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WAYN & PAN-SL Holds ‘Say No To Corruption in Schools’ Campaign

By Foday Moriba Conteh

To complement Government’s efforts in the fight against corruption and to combat corruption in the educational sector in the county, the West African Youth Network (WAYN) in partnership with Patriotic Advocacy Network (PAN) has on Saturday 14th March, 2020 held an Anti-Corruption float parade on the theme: “Combating Injustice, Marginalization and Corruption in the Educational Sector”. The float parade took place from Up Gun to Syke Street in Freetown.

Speaking to this medium in an interview, Assistant Executive Director, West Africa Youth Network, James Fortune, disclosed that WAYN & PAN-SL decided to undertake this Anti-Corruption parade because corruption is a menace in our society and has taken the centre stage in the educational sector, noting that with this campaign they will be able to promote education and join the fight against corruption in the educational sector in the country. He said they brought together students from different institutions to raise awareness on the fight against corruption in schools and the country as a whole.

James said it is no secret that the educational sector in Sierra Leone faces huge challenges ranging from sex for grade, marginalization, injustice, corruption noting that corruption in the educational system is the order of the day and it has eaten into the fabric of our educational system.

He called on young people join the fight to eradicate corruption in the educational sector and urged them to serve as catalysts for change saying they must reject corruption and be prepared to expose malpractices.

On his part, Executive Director of Patriotic Advocacy Network, Ansumana Keita, expressed appreciation to pupils who turned out in their numbers to take part in the parade, saying they have manifested their commitment in the fight against corruption in the educational sector.

He said  the campaign started in 2018 and that as an organization they have been engaging on awareness raising in schools, communities, adding that they have succeeded in establishing sound and active school chapters in various schools who are now serving as Ambassadors in the fight against corruption in their various schools.

He said for far too long the educational sector in the country has been faced with a lot of challenges ranging from injustice, marginalization, sex for grade, sexual harassment and corruption which they believe has been a major factor for the downfall of the educational sector in the country.

An ACC official from the Public Relations Department, Junisa S.E Sankoh, applauded WAYN & PAN-SL for joining the fight against corruption pointing out how the Anti-Corruption float parade will send a very powerful message to parents, teachers, Government for the need to eradicate corruption in our beloved nation.

He assured participants that the Anti-Corruption Commission is ready to work with them in order to combat corruption in the educational sector, adding that as a Commission they have a passion for education and that is why they have been working with stakeholders in order to make the educational sector corruption free.

He urged the pupils to be living examples in their various schools, communities and anywhere they find themselves, noting that the fight against corruption is everybody’s business saying with collaboration Sierra Leone will be corrupt free in the years to come.

 

Stats SL & Great Redemption Crusade Meet to Discuss Nationwide Church Survey

By Fatmata Jengbe

On Friday 6th March 2020, the Great Redemption Crusade, a faith based organisation headed by renowned Pastor, Francis Mambu met with the Management of Stats SL in a bid to establish a partnership that will culminate into the undertaking of a survey/research on churches, denominational spread and also to know fully, partially or non-evangelized districts, chiefdoms, sections and communities across Sierra Leone.

The Great Redemption Crusade which comprises of more than 150 churches across Sierra Leone  including the Faith Healing Bible Church and Faith Evangelist Church to name but a few,  met with the Stats SL Management to map the way forward on how such faith based research work, can be undertaken.

Speaking on behalf of the delegation from the Great Redemption Crusade, Pastor George Bunanie, expressed sincere felicitation from Pastor Mambu whom he says had sent them as the “John The Baptist” to prepare the way and that he would certainly be coming in the latter stages of the agreement.

Pastor Bunanie furthered that the Great Redemption Crusade had won an abundance of souls over the years at household, community, and national levels which they intend to consolidate. As such, they intend to consolidate the gains over the years that the crusade has achieved, hence the reason for this proposed survey which they hope will be able to measure the impact of the church in Sierra Leone vis-a-vis how well have the church covered Sierra Leone, where does the need still exist for Evangelism or Church Planning and how they could be informed to do more and better with the crusade.

He said all of this cannot be achieved without the right statistics that is authentic for which he says, they have come to Stats SL so that the right expertise can be sought. “The bible says Jesus fed 5,000 people, the statistics is there. It did not just say it fed people but it gave an exact number which in itself is statistics,” he averred. He continued that they want to work with Stats SL because whatever document they develop must speak to the reality of what obtains nationally and such document must be as a reference point for people who come to partner with them, whom they solicit assistance from or when they go to engage Government and that document must have the seal of Stats SL to authenticate it.

He concluded by saying that the specific objectives of the survey will be to establish benchmarks on key indicators related to knowledge, attitude and practice of Christians, provide situational analysis of the church population based on various denominations units of the faith and also establish a baseline on existing health and educational facilities in communities in the country.

In his response, the Deputy Statistician General, Andrew Bob Johnny, thanked them for the visit which he alluded to being like “seeing the light”. He informed them that Stats SL is the official and authorized Government body that is responsible for official statistics and data collection in Sierra Leone and as such Stats SL has the requisite expertise to carry out the required job.

He noted that the first step in the partnership will be the signing of a memorandum of understanding that will guide  the partnership stating clearly who does what, when and how so that clear obligations can be defined by the MOU.

Other members of the delegation from the Great Redemption Crusade delegation included Pastor John Momo, Pastor Samuel Pratt and Pastor Alex Mbayo whilst the receiving team from Stats SL included the Chairman of the Stats SL Council, Moses Williams, the Director of Censuses and GIS, Abdulai Brima, the Technical Assistant to the SG/DSG, Mohamed Korjie and the Director of Communication, Samuel Ansumana.

IG Sovula Taking over when Public Confidence in Police very Low

By Amin Kef Sesay

Security, investment and development are intrinsically linked. As such, it is paramount that the Police perform exemplarily at all times its key role of providing adequate security which enhances the confidence of the general public, business people and investors to go about their businesses with little or no fear of breakdown of law and order that would result in extensive loss of lives and properties.

However, to state that the country’s so-called “Force for Good” continue to deliver a high level of service to the nation is highly debatable at whatever level of society the issue is dropped.

To start with, the Sierra Leone Police faces resource constraints in the deployment of personnel, equipment and the emerging requirements of maintaining law and order and other emerging security threats in a rapidly changing and technological environment.

There is very little doubt that for a long time, the SLP has lacked the much needed leadership required to make it win the confidence and trust of the majority of the people that it serves; giving rampant allegations of indiscipline, corruption, bribe taking and perversion of the course of justice levied justifiably or unjustifiably by the public against the men and women of the Force for Good.

As former IG Francis Munu noted, if the police works more, and Government generates more revenue increased investments will be attracted to this country because of its stability and maintenance of law and order and such will benefit the entire country.

As such, IG Sovula’s greatest challenge would be how to implement strategies that would ensure that the SLP becomes dedicated to working more and harder to meet its core deliverables of securing the sanctity of the State and to protect life and property.

The Police role is to create a healthy environment for healthy political institutions to develop. As such, second and very critical to maintaining peace in the country is allegations by political parties in opposition that when it comes to public order and the monitoring of elections and campaigns, the Force for Good always shows bias towards members and supporters of the ruling party.

In its relationship with Government, the force for good has a sacred obligation to ensure at all times the greater good of society in the exercise of their functions by conscientiously doing what is legally permissible in law.

A stable and peaceful environment is conducive to inward investment, growth and economic development. These engines of prosperity are guaranteed by the effective management of internal policing and a deliberate attention to the protection of life and property under the law.

On a very broad nationalistic canvas, the operations of the SLP should support whichever Government is in power to ensure that the State and its people are peaceful and law abiding at all times by applying the law impartially and indiscriminately against offenders, whatever their standing in society. Only that way will the SLP gain the confidence and trust of the people that it lost.

Agreed that a functional Police providing opportunities for career development and enhanced welfare of personnel, the new SLP leadership should ensure that recruitment into the force is based strictly on qualification and comportment, the first critical step towards ensuring having a disciplined law abiding force that would greatly aid the Government and the ACC in the fight against corruption.

Lawlessness and a controversial policing environment challenge the integrity of the SLP as law enforcers. The move to community policing so that the force can deliver a service level commensurate to the community expectations and the priorities of their stakeholder cohorts is also a matter of concern that should engage the minds of the new police leadership.

The establishment of the Independent Police Complaints Board to conduct impartial investigation and evaluation of wrongdoing against the force does not seem to be too effective.

The police need more resources to cope with the increasing service delivery demands. But with the Government severely financially constrained, SLP should implement well controlled activities based on management, administration and operational structures.

Ministry of Health Activates Emergency Operation Centre

Minister of Health and Sanitation

By Theresa Kef Sesay

It is worrisome to note that based on current epidemiological evidence, COVID-19 is continuously spreading to and within an increasing number of countries. Currently, more than 100 countries/territories have been affected with over 100,000 cases and 4,000 deaths.

In adherence to the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR), the Ministry of Health and Sanitation has activated the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) at level 2, to coordinate the emergency preparedness and response activities with the goal of preventing importation of cases and mounting a robust response whenever necessary.

Consequent upon resolutions adopted at the Inter-ministerial Committee Meeting (IMC) which was conducted on the 2nd March 2020, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation is pleased to inform the general public, diplomatic missions and all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) about the following additional precautionary measures:

  1. All Citizens and residents in Sierra Leone are strongly advised to postpone intended travel to any country, which has reported confirmed case(s) of COVID-19, with or without community transmission until the outbreak is halted, unless it is absolutely necessary. For those who cannot postpone intended travel, we urge you to observe all necessary precautionary measures instituted by the means of travel and the host country.
  2. Travelers arriving at any Point of Entry (POE) in Sierra Leone with any of the following signs and symptoms will be immediately taken into isolation facility for investigation and management:
  3. Fever above 37.5 °c
  4. Persistent cough
  5. Difficult breathing
  6. Travelers from countries with less than SO confirmed cases will be documented and followed-up by designated surveillance officers/contact tracers at home for a period of 14 days to ensure compliance with surveillance procedures.
  7. Travelers arriving at any Point of Entry in Sierra Leone from countries with 5O or more confirmed cases of COVJD-19 will have to undergo either of the two quarantine methods:

8. Travelers whose embassies/missions/organizations have identified an isolation facility verified by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation will be taken to the facility to be quarantined for a period of 14 days. Embassies/missions/organizations who opt for this method will be responsible for safe transportation from the Point of Entry to the identified facility. The Embassy /mission/organizations should provide the names and expected date of arrival of these travellers at least three days before arrival and will be responsible for all expenses incurred during the quarantine processes.

9. All other persons will be taken to the MANDATORY QUARANTINE FACILITY managed by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and observed for a period of 14 days.

10. We are strongly recommending that travellers from countries with 200 or more confirmed cases of COVID-19 may only visit Sierra Leone if they have very crucial or essential functions to perform in the country at this critical point in time. You are however, advised to stay in your country during this critical period

11. All passengers who arrive with a Laissez-passer /emergency travel certificate/ID card will be immediately taken to the quarantine facility for secondary screening. If there is any suspicion of an illegal attempt to undermine the process, such a visitor will be kept in the designated quarantine facility for 14 days.

 

 

The Mirage of the Covid-19…   Africans/Sierra Leoneans Must Tighten the Safety Belts Part 1

Chief Executive Officer of Youth in Agriculture and Environmental Protection, Lamrana Alieu Jalloh at the Farm Land

Ponder My Thoughts!

By Lamrana Alieu Jalloh

Looking at all indications, it’s obviously certain that the Coronavirus couldn’t leave the world unnoticed, every nation must brace up. And it’s also certain that there would be greater damages, huge image dents, and possible shifts in global superpowers and economies if solutions are delayed and aren’t proffered immediately.

When this epidemic, now pandemic virus surfaced in the far East of the world (China), most other parts of the world, were the regalia of pomposity is a daily dress felt it would not get to them. They used all their energies to show racism in their utterances and attitudes against the inceptional place of the virus. Those energies actually could have been used to help China curtailed and contained it at the start. Today, coronavirus is increasing the decibels of its weird sounds, and raising the rhythms of its beats and they must dance to it. But do they only want to dance to these rhythms without inviting the senior dancers (Africans) to it, when presently over 80% of confirmed cases in Africa are coming not from the far East but the proximate West?

Bill Gates couldn’t hide it that Africa could be worst hit if mechanisms aren’t put in place; Mr. Bill Gates, sir, you couldn’t read this, but I hope your conscience will surely tell you that many African nations including mine aren’t ready and don’t have the means to brace up. We just pray the living God of our ancestors (Allah) would help us from this mirage of a virus.

To Sierra Leoneans, let me remind us all on some of the greatest problems that struck our nation and left the worst of dent on our national image; two of these problems (Blood Diamond War & Ebola) didn’t originate in Sierra Leone but from neighbouring Liberia and Guinea. The Civil War started in Liberia, our Government and people by then were so complacent that they couldn’t see any harm in that war because it’s not inside the country, until its ripple effects spilled over and hit Kailahun, then run through the nook and crannies of Salone. The Ebola started in Guinea, took a stroll to Liberia, arrived there and destroyed for some few weeks, but the past regime was too adamant to act fast and heed to the notices of the virus in our neighbourhoods. After some weeks the Ebola virus took a semi U-turn not to Guinea, but Sierra Leone. Due to our unpreparedness and negligence, Salone was able to get enough silent-strokes and louder-lashes from that epidemic’s lethal whips.

The Coronavirus has crept from far distances to merely engulfing us again; from Nigeria-Senegal-Ivory Coast-Ghana, and now Guinea . What a scary situation for a nation that’s always ready to Copy & Paste from neighbouring sister countries!

Our Government, the New Direction must now fold their sleeves of comfort, wake to the dreams of reality and unfold the sleeves of preparedness; that Sierra Leone will be an exemption this time, and Coronavirus will have no history to tell in our small but beautiful Nation with resilient people.

If flights couldn’t be stopped, borders couldn’t be closed, large gatherings couldn’t be dissuaded to stop taking place, but please let tougher measures and sensitization be put in place. We couldn’t afford another dose of wahala in this tiny tingling Nation.

Let’s Start The Precautionary Measures Together, And Allow Not The Mirage Of This Virus Get Here.

 

 

Coach Sellas Tetteh Resigns

Sellas Tetteh

By Edward Vamboi

It has now become apparent that the former Black Stars stop-gap coach, Sellas Tetteh, has tendered in his resignation as head coach of Leone Stars. Tetteh who rose to prominence in 2009 after guiding Ghana to win the FIFA U-20 World Cup’s resignation has come after seven months in charge of the Leone Stars.

The 63-year-old cited personal reasons as to why quitting his position.

His last game remains a 1-0 loss to Benin in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in November 2019.

Sellas Tetteh managed only one win in four games he was in charge in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifications, he lost twice and drew the other. The 63-year-old had his first spell as coach of Sierra Leone from 2015 to 2017.

The former Liberty Professionals gaffer has also handled the Ghana U17 and U23 national teams and acted as a stop gap coach of the Black Stars in 2008.

 

Info. Minister Assures the Public & Telecom Companies

 Mohamed Rado Swarray, Minister of Information and Communications

By Foday Moriba Conteh

Mohamed Rado Swarray, Minister of Information and Communications, disclosed recently that President Julius Maada Bio is seriously concerned about the recent move by mobile telecommunications service providers to drop all promotions to their respective customers.

He said telecom service providers were invited to an emergency meeting with the view of charting the way forward in the best interest of the people.

“We have agreed on a win-win situation, which means that the mobile service providers as well as the public will benefit. We have already formed a committee which is chaired by the Ministry of Information and Communications, so that at the end of the day this committee will develop a road map for the final resolution of this matter,” he said.

The Minister divulged how the mobile companies openly narrated their challenges going further that he assured them of Government’s commitment to create the enabling environment for an improved telecommunication system in Sierra Leone.

There was widespread hue and cry over the implementation of the 2020 Finance Act, which prompted telecom operators to remove all promotions they used to provide for subscribers across the country.

Certain Civil Society activists condemned the latest move taken by the National Telecommunications Commission to increase tax on telecom operators, but the Commission has defended its position that there had been no tax increase.

SLBL Concludes Pre-Harvest Sorghum Campaign in Bo, Kenema & Mile 91 

By Amin Kef Sesay 

In order to continue to support the Local Content Policy and boost their local sourcing agenda, the Corporate Affairs Department of the Sierra Leone Brewery Limited (SLBL) in partnership with the Sorghum Farmers Association concluded a three-day robust sorghum cultivation campaign in Bo, Kenema and Mile 91 which started on the 13th March 2020 and ended on the 15th March 2020.

The team comprise the Corporate Affairs Manager, Albert Ojo Collier, Unisa Conteh the Corporate Affairs Assistant, Denis Jusu, Chairman Sorghum Farmers and Marketers’ Association.

Speaking to this Press, Albert Ojo Collier, intimated that previously they conducted similar pre-harvest campaigns in some provinces in the country in a bid to encourage farmers to sell their harvest to the company and to enjoin others to go into sorghum cultivation, sell to the SLBL further underscoring how their recent tour was geared towards a local content job creation drive.

He noted that as it is now time for harvest they decided to conduct the aforementioned campaign to assure the farmers that they are ready to buy increased quantity of sorghum they have harvested, will harvest and to encourage others to come on board further assuring them of a good partnership.

The Corporate Affairs Manager further informed this medium that they were together with the Chairman of Sorghum Farmers Association, Denis Jusu, going through remote villages to contact farmers and even buy some grains through their nucleus farmers via cash purchase.

He explained how in all the places they led the campaign residents were engaged through radio discussions, holding town hall meetings, meeting Youth Farmer Groups, officials of District Councils etc.

According to Denis Jusu, “We explained to residents about the benefits farmers will derive from selling to the company, the commercial importance of growing sorghum, how to go about it and the need to be part of the Sorghum Farmers Association. The feedbacks we received during the phone-in sessions were enormous and there are indications that more people are becoming interested in sorghum cultivation.”

It is on record that for quite a considerable period of time now the relationship between SLBL and Sorghum farmers has been very cordial. As a matter of fact the partnership between the two has contributed to job creation, in the form of commercial farming, for over 25,000 Sierra Leonean farmers country-wide thereby helping towards poverty reduction. One cannot say it is an exaggeration to underpin that the standards of living of sorghum farm families has improved considerably, with cascading effects, out of what they realise after the sale of their harvested produce to SLBL.

“We are very happy with the way and manner how SLBL is empowering Sorghum farmers in the country and we are doing everything humanely possible to ensure that the mutual relationship is improved for the benefit of all and in the best interest of the country,” Chairman of the Sorghum Famers maintained.

Sorghum is one of the ingredients used by SLBL to produce some of the beverages it is manufacturing and marketing.

 

 

Africell Offers Brand New 3G Smart Phones

By Amin Kef Sesay

The market leader in a fast moving and progressively connected world, Africell goes the extra mile by empowering Sierra Leone people to do more and to be more. The Company leads the market by enabling every subscriber to connect and share life as bright as it is.

Afriphone, powered by KaiOS was launched during the close of 2019 in Sierra Leone. It is a smartphone which offers 3G connectivity and access to essential and popular applications such as WhatsApp, Google Assistant, Facebook, YouTube and Google Maps, as well as unique native content, such as the Africell customer service application.

In addition, it includes other smartphone level features such as Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC and offers a dual SIM hybrid slot that supports two SIM cards with 512 MB of memory + 256 MB of RAM. It also has a powerful battery that allows long hours of conversation.

For just Le. 250,000 an individual can GET a brand new KAIOS Smartphone which comes with: a Wireless Radio, LED Torchlight
Camera, MP3 Player, Bluetooth, Micro SD Card, GPS, Long Lasting Battery, Dual SIM. It also comes with One Year FREE Internet at 100MB per Month on the 1st SIM Card that is activated with the Smartphone.

In an engagement with the Managing Director of Africell-Sierra Leone, Shadi Gerjawi, stated: “As a digital company, Africell provides a link between yesterday and tomorrow. Our network gives everyone the freedom to be and to do what they want. People of all generations and from all walks of life can shine with the powerful tools Africell offers. We listen to the young generation, and we are committed to helping them shape the best future. Introducing this smart feature phone has helped us bring valuable digital services and information to the markets we operate in at a price that people can afford.”

From what was understood, KaiOS enables a new category of affordable smart feature phones that require limited memory, while still offering a rich user experience. KaiOS-enabled phones come with the KaiStore, the only app store for feature phones, with over two hundred essential apps from global and local content providers. KaiOS is now the third largest mobile operating system worldwide, running on over 100 million devices shipped across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas.

“We’re excited for this brand new KaiOS-powered device from Africell, which will help us continue spreading mobile internet in sub-Saharan Africa. The afriphone will have an immediate impact on people’s lives across the region, offering an inexpensive and convenient means of accessing the internet’s invaluable resources including education, banking, and healthcare for the first time. We are, and will be continuing our journey to enable a sustainable ecosystem by bringing in relevant apps and services that are designed to benefit people in emerging markets.” said Sebastien Codeville, CEO of KaiOS Technologies.

Telecommunications has evolved to an integral part of human interaction, and Africell is at the forefront of this evolution in Sierra Leone. With more than 70% of the market share, Africell serves almost five million active subscribers in Sierra Leone. In a world where telecommunication has transcended calls and SMS, Africell is ensuring that its subscribers are able to keep up with the rest of the world through instant messaging, captured images and videos. With 20% of customer recharges being for data products, Africell has made affordable and reliable data a priority. Quality Customer Care is a priority at Africell Sierra Leone as the company’s Customer Care center is open 7 days a week (7 am – 1 pm) and Points of Sale, in every district, to make ensure subscribes have the best service possible.

In 2008, the All Works of Life (AWOL) awarded Africell the telecommunications company of the year. Since then, the company received the award twice, in 2009 and 2011, and in 2019 Africell’s commitment to their staff was recognized by the National Telecommunications Commission. Africell has made it a responsibility to honor corporate social responsibility by actively seeking ways to alleviate poverty by promoting education, supporting entertainment and giving back to less privileged communities.

Africell prides itself on being the people’s choice. For over fifteen years the company has consistently been the leading voice in telecommunications; making innovation, affordability and social responsibilities their priority.

Fulfilling its $1.5M Pledge to the FQE… Mercury International Awards 1st Contract for Construction of Classrooms

General Manager of Mercury International, Martin Michael

By Amin Kef Sesay

The SLPP Government headed by President Julius Maada Bio has put premium on human capital development and one of its flagship programmes is the rolling out of the Free Quality Education initiative which is targeting both primary and secondary pupils attending public schools. The introduction of the programme was warmly welcomed by many because prior to this time educational expenses were a burden on most parents and invariably the number of school drop outs was very high.

Since the Free Quality Education scheme commenced we witnessed a sharp increase in the enrolment of children in public schools and the number still keeps on increasing especially in those places where it is complemented by the school feeding programme.

Indeed, the rolling out of the initiative is not all that smooth ride as there are teething challenges that must be overcome to ensure that its impact is positively felt and seen. One of these challenges is inadequate classroom spaces to accommodate the growing number of pupils that are enrolled in schools.

In order to deal with some of these challenges the SLPP led Government made provision for 21 percent in the national budget for the implementation of the free education programme. However, it has been realized that such could not be adequate to fund the scheme which makes it imperative to source funding from donor partners.

Against such a backdrop, the leading betting company in the country, Mercury International Company Sierra Leone Limited last year pledged 1.5 million dollars toward the construction of 90 classrooms in identified priority areas for four years. After making that pledge the company has been constantly engaging the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education to develop the project and map out the designs for modern-day school infrastructure. Ultimately, Mercury has awarded of the first contract to Ideas Limited for the construction of a Government Secondary School in Port Loko District, North West Region.

The building will comprise 6 classroom blocks, science laboratories, principal and staff offices, water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, and a playground for pupils.

On the 11th March 2020 the company signed the contract with Ideas Limited and during the process Mercury International Managing Director, Martin Michael, said the building will cost a little over 5 billion Leones and it will be completed before the start of the 2020/2021 academic year. He said Ideas Limited is an indigenous company with a good track record of service delivery.

He said: “…we are finally ready to sign the first contract for the construction of the first all-girls school in Port Loko.”

Martin said Port Loko was chosen because they want to actualize the promise President Bio made to the people in the district. Besides, the Northern Region is estimated to have the highest illiterate population in Sierra Leone. Statistical analyses of the 2015 Population and Housing Census show that the percentage of illiterate females far exceeds that of males across all regions.

It is expected that when the project is completed it will boost the Free Quality Education flagship programme, enhance literacy outcomes and contribute to achieving gender parity in education.