MOHS & Partners Validate Hepatitis B & C Treatment Guidelines

March 2, 2020

By Edward Vamboi

Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) together with their partners have organized a two day conference to validate Hepatitis B and C guidelines for treatment, at the Bintumani Hotel in Aberdeen.

The chairman of the conference Rev. Dr. Thomas Samba said this validation is happening after months of research and studies done by the team put together by the ministry and China CDC.

He said this is the first such report on this dangerous ailment and hope at the end of the two day programme there would be positive results and guidelines to treat all those affected.

Declaring the conference open, the deputy Minister of Health Dr. Jonathan Sandy said this is the first time of such report in Sierra Leone and the ministry is very happy to have coordinated the research in collaboration with China CDC, Partners in Health, WHO and UNICEF.

“We are very happy to have this research done as Hepatitis B has been a killer disease in the country. I am particularly honored to thank the Chinese CDC for their continued role in our health system to make it stronger and better. They have been very effective in the drive to make sure no Sierra Leonean die of these viruses anymore.”

He said the full scale study that was launched by MOHS with their partners has been successful and validation of the guidelines will come out positive that will be used to treat Sierra Leoneans in the future.

The Deputy Chinese Ambassador Mr. Wang Xinmin said China is always happy to help where necessary and that is the reason they have sent three sets of medical teams to Sierra Leone to work and help in the improvement of health.

“Even when we are fighting the coronavirus we are still determined to complete all our projects in Sierra Leone and this Hepatitis B and C which is very dangerous to Sierra Leoneans cannot be underestimated, as we believe the research that has gone on for months have now yielded much needed results that will be validated in the next two days. Mr. Wang said he hopes that the support from China CDC will continue to be pivotal to MOHS as they collaborate to eradicate diseases in the country.

The lead for Laboratory Technician Working Group Dr. Isata Wurie said that 16.9% of anti-natal population is positive with Hepatitis B and C and that it is not good for the country. She averred that they are happy to be part of the study and hoped that the validation will help to treat patients with the ailments.

Dr. Wurie said they are at the frontline and they would want to receive more training and expertise so that the testing for these diseases will be easy and effective.

Director of China CDC Professor Duan said the validation and training of the national viral hepatitis B and C guidelines in Sierra Leone has come at a time when it is very necessary to stop the cases of liver cancer that is a product of Hepatitis B. “Viral hepatitis is one of the greatest public health threats in the world, which is responsible for an estimated 1.4 million deaths each year from acute infection and hepatitis-related liver cancer and cirrhosis – a toll comparable to that of HIV and tuberculosis. In fact, hepatitis can be prevented, diagnosed, treated and managed well now. However, only a minority of patients is accessing treatment. This makes viral hepatitis be a truly silent epidemic,” he said.

Professor Duan noted that viral hepatitis remains a great challenge. There are still more than 1.3 million viral hepatitis cases reported annually and about 28 million chronic HBV patients need to be treated and they can get a robust validated national viral Hepatitis B and C guidelines for Sierra Leone with your hard work.

He said they can enjoy better health security with professional skills from every training and effort, and China CDC will support more activities for the control of hepatitis and other public health issues in Sierra Leone.

UNIDO Trains 40 Senior University Staff

March 2, 2020

By Dauda Musa Bangura

On 26^th February 2020 the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in collaboration with the University of Sierra Leone ended a one day intensive Training of Trainers (ToTs) for over 40 senior cadres of the University of Sierra Leone at IPAM campus in Freetown on Quality Management Systems.

The training brought together Deans of different faculties, senior lecturers and administrative staffs from Fourah Bay Collage, COMAHS and the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) as well as other partners and it was based on Quality Management Systems in Sierra Leone.

Giving the oversight of the training, David Gbao, the Director, Strategic Planning and Quality Assurance/Project Coordinator- University of Sierra Leone expressed the view that the project aims at building QMS capacity in Sierra Leone and involves developing a QMS curriculum to be delivered by the University of Sierra Leone further stating which is why they carefully selected lecturers who will progress to the QMS certification training and serve as tutors in sync with few administrative and postgraduate staff to support the project.

“The programme is part of UNIDO’s efforts geared towards increasing Sierra Leone’s competitiveness through enhanced productivity and trade compliance in selected value chains,” Mr. Gbao noted.

Welcoming participants from the three institutions, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of IPAM, Prof. S E Nonie highlighted that Sierra Leone has little to show when it comes to quality management systems which is why they are appreciative of the support from UNIDO to empower the University with trainings and skills to ensure quality is maintained in Sierra Leone.

The Professor called on participants to take the training very serious as they are going to serve as Ambassadors in Quality Management Systems.

He pointed out that last year they held the first session on Quality Assurance and Management underscoring how it was a starting point. He requested for salient points to be included in the operation of standards in our daily activities.

Dr. Thomas B. R. Yormah, Executive Secretary of the Sierra Leone Standards Bureau revealed to participants that his institution was established to ensure that quality and standards are maintained. He said without proper monitoring of standards the country will face a lot of issues impinging negatively on health. “We are working assiduously with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization which deals with standards and procedures in ensuring that good standards are enhanced,” he informed furthering how he promised to work and support the University of Sierra Leone to maintain standards.

Dr. Nigel H. Croft, UNIDO Consultant for the QMS ToT from UK delivered different presentations ranging from the background and concept of quality management system to the ISO 9000:2015 in providing the fundamental basis for quality management systems.

The British ISO expert on the second part of his presentation was able to give a clearer and detailed insight on ISO 9001 and the requirement standards citing processes that are risk-based focused further captivating the participants by the Plan, Do, Check and Act (PDCA) concept.

Finally, Dr. Croft expanded on the topic: “Looking Beyond ISO 9001 towards ISO 904 and the Broad Quality for Organisational Effectiveness and Efficiency” pointing out reasons why Sierra Leone must embrace quality management.

Participants expressed their profound thanks and appreciation to UNIDO and the Directorate of Quality Assurance for organising such a wonderful training exercise.

One of the beneficiaries, Dr. Haja Ramatulai Wurie, the Dean of Faculty, Senior Lecturer and Head of Biochemistry Department at the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences-USL expressed happiness for being part of the QMS Training of Trainers (ToT) stating that it was timely and prudent for the University of Sierra Leone to host it. “We have to ensure that whatever we are doing we do that with the Quality Management lens,” she averred.

The Young Dean further noted that “We have to be mindful that as academic institutions we are training the future leaders of our nation and so we must take to account quality.”

The Deputy Registrar of the University of Sierra Leone, David Condor Brima revealed that as a new department they need people with such knowledge to help train staff from the University. He said the training is beyond the training session to how participants can impact other sectors in the society.

Alpha Kanu, an Assistant Researcher at IPAM stated that the training is beyond description because the various topics where well handled by the UNIDO QMS specialist and called for more of this type of training in order to continue to improve the quality of standards within the University.

Minister of Planning Re-echoes Commitment to Accelerate Delivery in 2020

March 2, 2020

By Foday Moriba Conteh

Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Francis Kai-Kai, has said the government of President Julius Maada Bio is focused on making sure this year of delivery becomes the most important thing in Sierra Leone’s development and that NGOs are considered critical actors in the actualization of the President’s Agenda.

He made this statement, as twenty-eight (28) more NGOs signed the Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the Ministry of Social Welfare. Already, two batches of NGOs serving in the Health and Education sectors have signed the SLA.

Dr. Kai-Kai opened his remarks with acknowledgement of the contributions of NGOs to Sierra Leone’s development prior to, during and even after the civil war. He noted that the government strongly relies on NGOs in taking development to the last mile within the country. He said the government was committed to leaving no one behind, as demanded by the MTNDP (2019-2023) and also the Sustainable Development Goals (2030).

Dr. Kai-Kai noted the importance of monitoring and evaluation processes in the implementation of development projects; emphasizing the need for NGOs to effectively collaborate with Local Councils, especially in the area of reporting their activities to the Councils. He said the Ministry was at an advanced stage in establishing District Coordination Committees (DCC) to address development issues in the districts.

In her statement, the Minister of Social Welfare, Baindu Dassama, noted the significance of the signing, in the road to deliver effective social services to the people of Sierra Leone. She said the NGOs should continue working with community stakeholders in the formulation and implementation of programs, which would ensure ownership and sustainability.

Minister Dassama encouraged the NGOs to always provide line Ministries with feedback on challenges encountered during the implementation of projects. She also urged the NGOs to deliver on their projects.

Chad McCordic, Program Director, Community Led Development Program, delivering the vote of thanks on behalf of NGOs said they would be fully committed to the President’s agenda of delivering urgent results in 2020, working in key areas of the development sectors.

Other dignitaries in attendance included: The Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, The National NGO Coordinator, Eric Mansallay, The Compliance and Partnership Coordinator, Ansumana Konneh among others. Among those that signed include: Defence for Children Sierra Leone, TROCAIRE, Save the Children, Talking Drum Studio, One Village Partners, Home Leone.

In a related engagement, the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development on Thursday 27th February 2020 in Freetown conducted the signing of Service Level Agreement (SLA) between the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) and ten (10) NGO’s.

The signing ceremony, which took place at the MBSSE conference room, was geared to ensure that the NGOs provide a defined set of services within the educational sector.

The Deputy Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Robert Chakanda, who recognized the invaluable role NGOs play in meeting the aspiration of Government; noted that NGOs were considered as critical actors in the actualization of the Medium Term National Development (MTNDP 2019-2023).

“When NGOs align their plans with the MTNDP, it will be very easy to promote effective service delivery and discourage duplication of function. The President Bio-Led administration will ensure that NGOs work within the specifications set by the line Ministries to ensure that at least 70 percent of the funds for a particular project is used for direct implementation”, he said.

Dr. Chakanda implored NGOs to continue the good work and encouraging them to always attend coordination meetings at both national and district level.

In his address, the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh thanked the Ministry of Planning for championing the process of delivering the SLA’s; stressing the need for a singular vision in addressing the several challenges within the education sector. He emphasized on accountability and transparency to the citizens in the delivery of targets and plans.

Dr. Sengeh noted the importance of collaborating with NGOs in strengthening systems and providing efficient data analytics for effective service delivery. He urged the NGOs to support government institutions to jointly monitor progress of project implementation within the sector, which according to him, ‘will give an independent assessment and objective view of progress and errors/challenges in the implementation’.

Delivering the vote of thanks, the Head of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Paul Emes, while thanking everyone for their commitment to making the event happen, described the signing as an important moment in promoting service delivery in the education sector; noting that NGOs would continue to work in the interest of developing the various sectors within the governance structure of the country.

Other dignitaries in attendance included: The Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Prof. Aiah Gbakima, The National NGO Coordinator, Eric Mansallay, The Team Lead- Service Level Agreement, Emmanuel Deoud among others. The NGOs selected include: Sierra Leone Opportunities Industrialization Centre (SLOIC), Caritas Bo, Plan International, CRS, OXFAM, Concern Worldwide, COOPI, AVSI Foundation, TFSL and EDUCAID.

Making School Environment Healthier and More Conducive in Sierra Leone

March 2, 2020

Stakeholders’ workshop to develop National School Health Policy and Strategy

By Amin Kef Sesay

Sierra Leone has commenced the process of developing a National School Health Policy and Strategy to create a safe, healthy school environment for learning with the aim to improve social inclusion and sustainable human capital development. The process is being coordinated by an inter-ministerial core group led by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation.

The World Health Organization in collaboration with other United Nations agencies is providing strategic technical assistance to the government for the development of these national documents with funding from the British Government through DFID.

Once finalized, the policy will help to ensure a standardized approach to implementing and monitoring an agreed package of school health services that are provided by multi-sectoral stakeholders.

Development of the policy and strategy is an important step towards extending universal health coverage to school age children by providing them essential health services that are tailored to their needs such as age appropriate information to protect health and promote wellbeing, as well as increased access to child and adolescent friendly health services.

School health is directly linked to six, and potentially all 17 global Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations including health, education, reducing hunger, reducing poverty, gender equality, clean water and sanitation. The Sierra Leone school health policy is being developed in line with the evolving World Health Organization (WHO) Global Standards for Health Promoting Schools, and will seek to address issues on policy, the physical environment, the social environment, health skills and education including comprehensive sexuality education, and linkages with parents, communities, and the primary health care system. The policy links to many existing policies and strategies including the national strategy for the Reduction of Adolescent and Child Marriage and other instruments to prevent the high rate of teenage pregnancy

Sierra Leone has a free quality education policy for all school age children and a high proportion of its school age children are enrolled in primary and secondary schools. “When children are introduced to and adopt healthy behaviours at a very early age, it sets a strong foundation for their long-term health and development and it can be an opportunity for healthier lives and reduction of the burden of ill health in the society as a whole”, says Janet Kayita, Coordinator of the essential health services cluster at the WHO Country Office in Sierra Leone.

In December 2019, a situational analysis of school health in Sierra Leone was conducted under the stewardship of the Interministerial Steering Group to better understand the barriers to improved health and educational outcomes and map existing school health efforts by the government and development partners. Findings from that exercise will inform the development of the policy and strategy.

Pres. Bio Challenges NaCSA to Do More

March 2, 2020

By Amin Kef Sesay

President Julius Maada Bio has challenged the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) to commence the expansion of Social Safety Net Project nationwide, adding that he expects them to administer the programme effectively at all levels.
President Julius Maada Bio made this statement while launching the first phase of Sierra Leone’s Social Safety Net Project to strengthen livelihood systems through job creation schemes for the poorest, skills development initiatives and micro-enterprise schemes. The event took place in Kenema, Eastern Province, on Thursday 27 February 2020.

Addressing the ceremony, with ordinary citizens, local chiefs, government officials, legislators, diplomats and development partners in attendance, the President announced that: “With all of these and more interventions, we hope to level out perceived poverty and inequality disparities and build a skilled labour force with greater earning powers that will also engage in entrepreneurship, and increase national productivity”.

He said he was pleased to recognise the support of the World Bank, UNICEF and DfID, under whose aegis his government had provided predictable income support for almost 183 thousand beneficiaries – used equally for better quality nutrition (40%) and school expenses (44%) while about 12% was used for investing in productive activities or coping with unexpected events.

“So there is a net allocation to investments in the health, nutrition, and education of children. Government further advocated with the World Bank for an additional 30 million USD in order to expand the Social Safety Net Project to 16 districts in the country and to further strengthen the key building blocks of the country’s basic national safety net system.

“There is also additional funding set aside as an emergency preparedness fund. This additional funding will provide quarterly income support of Le 450 thousand per household targeting 210,000 persons including at least 13,000 persons living with disabilities, for a period of three years. This intervention will increase the access of poor households to basic services such as health, education, and nutrition,” he said.

President Bio further stated that the said additional financing would also deepen the impact of the Safety Net Project with respect to human capital development outcomes, adding that they hoped it would close gaps, promote behaviour change by increasing demand for health and education services, expand inclusion to the disabled, and improve crisis mitigation and response systems.

He also referenced the country’s national development plan to say that his government had invested heavily in education across board and believed that the outcomes of such human capital development initiatives would not only mitigate the impact of the risks and vulnerabilities among the poor in the medium to long term but it would also create the right platform and environment for inclusive development.

“So free quality education, free healthcare, expanded school feeding programmes, greater access to outpatient health services are all good for our poorest populations. The Medium-Term National Development Plan establishes a sound framework for social protection initiatives. Across all districts, there is a special focus on people living with disabilities.

“Government has already established the Social Insurance Scheme which replaced a dysfunctional civil servant and armed forces pension scheme. We have increased pension payments and initiated the provision of social cash transfers to the aged and vulnerable. My government’s wage, tax, and pensions policies have been driven by the need to close income disparities and put more money into the hands of the poorest and the most vulnerable,’ he informed his audience.

He ended by saying that of most importance would be the implications of such a project for childhood nutrition, expanded access to healthcare, support for access to education, especially for poor girls and by extension for the future of the country.

“We aspire to a country where old age, disability, gender, and socio-economic class can no longer dictate the limits of our capacity and achievement… where we will keep the poorest children in school, prevent malnourishment and stunting, support their healthy growth and development so that they not only realise their full potential by age 18, but also go on to become skilled, healthy, and resourceful adults,” he said.

In his welcome address, Chief Minister, Professor David John Francis, said that as a district they were pleased to host the launch of the project and for the confidence shown by the World Bank towards the New Direction Administration. He commended them for their strong partnership with the Government in helping the needy.

Commissioner of NaCSA, Bockarie Kokofele, said that the project, which catered for 35,000 households, would target predominantly women as key beneficiaries with 13,000 being persons with disabilities. He said that the additional financing would help government to expand the project to other parts of the country.

Minister of Finance, Jacob Jusu Saffa, said that the project was in line with the President’s agenda for human capital development, adding that it would help to empower persons living with disability to be self-reliant. He called on beneficiaries to make good use of the project.

World Bank Country Manager, Gayle Martin, congratulated the President and the Government of Sierra Leone on the launch of the project, adding that it could only be done by visionary leaders. She said that the Bank was providing US$30 million as part of their efforts to help the Government reduce poverty in the country.

Sierra Leone – Guinea Fiber Optic Cables Interconnected at Gbalamuya

March 2, 2020

By Esther Wright

The Smart Africa Intra African Fiber Connectivity Initiative, in collaboration with major stakeholders, including the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), the National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM), the Sierra Leone Cable LTD. (SALCAB), the National Backbone Management and Operating Company (SOGEB Guinea), Post, Telecommunications & Radio Authority (ARPT Guinea) and Afritek Guinea have successfully connected the two fiber optic cables between Sierra Leone and Guinea at Gbalamuya on February 28 2020.

The essence of the interconnectivity is to provide fibre internet redundancy in both countries, meaning if the Sierra Leone ACE submarine cable is down, Guinea will provide automatic internet access to Sierra Leone through the interconnected fibre link at Gbalamuya and likewise Sierra Leone will also provide internet access to Guinea when their submarine cable is down. The next fibre interconnectivity project to be undertaken by Smart Africa will be between Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Internet redundancy among African countries was one of the main resolutions discussed during the last ECOWAS ICT Expert meeting in Burkina Faso on October 4th 2019.

The days of relying on one submarine fibre cable are nearly over as technical modalities are on-gong to activate the new link and feed it with live voice and data traffic.

Orange-SL Takes Super Coders Programme to Kolenten School in Kambia

March 2, 2020

By Foday Moriba Conteh

On Friday 28^th February 2020, one of Sierra Leone’s leading GSM mobile operators, -Orange-SL in partnership with the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education and ST Foundation, Bridge the Digital Divide-Sierra Leone launched the Super Coders Programme at the Kolenten Junior Secondary School in Kambia District.

The launching was graced by Orange-SL Shop Head, Kambia & Kono, Ortise Campbell, SLP Traffic Management Kambia Division, Inspector Brima Lamin Kamara, Principal Kolenten Junior Secondary School Kambia, Fr. Jacek Pielak, representative of Sierra Leone Teachers’ Union Kambia, Mohamed S. Jalloh, representative from the Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation, Devshi Mehrotra, Honourable Member of Parliament Constituency 060 Kambia District, and Hon. Bai Sama Kamara, who officially launched the Super Coders Scratch at the Kolenten Secondary School in Kambia.

Addressing the participants on behalf of Orange SL, Shop Head Kambia & Kono, Ortise Campbell, disclosed that Orange being a multi service provider and a responsible corporate citizen places emphasis on corporate social investment, adding that in the last three years, Orange has invested about $400,000 mainly in the areas of Women Empowerment, Health, Education and the Environment and that the company remains the first operator in Sierra Leone to contribute to the government’s Free Quality Education (FQE) Agenda by pledging the sum of $1.5m in material assistance over a period of five years.

“Orange in partnership with the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), designed five projects. One of such projects is the Super Coders Scratch Program, in which Orange, in partnership with ST Foundation, intends to introduce ICT training on basic coding for children in 100 secondary schools with existing ICT labs over a period of five years,” he disclosed.

He said that the implementation will be done in two phases: First batch of 10 schools commenced on Wednesday 19 February 2020 for the next ten days in various government-assisted schools with ICT labs across the country.

The Second phase of 15 schools will be rolled out in May 2020.

He noted that the Super Coders Scratch Project is an introductory ICT training program for children between ages 9 to 16 years, pointing out that Scratch is a computer programming language. He said that in Scratch, programs are made by joining together coloured blocks using the Mouse. These groups of blocks (called script) tell characters on the Screen (called Sprites) what to do. Scratch is free, safe and fun to experiment with.

He stated that with Scratch, children can make their own interactive Stories, Animations, Games, Music, and Art further revealing how Scratch has large collections or libraries of cool graphics and fun sounds to play around with, which enable children to solve real life social issues through coding and animation.

He maintained that coding once introduced in related schools by Orange, will be included in their ICT curriculum and will be taught by the ICT tutors in each school. He reiterated how many would recall that Orange commenced the execution of its FQE project in October 2019, where the company distributed 2,000 hygiene packs to 20 schools in the Western Urban and Rural areas, conducted awareness and sensitization on menstrual hygiene and sexual reproductive health, adding that this year, Orange-SL will roll out all five projects before the end of 2020.

“As a global telecoms player operating in about 22 countries in Africa and the Middle East, Orange aims at being the leading partner in the digital transformation of all our countries of presence. In achieving this ambition, Orange has included education as one of its key pillars under its CSR policy,” he underscored.

Director, ST Foundation, Bridge the Digital Divide-Sierra Leone, Mohamed Dumbuya, disclosed that Scratch is a free programmable toolkit that enables kids to create their own games, animated stories, interactive art and share their creations with one another over the internet.

He extended gratitude to Orange Sierra Leone for partnering with ST Foundation in implementing the Super Coders Scratch Project in secondary schools across the country.

He also buttressed that the Super Coders Project is an introductory ICT training program for children between ages 9 to 16, adding that the union, marriage or partnership they are enjoying was created by UNICEF-Sierra Leone by introducing the two parties and bringing them together.

He revealed how STF/BDD-SL has been working in providing ICT education for schools and tertiary institutions in Sierra Leone for the past 10 years and within that period of operations over 145,000 Sierra Leoneans have benefited.

He said ST Foundation has 31 locations in the country, but that Kolenten Secondary School is the only beneficiary in Kambia District, adding that they have presented a list of schools that will benefit the Ministry of Education for approval and urged the pupils to make good use of the opportunity offered by Orange and ST Foundation.

Orange CSR Officer, Rebecca Sogbeh, disclosed that Orange in partnership with the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), designed five projects. One of such projects is the Super Coders Scratch Program, which Orange in partnership with ST Foundation intends to introduce through ICT training on basic coding for children in 100 secondary schools with existing ICT labs over a period of five years, adding that Orange-SL remains to be the first GSM operator in the country to contribute to the government’s Free Quality Education (FQE) initiative by pledging the sum of $1.5m in material assistance over a period of five years.

Sogbeh maintained that in fulfilling their commitment, in 2019 Orange launched and rolled-out hygiene packs for girls aged 12-18 years, adding that they are going to donate 10,000 packs over five years and over 2,000 sanitary packs yearly to schools.

She further disclosed that Orange-SL will launch and roll-out during this year, solar kits for school children in the rural areas, out of which 1,000 solar kits will be distributed over five years to 200 villages without grid to be covered per year, stating how they will install them in local libraries/community centers/schools etc. and 100,000 individuals are expected to benefit from the project.

She ended by saying that Orange-SL will also roll-out Open Class Room program that will enable 300 free certifying digital courses, 10-20 Hours on-line work where 500 teaches will benefit in five years.

Honourable Member of Parliament Constituency 060 Kambia District, Hon. Bai Sama Kamara, who officially launched the Super Coder programme at Kolenten Secondary School, also expressed appreciation to Orange-SL and ST Foundation for the implementation of the project in their District.

He encouraged the targeted beneficiaries to make maximum use of the Super Coder programme, as this will enhance their development as children, adding that they will continue to support Orange-SL and ST Foundation in rolling out programs that are meaningful and beneficial to the children of this nation.

He admonished the teaches to grab the opportunity that will be given to them by Orange, which is the Open Class Room program that will enable 300 free certifying digital courses, 10-20 hours on-line work, where 500 teaches will benefit in five years.

The event was climaxed by Project Digital Demonstration, which was done by the representative from the Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation, Devshi Mehrotra.

Gov’t Pays Over Le l4 Billion School Fees

March 2, 2020

By Amin Kef Sesay

The Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), has made a total payment of Le l46,927,817,600 as tuition fees for pupils in pre-primary, primary, junior and senior secondary schools in Government and Government-assisted schools for the 2018/2019 school year and first term of the 2019/2020 school year.

This is in fulfilment of the Government’s commitment to the citizens of Sierra Leone on the flagship Free Quality School Education (FQSE) programme, according to a press release issued by the ministry.

The release added that the MBSSE in consultation with the leadership of the Council of Principals of Secondary Schools and the National Council of Head Teachers agreed to delay the payment of second term school fees for the 2019/2020 academic year until Government conducted direct head count of pupils in Government and Government assisted schools.

‘The head count conducted to validate the actual enrolment figures in schools, shows anomalies in enrolment data submitted by some schools in the 2019 Annual School Census (ASC),’ the release noted. It went on to state that ‘in 29% of schools, the enrolment numbers are consistent between the two data sources while 37% of schools reported much higher numbers in the ASC than was recently counted; while 34% of schools have more students enrolled than was captured during the ASC conducted last year and that there is only 1% overall difference in enrolment numbers between the ASC and the completed headcount,’ the press release informed.

The recently completed and validated head count will be used by Government to determine the payment of school fees, supply of Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs) and textbooks for the remainder of this academic year, while more robust systems are put in place to mitigate against discrepancies for the ASC 2020, while school leaders are encouraged to desist from cheating the system, the release stated.

The release added that the Government is assuring heads of schools and the general public that payment of school fees for the second term of the 2019/2020 academic year is now being processed, while government reiterated its commitments to the full implementation of its flagship Free Quality School Education programme, which has added close to 700,000 new students and continues to be highly successful.

Liberia Learns Financial Management Skills from Sierra Leone

March 2, 2020

By Theresa Kef Sesay

A team headed by Liberia’s Deputy Minister for Administration, Ministry of Finance & Development Planning, Hon. Rebecca Y. McGill, has concluded a one week study tour which is geared towards enhancing knowledge-sharing on experiences, best practices and lessons learnt from the Government of Sierra Leone in the implementation of its Public Financial Management (PFM) reforms.

The objectives of the study tour was to work out details with her Sierra Leonean counterparts on the formation of a complete and comprehensive donor intervention matrix; the execution of the reform agenda from the context of Sierra Leone and how it relates to Liberia; and an internationally acceptable reporting format on the execution of the reforms.

Hon. McGill said the government of Liberia has made steady progress in the implementation of its Public Financial Management (PFM) reform agenda, noting that in September of 2012, the government launched the multi-donor funded Integration Public Financial Management Reforms Project (IPFMRP).

She said the IPFMRP officially closed on June 30, 2016, as a result, an implementation Complementation Report was produced, which, among other things, recommended the implementation of the formation of a separate project management outfit to manage the affairs of the project.

She added that the delegation from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning has an in-depth appreciation on the implementation of PFM reforms by the PFM Reforms Division within the Ministry of Finance in Sierra Leone.

“The team has also gained an understanding on the linkages of the various components within the PFM landscape and their lines of reporting and the formation of a comprehensive donor intervention matrix and its alignment, so as not to avoid duplication of funding, and an acceptable reporting format on the execution across Government,” she said.

As a result of the study tour, certain action points were made, which include effective network of PFM officers through knowledge sharing, peer learning and when possible, exchange visitations.

The team also evidenced that the Liberia Reform Coordinating Unit (RCU) is constrained with staffing, as currently the Unit is staffed with a Coordinator and assisted by a deputy and a PFM Specialist to champion the reform agenda of the Government of Liberia.

The delegation hopes to develop its PFM Reform Strategy after Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) which is slated for December 2020

“The Sierra Leone PFM governance structure which shows the three tier governance committees was explained and it was noted that Liberia’s structure starts with the second-tier (Technical Committee) and the Steering Committee but lacks the first level of the Thematic Technical Working Group structure where objectives, activities and outputs of the PEMRS are closely monitored and reported upon,” according to one of the action points.

The Principal Deputy Financial Secretary (PDFS) at the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Mathew Dingie, thanked the team for choosing Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Finance as a case study, noting that Sierra Leone and Liberia have been on exchange programme for a long time now.

He said he is aware of the economic challenges both countries are faced with, but progress has been made so far. “One of the good things about PFM, it does not have an end game, noting that even countries with bigger economies do go through PFM reforms. Our focus now is to ensure that PFM works without human intervention that is why we are trying to digitalize the reforms,” he said.

According to him, revenue is at the heart of everything they do as a nation, adding that revenue is key for government to deliver on it key promises.

The delegation comprised of Hon. Rebecca Y. McGill, Deputy Finance Minister Administration, Mr. Vee-Musa Fofana, Coordinator, Mr. Joseph K. Fahnbuleh, Deputy Coordinator and Mr. Abel D. Nowon, Financial Management Specialist.

With Le18 M. Cash Prizes… Adonis Abboud Trust Fund Awards Outstanding University Graduates at USL & UNIMAK

March 2, 2020

By Amin Kef Sesay

Dr. Adonis Abboud, Chairman of the Adonis Abboud Trust Fund (ATTF), on Saturday 22^nd February, 2020, once more demonstrated his humanitarian and educational support to graduands at the National Stadium.

In his brief statement, he noted that without a healthy and well-educated citizenry, a nation cannot develop. Educational excellence, he said, is the path to growth and economic prosperity.

Dr. Abboud presented the awards alongside with the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio and the Vice Chancellor of the University of Sierra Leone to the Best Male and Best Female graduates in several faculties.

The Vice-Chancellor, in his address, appreciated and referenced Dr. Abboud for his relentless support to the University of Sierra Leone, spanning more than three decades.

Recipients of the awards included from IPAM, Abibatu Dora Kamara and Alexander Ayodele-Manley, Fourah Bay College, Despaul J.E.A Black and Leona Conteh, COMAHS, Sidney, Hindolo Samai best graduate in medicine. The task of assessing and selecting the winners was done strictly by the University Administration.

At the same time, on the other side of the country in Makeni, UNIMAK Conferment Ceremony was taking place. Senior Project Coordinator and ATTF representative, Hawah Bah, presented the awards and cash prizes to the best male and female graduates. From UNIMAK, Miss Hassanatu Sheriff and Mohamed O. Bangura were the beneficiaries for the Academic Year 2019/2020.

Dr. Adonis recognized the Vice Chancellor of the University of Makeni, Joseph Turay, who he said would be remembered for his tradition to start the recognition of best graduates as it took off for the first time 5 years ago in UNIMAK.

On behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Professor Joseph Turay, and the entire staff of UNIMAK, the Mass Communication Department thanked Dr. Adonis Abboud and his organization for the support and presentation of awards to outstanding students every year.

This is the third congregation ceremony in 3 weeks in which the ATTF is making similar donations covering 5 universities and 9 award recipients, including more recently, the Faculty of Architecture at Fourah Bay College, which received 10 Laptops. The Adonis Abboud Trust Fund will continue to provide support to schools and universities in Sierra Leone to help enhance the educational sector and contribute to the development of the nation.

It could be recalled that on Saturday 22^nd February, 2020, the University of Sierra Leone congregation, faculty, students and their families gathered at the National Stadium in Freetown to celebrate the conferment of degrees.

The ceremony was presided over by His Excellency, President Julius Maada Bio. In his address to this year’s Class of 2020, President Bio encouraged graduates to become entrepreneurs with home-grown solutions. He emphasized that for entrepreneurship to thrive he had always stated that the government must create a conducive entrepreneurial ecosystem. President Bio further stated that this year’s congregation, which had as its theme: “Education toward Entrepreneurship,” especially resonated with his vision for the future of the country.

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