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Gento Preaches Religious Tolerance at Bishop Baughman United Methodist Church

Gento Group of Company

By Amin Kef (Ranger)

The 64th Men’s Organization Annual Thanksgiving Service of the Bishop Baughman Memorial U.M. Church held on the 16th October, 2022 will for a long time remain a memorable day as it was graced by many and to a large extent epitomizes one of the enduring legacies of the Sierra Leonean character, which is religious tolerance.

On that important day in the church’s calendar, the Grand Distinguished Patron was the unassuming, soft-spoken, pragmatic, compassionate Chief Executive Officer of the Gento Group of Companies, Mohamed Gento Kamara, the man who has declared his intention to vie for the Mayoral Seat of the Freetown Municipality.

Dressed in his usual simple but very attractive way, with his lovely wife Mrs. Tuma Adama Gento-Kamara by his side and flanked by members of his entourage, he was welcomed by the clerics of the church. As a matter of fact, his presence in the church attracted a huge chunk of onlookers within the area and soon a buzzing crowd has already gathered closer to the church.

As the Revered in charge of the service commended the men of Bishop Baughman Memorial U.M. Church for keeping the organization alive for 64 years, he also prayed for good leaders who will keep the nation intact and make it prosper. He informed the congregation that a good leader is chosen by God through the People and not one that is imposed on the people. He furthered that honestly serving others is one of the greatest qualities a good leader must demonstrate and went on to stress that a good leader must always be God fearing only if he or she must succeed to rule.

Introducing the Grand Distinguished Patron, Mohamed Gento Kamara, the Reverend told the congregation that he is the young man who has decided to come out in the open to contest as Mayor for the Freetown Municipality.

In his response, the always cool and calculated Chief Executive Officer of one of the proven indigenous road construction companies in the country, Mohamed Gento Kamara, stated that he is highly impressed by the level of fraternity seen among the men and commended them for being united in the presence of God, for propagating the word of God expressing hope that they will continue in that stead.

He said what is currently happening in the church is impossible to take place in some countries, a situation where Christians and Muslims are seen worshipping in the same place. Gento divulged that he is a staunch Muslim, that his wife is a Christian but has no reservation in marrying her and worshipping God in a church.

“This is something that we should cherish and be very proud of because being religiously tolerant is a way of saying we are all one,” he underscored adding that it is only when we set up barriers like tribalism, religious discrimination, gender inequality that we tear ourselves apart and debar our progress as a nation.

He stressed that Freetown is a melting pot where individuals from various tribal groups reside maintaining that it will be historically wrong to hold the view that one particular tribe has a monopoly over knowledge or governance ideas. “Politics played along tribal lines is very dangerous and I want to be the bridge that will connect all the tribes in the city,” he said adding that with the kind of support he looking forward to from the congregation the negative ramifications of tribalism will be drastically minimized in the not too distant future.

Gento praised the leadership of President Julius Maada Bio maintaining that the President is a developmental oriented leader who has done a lot only limited by global situations like COVID-19 and the prevailing Russia-Ukraine War. He said the President’s vision of enhancing human capital development is spot on.

He ended up thanking the leadership of the church for inviting him to worship with them informing that he is a believer in the Body of Christ, that his mother is a Pastor and his wife a member of the church stressing that he would be very happy to reconnect with them again in like manner whenever an invitation is extended to him.

Gento Group of Company Gento Group of Company

WFP Calls for Coordinated Efforts to Mitigate Severe Food Crisis in 2023

United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)

By Isata Fofanah

Sierra Leone joined the rest of the world on the 16th October, 2022 to recognize World Food Day by examining the current national food status and strides to be made to actualize the long-desired food sufficiency and security so that the scourge of hunger will be drastically reduced.

However, it must be noted that the world is at risk of yet another year of record hunger as the global food crisis continues to drive yet more people into worsening levels of acute food insecurity, warns the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in call for urgent action to address the root causes of today’s crisis.

“We are facing an unprecedented global food crisis and all signs suggest we have not yet seen the worst. For the last three years hunger numbers have repeatedly hit new peaks. Let me be clear: things can and will get worse unless there is a large scale and coordinated effort to address the root causes of this crisis. We cannot have another year of record hunger,” said WFP Executive Director David Beasley.

The global food crisis is a confluence of competing crises – caused by climate shocks, conflict, and economic pressures – that has continued to push up the number of severely food insecure people all around the world.

In Sierra Leone, a lean season food security analysis that the Ministry of Agriculture conducted jointly with WFP in August found that food insecurity has further deteriorated, with over one million people (15 percent) facing severe hunger.

The Food Security Monitoring System analysis showed a significant impact of the rising food prices, exacerbated by the Ukraine crisis with the vast majority of households spending over 75 percent of their income on food.

Building on this year’s theme for World Food Day – “No One Left Behind” – WFP is calling for coordinated effort across governments, financial institutions (IFIs), private sector, and partners to mitigate an even a more severe food crisis in 2023. This includes the reinforcement of national economies, social protection systems, and regional and domestic food systems – at speed and at scale.

“One action we must take now is provide school feeding while scaling up cash transfers in the most food insecure communities so that the people’s condition does not deteriorate further,” the WFP Country Director, Yvonne Forsén, said.

Forsén said that with funding from Japan, Germany and Sweden, WFP is providing school feeding in Kambia, Karene and Pujehun districts to reach over 118,000 children.

WFP urgently needs additional funding – US$ 2.6 million – to provide emergency cash transfers to 46,000 people in Tonkolili, Port Loko and Pujehun districts where levels of food insecurity are highest.

 

UN Urges Unanimous Approach on Climate Action ahead of COP27 

By Abubakarr Harding

Babatunde Ahonsi, the UN Resident Coordinator (RC), on behalf of the UN System in Sierra Leone, has called for a ‘whole-of-society approach’ if progress is to be made on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG13 – Climate Action.

He made that clarion call ahead of COP27 to be held in November 2022.

In his remarks at the event UN Sierra Leone co-hosted with the British High Commission and the European Union, the RC said that in addition to the government, civil society, the private sector, community leaders, educational institutions, and international partners all have a role to play.

Ahonsi said, “climate change affects every country on every continent and does not respect national borders”, indicating that international cooperation, whether in the form of scientific research, new technology, or climate finance, is very important.

According to the RC, consistent with the ‘whole-of-society’ approach is the notion that the Government’s climate action must extend beyond the Ministry of Environment to include a range of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.

He emphasized the impact of climate on other sectors — Agriculture and Food Security, Disaster Preparedness and Response, and Public Health. The RC further noted that “it is vital that climate is integrated into all sector strategies and national development plans.”

The RC referenced the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whom he said at the closing of COP26 in Glasgow, called on the global community to make good on the $100 billion-dollar climate finance commitment to support developing countries.

He concluded by acknowledging that while climate change poses major challenges for Sierra Leone, there are also tremendous opportunities. “The emphasis on expanding global climate finance going into COP27 presents an opportunity for countries such as Sierra Leone to turn their adaptation priorities into investment plans and build a pipeline of projects,” he said.

Earlier, British High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, Ms Lisa Chesney, said that Climate Change continues to be a priority for the UK as they hand over the COP26 presidency to Egypt for COP27 – being referred to as ‘Africa’s COP’. She said this was important for Sierra Leone, as it takes ownership of its ambitious mitigation and adaptation plans.

Mr Gerald Hatler, Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation, said it was very important to scale up climate interventions in Sierra Leone and that the Government needs to prioritize climate and environment interventions within the Nationally Determined Contributions.

“In order to reduce and reverse environmental degradation, the use of the natural resources of Sierra Leone, be for timber, agriculture, mining and fishery activities, should be carried out in a transparent, well-regulated and sustainable way,” Mr Hatler said.

Minister of Planning and Economic Development Dr Francis M Kai-Kai, in his remarks, stressed the Government’s commitment to the global call for action to address the threats of climate change. “Sectors such as agriculture and food production sector, fisheries and the coastal sector, the natural resources including forestry sector, infrastructure (water Resources, energy) sector, public health sector, etc. are all vulnerable, with worrying implications for the stability of our economy,” the Minister said.

According to him, Sierra Leone’s experience with landslides and floods in the last five to six years is an indication that climate stress is never far away. He emphasized the need to build resilience through better livelihood practices.

Minister Kai-Kai mentioned the Government’s reforms in the last four years in response to climate challenges. He stressed that Sierra Leone’s Medium-Term National Development Plan (2019-2023) provides a broader framework for addressing climate change issues in the country, as contained in the Cluster Seven of the National Development Plan.

In his remarks, Minister of Environment, Professor Foday Jaward, called for swift action on Climate Change as it affects every sector of the country. Sadly, according to the Minister, “these impacts continue to affect our environment, agriculture, food security and even the lives and livelihoods of large communities.”

Professor Jaward said that policy decisions in the country are often swayed by either a backlash from voters, the prioritizing of short-term economic gains over long-term environmental sustainability, or bottlenecks in accessing finance. “Now is the time to change that direction and act,” he said.

Sessions followed by interactive discussions were held on the following topics: Stocktake—Sierra Leone’s experience; Scaling up: Forward thinking, and Opportunities with Multilateral Climate Funds.

 

 

 

CRN SL Releases Report on Budget Hearing 2023

By Isata Fofanah

The Citizen Rights Network Sierra Leone (CRN SL) has on Friday 14th October, 2022 informed pressmen that the organization has concluded its comprehensive report that contains observations and recommendations on the budget hearing for the  Financial Year 2023. He made that disclosure while addressing journalists during a Press Conference held at his Naimbana Street Office in Freetown.

Speaking during the Press Conference, the Executive Director of Citizen Rights Network Sierra Leone, Ibrahim Bai Koroma, stated that the organization on Wednesday 21 September 2022 embarked on the monitoring of the Financial Year 2023 budget discussions held at the Ministry of Finance.

He added that after 13 days of observations or monitoring of discussions on the budget, the organization put together and has concluded its comprehensive report which outlines best practices, corrupt practices that were identified, gaps in the process noted and concerns about the process.

The Executive Director, however, commended the Ministry of Finance over its recent activity status updates during the launch of the bilateral budget discussions on the 21st September 2022 at the Ministry of Finance conference hall, furthering that it is however important to emphasize that such an update is needed.

He informed pressmen that during the budget hearing the Vice President, Dr. Juldeh Jalloh, highlighted the tight fiscal space in the national budget due to external forces referencing the Russian war in Ukraine which he said is having negative effects on the world economy.

He continued that the Vice President, however, advised senior Government officials of the Ministry of Finance to prioritize activities related more to service delivery rather than administrative spending.

Underscoring some of the observations made during the process, the Executive Director disclosed that the organization observed that 65% of MDAs were not present on time and that the Ministry of Finance technical teams eclipsed the financial year bilateral discussions, adding that the organization further observed that the technical team of the Ministry of Finance turned a blind eye to the process of standing down MDAs during the hearing.

Ibrahim Bai Koroma, however, said that the organization wishes to make the following recommendations: Firstly for the sake of transparency and accountability the Ministry of Finance should have given right to CSOs, NSAs to stand down MDAs based on improper presentations.

Secondly, all presentations in different groups should be conducted in Virtually.

Thirdly, that the Ministry of Finance should timely disbursed allocations to MDAs furthering that the Ministry of Finance should enforce the 2018 Finance Act (41) in all public institutions among others

The Executive Director noted that they are of the firm conviction that the right of citizens must be guaranteed and that every citizen of Sierra Leone must be given a fair chance to participate in any Ministry of Finance budget discussions for the general good of the State and for good governance to prevail.

He concluded by reaffirming their commitment to continue to work and advocate for and on behalf of the people of Sierra Leone with the objective of promoting their democratic rights in the country.

 

 

 

2022 BECE Results Records Improved Educational Outcomes

Dr. David Moinina Sengeh,

By Amin Kef (Ranger)

The Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary School, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, on the 11th October, 2022 revealed that the Ministry has received the 2022 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) from the West African Examination Council (WAEC).

According to the Minister, the Ministry will do a summary analysis, release the hard copies to schools and seek to make available via SMS Result Checker as soon as possible.

As he promised the results are now out.

It must be noted that the 2022 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) saw a pass rate of 84.05% in Language Arts, 87.75% in Mathematics and Integrated Science had the highest pass rate (87.78%), which is the best BECE result in recent memory.

The number of candidates sitting BECE increased by 43% in the period 2018-22, reaching 127,889 students for whom results have been released to the MBSSE. Note that 2,427 fewer candidates sat BECE in 2022 than in 2021 largely due to fewer candidates having to repeat the exam in 2022 as many had passed in 2021.

For the second year in a row, there are more female students than male students sitting BECE.

The pass rate for individual papers climbed from 76.8% in 2021 to 84.4% in 2022.

The number of candidates obtaining a minimum of 5 passes inclusive of Language Arts or Mathematics increased by 73.6% in the period 2018-22. In 2022, 112,131 candidates obtained a minimum of 5 passes inclusive of Language Arts or Mathematics, which is the highest ever, even without the 1,167 results that are being with-held.

The top candidate sat and passed all 8 of her subjects with an aggregate score of 6 (perfect) an average grade of 1.00, i.e. the candidate obtained a 1 in all her 8 subjects. She was closely followed by 26 candidates with aggregate scores of 7, 11 of whom had 7 Grade/Unit 1s and just one Grade/Unit 2.

The top candidate was a girl and 16 out of the 27 candidates with aggregate scores 6 or 7 were also girls i.e. there were more girls than boys at the very top in terms of performance in BECE 2022.

The top school saw 100% of its candidates obtain a minimum of 5 passes inclusive of Language Arts or Mathematics, with an average grade of 1.56. A total of 322 schools saw all of their candidates passing for senior secondary school general programme and a further 395 schools had 95.00% or more of their candidates also passing for senior secondary school.

There remains some variation in performance across subjects but none had pass rates below 70%.  Of the subjects with candidates sitting numbering in excess of 100.000, Integrated Science had the highest pass rate (87.78%).

There remains a large variation in performance across districts, including in terms of average grade/unit and pass rate for senior secondary school – general.

7 districts had SSS pass rates in excess of 90.00%. The best district had an SSS pass rate of 95.38% and an average grade of 3.75 and candidates from Guinea, which were the worst performing, had a combined SSS pass rate of 42.98% and an average grade of 5.72.

1,167 candidates also sat but their results have been with-held. However, please note they have been included in computing the % change in number of candidates sitting).

The Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) comes at the end of formal basic education in Sierra Leone. It is administered by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

 

 

 

PFSL Condemns Wonde Society Initiation in Moyamba District

Pentecostal Fellowship of Sierra Leone

By Foday Moriba Conteh

During a Press Conference held on Friday 14th October, 2022 at the Pentecostal Fellowship of Sierra Leone Office on Waterloo Street in Freetown, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Sierra Leone, unequivocally condemned a planned Wonde Society initiation ceremony slated to take place in Taima, Moyamba District.

President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Sierra Leone, Bishop Akintayo Sam-Jolly, revealed to newsmen that there are contents making the rounds on Social Media relating to an initiation ceremony to be conducted by the Wonde Society in Taiama, Moyamba District.

He said that the said initiation, if undertaken, as stated on social media, poses an infringement on the rights of Christians living in that part of the country.

The President of PFSL maintained that investigations conducted by some members of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Sierra Leone on the ground revealed the following: Firstly, there was a meeting called by the Paramount Chief of Kori Chiefdom, in which the Chiefdom Speaker, Chief Yambasu declared the decrees of the Wonde Secret Society before the masses and emphasised that everybody must obey them regardless of his or her status, tribe or religion.

He continued that it was also stated that no electronic instruments (keyboards, P.A system, guitars etc,) should be used in the Chiefdom during the four months of their initiation activities which he said simply means no other music is to be heard in the Chiefdom other than the society’s music.

Bishop Akintayo Sam-Jolly pointed out that the authorities also stated that no outdoor programs should be held by churches which include crusades and revivals and that they have indicated that a non-member should be around on the day of commencing the ceremony.

He disclosed that the foregoing laws are not only an infringement on fundamental human rights and freedom of worshippers but they have the potential to spill beyond what the Wonde society had prescribed.

“In all of these, a certain Lawa-Kigba Madiye from Tongie Gorama Mende Chiefdom, Kenema District is trying to refute the above details but he has confessed that he was not present in any of the meetings nor does he reside in the chiefdom. So his statement is taken with a ‘pinch of salt,” he maintained.

The President stated that matters of such nature have the tendency to undermine the peace and security of the nation and the socio-economic livelihood of the people, adding that these secret society operations are threatening Christianity in some regions, affecting education, and causing much unrest as young men flee districts stating that currently some Christians are also planning to evacuate.

He described the ordeals that Christians in Kailahun and Kenema districts are facing as a gross violation of their human rights and should therefore be condemned unequivocally.

Commenting on its action point, he disclosed that PFSL has adopted a spiritually proactive step by calling all Pentecostals and God-fearing Sierra Leoneans to join in a three-day fasting that commenced on Thursday 13th and lasted till Saturday 15th October 2022.

“We are praying to overturn every planned initiation, stop every evil agenda designed to hinder Christian activities, abort plans of abduction, stop the spread of darkness, and reverse evil plots against the Church and people of Sierra Leone,” he concluded.

Other members present, including the Secretary General of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Sierra Leone, Rabbi Tamba Eric Mbayo, and Chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Sierra Leone, Kambia District, Bishop Simon B. Kamara also delivered statements during the press conference.

Pentecostal Fellowship of Sierra Leone

Health Alert & Partners Ends National Youth and Adolescent Health Conference

Health Alert

By Foday Moriba Conteh

In a bid to create an invaluable opportunity for young people from across the country to directly engage and collaborate with our health care workers to actively address some of the most important issues Youth and Adolescent are faced with today on Family planning in the country, Health Alert Sierra Leone in partnership with the Government of Sierra Leone with support from Momentum Country and Global Leadership (MCGL) USAID has on Saturday 8th October, 2022 concluded a two day National Youth and Adolescent Family Planning & Sexual Reproductive Health Conference on the theme: “Strengthening Youth & Adolescent Voice as a Moment for Investment, Action & Accountability on Family planning.” The Two Day Conference was held at the  Bintumani Hotel on Aberdeen in Freetown.

The Conference brought together stakeholders, Non-Governmental Organizations, social change-makers, health workers, community advocates, Youths and Adolescents from the 16 Districts in the country.

Giving an overview of the conference, the Executive Director of Health Alert Sierra Leone, Victor Lansana Koroma, said that Sierra Leone is proud to join other countries in the world to look at issues relating to Family Planning & Sexual Reproductive Health in the country.

He said that as an organization they met in 2019 to also discuss  mortality rate issue in the country, adding that girls are around 34 percent of which 28 percent of these girls in the country are adolescent between the ages of 15 to 19 years.

He said that as an organization they are aware that Government of Sierra Leone has made progress in terms of Family Planning & Sexual Reproductive Health issues in the country but said more need to be done, pointing out that as part of their efforts to sexual reproductive health in the country the Government of Sierra Leone has introduced the Comprehensive Sexual Education in the school curriculum and the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary School has trained over 785 health workers to look at issues relating to adolescent friendly services, furthering that the Government has also created adolescent youth friendly centers in 2019 and the review of the Sexual Offences Acts of 2019 as amended.

Victor Lansana Koroma revealed that regardless of these efforts made so far, the challenges relating to Family Planning and Adolescents are huge. He stated that the Government of Sierra Leone allocated 1 percent of the country’s budget to Family Planning of which he called on the Government of Sierra Leone to make a clear budget line in relation to family planning.

The Executive Director said that as an organization they deemed it fit to hold the two days National Youth and Adolescent Family Planning & Sexual Reproductive Health Conference in order to bring stakeholders, Non-Governmental Organizations, Youths and Adolescents from the 16 Districts in the country in a conversation on issues relating to Family Planning & Sexual Reproductive Health.

He concluded by calling on the Government of Sierra Leone to ensure the implementation of its commitment to family planning and sexual reproductive health in the country.

The Country Director for Jhpiego& Consortium Lead for the USAID Momentum Country and Global Leadership Project, Baindu Kosia, said that the conference is part of their strides of them supporting family planning in the country.

She added that the Momentum Country and Global Leadership Project supports Governments, local partners, and initiatives at national and international levels to advance technical leadership and achieve goals around maternal, newborn, and child health, voluntary family planning, and reproductive health services of which she noted that they are very happy to support the two day National Youth and Adolescent Family Planning & Sexual Reproductive Health Conference.

She pointed out that there a lot of statistics showing that adolescent girls are getting pregnant and ended up losing their lives in the country, stating that as part of Momentum and Global Leadership Project work they believed that family planning can address all those issues.

Baindu Kosia pointed out that the National Youth and Adolescent Family Planning & Sexual Reproductive Health conference is a follow up to a conference held by Health Alert Sierra Leone two years ago and the conference will create the opportunity for adolescent girls from the 16 districts to discuss the successes and challenges of family planning and for them also to bring out innovative ideas to address issues of Family Planning & Sexual Reproductive Health in the country.

On his part, the Programme Manager for Reproductive Health and Planning at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Francis Moses, commended Health Alert Sierra Leone and partners for the laudable venture of bringing together adolescent girls around such a conversation which he described as not only important but very timely towards addressing issues related to family planning and sexual reproductive health in the country.

He stated it started in 2018 when the idea of bringing youth and adolescent girls together to discuss family planning issues and that after listening to all the discussions by the adolescent he was very much impressed with their contributions.

Dr. Francis Moses said as a Government they are very  happy that young people have taken interest in the issue of discussion of which, on behalf of the Government, he assured all that the Government has listened to the recommendations made by participants and is very much committed towards implementing those concerns going forward.

Commenting on behalf of participants, Fatmata Sankoh from Bo District, commended Health Alert Sierra Leone and partners for organizing the two day National Youth and Adolescent Family Planning & Sexual Reproductive Health Conference which she said has equipped her on Family Planning and Sexual Reproductive Health issues.

She called on the Government of Sierra Leone and its partners to ensure that the implementation of the recommendations made by young people during the conference takes place.

Fatmata Sankoh also assured all that as adolescents they will take the knowledge they have gained on Family Planning and Sexual Reproductive Health during the conference to their communities.

Closing the conference were group presentations on family planning by participants from the 16 districts in the country followed by a Hackathon which was won by participants of the Western Urban.

 

 

UN & Partners Hold High-Level Climate Action Dialogue

By Foday Moriba Conteh

In the run-up to COP 27, the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) has on Thursday 13th October, 2022 joined co-hosts, the UK,  EU and the UN Sierra Leone along with actors from across society for a Climate Action Dialogue. The meeting was focused on financing urgent climate action to safeguard national environmental resources for future generations as a growing part of national development planning.

Key speakers present at the ceremony included the Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Minister of Environment, Minister of Finance, UN Resident Coordinator, UK High Commissioner, and EU Development Director.

Sierra Leone is gearing up plans to access international climate financing but remains behind its regional neighbours. Participants explored how to advance this goal and enhance climate finance for Sierra Leone. The Dialogue explored on-going projects including in forest conservation, coastal management and cocoa cultivation as case studies for generating ‘carbon credits’ which can be traded on international markets to generate revenue. Well-conceived projects can not only mitigate climate impacts on the environment, but can also create income, provide jobs, enhance food security, and reduce disease risk.

Sierra Leone updated its commitments to climate action at the COP26 conference hosted by the UK in Glasgow in November 2021. The Government of Sierra Leone’s climate plan outlines how it will better prepare for climate crises and keep Greenhouse Gas emissions low. GoSL also agreed to end deforestation by 2030 as a signatory to the International Declaration on Forest and Land Use.

During the dialogue, participants agreed on the crucial next steps related to finance models to advance climate action. For example, a training workshop on accessing international carbon credit markets was planned.

Sierra Leone is highly vulnerable to the impact of climate change. This can already be seen as the dry season gets hotter and the rains get heavier. Extreme weather increases the risk of flooding, mudslides and crop failure. In turn this increases food insecurity, damages buildings and causes loss of life. The good news is that there are opportunities for Sierra Leone to limit those impacts and they can also provide jobs and new incomes as well as provide better access to food and safe water.

Sierra Leone’s wealth of forests, mangroves and other natural resources are its first line of defence against climate change. For Sierra Leone’s nature to protect people, people need to protect nature. When we damage our natural defences, for example deforesting steep slopes or polluting rivers, we put ourselves at risk. Sierra Leone has already suffered from mudslides and flooding which have cost precious lives, livelihoods and money.

At the same time, Sierra Leone has good potential for renewable and low carbon energy projects, like solar and hydro. These require important initial investments, but are cheaper in the long-run, reducing dependency on expensive imported energy (the source of high fuel costs today) and creating less pollution which protects our health and the environment around us.

We’re already seeing the impact of clean energy through the UK Aid funded Rural Electrification Programme (RESL) in support of the Government’s ambition to expand access to energy in rural areas. By the end of RESL implementation this year, Sierra Leone will have roughly 20% of Africa’s mini grids. Investments into climate-smart agriculture will also support food security, ensuring crops are more resistant to weather changes.

Completing the Government’s climate plan requires significant financial and technical assistance, including dependable streams of international climate finance. Of the 17 countries in West Africa, Sierra Leone received the second lowest pot of multilateral climate funds between 2003 and 2019.

Proposals for funding through these funds are often complex and lengthy, requiring technical expertise and special accreditation. The Dialogue was an important step to de-mystify access to vital climate finance, including the $100bn pledged to implement climate commitments made at COP26.

Beyond donor financing, Sierra Leone could consider trading ‘carbon credits’ with higher emitting countries, meaning Sierra Leone receives payments for protecting and restoring natural assets (e.g. reducing deforestation) in exchange for the other country claiming a reduction in its national emissions. The benefits for Sierra Leone include helping people adapt and build resilience to climate shocks, enhancing job creation and increasing access to food.

This is already working for UK sustainable forestry company, Miro Forestry. Miro uses carbon credits to provide additional returns for investors, the community and the country as a whole, while employing over 1000 people and bringing tax revenue so that GoSL can fund basic services across Salone. Clean energy like solar and hydro can also benefit from carbon credits, while increasing reliable, affordable electricity to power Sierra Leone’s sustainable development.

Carbon credits can catalyse scale-ups of payment for ecosystem services. This was recently confirmed by a prefeasibility study on ‘Blue Carbon’ potential from the mangrove forest in the Sherbro area, which was jointly sponsored by the EU and the Conservation Trust Fund. Countries such as Costa Rica have done this, starting in a similar situation to Sierra Leone with a tight government budget and high deforestation.

The EU is already promoting the development of payment schemes to ecosystem services by supporting Sierra Leone to protect the environment in some key ecological areas of the country, including the Outamba Kilimi and the Gola Forest National Parks.

The Ministry of Environment, the FAO and the EU are now discussing the implementation of a National Forest Monitoring System, as one of the first steps to make Sierra Leone ready for the REDD+ financing.

Peace Commission Re-Commences District Engagements

By Amin Kef (Ranger)

A team from the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion (ICPNC), comprising the Deputy Executive Secretary, Moses Margao, the Director of Conflict Prevention, Philip Bona, the Director of MEAL, Lilian Wilberforce, Director of Communication, Fatmatta Kamara Jalloh re-commenced its district engagements targeting various districts in the country.

On Wednesday 12th October,2022  the team was at Mongo Bendugu, Falaba District. Four Paramount Chiefs from the district: PC Alhaji Fenda Modu Kamara 11 of Folasaba Kamba Chiefdom, PC Alhaji Shaku FK MarahV of Delmondugu Chiefdom , Regent Chief Shaku K Jawara of Mongo Bendugu and PC Hon Fasalie K P Marah of N’Yedu  Chiefdom witnessed the program.

The district engagements are part of efforts to formally introduce the Commission to the people at district level and to brief them about the Commission’s undertakings since its inception, it plans and to discuss how as a people can be part of the Commission’s goal of ensuring peace and national cohesion.

The  Deputy Executive Secretary of the Commission, Moses Margao, while commending the Chiefs and other stakeholders for responding to the Commission’s invitation assured that the Commission will ensure that the people are part of its activities pointing out that the staff cannot do it alone.

He disclosed plans for the creation of the “Most Peaceful District”, where prizes will be given to the most peaceful district in the country, which is also part of efforts to promote a culture of peace in the country.

The Director of Communications, in her welcome address earlier, said the large turnout of especially Paramount Chiefs was a clear manifestation of their commitment to the peace and stability of the county. She acknowledged the importance of local authorities to the sustenance of peace saying she looks forward to their continued support for the work of the Commission.

As custodians of peace, the Chiefs spoke of their common aspirations to bring development to the district and pledged to continue working together to maintain peace as well as consolidating peace in the entire country.

The  Director of Conflict Prevention, Philip Bona and the Director of Monitoring , Evaluation and Learning at the Peace Commission, Lilian Wilberforce, made meaningful contributions during the programme.

All the traditional leaders praised the ICPNC team for taking the Commission to them and gave the assurance that they will take the message of Peace to every chiefdom and community within the district.
Civil Society Organization reps, women traditional leaders, children, political party representatives and youths among other, pledged to continue promoting peace in their various communities

Mongo Bendugu the headquarters of Falaba District is 76 miles.

The team also held a similar engagement in Kabala, Koinadugu District and Kamakwie in the Karene District.

A key highlight of the engagement was the identification of key Civil Society Organizations in the various districts for the setting up networks/coalitions which the Commission can work with, leveraging on their expertise and understanding of the issues in their respective districts.

 

 

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