In a Disclaimer issued by the Sierra Leone Medical and Dental Association (SLMDA), dated the 29th July, 2022 and signed by Dr. Samba Jalloh, as Secretary General, it was stated that the attention of the Association has been drawn to a news making rounds on social media claiming that it has come to an agreement with the Government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, concerning the two key demands (regarding the recent deduction of the monthly take home salary and the issue about the weekly 45L of fuel which is statutory), made during their press conference that was held on the 7th July 2022, maintaining that it would want the general public to note that those claims are NOT TRUE.
It continued that, however, the SLMDA Executives and the executives of other allied health professionals (nurses and pharmacists) were summoned to an emergency meeting on the 28th July,2022 by the Honorable Minister of Health and Sanitation stating how in that meeting, a document from the Ministry of Finance (signed by the Financial Secretary) was presented to the various representatives of the different associations.
The SLMDA revealed that the correspondent presented via the Ministry of Finance did not adequately address their concerns as stated in their previous press releases adding how there are several lacunae/gaps with ambiguities for so many unanswered questions and concerns which they are pondering about going forward.
Further stated was that they are currently doing follow-ups with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation to give answers to the unanswered questions as they are by all means avoiding a repeat of the same problem in the near future.
The Association concluded by stating that notwithstanding their strike action commencing at mid-night on the 1st of August 2022 still stands until their concerns are adequately met.
Sierra Juice is now a household name in Sierra Leone since the company that produces its different fruit flavors was established in 2013 by a cacao trader, Hamza Hashim, as a way of reducing food waste and give farmers better livelihoods.
The juice producing entity is part of a parent group known as Capitol Foods through which Sierra Juice drinks or beverages were only and solely distributed via wholesalers.
It must be noted that prior to the commencement of producing Sierra Juice, the founder, Hamza Hashim, experimented the transportation of fruits to sell to markets.
However, he soon realized that due to a lack of cold storage facilities in Sierra Leone, high costs and unreliable nature of electricity, the fruits would start rotting before even reaching the market.
The result oriented entrepreneur then came up with the idea of turning the fruits into “juice as a way to process and preserve the fruit.” Indeed, the idea jelled and soon Sierra Juice, with its different fruit flavours, gained a foothold and became a favorite drink.
Lacking the capital to start processing on a large enough scale, Hashim and his cousin spent months applying for all the funding opportunities they could find. Eventually, they secured $800,000 from Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund, but couldn’t start production until mid-2016, due to difficulties getting equipment into the country because of the Ebola pandemic.
“Sierra Juice targets the new Sierra Leonean,” he informed during an exclusive interview, “she or he is proud of their heritage, and their country, but is ready to take on the world. They are trendy, young, and energetic.”
The company now provides more than 5,000 farmers with steady livelihoods by supplying fresh fruit to the company to produce juices. The company’s goal is to provide affordable, natural juices for consumption while providing farmers with an outlet to sell their produce.
Sierra Juice Company takes it upon itself to train farmers and key equipment operators in order to keep costs low. The company is also responsible for its “own water filtration” and “electricity generation,” making Sierra Juice a “360-degree company.”
However, with support from Invest Salone, a UK Government funded private sector development initiative , under its COMPETE Salone grant facility the company is now selling Sierra Juice products to retailers otherwise known as vendors.
COMPETE Salone works by offering guidance and matching grants to private companies and is intended to help businesses test innovative ideas with the potential to create jobs, improve livelihoods and increase exports.
It must be noted that initially Sierra Juice was only marketed on a wholesale basis.
With Capitol Foods piloting a new street and small vendor programme as part of their marketing mix, the company has created the opportunity for 140 officially registered vendors in Freetown to expand their businesses and boost their incomes.
Capitol Foods new street and small vendor programme has the potential to be beneficial for the company and the sellers. It is creating jobs, particularly for women and young people, and giving them the opportunity to buy Sierra Juice directly from the company – which means they earn more on each sale.
In addition, because street vendors offer consumers easy access to a wide range of affordable goods and services, selling through them is an opportunity to access new or hard-to-reach markets.
The Capitol Foods team got its first set of vendors through recommendations from local community representatives and wholesalers based in the company’s underserved areas, where sales have been historically low.
Vendors were trained by providing them with sales, marketing and customer service skills as well as business advice. They also learned about food safety and product storage and handling.
Almost all (87%) of the trainees successfully completed the induction and have gone on to become Sierra Juice vendors. Each vendor received a starter pack with 24 bottles of juice and promotional t-shirts, as well as other marketing material. Capitol Food has also set up a dedicated hotline so that vendors can call to request new stock.
When this medium conducted a random survey to get the reaction of people about this latest move taken by Capitol Foods to sell its Sierra Juice products through vendors, in addition ,to wholesalers, many commended it as a step in the right direction.
One of the them who is a retailer selling soft drinks said the training offered by the company has helped her in growing her business maintaining that it saves her time when she just call to order new stocks which will then be delivered by the company.
An Invest Salone Consultant, Avril Pratt, has this to say: “It is amazing to see women and young people motivated to work as retail agents of Sierra Juice. This opportunity promotes economic empowerment of women and young people by giving them a sustainable revenue-generating stream which contributes to improving their lives and that of their families.”
The Chief Executive Officer of Capitol Foods, Hamza Hashim, stated that they are excited about the initiative as it underpins their commitment to social inclusion and economic participation.
He continued how it has strengthened their network of street sellers and provided better engagement with their customers adding how they plan to support the street sellers further by providing them with coolers so they can add value by selling cold juice.
Hamza Hashim intimated this medium that they are looking at building on the relationships by introducing new Sierra Juice products to the street sellers, which will increase their product offerings and incomes adding how they will trial the same street seller initiative in major towns like Bo and Kenema, to build a larger distribution network of women and youth.
A Development Consultant expressed the view that Capitol Foods is one of the few business entities in the country that is promoting Local Content in the country. He averred that the company is making use of local products to manufacture Sierra Juice and in doing so is helping to boost agriculture which in turn is providing local farmers with a steady source of income. Now the company is empowering vendors through training and a structured business arrangement.
He said as Sierra Juice implies the taste of Sierra Leone that taste is a combination of an indigenous mix of the fruits cultivated by local farmers and the joy expressed by local vendors to ensure that consumers access their various flavored Sierra Juice beverages.
According to what this medium understood, Hashim’s business philosophy is built upon patience. This was what he said, “There are a lot of everyday business challenges. If you try to do too much, you will fail. I’ve learnt the hard way not to try to be too clever, or take every opportunity that comes your way. My main focus is on making just one step forward every single day, and not ten at a time.”
Justice Minister Gives an Overview of the Public Elections Act 2022
By Ophaniel Gooding
The AG explained that the Public Elections Act 2022 is an apt display of President Bio’s determination in ensuring that “we continue to live in a decent country and continue to hold free and fair elections.”
He said he is very much satisfied with the Act because it is very important for a functioning democracy in the 21st century.
According to the AG, “after every election period, we try to revisit our laws to ensure that we have a very strong democracy; a democracy that is inclusive of every shade and every individual. This new law gives the Electoral Commissioner of Sierra Leone the independence to be able to function without any fear or favor, the Commissioners would now have the latitude to do their work without any hindrance.”
He also explained that the Government was very successful to make it a law that political parties adequately nominate women as candidates for parliamentary elections.
Adding that Section 59(2 of the Act states that for every 3 candidate nominated for Member of Parliament one should be a female.
The AGMOJ was very successful in getting overwhelming support of the entire parliament for Section 59(2) of the Act.
The AGMOJ further added that one key area which the opposition was clamoring about was the district block or proportional representation system.
He explained that the district block or proportional representation system mentioned in the Bill was not any new thing because it is already a law in Sierra Leone.
“It was included in the Bill just for reference sake,” he stated.
The AGMOJ added that “the PR system is part of the laws of Sierra Leone, as provided in Sections 38 and 38a of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone.”
“Sections 38 and 38a make provision for the two systems of elections that would be conducted in Sierra Leone either by constituency or by proportional representation and so there was no amendment to it because the Bill is saying all public elections shall be conducted in Sierra Leone pursuant to the Constitution of Sierra Leone and Sections 38 and 38 are part of the Constitution of Sierra Leone, so there was no amendment save only the change of language as initially as it was in the Bill, ” the Minister stated.
The AGMOJ also said that the new Bill has empowered the Electoral Commissioners to execute their duties without fair or favor.
In the previous administration, there were a lot of difficulty in announcing the election date but however with the new Act President Bio has taken a bold step to transfer that authority to the Electoral Commission so that they could announce the election date.
The AGMOJ said, “with the new Act, ECSL now has the right to cancel any election result in any area because of electoral violence or malpractice.”
With regards to the National Identification Number, the AGMOJ explained that although the NIN was not captured in the Act yet the ECSL has the right and responsibility to generate voters’ identification numbers for every Sierra Leonean eligible to vote in a general election.
He said the Voters Identification Number would be linked up with NCRA’s data base to ensure that every Sierra Leonean is captured and given their unique NIN. He said this number will help to curb electoral malpractices and fraud.
It was a success on the part of the Government in legislating a new electoral law that provides for over 30% of women to be nominated to Parliament in every general election and also a success for Government through the AG in ensuring that elections are conducted according to the constitution and the laws of Sierra Leone that are in force.
In a bid to capacitate media practitioners in West Africa to understand the forms and approaches of transitional justice and the angles to report on them, the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG), with support from the Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund, has on Friday 29th July 2022 launched the Transitional Justice Manual to serve as a resource guide for journalists, CSOs and researchers working on Transitional Justice in West Africa. The official launch was held at the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists Hall on Campbell Street in Freetown.
Speaking during the launch, the National Coordinator of Media Reform Coordinating Group, Dr. Francis Sowa revealed that the Transitional Justice Manual is part of a project titled, “Engaging the Media to Change the Narrative on Transitional Justice (TJ) Issues in Sierra Leone,” and that the project is implemented by the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG) with support from the Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF).
He maintained that the idea about transitional justice reporting started at the end of the conflict in which media practitioners reported on stories basically dealing with the country’s transition from conflict to peace, furthering that reporting on transitional justice occurs mainly after instances of civil conflict, war and human rights abuses.
Dr. Francis Sowa pointed out that the major focus of the project is to work with media institutions and practitioners to engage in coverage and reportage on transitional justice mechanisms thereby increasing public awareness and following up on commitments and actions on Transitional Justice issues.
He maintained that the Handbook is to serve as a toolkit for media practitioners in West Africa to understand the forms and approaches of transitional justice, and the angles and frames of reporting on them.
“It is the hope of the MRCG that media practitioners in West Africa will use the manual to hone their skills in reporting on transitional justice. While the Handbook is produced primarily for media practitioners, trainers and advocates on TJ issues will also find it very useful and helpful,” he disclosed.
The National Coordinator pointed out that the role of the Media Reform Coordinating Group is to engage the media to change the narrative on transitional justice reporting, stating that transitional justice reporting is not the type of reporting that should stop only at the time the war ended in the country but said even in time of peace it must be noted that we must keep reminding ourselves about the things that took the country to civil war.
Giving a testimony, one of the mentees of the 2020 Transitional Justice Mentorship Programme, Ishmael Sallieu Koroma, expressed appreciation to the Media Reform Coordinating Group and the Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund for creating the platform for him during his 2020 Transitional Justice Mentorship Programme which he described as an eye-opener towards Transitional Justice issues.
He pointed out that during the process of reporting the stories he realized that many of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Report have not been implemented by the Government of Sierra Leone.
Ishmael Sallieu Koroma disclosed that the 2020 Transitional Justice Mentorship Programme serves as platform for him towards improving his skills in transitional justice reporting.
Launching the manual, the Secretary General of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists, Alhaji Manika Kamara commended the Media Reform Coordinating Group for the laudable venture towards putting together the manual which, he said, will capacitate media practitioners in West Africa to understand the forms and approaches of transitional justice.
He said that the Association, over the years, has been encouraging journalists to specialize in various areas and one of them is Transitional Justice reporting owing to the fact that the issue of transitional justice still occurs in the country, adding that it is the responsibility of journalists to remind the Government about those issues in our society.
The Secretary General encouraged journalists to make good use of the Transitional Justice Manual which will serve as a resource guide for journalists, CSOs and researchers working on Transitional Justice not only in Sierra Leone but West Africa as a whole.
Sierra Leone to Benefit from $ 18.3 USD Education Support by Education Outcomes Fund
By Abubakarr Harding
The Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge (SLEIC) will be launched in September this year by the Education Outcomes Fund (EOF) which is an independent Global Trust Fund hosted by UNICEF with an ambitious goal to improve learning and employment outcomes for 10 million children and young people across the world.
EOF matches funding with results using the Results- Based Financing (RBF) model.
In Sierra Leone (one of the first RBF funding in Africa) will see EOF work in partnership with the Government of Sierra Leone, Donors and Providers to launch an Eighteen Million Three Hundred United States Dollar ($ 18.3 USD) program on the 1st September 2022.
This programme will focus on improving learning outcomes and competency of learners for a period of three years thereby adding quality to the Free Quality Education Project for about 134,000 children across 325 schools across 16 Districts in Sierra Leone.
The SLEIC is being funded by the Government of Sierra Leone with a commitment of $1.5m, the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) with $14m, Bank of America, $.500,the Korea International Cooperation Agency ( KOICA) $1m, Hempel Foundation with $1.179m and the Waterloo Foundation with $.210 to the program.
This has been made possible by the visionary leadership of the Government of Sierra Leone under their pioneering Education Minister, Dr Moinina David Sengeh.
The SLEIC will see the Government, donors, schools, and non-state education providers working together to improve literacy and numeracy for students across the participating schools. Following its launch, the program will run for three years, with each of the schools allocated to one of five geographic ‘lots’, each of which will be awarded to a different service provider.
The providers shortlisted for the RFP were identified following a public call for expressions of interest and will be able to form partnerships with each other, or with other organizations and social investors. These providers are EducAid, Street Child, Rising Academy, Save the Children, UK and the National Youth Awareness Forum (NYAF)
At the core of the SLEIC is a focus on improving the educational outcomes for some of the most disadvantaged children in Sierra Leone, in particular the program has a specific focus on girls’ learning, reflected in the 20 percent premium awarded to providers if they secure improvements for girls’ learning.
As an outcomes-based program, the providers’ learning support activities will be monitored and assessed for effectiveness, with payments made only for interventions that demonstrably improve the literacy and numeracy of children.
This monitoring will provide an invaluable evidence base for the Government to identify and scale up the most effective interventions across the country. Critically, the program has been designed with a sustainable and scalable maximum cost-per-outcome of USD$36 per child, creating a ‘program to policy pathway’ to ensure that successful learning support activities are continued following the end of the initial three-year period.
In addition, by diversifying the providers between the five geographic lots, the SLEIC will also help to build provider capacity creating a stronger, more outcomes-focused pool of non-state providers to support the Government to improve quality in the education system across Sierra Leone.
An independent quantitative evaluation by Oxford Policy Management (OPM) will measure the impact of the programme in improving learning outcomes. This will be complemented by a learning agenda and qualitative evaluation to understand the broader impact of the programme.
Njala Suspends Over 50 Students for One Academic Year
By Jonathan Hindolo Kurabu (D Catalyst)
Over 50 students of Njala University, Bo Campus, have been rusticated for engaging in various forms of examination malpractices during the First Semester Examinations.
Those rusticated and who are due to exit the University for one academic year were studying different disciplines in the Schools of Education, Community Health Sciences and School of Social Sciences and Law.
Also, two female students formally (FK Kamara-Final Year, B Sc. Nursing and FJ Mallah-Second Year-SRN Upgrading) were expelled from the University for taking part in an illegal admission syndicate.
The Campus Administration headed by Professor Mohamed Syed Fofanah has uncompromisingly waged war on all forms of examination malpractice.
The affected students were duly investigated consistent with principles of natural justices.
It could be recalled that in an effort to curb the menace of exam malpractices in both the Kowama and Towama locations of the Bo Campus last year, 84 students were rusticated for a period of one year for their involvement in various forms of exam malpractices.
Meanwhile, members of the Public including a retired medical practitioner, John Kortu have lauded the Njala University Administration for the bold move describing it as an effort towards complementing the strides of the President Bio led Government in promoting the ideals of Quality Education.
“Examination malpractices appear to be a celebrated norm in most educational institutions, the Universities need to set firm precedents to jettison these awful celebrated occurrences,” he opined.
In other developments, Students of Njala University have during a fruitful engagement with the University Administration over the week promised not to participate in the call for students’ protest over the rising cost of fuel and other basic food commodities.
That move came in the wake of a press release on social media by an anonymous person urging students to take to the streets illegally demanding reduction in pump prices of all fuel products and basic food commodities.
The Students Union President, Njala Campus, Mustapha G. Samah said his leadership will always strive to dialogue with the competent authorities in the interest of all adding that they themselves are aware of the present economic triggers which are being felt globally to which Sierra Leone is no exception.
He urged all and sundry not to meddle into acts that would undermine the peace of the country adding that students they are, students they shall be.
“We should not allow politicians to use us for their selfish gains, we ought to know better” President Samah asserted.
One of the female students, a final Year Student, pursuing a degree leading to an award of Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Media and Communications, Phibean Simbo appealed to the University administration amid the harsh economic realities to consider provision of electricity during the night hours unlike day time which accordingly would allow them to study and also urged them to look into the concerns of students resident in both male and female hostels in lieu of water and sanitation.
She, on behalf of colleague students, showered profuse gratitude on the Professor Andrew Baimba-led administration for being a listening administration amid his onerous functions as Acting Vice Chancellor and Principal.
Responding, the Acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Andrew Baimba thanked the students for being law abiding in the wake of difficult times caused by global factors.
He said in tandem with the leadership of the Njala Campus administration headed by Professor Mohamed Bashiru Koroma as Deputy Vice-Chancellor and the new Vice-Chancellor and Principal after his official exit in September 2022, they have been working tirelessly to ensure the smooth running of the respective campuses, Bo and Njala respectively.
He said amid the present economic toll, the Njala Campus administration is spending a colossal sum of 700 million Leones weekly for provision of electricity daily. This, he went on, is exacerbated by their provincial status on the basis of them not benefiting from the national grid. “Notwithstanding, we are in constant touch with Government of Sierra Leone to ameliorate these ailing concerns with the provision of water and electricity’’.
He admonished all to be studious and avoid being distracted by people for their political quests.
Deputy Vice Chancellor, Njala Campus, Professor Mohamed Bashiru Koroma thanked the students for being considerate noting that plans are underway with the availability of funds for the provision of Solar energy and provision of water wells on campus at strategic hostel locations.
He pledged on behalf of the administration to look into the concerns raised by the students and promised to make Njala campus a habitable learning environment to be.
Consistent with his commitments, electricity distribution on campus has now been adjusted from 8pm -12am nightly and 8 am -1pm daytime.
Minister of Lands, Housing and Country Planning, Dr Turad Senesie
By Abubakarr Harding
A Land Commission Bill that seeks to ensure an effective, efficient, transparent, fair and accountable land management system in Sierra Leone is being roundly endorsed by Parliamentarians from both the ruling and opposition parties alongside the Paramount Chiefs.
The Bill also seeks to address and enhance women’s economic empowerment and land rights.
The non-contentious Bill was tabled and presented in Parliament for debate and approval by the Minister of Lands, Housing and Country Planning, Dr. Turad Senesie.
The debate witnessed a dramatic twist from the traditional heated exchanges on such crucial bills to parliamentarians led by women and Paramount Chiefs taking turns in showering praises on the patriotic and professional leadership being demonstrated by the Minister since his appointment by the President last year.
The Parliamentary Women’s Caucus was happy to recognize the Minister as He-For-She Champion for his selfless role is spearheading the enactment of a Bill that guarantees women’s rights to land.
The female Members of Parliament, alongside their male counterparts narrated the land injustice being meted on women, while celebrating the dawn of a new era in the land sector.
The Paramount Chiefs were excited that they were fully engaged throughout the process leading to the drafting of the Bill, which according to them, has clearly defined the roles of various stakeholders and empowered the traditional leaders.
Opposition Leader in Parliament, Hon. Chernor Bah, described Dr. Turad Senesie as a patriotic and professional leader that is steadily delivering on his promises.
“The milestones being recorded by Dr. Senesie did not come as a surprise to us as he is known for being a focused and well measured leader,” he asserted.
While applauding the efforts of the Minister, Hon. Tawa Conteh suggested that the Minister would record more milestones if Parliament could authorize him to do a thorough cleansing of bad eggs in the Ministry who will rather undermine the agenda of His Excellency.
The Parliamentarians further applauded the Minister for organizing weekly land conflict clinics, wherein every member of the public is accorded equal access and opportunity to report land disagreements directly to the Minister and through which the Minister has directly solved hundreds of land conflicts.
The debate in Parliament was more of a day to celebrate the decision of His Excellency the President to appoint Dr. Turad Senesie to lead his vision to sanitize the land sector than a debate on a bill.
Earlier, the Minister had called on all stakeholders to support the Bill and release Sierra Leone from the shackles of poverty and mismanagement in the land sector.
He argued that the Bill will promote productivity through investment and commercialization of land.
The Bill has been committed to the Committee Stage.
Dr. Manal Ghazzawi Calls for Public & Private Financing to Combat Hepatitis
By Amin Kef-Ranger
As the 28th of July marked World Hepatitis Day (WHD), Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Know Hep Foundation,Dr. Manal Ghazzawi, has called on the Government, policymakers, and global funders for prompt actions by allocating more finance toward the elimination of hepatitis.
Dr. Ghazzawi’s Know Hep Foundation Sierra Leone, which is a member of the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA), that leads an international campaign to accelerate the fight against viral hepatitis over the weekend, was among the organizations that partnered with “WE GIVE ALL” for the walk to end Hepatitis B, held in the country’s capital city, Freetown.
Dr. Manal Ghazzawi revealed that Hepatitis B, which is more common in Sierra Leone, is on the increase and at about 10% prevalence, whilst hepatitis is among the deadly and neglected diseases citing 325 million people globally living with the disease adding that the world continues to lose 1.1 million lives every year as a result of hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
She further asserted that blood-to-blood contact, unsafe injections , bodily fluids of an infected person, inadequate sterilization of medical equipment are the mode of transmission, and Chronic Hepatitis B and C results in liver cancer, whilst the signs and symptoms are; fever tiredness, loss of appetite, dark urine to name but a few.
This year’s campaign theme is titled, “I Can’t Wait”.
“As an advocate for years in the fight against this disease, on this day, I speak on behalf of all those at risk, pregnant females, including babies born from infected mothers deprived of receiving timely free hepatitis birth dose, all those infected receiving suboptimal care they do not deserve and all those that are facing stigma and discrimination. I, therefore, urge the Government, policymakers, global funders, and decisions makers to act by increasing investment and financing hepatitis elimination,” she advocated.
Orange SL Signs Contract with Drizilik, Markmuday & Seven other as Brand Ambassadors
By Abubakarr Harding
In line with enhancing the visibility of the company, Orange Sierra Leone has on Wednesday 27th July, 2022, signed nine popular Sierra Leonean Musicians and entertainers as Brand Ambassadors of the company.
The nine Brand Ambassadors, who joined the list of top Stars who have signed lucrative endorsement deals with Orange SL were Drizilik, Markmuday, Skillz, Tyla Magic, Mello 7, Faze Ya Alimamy, Triple T, Mr.Ling, and DJ CPO.
In his statement during the signing ceremony at Orange SL Head Office in Freetown, the Chief Executive Officer of Orange SL , Sekou Amadu Bah, expressed his heart felt appreciation to sign partnerships with the artists and Disc Jockeys.
He encouraged them not to fear to get back to them if they face any challenge with the contract adding that Orange is always available to help and listen to them.
Alimatu Mbaya , who serves as Orange SL Commercial Director, expressed optimism that the Brand Ambassadors appreciate the opportunity offered them and their contracts.
“It is really important to have this kind of partnership to promote talents. This is a great opportunity for all of them and Orange SL as well. I am very pleased to have all signed Brand Ambassadors and they should never forget in a positive way whatever they are going to do.”
Markmuday, one of the signed Brand Ambassadors expressed gratitude disclosing how this is the second year he has been part of the Orange Brand Ambassador family.
He promised that they would work within the policies of the company to promote it brands.
A representative from the DJs Union also expressed gratitude to the company for signing partnership with DJs for the first time. He assured Orange that they will do their best to help elevate the company.
It must be noted that the Brand Ambassadorial Platform remains a crucial part of Orange contribution to the music industry. Such is a smart move by Orange to outshine their competitors in the telecommunications industry. Orange is unmatched in the telecoms industry in terms of securing the signatures of Local Ambassadors to help market its product and services.
Sierra Leone Participates in 4-Day Africa-US Summit in Morocco
By Aminaash N.N. Brima, Information Attache Morocco
A four-day Africa-US Business Summit has been held in Marrakech, Morocco. The Summit provided an excellent opportunity to deliberate on the U.S and African public and private sectors renewed commitment to building stronger economic ties, expanding and deepening U.S.-Africa trade relations as well as investment and business relationships.
After six years of operation, Africa50 has become a key player in attracting infrastructure investment on a commercial basis in Africa to bridge the US$108 billion infrastructure gap.
Following the opening ceremony, Africa50 stakeholders gathered for a closed working session where they reviewed Africa50’s activities over the past years, approved financial reports and discussed long-term strategy with management in a way to restore the past glory of Africa.
It comes at a crucial time, especially when the continent including a country like Sierra Leone faces unprecedented external economic shocks and is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. The summit is said to be in line with President Bio’s visions towards achieving sustainable development in Sierra Leone.
During the summit, there were calls for strong innovative and bold response to accelerate economic recovery while mainstreaming climate-resilient and sustainable growth in Africa.
It was established during the summit that the private sector has a critical role to play in solving Africa’s greatest challenges, particularly those related to energy, food security, education, health and digital transformation.
Significant progress was made by the Sierra Leonean delegation bridging the gap with stakeholders to support the sustainable financing of the country’s existing infrastructure and bankable projects through the Asset Recycling Program of Africa50, an innovative financing arrangement that secures private equity funding.
According to the Deputy Minister of Finance11, Bockarie Kalokoh, the focus of the two meetings- Africa50 GSM and US-Africa Business Forum in Marrakesh, Morocco was essentially to expand business opportunities and engagements across the continent on a broad range of sectors which include financing, infrastructure, climate, energy, security, agricultural transformation, investing in woman, health outcomes and economic integration.
However, seeking workable solutions to business challenges and opportunities placed under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI is in partnership with the African Development Bank, Africa50 and Corporate Council on Africa which was attended by stakeholders, US Government delegation, African Ministers and decision-makers from the largest US multi-nationals and the African Business Community.
According to King Mohamed V1, Sierra Leone’s presence in the summit is to comprehend, leverage and build new partnerships, explore new opportunities and deepen more collaboration with African partners like the African Development Bank, Africa50 and Corporate Council on Africa (CCA).
A closed-door discussion between the Deputy Minister of Finance II, Bockarie Kalokoh and the Chief Executive Officer of Africa50, Alain Ebobisse revealed positive signs that the Bumbuna Hydro Project and a water project would be supported.
