President of the Sierra Leone Bar Association, Michaela Eddinia Swallow
By Amin Kef Sesay
Michaela Eddinia Swallow Esq, President of the Sierra Leone Bar Association, was the proud recipient of an international recognition from the Institute of African Women in Law on its “Amandla! Women to Watch Edition”.
The “Amandla! Women to Watch Edition” is part of the African Women in Law Speaker Series that aims to amplify the achievements and stories of African women in law. The Series is also a collection of short stories on women’s achievements, challenges, resistance, resilience and solidarity.
Michaela Eddinia Swallow Esq. is the first Sierra Leonean female legal practitioner to be featured by the Institute of African Women in Law in its “Amandla! Women to Watch Edition”. According to the Institute, through this project, the Institute of African Women in Law hopes to inspire, encourage and provide hope for future generations of young women across the globe. The Institute has also featured several distinguished women in law across the continent from South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Kenya, Tanzania to Zimbabwe.
Narrating her story, Michaela Eddinia Swallow Esq. said: “At a tender age, I fantasized of being a children’s doctor, caring for babies. However, an encounter with injustice, taught me how seriously the law and access to justice can change lives.”
On the 10th May 2021 the Court of Appeal, presided over by Hon. Justice Fatmatta Bintu Alhadi (JA), directed Lawyers representing former President Ernest Bai Koroma to file and serve their written synopsis and appropriate Authorities on the Registrar and the Respondents on or before the 31st May 2021.
The former President filed appeals against the findings and recommendations of the judge-led Commissions of Inquiry (COI). It is stated that this is the first time the Court is hearing an appeal emanating from the former President since the commencement of the COI Appeals.
Hon. Justice Fatmatta Bintu Alhadi (JA), Komba Kamanda (JA) and Tonia Barnett (JA), the empaneled Justices, further directed the battery of lawyers representing the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to file and serve their written synopsis and appropriate Authorities on the Registrar and the Appellants on or before the 21st June 2021.
The matter was adjourned to the 30th June 2021 for hearing.
In another related development, the Court presided over by Hon. Justice Alhadi also gave directions on two other COI matters involving Emmanuel Beresford Osho Coker, Secretary to former President Koroma and the Limkokwing University.
Counsel for the Appellant, Roland Wright, was asked to file and serve his written synopsis with appropriate Authorities on the Respondent and the Registrar on or before the 31st May 2021 and the Respondents was directed to do same on or before the 21st of June 2021. The matter was adjourned to the 28th June for further hearing.
Lawyer I. Kanneh who represented Limkokwing University, having also filed an appeal against the findings and recommendations of the COIs, was directed to file and serve their written synopsis and Authorities on the Registrar and Respondents on the 24th May 2021, adding that the Respondents must do same on the 7th of June 2021. The matter was adjourned to the 14th June 2021 for hearing.
On the 10th May 2021 the Government of Sierra Leone and SL Mining Company disclosed that a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by the two parties bordering on an out of court settlement geared towards putting behind them thorny issues that led to a costly arbitration when SL Mining Company took legal recourse against the Government of Sierra Leone in London.
The two parties have in a Memorandum of Understanding agreed on an out-of-court settlement aimed at resolving the issues between them.
It must be recalled that there was an existing impasse between the two parties which culminated in the Government of Sierra Leone cancelling the mining license of SL Mining Company for allegedly breaching its mining lease agreement.
In a Press Release issued by the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources dated 10th May 2021 and signed by the Minister, Musa Timothy Kabba, it was categorically stated that following lengthy discussion and negotiations, the matter between the Government of Sierra Leone and SL Mining Ltd/Gerald Group has been amicably resolved in the best interest of the people and Government of Sierra Leone and SL mining Ltd/Gerald Group.
The Release continued that members of the public could recall that in 2019 the Government of Sierra Leone cancelled SL Mining’s license on sundry grounds which resulted in the closure of the mines.
“In the spirit of the resolution both parties in the dispute have dropped their respective claims,” the Press Release furthered adding that a new company will be formed and a new mining lease agreement negotiated to ensure greater benefits for the people of Sierra Leone.
The Mines Ministry maintained that it wishes to use the opportunity to assure all employees that Government will continue to work with the new company to ensure that all Sierra Leonean employees and service providers of SL mining/Gerald Group are not disadvantaged in any way.
Based on what this medium understood the binding agreement was signed by both parties on the 7th May, 2021. It was further learnt that in the spirit of the resolution, SL Mining / Gerald Group and the Government will withdraw their respective legal claims or allegations under both ICC and ICSID arbitrations, and both Gerald and the Government will provide full support to ensure a rapid commencement of mining operations.
The negotiated amicable out of court settlement entails broadly the following terms amongst others: All legal cases and /or allegations between the parties will be indefinitely withdrawn.
A new company will be formed wherein Gerald Group will own 90 percent interest and the Government will own a 10 percent non-dilutable interest.
The new company will take over all assets and rights of SL Mining, which include Marampa North, Marampa South, and all property plant and equipment.
Gerald has committed to increase materially the production of Marampa.
The new company will commence operations by 1st of June 2021 and Gerald will have the immediate right to ship the current stockpile, which is 707k tons of iron ore.
Gerald will pay a fixed sum of USD 20 million in two instalments of USD 10 million prior to 31 December 2021.
The new company will negotiate during the course of May 2021 a new Mining Lease Agreement that will be a win-win for the Government and Gerald.
Craig Dean, Gerald Group’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “I am delighted that we have been able to resolve our differences and have a fresh start and new beginning with the Government of Sierra Leone. I would like to thank His Excellency, President Bio, for personally working with me and the team to resolve this longstanding situation in the best interests of the people of Sierra Leone, the Government, and the Gerald Group / SL Mining. We look forward to a positive long-term working relationship.”
It was understood that the CEO of SL Mining Craig Dean, Minister of Information and Communications, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, Attorney General and Minister of Justice ,Anthony Brewah, and Mines Minister, Timothy Kabba, all expressed delight at the peaceful resolution.
According to a school of thought this is good news for Sierra Leoneans as it expected that when the company resumes operations soon it will create thousands of jobs and positively be contributing to overall national development through the payment of taxes.
SL Mining is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gerald International Limited, which is the holding company for all entities in Gerald Group.
The Group is one of the world’s leading commodity groups, and the oldest and largest employee-owned metals merchant in the world. SL Mining restarted production at the Marampa Project after 4 years, following earlier failed attempts by other international companies. SL Mining began marketing and shipping premium grade 65% iron ore concentrate to steel miles in China in June and July 2019 from the Marampa Project.
It is stated that Gerald Group aims to contribute to world trade and economic development in a sustainable and responsible manner. Founded in 1962 in the United States, the Group is the world’s oldest and largest independent and employee-owned metals trading house Headquartered in London.
It cannot be contested in shape or form to correctly state that, unlike some business entities operating in the country, the National Petroleum-Sierra Leone Limited (NP-SL Ltd) is currently a very reliable source of drawing inspiration by indigenes that have big dreams of coming together to establish a business entity that they may want to see grow exponentially into becoming a towering business entity.
Without any gainsaying, there are many useful lessons that could be learnt from NP-SL Ltd that could inspire aspiring entrepreneurs which would definitely serve as a roadmap to navigate through the business landscape in order to crystallize their dreams into reality.
The company was founded decades ago by thirty-five Sierra Leoneans who were erstwhile employees of the British Petroleum Company which decided to fold up and sell its shares to the Government of Sierra Leone. Based on technical advice, the Government also decided to sell its shares and the 35 former workers bought those shares to set up what became known as the National Petroleum-SL Ltd. It must be highlighted at this juncture that the company is a private-owned business entity and the Government has no hands in it, does not decide how it is operated and grappling with challenges.
One of the underlying factors that have been noted for the meteoric rise of the company could be attributed to the selflessness of its shareholders. These ambitious Sierra Leoneans were so dedicated to the cause of catapulting their “baby” to higher height to such an extent that they put all their best initiatives into play that culminated into the company becoming a formidable force to reckon with.
These fine business initiatives were well implemented to the letter which led to the realization of fruitful dividends. Selflessness, in this context, could mean putting aside ego, working with a collective sense of purpose, brushing aside deceit, greed and ready to give as well as take. This could be the first Lesson.
The next lesson borders around enhancing customer care with the avowed objective of giving optimum satisfaction. The Shareholders and various Management teams harnessed this so well to an extent that they have succeeded in broadening their customer base. As far as they are concerned it is the interests of customers which are paramount and therefore everything must be done to ensure that those interests are given due consideration whenever decisions are taken to push the company forward.
It is in this regard that the shareholders decided to go in for modern calibrated pumping machines which are capable of churning out the right quantity of fuel that a buyer puts in for as well as displaying the price. These machines make fuel transactions become very transparent, thereby giving customers satisfaction and confidence that they are deriving their monies worth.
Within that realm, the Shareholders also thought it prudent to introduce NP Smart Card which is now in vogue. This Smart Card can be used to purchase fuel, petrol and diesel, with ease avoiding the hassle of having to be rushing to the banks to re intermittently withdrawing monies for the purpose of purchasing fuel. The card could be credited with a certain amount of money and whenever transaction transpires the amount utilized is debited. Its greatest advantage is that it avails the holder of the Smart Card the opportunity to programme or budget him or herself to purchase fuel on a periodic basis.
NP Gas is now going like hot cakes on the market. It is a cooker which has been proven to be very effective in terms of performance. Manufactured in different cylinder sizes it has been attested to be environmentally friendly in terms of less gaseous emissions that could pose health risks. NP Gas can be secured at all the leading Filing Stations of the company and its authorized dealers.
With all these attractive offers, there is a lesson that enhancing customer care is very key to the growth of any business enterprise. Aspiring entrepreneurs could learn from this.
What also has been identified as a good business initiative which the company has mastered so effectively has to do with promoting the country’s Local Content Policy. The intent of this policy is geared towards ensuring that we make proper use of our local resources, human as well as material, in the production chain. It is against such a backdrop that the company limits employment opportunities to qualified Sierra Leoneans instead of bringing over expatriates to perform tasks that could be better done by indigenes. Knowing that they are employed by an indigenous company such gives the employees the sense of ownership and the extra motivation to give their best to the company.
Another Lesson: Make use of local resources which could be cost effective instead of spending much to use expatriates just for the sake of showing off. Besides, monies, in the forms of salaries and end of service benefits are retained and not taken out of the country. It gives any company operating with such a policy a nationalistic flavour.
To give back to society, in the form of Corporate Social Responsibility, brings with it respectability and integrity. It is very important to be in a position to always assist residents in communities where a business entity operates or to the country as a whole.
From all what have been said so far, it could be seen that NP-SL Ltd has valuable lessons which aspiring entrepreneurs could imbibe and infuse in their activities if fruitful dividends must be realized. Indeed, NP-SL Ltd is really a source of inspiration and a reservoir of good business initiatives.
As part of their continuous support to the less privileged in the country, the Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone H.E Hu Zhangliang, on behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone, has on Monday 10th May, 2021, donated a batch of food items to the United Council of Imams in order to support needy Muslims as they are now ending the observation of the Holy Month of Ramadan. The handing over took of the food items took place at the Chinese Ambassador’s Residence on Spur Road in Freetown and was witnessed by the Minister of Social Welfare, Baindu Dassama among other personalities.
The donated items include 6.25 tons of rice, 1,250 liters of cooking oil, 2.5 tons of sugar and 450 kg of salt, were received by the United Council of Imams (UCI) for further distribution to the needy.
Ambassador Hu said that the donation is a gesture of friendship and thanked the Hon. Minister of Social Welfare and the UCI for their coordination. He also expressed his good wishes, through the UCI, to Muslims in Sierra Leone and wished them a joyous Eid Al-Fitr in advance.
He said that the handing over of the consignment of food items donated by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Sierra Leone to the United Council of Imams is to support needy Muslims as they are observing the Holy Month of Ramadan, adding that the move by the Embassy is to supplement the good efforts of the Government of Sierra Leone and other institutions in supporting Muslims at this material time.
The Ambassador noted that he is with the strong conviction that the United Council of Imams will undertake the moral responsibility of handling and facilitating the distribution of the donated items in order for them to reach the targeted beneficiaries within the quickest possible time.
On receiving the donation, Alhaji Dr. Mohammed Habib Sheriff, the President of UCI and other senior Muslim leaders thanked the Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone for the kind gesture and its continued support. They said that the food items came at the right time and assured that the items will be used for their intended purposes.
The Minister of Social Welfare, Baindu Dassama, on her part and on behalf of the Government of Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Social Welfare expressed appreciation to the Chinese Embassy for what she described as a positive gesture describing it as something huge. She further assured the Embassy that all the donated items will reach the intended beneficiaries.
It was disclosed in a Press Release dated 11th May 2021 it was pointed out that the Management of Kingho Railway and Port Company Limited is extremely gratified to inform its staff, community stakeholders, Government and people of Sierra Leone that the country’s Parliament has debated and ratified its Railway and Port Lease Agreement.
On Friday 8th January 2021, the Management of the parent company, Kingho Investment Company Limited, joined officials of the mining and minerals sector of Sierra Leone to sign the Railway and Port Lease Agreement which ensures that the company’s subsidiary- Kingho Railway and Port Company Limited manage and operate the infrastructure of the railway and Pepel port for haulage and export of Kingho Mining Company’s iron ore out the country.
The agreement also makes provision for Kingho to haul the commodity of any other company along the rail corridor under a commercial agreement. Also worthy to note is that the 192 kilometer railway facility and the Pepel Port which stretches from the New Tonkolili Iron Ore mines in Tonkolili District are owned by the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL).
Also spelt out in the Release is that in order to enhance effective transportation of the iron ore from the mining site in Tonkolili to be transported out of the country, Kingho has to lease the railway and port facilities from the GoSL.
It said against the backdrop of the Parliamentary approval process , the Board of Directors of Kingho Investment Company and all its subsidiaries express profound gratitude to the Government and people of Sierra Leone for the relentless trust bestowed on them. “The fulfillment of this agreement proves that Kingho is here to do business and in the right way.
The company is trying to build a solid foundation of our success in compliance to all Government and local regulations and laws and in a transparent manner for the benefit of not just the company, but also the people of Sierra Leone,” Gilbert Zhao, CEO of Kingho Investment Company Limited stated.
Clinical trials of the drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) showed that it helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence
Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has given its approval to an anti-COVID drug developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The drug has been approved for emergency use as an adjunct therapy in moderate to severe coronavirus cases. The drug is to be administered orally.
Clinical trials of the drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) showed that it helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence.
The approval to the drug has come at a time when India has been grappling with a record-breaking wave of coronavirus pandemic that has stretched the country’s healthcare infrastructure to its limit.
The announcement of the approval was made by India’s Health Ministry
“In the ongoing second COVID-19 wave, a large number of patients are facing severe oxygen dependency and need hospitalisation.
“The drug is expected to save precious lives due to the mechanism of operation of the drug in infected cells. This also reduces the hospital stay of COVID-19 patients,” the Ministry said.
It said the anti-COVID-19 therapeutic application of 2-DG drug has been developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a leading laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) in Hyderabad.
“On May 01, DCGI granted permission for emergency use of this drug as adjunct therapy in moderate to severe COVID-19 patients. Being a generic molecule and analogue of glucose, it can be easily produced and made available in plenty in the country,” the Ministry said in a statement.
Adjunctive therapy is a treatment used together with the primary treatment to assist it.
The drug comes in powder form in a sachet and is taken orally by dissolving it in water.
“It accumulates in the virus-infected cells and prevents virus growth by stopping viral synthesis and energy production. Its selective accumulation in virally infected cells makes this drug unique,” the Ministry said.
In terms of efficacy trends, the Ministry said, patients treated with 2-DG showed faster symptomatic cure than the standard of care (SoC) on various endpoints.
“A significantly favourable trend (2.5 days difference) was seen in terms of the median time to achieving normalisation of specific vital signs parameters when compared to SoC,” it said.
“Clinical trial results of the drug have shown that it helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence. A higher proportion of patients treated with 2-DG showed RT-PCR negative conversion in COVID patients,” it added.
Head of the European Delegation to Sierra Leone, Tom Vens
By Amin Kef Sesay
On the 9th May 2021 when Europe Day was celebrated in order to celebrate peace and unity in Europe after the Second World War the Head of the European Delegation to Sierra Leone, Tom Vens, delivered a statement to mark the day.
He stated that as we celebrate Europe Day, it is good all remind themselves why the EU exists underscoring that the Schuman declaration was signed on the 9th of May 1950.
Tom Vens intimated that in the immediate aftermath of the second world war, it laid the foundations for today’s EU.
“Let us never forget: at its core, the EU is a peace project,” he highlighted furthering how the world may have fundamentally changed in the 71 years since the signing of the Declaration, but the desire for peace as the underlying driver for what they do and aspire for, remains the same, be it back at home or through our partnerships.
He said because of COVID, they are celebrating differently this year. “COVID continues to have a devastating impact on so many people across the globe and calls for all of us to remain vigilant, act responsibly and be ambassadors for global solidarity and action,” he averred adding how he does not want to miss the opportunity to appreciate the remarkable efforts by his team and many partners to mobilize significant resources in the fight against COVID-19 in Sierra Leone under the umbrella of Team Europe.
The Head of EU Delegation stated how this year they are also celebrating differently because they wanted to bring the EU closer to the people with this year’s Europe Week events.
He said in the past week, the colourful bus that many saw at the entrance brought #TheEUandMe roadshow and photo exhibition to communities across the country, to listen, to engage, to gather ideas and to show their partnership in action.
Tom Vens said from their support to education, over adding value in agriculture, to empowering women and young people, building quality infrastructure, supporting local governance and building stronger, accountable institutions they are proud of what they do, what they have done and what they will continue to do as a dependable partner for the people of Sierra Leone.
“Our future in Sierra Leone will, in part, also be shaped by today’s global challenges, with climate change and environmental protection at the top of the agenda,” he stated adding how their partnership will therefore also translate in a Green Deal for Sierra Leone, aimed to drastically beefing up their efforts to protect the environment, promote the use of renewable energy and support sustainable food systems.
He said more than ever, they will do that hand in hand with their EU partners: in complementarity with their EU Member States and in close cooperation with other EU actors on the ground.
“This is what Team Europe is about,” he proudly asserted.
He continued that secondly they will continue to invest in education stating that without a better educated population across the board, development will be patchy at best.
“We want to continue contributing to the Government’s top priority of providing quality education and preparing youth with the right set of skills that a strong economy needs, he said optimistically saying it is a longer-term journey and they will continue to be partners in this journey.
Tom Vens said finally it is about governance as they are witnessing a global trend where democracies are eroding and where accountability is under threat.
“None of you here present need convincing that this is a recipe for instability and we will continue to work closely with all of you in this journey for more just societies,” he assured.
Head of Delegation stated that it is the substance of what they want to focus on in the coming years and he is very pleased that through consultations over the past months, they received a strong confirmation that these are indeed the right priorities for their future partnership.
“Our commitment to continue supporting the country’s Development Agenda and, more broadly, the SDGs, will be matched by an ambitious set of resources,” he said.
He stated that their ambition is also to rebalance their partnership which means agreeing on a shared political and policy agenda and reinforcing accountability in delivering against this agenda.
“When we pursue stability and prosperity, this not only serves Sierra Leone’s interests, but also the EU’s interests,” he pointed out.
He said the plight of youth, women and girls will be central to all of this, as will their efforts to promote more space for a strong private sector to assume a pivotal role in Sierra Leone’s development and in the EU’s partnership with Sierra Leone.
According to him that does not just require for the right instruments to be available, but also the creation of a predictable environment and a level playing field that inspires confidence to investors and that allows for a longer-term horizon.
“This will not just promote sustainable growth with attention for the environment, but also the creation of decent jobs and in doing so a future for a growing number of youth,” he said maintaining that it is beyond any State institution to directly tackle youth unemployment as that can only be when the conditions are in place for durable investment by the private sector.
Climaxing the celebration the European Union Ambassadors concluded Europe Week 2021 with #TheEUandMeRoadShow visit to the Peninsula Secondary and Methodist Girls High Schools.
The EU Ambassador, Tom Vens, was accompanied by the Irish Ambassador, Lesley Ní Bhriain, the German Ambassador Horst Gruner and the French Chargé d’Affaires Romain Vuillaume bringing the Europe Week Sierra Leone 2021 to a grand finale on the 10th May.
It must be noted that in 2019, the Peninsula School’s work to educate its pupils about the environment helped them win an EU art competition intended to increase understanding of the effects of climate change whereas the Methodist Girls High School’s history of promoting access for girls to secondary education reflects the EU’s firm belief in gender equality.
Tom Vens kicked off the engagement with the pupils by talking about the origins and purpose of Europe Week and Europe Day. “Europe Day is recognized every year on May 9th and is a day to celebrate peace and unity in Europe, after the Second World War,” he said.
“The date marks the anniversary of the historic Schuman Declaration, where at a speech in Paris in 1950, Robert Schuman, the French Foreign Minister at the time, set out his idea for a new form of political cooperation in Europe, which would make war between Europe’s nations unthinkable.”
He explained what had been the purpose of the #TheEUandMeRoadShow which took place from 3 to May 2021 across Sierra Leone: to take messages about the EU’s values and development cooperation with Sierra Leone to a wider audience and to allow the EU to capture feedback from those who have really experienced the positive impact of the projects they support.
At both schools, a discussion followed on: “The Role of Young People in the EU Partnership.”
The diplomatic visitors listened to the pupils talk about their personal and professional ambitions and about the form they believe future cooperation with Sierra Leone should take.
Pupils in particular cited agriculture and health as priority sectors for cooperation with the EU and expressed the wish that Sierra Leone would be a flagship of development in 20 years’ time.
In a bid to capacitate media practitioners with knowledge to support awareness raising /sensitization before, during and even after the Polio Vaccination Campaign, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Health Education Division has on Monday 10th May, 2021 held a one day orientation for journalists on Polio Vaccination Campaign. The orientation took place at the Emergency Operational Centre, Cockerill, on Wilkinson Road in Freetown.
Risk Communication Pillar Lead at NaCOVERC, Harold Thomas, revealed that the one day orientation for journalists is geared towards supporting rumor management and media monitoring thereby identifying rumors, misconceptions and respond to rumors which they think can be handled, adding that the training will also capacitate media practitioners with knowledge to support awareness raising /sensitization before, during and even after the campaign.
He noted that Polio can cause weakness or paralysis in the arms and legs (Die Foot and Die Hand) and it can also lead to death and that there is no cure for polio but it can be prevented only by polio marklate and that the Polio marklate is free, safe and effective and Polio marklate helps make children grow strong and healthy.
Harold Thomas revealed that there is an outbreak of polio in the country, which threatens the health and lives of young children under 5 years of age saying they are at the greatest risk of Polio infection and in that regard the Ministry of Health and Sanitation vaccination teams will visit all houses to vaccinate children under 5 years against polio in two rounds (Round 1: 15-18 May & Round 2: 11-14 June 2021), adding that all children 0-5 years of age should receive polio marklate in each round of campaigns and at the nearest health facility during routine visits between 15-18 May and 11-14June 2021 furthering that it is important that children stay at home when vaccinators will visit their houses.
Risk Communication Pillar Lead informed journalists that any child below 15 years of age with sudden onset of weakness or floppiness of one or more limbs regardless of cause should be immediately reported to the nearby health facility pointing out that Polio vaccine is given at birth or soon after birth and subsequent doses are given at 6 weeks (drops), 10 weeks (drops), and 14 weeks (drops and injection) per the national immunization schedule.
He also informed all that sick and sleeping children should be vaccinated as polio vaccine is safe for them, stating that if a child is travelling, vaccination should be done immediately at the place of destination or during travel if vaccination is available. He added that doses given during the National Polio Vaccination are additional doses and do not replace routine and parents should continue with routine immunization after the campaign.
Harold Thomas urged journalists to use media channels and networks to better educate the public on the benefits, strategy and the risks of polio and to reach 95 % of caregivers with key messages on the campaign thereby ensuring compliance and up take of the Marklate.
Underscoring the role of journalists in promoting health and media ethics, Co-chair Media Sub-Group, RCSM Pillar at NaCOVERC, Ransford S.C Wright, said that the mass media has enormous potential to influence health-related behaviors and perceptions and newsrooms have wielded their power both responsibly and irresponsibly.
Ransford S.C Wright maintained that journalists have at times both built and undermined public trust, both serving as a constructive source of scientific facts and as a destructive source of rumors that tends to amplify panic, adding that given the potentially harmful effects of poor epidemic reporting, journalism, has a responsibility to contribute to enhanced public knowledge during times of pervasive fear.
In conclusion, he said responsibility for establishing and maintaining journalism’s good public image belongs to journalists who must not take lightly the power they wield during a public health crisis.
The Co-chair Media Sub-Group went on to say the mass media-print, television, radio and internet have an unparalleled reach as communication mechanisms.
Deforestation, defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as the “permanent removal of standing forests” has become an existential threat to all rural communities.
With the country’s forest cover fast disappearing; the Ministries of Lands, Forestry, Environment, Agriculture and Water Resources should show great concern for environmental conservation by the recent happening in Tonko Limba Chiefdom in Kambia district.
The people report that their water wells and clean water sources for the first time in living history have all dried up. This, they attribute, to the increased deforestation in the chiefdom and the district from mainly logging and farming activities.
While it is known that forests can be a buffer against the impacts of climate change, deforestation it can also reduce communities’ access to clean drinking water, as seen now in Tonko Limba where even deep borehole wells have run dry.
As such, the imperative for Government to put in place a robust and sustained well-funded national reforestation program in areas where deforestation has been devastating cannot be overemphasized; given the correlation between deforestation, water scarcity, environmental degradation and the worst effects of climate change.
Healthy forests are critical to providing clean water. Erosion—when rainfall, runoff or wind detaches soil particles—is a significant problem that affects both water quality and quantity.
Healthy forests act as a filter to keep pollution out of water. Strong roots anchor soil against erosion and material on the forest floor helps absorb nutrients and sediment. When forests are disturbed and degraded, sediment flows into streams and pollute water.
Forests help control the water cycle by regulating precipitation, evaporation and flows. Layers of forest canopy, branches and roots can store and release water vapor, which controls rainfall. Forests can also help reduce the impacts of flood from storms by blocking and slowing down the flow of runoff. Deforestation weakens this process, leading to irregular rainfall patterns including drought and flooding.
The loss of trees and other vegetation can cause climate change, desertification, soil erosion, fewer crops, flooding, increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and a host of problems for indigenous people.
Loss of Habitat
One of the most dangerous and unsettling effects of deforestation is the loss of animal and plant species due to their loss of habitat, as many land animals and plant species live in forests. Not only does deforestation threaten species known to us but also those unknown. The trees of the rainforest that provide shelter for some species also provide the canopy that regulates the temperature. Deforestation results in a more drastic temperature variation from day to night.
Increased Greenhouse Gases
In addition to the loss of habitat, the lack of trees also allows a greater amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Healthy forests absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, acting as valuable carbon sinks. Deforested areas lose that ability and release more carbon.
Water in the Atmosphere
The trees also help control the level of water in the atmosphere by helping to regulate the water cycle. In deforested areas, there is less water in the air to return to the soil. This then causes dryer soil and the inability to grow crops.
Soil Erosion and Flooding
Further effects of deforestation include soil erosion and coastal flooding. Trees help the land to retain water and topsoil, which provides the rich nutrients to sustain additional forest life. Without forests, the soil erodes and washes away, causing farmers to move on and perpetuate the cycle. The barren land left behind in the wake of this unsustainable agricultural practice is then more susceptible to flooding.
