the Sierra Leone Reporters Union.

Saturday July 13,2019 is indeed going to be a turning point in the history of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) as the organisation will be holding its Triennial General Meeting during which an election will be held to have in place a New Executive body. Campaigning by the various aspirants vying for different positions has now reached fever pitch as the aspiring candidates and teams are doing so openly since the official period for campaign was announced.

There are three positions which are keenly contested and these include the Presidency, Vice Presidency and that for the Secretary-General. For the SLAJ Presidency the race is between Ahmed Sahid Nasralla alias D-Monk and Mustapha Sesay, Esther K Kargbo and Ahmed Sheriff will be battling for the Vice Presidency while Elias Bangura and Asmieu Bah are locking horns for the Secretary General position. The stage is now set and the battle is getting hotter and hotter.

Indeed, it had been historically justified that human behaviour is tailored by past experiences and this particular trend has featured prominently in this year’s pre-election campaign period. Put into proper perspective, the level of hatred and acrimony that characterised the past SLAJ election was so profound to such an extent that in its wake it led to bitterness, cracks and worst of all victimization by allegedly the winning side leaving some to lose interest in continuing to be members of SLAJ.

It is this fear of victimization from the new Executive that will emerge for not being by their side which has been responsible for some journalists to shy away from openly declaring their support for the aspiring candidates. To make it more appropriate, some are fearing that if they openly show support for D-Monk and it happens that he defeats his opponent then at the end of the day they could be punished any time they are summoned to appear before the Independent Media Commission (IMC) of which Mustapha Sesay is a Commissioner and member of its Complaints Committee. The same thread runs through bordering on if one was not supporting the side that will win he or she will either be left in the cold in times of distress, need of attention or deprived of certain opportunities.

It is no hidden secret that when Stanley Bangura and Kelvin Lewis were battling for the SLAJ Presidential position there was a well-known social group among some journalists known as FFF which was throwing its weight behind Stanley. That election was one of the liveliest elections in the history of SLAJ, full of fun and camaraderie. Guess what! When Kelvin was declared the winner and a new Executive emerged it became noticeable that this vibrant FFF group became dormant and so it is today.

There was also an instance when after the elections some journalists who were members of the SLAJ Whatsapp group were deleted from the group for no obvious reason(s). They never violated any of the rules and regulations only that their only crime was having supported a particular candidate. I was actually a victim of that ugly chapter or episode.

Of course, both of the Presidential aspirants, during the launch of their manifestoes openly said they are in support of peace and unity to move the association forward. Besides, the election is going to be by secret ballot and so some journalists are reserving their choices until polling day. Interestingly, a friend of mine said he will support Mustapha in the open and vote for Monk secretly on polling day.

Some have predicted that this year’s election will be democratic but the crux of the matter is that the usual fanfare, jokes and fun that were marked features of SLAJ elections have all flown out of the window. This year’s is one that has turned out to be a cold electioneering period.

One distinct thing, however, that has so far surfaced is that between the two aspiring Presidential aspirants Mustapha Sesay appears, from his utterances so far, to be very vindictive. He is on record for calling names of journalists whom he referred to as having soiled the association in one way or the other instead of leaving sleeping dogs lie. His approach in trying to woo support, during the debate that was organized by the SLRU, has been lambasted by many saying that he failed to concentrate on the main issues and instead attempted to attack the personality of his opponent. “He did the same when he was interviewed by Radio Democracy FM 98.1 on the same day and had been doing so since he declared his intention to vie for the position,” a colleague seating close to me during the debate intimated.

For his counterpart, he was seemingly very meticulous in the way he responded to the questions that were posed, addressed issues by doing so with maturity and level headedness. According to what was gathered, D-Monk is a cool and calculated fellow who has the clout to head SLAJ and not being that type of person who will hurt a fly whether he wins or not.

This attitude of post-election victimization must be put to an end in order to restore the fun and liveliness of future SLAJ elections. Such an atmosphere will give journalists the free hand to openly declare their support for candidates of their choice instead of living in perpetual fear of being victimized. SLAJ is an elitist group and its members must be seen to be behaving as elites. Anything short of that will be ridiculous.

 

 

Sierra Leone News: Seawright  investment in Commercial Fish Farming to Boost Economy

Seeing the opportunities in commercial fish farming, investors and government representatives from Sierra Leone have been learning about best practice from friends and colleagues in Ghana – and are ready to transform the sector at home.

Following a training and fact-finding tour of Ghana, Sierra Leone’s Seawright Mining Company is preparing to start commercial fish farming in Sierra Leone. The delegation, which was made up of 15 people, including company representatives, parliamentarians and other public officials, visited key Ghanaian aquaculture institutions, and participated in workshops in both Akosombo and Ainoo-Ansah Farms’ training centre in Accra.

The Seawright Mining Company, a gold and diamond production company run by the American businessman Dr. Alfred Seawright, is seeking to invest in commercial aquaculture as a means of deepening its involvement in the Sierra Leonean economy. Dr Christian Larbi Ayisi, a lecturer at Ghana’s University for Development Studies, who serves as consultant to the company, said that the aim of the tour was to enable Seawright and its stakeholders to get a good idea of industry best practice before rolling out its investment programme. A developed aquaculture sector, he said, would help Sierra Leone deal with major problems like the huge amounts spent on fish imports, and protein deficiency. The team visited some fish farms, an aquaculture research institution and regulatory institutions.

“Seawright wanted to learn from Ghana’s experience,” said Ayisi. “Ghana has acquired a lot of experience in aquaculture, from the development and regulation of tilapia species to the development of feed sources, to the regulation of the industry. Seawright wanted to learn about these experiences, especially the mistakes that were made along the way. The trip was very successful, and we expect that there would be follow-up visits in both directions.”

Ayisi added that the workshop at the Training Centre was very useful, as it enabled the team to interact with senior technical personnel involved in the industry: “Their presentations drove home some important issues relating to building and maintaining an efficient aquaculture industry in Sierra Leone. Among these were the importance of technically sound farm infrastructure and skilled personnel. We also need a reliable source of quality seed and fingerlings. And we must develop and maintain a stable market.”

Following the visit, plans are underway for rolling out the company’s strategy this year. A member of the team, the Honourable Alex Mattia Rogers, Member of Parliament for Sierra Leone’s Pujehun District, said that CEO Alfred Seawright’s initiative was a welcome intervention that will make a major impact on the national economy. “We want to make this initiative work,” said Rogers. “That is why we were in Ghana to learn from them.”

Jacob Ainoo-Ansah, facilitator at the Ainoo-Ansah Farms training centre, assured the participants that aquaculture is a major contributor to food security, especially in Africa, and that their decision to invest in that sector is a wise one. “In Africa today, we can’t afford not to promote aquaculture,” he said. “Our fish and protein supply is highly inadequate, and the amounts of hard currency we spend on fish imports can certainly not be sustained.”

As in most West African countries, the steep decline of capture fish production and illegal fishing by large foreign trawlers has created a huge fish supply gap in Sierra Leone, making aquaculture a big necessity. The country currently imports 30,000 tonnes of fish annually to meet its supply shortfall.

Meanwhile, the Ghana-based international aquaculture group SkyFox expects aquaculture production in Sierra Leone to register a significant hike, after the country had seen production revved up in some 200 fish farms across the central Tonkolili District. The ponds were constructed under USAID-funded programme “Feed the Future, Scaling Up Aquaculture”, which was implemented by WorldFish. It was started in 2015, and completed its lifespan in March this year.

Traditional fish farming has been practiced in the district for decades. The project aimed at promoting commercial production, in order to improve nutrition levels in the district and beyond. The programme also encouraged women’s participation in aquaculture. Close to half of the 200 people equipped with basic fish farming skills were women.

Patrick Apoya, CEO of SkyFox, says that USAID and WorldFish have provided a good foundation for successful aquaculture practice in Sierra Leone, especially in Tonkolili District. “The people in the District are already predisposed to aquaculture, so we are building on the foundation laid,” said Apoya. “Our emphasis is on profitable fish farming based on good technical structures and knowhow. We are ensuring that all the pond structures are technically sound. And we are developing strategies for providing good-quality seed material and feed locally. At present, most supplies are brought in from Ghana. But we are working to develop local capacity in the near future.”

He is confident that women will play a prominent role in aquaculture in Sierra Leone. “In Ghana women form the majority of the investors in our projects, and they enjoy good dividends. We will encourage the women farmers in Sierra Leone to run their farms on a sound commercial basis. And we hope to introduce the shareholding scheme to provide avenues for profit making.” Mr Apoya also said that maximising water use in food production is a guiding principle in SkyFox operations, and the company will seek to implement interventions for achieving them. “In Ghana, water from the ponds is used to irrigate crop farms,” he said. “We will introduce such projects in Sierra Leone where they are possible.”

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