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CSOs Unequivocally Call for the Resignation of the Bank Governor

By Fatmata Jengbe

Three vibrant Civil Society Organizations in the entities of Citizens Forum for Democratic Accountability (C4D SL), Forum for Sierra Leonean Youth Network (FoSLYN) and League of Democratic Alliance (LODA) have on the 19th October 2022 unequivocally called for the resignation of the Governor of the Bank of Sierra Leone, Professor Kelfala Kallon.

Engaging Pressmen during a Press Conference at the Harry Yansaneh Hall on Campbell Street in Freetown, Heads of the three Civil Society Organizations in the persons of Marcus Bangura of C4D SL, Thomas Pa Alie Babadie  of FoSLYN) and Ibrahim S Dumbuya maintained that they are mindful of the fact that the Governor of the Bank of Sierra Leone cannot be removed easily as a Minister of Finance on the basis that the current constitution makes no provision for the President to dismiss him so as to give the holder of the position security of tenure to conduct fiscal monetary policy in the interest of the country without fear of dismissal and to ensure that they can get on with their jobs without political interference.

They, however, underscored that in the interest of economic growth, development and effective service delivery they are enthused and motivated by the clarion call of millions of Sierra Leoneans for the resignation of the Bank Governor.

According to the Civil Society activists, the Bank Governor has been tactless and unsuitable for holding such an enviable position and as such are joining other Sierra Leoneans to call for his resignation.

The activists further stated that if the Bank Governor refuses to resign they will implore the Government to take legal action and declare him unfit to hold the office. They went ahead to state that if the Government turns a blind eye and deaf ear to take the necessary legal action they would be left with no option but to take legal action to have him dismissed as Bank Governor of Sierra Leone.

Stating impeccable reasons why they concluded that the Bank Governor must take the exit door, they pointed out that they are appalled at the economic downturn in Sierra Leone with the incessant rise in the cost of goods and services.

They added that quite recently the International Monetary Fund (IMF) report indicated that the economy of Sierra Leone is at its lowest ebb with a projected growth falling from 3.4% to 2.4%, inflation rate is almost 29.7%, consumer price index is too bad to talk about and the Gross Domestic Product is still stagnated under the watch of the Governor.

Also, they revealed that the market forces of demand and supply are challenged and as a result the country is still at the bottom of the United Nations Human Development Index stressing that the Leone continues to be dwarfed by foreign currencies.

The activists intimated that they have come to the realization that the Bank Governor is the Gate Keeper of Sierra Leone’s economy but he has not been magnanimous enough to handle the economy by putting in place strong monetary and fiscal policies.

They claimed that the Bank Governor lacks the requisite knowledge and experience required to serve taking credence of the fact that he has never worked in any banking and financial institution.

“It is no secret that the Bank Governor has been accused of printing the national currency for about three times without the approval of Parliament and even when he was summoned by Parliament he did not show up an indication that he is inept and lacks accountability as well as transparency,” they alleged.

The Civil Society activists added that the Bank Governor has cost the State to extravagantly disburse $68 Million to combat the hoarding of the Leone but that did nothing to stop the Leone from depreciating to the dollar.

They said that policy of ‘bribing’ the business community was a failed policy and shows that the Bank Governor is incompetent and inefficient enough to manage the country’s economy which, they say, has been on life support for the past four years.

In their estimation, the fact that the Bank Governor admits failing Sierra Leoneans over the handling of the economy and that he has done everything humanely possible  and cannot do more is a clear indication that he cannot revive the economy and allowing him to continue holding the office will be a complete disservice to the nation.

Responding to a question as to whether they have the locus standi to take legal action against the Bank Governor, the Executive Director of C4D-SL, Marcus Bangura stated that it is the constitutional right of every citizen to institute legal action against any Public Official who reneges in executing a statutory responsibility.

Addressing the question of Sierra Leone being part of the global village and taking into consideration the fact that the world is facing a crisis as a result of COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war which means that the state of the economy could not be the making of the Bank Governor, Marcus reacted by stating that the fact that Sierra Leone’s economy is worse than its neighbours shows that external forces alone cannot be responsible for the worse state of the country’s economy.

Sounding the view of a seasoned political commentator on the issue, he said in real democratic societies long ago the Bank Governor should have voluntarily resigned but lamented that in this part of the globe it is hard to see that transpire not until pressure is mounted to an unbearable extent otherwise the failed personality will cling on to the position as long as he or she has the right connections.

According to him, it is only individuals with unbendable principles who will immediately resign at the onset when things are not seen working the ways they should be.

Tourism Minister Calls for Regional Networking

By Isata Fofanah

Special guest of this year’s Inter-Tourism and Trade Expo in Accra, with the theme : “The New Tourism and Sustainable Air Travel”, Sierra Leone’s  Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Memunatu Pratt, who also doubles as the Chairperson for UNWTO Women in Tourism ,has on the 17th October,2022  called for partnerships to solve the problems of the sub-region.

Through the World Bank support Sierra Leone participated in this year’s Expo.

The Inter-Tourism Expo, Accra is a leading tourism and trade show that is hosted under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture in collaboration with the Ghana Tourism Federation. It is an elite international gathering of leaders and partners in tourism trade, regulations and investment with the strategic aim of creating synergy among key stakeholders and also building lasting business to business, business to Government and Government to Government network for participating countries inbound tourism market.

In his welcome statement, the Co-Executive Director of the India Africa Trade Council, Peter Mensah appreciated participating countries for their time, patience and cooperation saying that Ghana has demonstrated a distinguished example of leadership in hosting of such ceremonies. He assured of a beneficial deliberation and called on all to take advantage of the opportunity.

In her keynote address, the Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Memunatu Pratt remarked that the aim of sustainable tourism is to increase the benefits and to reduce the negative impacts caused by tourism and air travel as it relates to the environment, and travel development in a suitable balance to guarantee long- term sustainability, thus working towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

She said as they recover from COVID- 19 and its devastating impact on their tourism economy, they should be able to build back in a more circular and thoughtful way, adding that for the tourism and travel industry to accommodate the concerns and felt the needs of men and women, the travel industry needs to reinvent the customer experience with end-to-end contactless travel.

She maintained that women in tourism as a new paradigm in the sector will continue their strides with programs on economic growth and social inclusion as they relate to employment, entrepreneurship, education and capacity building training, leadership, policy and decision making in the tourism and hospitality industry. As the global President of women in tourism, she would continue to engage in dialogue with Governments to support them with the political will to integrate women’s issues that should be a priority in all Government policies and legislation and to fulfill private sector commitments. She explained Sierra Leone’s tourism experience which she said is now contributing to the country’s GDP and creating jobs, she called for considerations to be given to regional networking and collaboration to solve the challenges of the sector.

There were high-level panel discussions on tourism trade goals and its impact on the African economy-a business development case, diaspora Africa engagements and women in tourism and business-empowerment and sustainable strategies for female tourism workforce, a session spearheaded by Dr. Memunatu Pratt. The sponsors of the entire Expo, Rwandair presented a discounted flight ticket for all participants to Sierra Leone’s Tourism Minister on behalf of the entire expo.

 

NP-SL is a Caring Marketing Entity, Treating Customers with Respect

National Petroleum Sierra Leone Limited (NP-SL-Ltd)

By Amin Kef-Ranger

As the saying goes “the taste of the pudding lies in the eating”. In other words, one cannot judge whether something is worth going for until someone practically knows its worthiness. Putting this wise saying into the context of the petroleum business landscape in this country, it will be like this: one cannot know the efficacy of any company that is engaged in the marketing of petroleum products unless one tries to transact business with companies that market these products.

From various surveys that this medium has so far conducted over the years, what came up frequently was that many Sierra Leoneans and other nationals are indeed very much attached to the NP- Sierra Leone Limited (NP-SL Ltd) simply because the company always tries to give them utmost satisfaction through effective customer care platforms.

To start with, individuals are first attracted by the company’s state of the art Filling Stations, perfectly built and painted in green and yellow colours, many of them spacious to accommodate large fleet of vehicles, having mini marts where basic items could be bought and in some instances, small sections to mend tires, there is much to satisfy customers’ needs.

Besides, the pump attendants are always dressed in uniforms with the company’s official yellow and green colors, creating a serene atmosphere around these Filling Stations.

Now within the Filling Stations one can discover modern calibrated pumping machines which are automated and whenever fuel is discharged these machines display the prices and quantity in litres. These pumping machines are far more efficient than those that used to exist in the past as they are very much transparent, something which buyers cherish a lot. As a matter of fact, seeing what one is paying for brings extreme satisfaction especially when one has the feeling that one is getting back exactly what one is paying for.

When an individual is mindful of the fact that, he or she, is being cared for like how a mother cares for her child then the individual feels great. NP-SL Ltd is like a Mother to all its numerous customers in the country.  It is in that region that the company sees it as a matter of importance to always remind individuals about certain precautionary measures to be adhered to for safety purpose and these include not sparking any naked flame, to switch off phones at Filling Stations, to turn off vehicle engines whilst purchasing fuel among others. Fire extinguishers are always handy at these Filling Stations. Taking into cognizance the fact that the petroleum products that the company deals in, petrol, diesel, gas and lubricants, are highly inflammable then it is very much important that a caring company must always endeavor to enhance precautionary measures.

NP Gas is a cooker that has been proven to have a high precision performance. Manufactured in different cylinder sizes NP Gas has been rated to be environmentally friendly as it does not cause any gaseous negative effects on users. It can be easily refilled with gas that maybe be secured at any of the company’s Filling Station at reasonable prices and they have now become very trending as many people are going for it.

With NP Smart Card customers can purchase fuel with ease. Replacing chits, holders of NP Smart Card, including institutions and individuals can credit their cards with money. With unique codes, it gives the holders security. The card is presented at any NP Filling Station, with the holder stating the quantity that he or she wants to be pumped into a vehicle. This is shortly communicated to the pump attendants who will then pump the stipulated quantity of fuel. It has been attested by many that they find it quite convenient using the Smart card to purchase fuel, be it petrol or diesel.

NP-SL is commended for strictly implementing the laid down policy of giving preference to offering job opportunities to Sierra Leoneans instead of thinking of bringing in foreign expatriates. This policy is really in sync with the country’s Local Content Policy. The good thing about this policy is that it had and still continues to help in the area of poverty reduction. Lives have been improved as a result of the strict application of this policy.

When it comes to the execution of its Corporate Social Responsibility the company has been steadily rolling it out. The company was highly commended for joining the fight against COVID-19 by donating the sum of One Billion Leones to the National COVID-19 Response Centre in Freetown which was meant to be utilized by Government in its strides to subdue the new enemy in our midst.

NP-SL Ltd helped the National Fire Force (NFF), Kissy Branch, when it facilitated the construction of a water facility from which water could be sourced to be used in extinguishing fire incidences within Greater Freetown. Considering the fact that water could be very difficult to access in the East End of Freetown the intervention of the company to salvage firefighters from the hassle of fetching water was widely commended. As a matter of fact it was not the first time that the company has come to the aid of the NFF.

The passion of the Shareholders of the company and its various Management teams to succeed and expand is truly evident in the opening of branches within the West African sub-region in countries like Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast and The Gambia. All these branches are vibrantly functioning and providing qualitative services to its numerous customers.

In all the countries where the company is operating it is paying huge taxes to the Governments. These taxes paid form part of the revenue bases of those countries and are used to finance certain development projects that are expected to positively impinge on the lives of the vast majority of the populace.

From the foregoing, it is very certain that NP-SL Ltd, based on the various services it is offering its numerous customers, is becoming very endearing to many as the clock ticks. Indisputably, the company has won the minds and likes of many and more and more individuals are becoming attracted.

 

Caritas Freetown Donates Food Items to Flood Victims in 3 Communities in Freetown

By Millicent Senava Mannah

Caritas Freetown, a Non-Governmental humanitarian relief organization, in partnership with Partnering to Serve Humanity and with support from Tzu Chi Foundation in Taiwan and other partners, has donated food items to 1,000 beneficiaries in three different communities, Culvert, Susan’s Bay and Looking Town, who are victims of the August 28 flooding and mudslide. The donation took place on the 19th October, 2022, at the organization’s head office in Kingtom, Freetown.

The food items included five bags of 10kg rice, equivalent to 50kg of rice, 1box of cube sugar, 2 sachets of multi grain, 1packet magi, 1gallon vegetable oil, 1 gallon palm oil, blanket, onions and 1packet of salt, were given to each beneficiary. Lactating mothers also receive diapers, baby food and milk for their babies together with the full package.

The Programme Manager of Caritas Freetown and the Country Manager of Healey International, Ishmael Alfred Charles, revealed that the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), a Government charged institution responsible for disasters in the country, led a process wherein they registered over 12,900 people in 18 communities, who were affected by flooding during the month of September.

He disclosed that the Tzu Chi Foundation also supported them to provide victims with hot meal, and according to him, two thousand (2,000) people benefitted from the hot meal in the three communities of Culvert, Looking Town and Susan’s Bay.

The Programme Manager furthered that the aforementioned Foundation also supported them with funding to provide relief items to the beneficiaries for them to be able to cook for themselves.

He disclosed that because of security reasons they decided to do the donation at the organization’s Head Office as not everybody was catered for.

“Because of security concerns, especially as we are not targeting all the people that were affected, we decided to bring them in to our own warehouse facility in Saint Edwards’s compound,” the Programme Manager disclosed.

Salamatu Samura, one of the beneficiaries from the Culvert Community appreciated the organization for their timely intervention stating that they were badly affected by the flooding, and according to her, they were lucky to survive. She called on other humanitarian organizations to also replicate the gesture.

Augustine Junisa, another beneficiary from the Looking Town community expressed his thanks to the organization for the humanitarian gesture. He disclosed that he lost all he had when the mudslide took place at his community, and how the items given to him will take him a long way.

Fatmata Kamara, a beneficiary from Susan’s Bay and also a suckling mother, expressed her joy for receiving the items including food and diapers for her baby. She expressed her gratitude to the organization for the items donated and called on other organizations to do the same, stating how they are badly in need of help.

 

Incarcerated Entertainment Journalist-Prezo Koroma: A Victim of Circumstance

By Abubakarr Harding

Sierra Leonean entertainment journalist and DJ, Ibrahim Koroma aka Prezo Koroma is still languishing at the Male Correctional Centre on Pa Demba Road in Freetown, following his arrest and detention four months ago.

Prezo Koroma and 11 others were arrested at the OSD Headquarters (nicknamed Benghazi custody holding center) in Freetown on the 15th June 2022 for alleged ‘riotous conduct and disorderly behaviour’.

Following the arbitrary arrest of popular rapper, Alhaji Amadu Bah, commonly known as LAJ on Sunday 12th June 2022, Prezo Koroma and others went to the Court building on Pa Demba Road hoping to witness the hearing of LAJ’s matter as it was earlier speculated. Everybody waited in vain, the matter was not even charged at the material time.

After waiting in vain, Prezo Koroma and others, including family members of Boss LAJ went to the OSD Headquarters (Benghazi) to find out from the Police about the arrest of LAJ. Eyewitnesses say that they were arrested and detained on arrival without putting any resistance or violence conduct.

It is appalling to learn that a journalist could be arrested and detained for merely doing his job, which is, to investigate from the Police about the arrest of an entertainer and report the facts, rather than to speculate.

As he wished to report a balanced and credible story on a matter that has attracted public interest, this opportunity was denied him by the Police and he was instead arrested and detained with other visitors and later charged to court with ‘riotous conduct and disorderly behaviour’.

Prezo Koroma and others were arraigned before Magistrate Mark Ngegba and they were tried in just one week and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.

Many believe there was no sufficient evidence from the State Prosecutors but they were found guilty and sent back to prison. There was no consideration by the Magistrate to consider that they were first-time offenders, by thus imposing fines on them and provided for by law.

Prezo Koroma and others have filed in an appeal to High Court, for an opportunity to review the matter and get a fair judgement. The Defense is led by Lawyer Pa Momoh Fofanah and Lawyer Charles Pujeh.

The appealed matter came up on August 24th before Justice Adrian Fischer at High Court No. 1 in Freetown. There has been no hearing yet since it was appealed, as there are documents requested from the State Counsel to provide. This has caused injustice to the accused persons who are still behind bars.

Prezo Koroma has been one of the most vibrant and professional Entertainment journalists who is dedicated to do his job with professionalism and within the dictates of the law and media ethics.

He is the Secretary General of the Sierra Leone DJs Union (SLeDU), a Radio Presenter of the Prezo Koroma Junction and Manage De Damage programs on Kalleone Radio and on Sierra Network TV.

His arrest and detention has been a big blow to the entertainment industry in Sierra Leone, and it has further dampened the spirit of journalists who may wish to continue their professional job, in entertainment reporting. The question still remains – ‘why was Prezo Koroma arrested?’

 

Marampa Mines Offering Limited Number of Scholarships

MML SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

ABOUT THE SCHOLARSHIP

The MML scholarship is aimed at providing financial help to university students from the Marampa Mines primary host community who, otherwise, will find it difficult to acquire university education. MML believes that investing in education is the best way to empower the young and brighten the future of a community.

  1. THE CALL
  • Marampa Mines announces thirty (30) scholarships to be awarded to eligible university students during the 2022-2023 academic year at Sierra Leonean universities.
  • The objective of the scholarship program is to enable promising community children with scarce resources to acquire higher education so that they can come back and help develop their communities.
  • The scholarships will be granted for one academic year and will be renewable for a period of four years if the student meets the requirement for renewal.
  • The 2022-2023 scholarships are for face-to-face studies only (not online/distance studies).
  • The call will open on 15th. October and end on 31st. October2022 at 12:00pm.
  • Interviews will take place at the Information Centre on 3rd. November 2022.
  • Selection and notification will be done on 4th. November 2022.

 

  1. Financial award of the scholarship:

2.1 The scholarship covers the tuition and fees of the university in which the student is enrolled, not to exceed ten (10) thousand new   Leones per year.

2.2 Once the scholarship is approved, Marampa Mines pays the total cost for the year directly to the university.

 

  1. Eligibility criteria for applicants:
    • Either the applicant or the applicant’s parent(s) must have been born in one of the communities in the concession area
    • The applicant must have spent at least a year in any university in Sierra Leone, or
    • Must have been admitted in any of the universities in Sierra Leone.
    • The applicant must not be currently holding a government scholarship or any other scholarship.

 

  1. Application process:
    • Eligible students are required to send their applications to the MML scholarship committee at the Information Centre, 65 Makeni Highway, Lunsar.
    • Applicant’s WASSCE result or University exams result, admission/offer letter and performance on the interview will be used to assess the candidates for selection.
    • Selected candidates will be notified in writing two days after the interview.

 

MRCG Ends Regional Training on Transitional Justice for Journalists

By Millicent Senava Mannah

The Media Reform Coordinating Group Sierra Leone (MRCG-SL), with support from the Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF),  on 13th October 2022organized a Regional Training for journalists on Transitional Justice. Theme of the training, which was held at the Harry Yansanneh Hall on Campbell Street in Freetown was: “Changing the Narrative on Transitional Justice in Sierra Leone.

Giving an overview of the training, the National Coordinator of the Media Reform Coordinating Group Sierra Leone, Dr. Francis Sowa, intimated that the training is geared towards engaging the media and communities to change the narrative on Transitional Justice Issues in Sierra Leone with a focus on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Recommendations. He mentioned that a similar training has also been done in Makeni and Bo for media practitioners.

He continued that the reason they undertook such a project was that some of the issues that led to the civil war in the country have started reoccurring and, according to him, media practitioners have not been adequately reporting issues related to transitional justice.

Dr. Sowa noted that, the aim of the project is to change the narrative on transitional justice issues by using two mechanisms. He furthered that the first one is by working with the media for it to be reporting transitional justice issues, and secondly, by also engaging in community meetings.

He disclosed that the project worked well in the Mile 91 community, where Radio Baft is engaged in doing monthly radio programs on transitional justice, as well as having community engagements.

“We had this training in the South and Eastern regions for journalists in the North and Northwest regions, and today we are having it in the Western area, and after this, the next part of engaging in this transitional justice discourse is to develop or put together a team of mentees that will be working with mentors producing stories on transitional justice,” Dr. Sowa revealed.

He pointed out that the beneficiaries were trained and equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills for them to go and demonstrate how transitional justice work affirming that the trainers are people who have the requisite experience.

President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), Ahmed Sahid Nasralla applauded the MRCG for rolling out such a training and encouraged journalists to take the training seriously as reporting on transitional justice issues is very key for the peace of the nation.

He advised journalists to be reading the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report and how they should be making references to the Report while reporting issues about transitional justice maintaining that after the training, they should be reporting TJ issues to raise awareness among citizens.

Dr. Tonya Musa, Lecturer of the FBC Mass Communication Department who was one of the trainers, taught  Transitional Justice Mechanisms, Media and Transitional Justice defining transitional justice as how society responds to legacies of massive and serious human rights violations.

He said after the ten years of senseless Civil War, there was a need for peace building, and moving from the period of crime to the period of building and consolidating the peace that period is call transition. He maintained that, different countries have their own transitional justice.

He revealed that after the war, there was a Commission that was setup called the Truth telling, stating how that truth telling healed the past of victims and also gave them the confidence to face life again.

Dr. Musa told participants that transitional justice encourages people to tell the truth as a way of healing their wounds. He said during the Truth and Reconciliation, the popular slogan was “kam blow you mind, kam clear you chest”

He averred that most of the legacies of the war are no more, and how there is a need for me-moralization of what happened during the war revealing that, the famous Congo Cross Bridge was named  the Peace Bridge after the war.

Dr. Musa maintained that majority of youths perpetuating violence, and some who took part in the August 10 insurrection are not knowledgeable about the 10 years civil war and according to him journalists should be reporting on Transitional Justice issues making reference to the TRC report to raise the awareness among young people.

One of the participants, Ronald Morovia, an AYV reporter applauded the organization for organizing the training, stating how he learnt of things that he was never aware of adding that from now on reporting on transitional justice will be a priority for him.

The training was climaxed by a group work and group presentations on identifying transitional justice issues in Sierra Leone. Many issues were identified and recommendations on how to solve them proffered by participants.

 

Over 40 Police Personnel Benefit from EU Training on Disinformation

By Amin Kef (Ranger)

In a Press Release dated 17th October 2022 issued by the European Delegation to Sierra Leone it was stated that on Friday 14th October 2022, a training mission from the Police and Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic concluded a three-day intensive training program with the Sierra Leone Police, with support of the European Union’s Technical Assistance and Information Exchange (TAIEX) project, which shared with the Sierra Leone Police European best practices on responding to disinformation with a full Human Rights and Freedom of Speech approach.

The training, it was mentioned, brought together over 40 personnel from various units dealing with intelligence and investigation, including the Central Intelligence and Security Unit (CISU), Cyber Unit, Media and Public Relations Department, Integrated Intelligence Service (IIS), Forces Intelligence and Security Unit (FISU), and the Central Intelligence and Security Unit  (CISU).

The training, which was held from 12 to 14 October, 2022, at the Sierra Leone Police Emergency Call Center, Kingtom, in Freetown, it was said raised awareness by the Sierra Leone Police about European best practices on monitoring, analyzing and responding to information and disinformation in social media, with a full Human Rights perspective, in particular by guaranteeing Freedom of Speech. The training was also said to have supported law enforcement officers in developing pro-active and transparent strategic communication.

Speaking at the event marking the end of the training program, the EU Deputy Head of Delegation, Juan Antonio Frutos, thanked the Sierra Leone Police for its kind support in the preparation and execution of the training program, and commended the efforts and quality of the trainees. He encouraged the trainees to use what they had learnt in their work, with a full Human Rights and Freedom of Speech approach.

“The European Union is committed to continuing to support Sierra Leone’s peace and democracy”, Mr. Frutos said. “Respect for Human Rights and Freedom of Speech are shared values between the European Union and Sierra Leone”, he also emphasized.

Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Sylverster Koroma, Director of Training, who represented the Inspector General of Police, expressed gratitude to the European Union for supporting the training of the Sierra Leone Police at a very crucial time, noting that it will significantly help the Police to professionally perform their duties.

The mission is organized in cooperation with the West African Response on Cybersecurity and Fight against Cybercrime (OCWAR-C) project, financed by the European Union and implemented under a Financing Agreement between the EU and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Sierra Leone – Caught Between Examination Malpractices, Education Decadence and Social Dysfunction

By Alhaji U. N’jai

The reality of cheating and fake educational achievements from primary schools through secondary and colleges today in Sierra Leone is an epidemic that should be declared a national emergency for the survival and prosperity of the nation state.

The sad reality is that we are busy focusing on political point scoring rather than addressing a cancerous situation that could lead us to further mediocrity as a people. Education that leads to human excellence is far more holistic in nature than merely syllabuses and standardized exams.

Something is amiss when you realize that you are producing more graduates, yet you are retrogressing in various aspects of professional needs and relying on foreign trainees to execute those tasks for you.

Our educational system calls for introspection. If deceptively celebrating 100 percent passes in the standardize exams is the goal, then we should merely just abolish them. Just allow everyone to move onto college and save the population from additional fees. If cheating is celebrated and fake degrees/certificates/awards go unpunished, why do I need to work hard; why do I need to display sense of integrity.

If I work hard and do the right things but failed and others who did less, pass with flying colors, why do I need to work hard. If those who cheat their way through school examinations and those who fake degrees/awards are celebrated in society what that says about ethical standards in our society.

How do we effectively fight corruption and promote quality in our educational systems, when the focus is political point scoring and celebration of falsities. Our current educational situation and decadence at all levels calls for deep introspection on what we have become and where we are heading as a society.

Education is much more than merely increasing literacy and numeracy levels in a country. The neoliberal agenda of promoting literacy in English or our colonial languages has only served to promote western hegemony, alienate us from our people, and render us impotent as far as development and domestication of modernization is concerned.

Our impotency and inability to solve our own problems, perpetual dependencies, poverty in the midst of plenty is largely opaque, even though we are now recording 95 percent literacy levels and graduate more students from universities.

Why is the gron still dry? Why are we still food poor? Why are the Chinese, Turkish, and so on with limited English literacy making our roads and airports? The literacy and numeracy benchmarks work well to attract neoliberal donor funds and money but in reality, have done very little to create collective economic success along equity and social justice; something that is extremely important for us in Africa, where communal relationships and cultural pluralism are ever so present.

The truth is Education that leads to social or cultural empowerment and Literacy are fundamentally different. In the same manner, Education as in academic degrees and enlightenment are fundamentally different.

Education without enlightenment produces dependency, retrogression, and tragic mishaps for society. Enlightenment is at the core of consciousness, disruptive innovation, building social capital, and greater ownership of one’s resources. Education along with enlightenment creates progress, transformational change, and development based on domestication of Modernization.

In the same vein, the use of digital technologies in schools for learning, which are merely enabling tools, often conduits for globalization, colonialism, dependency, and expansion of market economies must not be confused with education that leads to social empowerment and decolonization.

Obviously, when it comes to information communication technologies (ICTs), the realities of 10 or 20 years ago are far different from our present realities; some of the technologies have become accessible, cheap, adaptable, and can be implemented easily. For instance, with mobile technology today, it is no longer rocket science to get school results delivered to parents or students; something that will have been a daunting task some 10 to 20 years ago.

In the 1980s to 90s, one can easily obtain a PhD by studying a single gene like p53 that regulates apoptosis in the cell. Today with the advent of genomic science, access to sequencers, next generation technologies, and so on, you can gene expression of 10K genes, and still not sufficient to earn you a PhD.

I believe education is not just about the free and the quality, what we are missing in Sierra Leone is an ideology around it that sufficiently integrates our cultural experiences towards expanding local production,  consumption, and at the same time building sense of national identity, cohesion and patriotism. To achieve these standards, our universities in Sierra Leone must play a greater role.

A radical transformation of the university systems from being agents of western imperialism and dominance to agents of decolonization and social empowerment. The process must start with having tougher university entry exams for all disciplines and an overhaul of colonial or neo-colonial brainwash curriculums that limits local ingenuity, innovation, and sense of self.

Beyond slogans and mere words, radical educational programs must tilt towards a decolonized curriculum that empowers our Africanness along the seven lenses of culture Prof. Ali Mazrui put forward.

In so doing, our culture within our educational framework can drive development through it serving as, a spring of motivation, or standard of perception, our standard of judgment, our basis of stratification, our means of communication, our means of production and consumption, and above all our basis of identity.

Education is at the core of our national development and therefore its decadence must be treated as an emergency epidemic akin to Covid-19 or Ebola.

About the author

Alhaji U. N’jai is a Senior Scientist, Professor, Panafrican Scholar, Founder & Chief Strategist of Project 1808, Inc., and Freelance writer ‘Roaming in the Mountains of Kabala Republic’. #Jata #Meejoh #ThePeoplesScientist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

US Africa Command Director General Meets with Chief of Defence Staff

By Amin Kef (Ranger)

The Deputy Director Strategy, Engagement and Programmes of the United States Africa Command from Stuttgart Mohringen Germany- Brigadier General Peter G Bailey on the 17th October,2022 paid a courtesy call on the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces(RSLAF), Lieutenant General PK Lavahun at the Ministry of Defence.

In his capacity as the Deputy Director, the General contributes to US policies and strategy, develops theater campaign, operational and Force posture plans, integrate international and African Partner Military efforts and conducts US inter-agency and international engagements consistent with US African command priorities.

The purpose of the visit was to discuss the US Africa Command activities that are taking place in Sierra Leone especially on training support provided to RSLAF.

The current security concerns within the Sahel Region like instability, terrorism, cross-border activities and activities at the Maritime domain.   The Chief of Defence Staff- RSLAF during his engagement with the visiting General, appreciates the US Africa Command for the bond that is existing between the US,i.e. overseas training provided for Junior and Senior Cadre of the RSLAF, the provision of equipment for Counter Terrorism and Maritime training. The CDS informed the team that they want to have an Academy for Non Commissioned Officers (NCOs) which will be achieved in the medium term.

The security and stability of the region was extensively discussed as most Africa countries want to have a bilateral relationship with the US. The CDS highlighted the biggest threat that is facing the region ranging from transnational crimes, illegal cross-border activities, security issues at the Maritime domain, the effects of COVID-19 pandemic which is global and EBOLA in the sub-region.

The US Defence Attaché to Sierra Leone, Lieutenant Colonel H Hoffman additionally stated that they will assist RSLAF with Military Intelligent Training, Public Affairs(strategic communications) and Security Forces assistance trainings. The Deputy Director for Africa Command also recognizes the RSLAF for being apolitical of which it has always maintained such status.

The CDS-RSLAF on behalf of the MoD/RSLAF Senior Management in his closing statement, welcomed the proposal for the training his Public Affairs unit and further stressed that the RSLAF will continue to work with the legitimate Government of the day. Hence, the RSLAF is expected to support the SLP during elections through the Military Aid to Civil Power (MACP) and his personnel are expected to behave professionally in discharging their constitutional roles and responsibilities.

Brigadier General Peter G Bailey continues his visit to the Maritime Wing Headquarters of RSLAF at Murray Town and will also visit the Armed Forces Training Center at Benguema Barracks as Planned.

 

 

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