Sierra Leone News: Rado Swarray Flip Flops

July 23, 2019

Minister of Information and Communication Mr. Mohamed Rado Swarray

Following days of speculation regarding President Julius Maada Bio’s visit abroad, there have been press releases whenever the president is travelling out of the country this time round there was no such press release which brought about the speculations.

In an interview with Minister of Information and Communication, Mohamed Rado Swarray, by Salmata Bah of the SLBC, he stated among several other things that President Bio is fine; he is well, and he is hale and hearty and in the best of health.

He maintained that he travelled a day before President Bio for a conference together with BBC Correspondent, Umaru Fofanah with over 200 other Sierra Leoneans on Air France flight.

According to Minister Swarray, the president walked to the flight by himself and had lots of discussions with other Sierra Leoneans on board the flight; adding that he is therefore surprised that Sierra Leoneans are showing concern.

He maintained however that it is normal for press releases and advices to be issued whenever the president travels but that this time round and for very obvious reasons, the fact of the matter remains that the president is well, hale and hearty and is enjoying the debate around all these issues.

Minister Swarray added that President Bio was on a private visit in England. On the other hand however, Salmata Bah put it to him that even with a private visit the public should be informed because he is the president of the country and therefore it should be in black and white that the president is going on a private visit because the issue that he has been sick has been circulating for some time now.

He agreed however that when you malicious gossip is circulated do cause mischief, people have been saying all kinds of mischievous things about the health of the president but that he can state authoritatively that the good news is that the president is well and ‘we are looking forward to receiving him soon,’ Mr. Swarray noted.

The Minister denied that the president was not on medical check-up but that he took a well-deserved rest. ‘I have never seen a president work so very had in extremely difficult circumstances and as one of his cabinet ministers I have travelled with him both in and out of the country and he is simply a workaholic because he has unbelievable energy and stamina,’ the Minister said.

Sierra Leone News: COI Judge’s Home Burgled

July 23, 2019

The home of one of the Judges chairing the three commissions of inquiry into alleged corruption and abuse of office by ministers and senior officials of the former APC government – Justice Biobele Georgewill, was broken into by unidentified persons.

According to reports, the Nigerian Judge Biobele Georgewill was asleep, when the break-in took place.

It is understood that the culprits took away a laptop computer belonging to the Judge, which contains years of personal files, including confidential documents relating to the inquiry he is conducting in Sierra Leone.

There are speculations as to who could have carried out such an audacious crime on a property believed to have been heavily secured in Goderich, in the far west of Freetown. The police are investigating the crime.

What is of major concern though, is the shocking breach of data security, for those giving evidence at the inquiry, whose personal confidential information are stored on the computer.

This astounding data security breach, could now compromise and jeopardise months of hard work of collecting and investigating several alleged cases of corruption and abuse of power in Sierra Leone.

The Secretariat of the Commissions of Inquiry has issued this statement

Sierra Leone News: SIERRATEL to Install Landline Phones for SLP

July 23, 2019

Sierra Leone Telecommunications Company (SIERRATEL), has agreed to install 20 landline phones for the Sierra Leone Police (SLP), as part of a pilot phase for the one month free landline phones’ promotion.

SIERRATEL launched a promotion for the advanced landline phones on 8th July, 2019 and users’ responses have been so far positive.

At a symbolic presentation ceremony in SIERRATEL’s office on Wallace Johnson Street in Freetown, on Monday, 22nd July, 2019, Head of SLP’s Communications, Superintendent Sheku Bahja Koroma, said the landline phones came at a time when the SLP is planning to overhaul its communications system.

“Having gone through the benefits of the recently launched SIERRATEL landline phones, we realised that they would be very instrumental for our operational needs. Our institution is highly decentralised and these phones would help us a lot to reach out to our personnel and rapidly respond in a case of emergency,” he said.

He said SLP has a national emergency call centre with the code 112 at Kingtom in Freetown, adding that SIERRATEL should install its landline phones there so as to smoothen SLP’s operation.

“We have over 50 locations that we want these landline phones to be installed but we appreciate the 20 landlines that you have agreed to give us as a pilot phase. Such goodwill gesture from a national telecoms company gears towards national development and we are very grateful,” he said.

SIERRATEL’s Chief Commercial Officer, Yusiph Bockarie, said the rollout of the landline phones is a pilot phase for one month, noting that the SLP is one of the institutions that SIERRATEL has earmarked to benefit from the services.

“These landline phones are not the traditional ones you used to know. They come with high speed internet services as an added value. As a state-owned company, we decided to introduce fixed lines with ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) system to cater for all segment of customers,” he said.

He disclosed that SIERRATEL initially decided to dole out only seven landline phones to the police but because of the increasing demands, 20 phones would now be given to them.

He said many institutions have made request for the landline phones to be installed, adding that plans are underway to do the installation for them soonest.

SIERRATEL’s Marketing Director, Albert Bangura-Will, said SLP is a strategic partner to SIERRATEL and they are always willing to render their services to them.

He said the landline phones are safely stable and would be very important for a security body like the police.

“Data connectivity is at the forefront of the landline phone package. This gives leverage for the users to enjoy an internet connectivity,” he said.

Sierra Leone News: Grindrod Recovers Locomotives from Sierra Leone

July 23, 2019

JSE-listed freight and financial services company Grindrod has, taken delivery of 20 of its locomotives that had been recovered and transported from Sierra Leone to the Port of Durban.

The locomotives had been contracted in 2012 for hauling iron-ore from the Tonkilili mine to Pepel port, but the mine halted operations at the end of 2017 and the counterparty defaulted on its lease hire and maintenance payment obligations.

The recovery of the locomotives would allow for the realisation of their value through deployment into new contracts, Grindrod said in a statement on Monday.

A further four locomotives recovered at the same time had already been delivered to a client in Matadi, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

At the request of the government of Sierra Leone, a further ten locomotives have remained in Sierra Leone while efforts are made to resuscitate iron-ore exports from the country.

Depending on the success of those efforts, these locomotives will either be entered into new long-term contracts there or will be shipped back to South Africa at the end of the year.

In the meantime, Grindrod indicated in a statement on Monday that it had competing demands from rail operators in the region for the locomotives and anticipated that the entire recovered fleet would be delivered to clients by the middle of 2020.

The shipment of the locomotives back to South Africa was a complex task, the company noted, as the Port of Pepel is not deep enough to receive the large vessel required for the shipment and there is no railway line from Pepel to Freetown.

All 24 locomotives were railed some 75 km to a transshipment facility established close to the town of Lunsar, where the body of each locomotive, weighing 72 t, was lifted off their bogies by a mobile crane contracted from the neighbouring country of Guinea and loaded onto specialised trucks.

From there they were transported indirectly, avoiding weak bridges and other obstacles for 200 km on a mixture of tar and dirt roads, to Freetown port where the locomotives were re-assembled with their bogies and, subsequently, loaded on a heavy lift project vessel for shipment to Matadi and Durban.

“What seemed an impossible task when first contemplated has been achieved by our team, from our landing at Lungi Airport in Freetown March 26, to securing the Sierra Leonean government’s support, contracting the logistical expertise and assets from around West Africa and safely executing a complex landside operation to delivery by sea to Durban only four months later is really remarkable,” said Grindrod Rail CEO Andrew Thomas.

Sierra Leone News: ‘UBA Marketplace’ Sierra Leoneans to Benefit from Entrepreneurial Mentorship

July 23, 2019

Young Sierra Leonean entrepreneurs will be gracing Africa’s largest trade fair dubbed UBA Marketplace, which will be held in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, on the 26^th and 27^th July 2019. They will be opportuned to interact with their counterparts across the continent and share ideas and even get mentorship from experts, during the plenary sessions. This year’s Forum, themed “Empowering African Entrepreneurs”, will host some 20,000 visitors and over 100 small and medium enterprises, plus top private and public sector players. Top artists like Wizkid, Niniola, Dj Cuppy, Dj Neptune performing as Cynthia Nassardine, RMD will also be gracing the 2-Day event.

This year’s TEF Entrepreneurship Programme captures more Sierra Leonean entrepreneurs. The event seeks to promote young entrepreneurs and business people across Africa and create the enabling environment for interaction among business owners and the mentorship of youths. It is the aim of this forum to prioritise the private sector and encourage entrepreneurship, especially among the youths.

It could be recalled that an agreement signed between the UNDP and the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) to financially support 100,000 young entrepreneurs in Africa over 10 years is being actualised at the UBA Marketplace.

The TEF Youth Entrepreneurship Programme has benefited 7,520 local entrepreneurs across 54 African countries in five years of existence and Sierra Leonean youths are set to be the beneficiaries of seed money plus 12 weeks business training. These will join the previously announced 3,051 beneficiaries of the 2019 cohort of the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme. After the training, the final shortlist of 2,000 applicants will be announced to join the previous 2019 TEF cohort.

Below is the hyperlink to be accessed.

https://www.ubagroup.com/nigeria/market-place-africa/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz-vH90nhKe/?igshid=1dt4s1ic1qg1o

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz96T5znmn9/?igshid=5x5sdkbwlp61

Sierra Leone News: London Graduate School Confirms It Conferred A Honorary PhD On Minister of Tourism, Madam Memunatu Pratt

July 22, 2019

Conferment of Honorary Doctoral Degree in Peace and Conflict Management on the Minister of Tourism by London Graduate School and University of Costa Rica in Dubai

Minister of Tourism and Culture, Mrs. Memunatu Pratt has been decorated with an honorary PhD in Dubai.

However, it is very unfortunate that in this country, where the human capital resource for powering the country and its people’s transition from poverty to shared prosperity is very scarce, instead of revelling in the success of our compatriots that through dint of hard work and perseverance reach the heights of learning, the tendency is for use through sheer, jealousy, envy, malice or hate to pull them down – referred to as PHD – Pull Him/Her Down.

A victim of such malicious calumny is the country’s distinguished, hard-working Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Madam Memunatu B. Pratt.

Her enemies and detractors claim that Madam Pratt paid the London Graduate School USD5, 000 to secure the degree that was conferred on her. The information allegedly was provided by Insight Namibia Magazine.

For a start, for anybody to suggest that Madam Pratt does not deserve a Honorary PhD degree from an institution whose credibility is impeccable, as will be shown later, is most disingenuous.

Mrs. Memunatu Pratt was born in Freetown on the 29 April, 1964 to Mr and Mrs Pratt. She attended the Roman Catholic Primary Schools Koidu and Tongo Fields – 1969-1976. She then proceeded to the Holy Rosary Secondary School Kenema (1976-1981), where she sat O Levels and got her university entrance requirements.

Hon. Minister Pratt bagged her first Bachelor’s Degree B.A General Division in1985 at the Fourah Bay College (FBC), her Post-graduate Diploma in Education in 1986 (FBC), Post-graduate Diploma in Library and Information Studies in 1993 (FBC), Master’s Degree with Thesis (M.A. Library and Information and Communication Studies Thesis: ‘Evaluating the Effectiveness of Information Storage and Retrieval Systems in Three Documentation Centers in Sierra Leone’ MA Thesis (unpublished) in 1997 (FBC).

Mrs. Memunatu Pratt has garnered several professional certifications and acknowledgements; which includes her Certificate on Conflict Analysis and Earth Warning (UNDESA, UMI, Kampala, Uganda (2004), Certificate in Transforming Conflict and Development Towards Sustainable Peace (UNIDESA), University of Ghana, Accra (2005), Certificate in Human Rights Monitoring and Documentation (IHLG), Freetown (2003), Certificate in Human Rights Peace and Justice (UN University for Peace, Addis Ababa (2006), PhD Research – Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford, UK (Causes of conflict and Post-Conflict Peace building Strategies from Perception of Victims and Perpetrators) on completion, Post-graduate Diploma in Research Methods in Peace Studies, University of Bradford, UK (to be collected, among others.

Her professional experience since 1986-2018 is astounding. She taught at Prince of Wales Secondary school-Kingtom (1987-1991), Part-time lectured at Institute of Library Archives and Information Studies, Supervising student’s archives and Records Management projects (1993-2001), Research Officer, University Research and Development Services Bureau (1998-2001).

With determination and fortitude, she spearheaded the establishment of the Department of Peace & Conflict Studies, FBC, University of Sierra Leone (2002-2003), and has contributed immensely to the establishment and development of Peace Studies programme in West Africa (2003-present), she has also contributed to the development of certificate and Diploma course at the Kofi Annan International Peace Training Center in Ghana (2004-2010), Higher Education Link Coordinator – Universities of Sierra Leone and Department of Peace Studies University of Bradford, United Kingdom (2001-2006), Coordinator and hosted Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford, Field Trips (2003-2006), Lectured and acted as Programme Coordinator, Head Peace and Conflict Studies, FBC (2002-2010), Part-time Lecturer – Gradoc Masters in Gender studies course, Lead Resource person for Developing the Module on ‘Gender, Conflict and Human Rights (2004-2011), Senior Lecturer and Head of Department of Peace and Conflict, FBC (2010 – Date), National Chair IPRA – Hosted the International Peace Research Conference in Freetown Sierra Leone (2016) and appointed by President Bio as Minister of Tourism and Culture Affairs in 2018.

After receiving the honor, Madam Pratt in interviews with major TV stations in Dubai said, “This came at a time I was not expecting,” but noting that one thing she believes in is “serving the right cause always, with genuine purpose and believing that one day you will be remembered, as this has manifested today upon receiving the award in high placed ranking order.”

Madam Pratt pointed out that the conferment was symbolic prove that she has been followed and watched on her performance as Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, adding that what she is doing is in the best interest of the country, “and this will place the destination on the tourist map worldwide”.

In the one year and a bit more that she has been the political head of the country’s Tourism and Cultural Affairs ministry, Madam Prat has achieved a lot in terms of rebranding the country as a tourist destination.

In raising Sierra Leone’s tourism profile internationally, her focus has been to employ tourism as an instrument for peace, political stability, job creation and economic growth and empowerment of tourist communities through partnering with world class tourism sponsors sand promoters.

Quite recently, she and a Tourism ministry delegation took Sierra Leone’s case to Canada.

Meanwhile, for the attention of her detractors, below is a letter from the University of Costa Rica confirming the award of a honorary doctorate degree on Madam Pratt:

Dear Hon Pratt,
Thank you for drawing our attention to the publication. I will address the publication but before I do that, I will explain what we did in your case:

WHAT WE DID IN YOUR CASE

We understand that such misleading information put online may cause you some concerns and as a public figure. As a result, we recommended that our partner university, Universidad Empresarial de Costa Rica (Business University of Costa Rica) to confer your Honorary Doctorate Degree.

The Business University of Costa Rica is accredited by the Government of Costa Rica and it is a UNESCO Listed University.

We did this because as a respected public officer, we cherish your reputation and would not want your political opponents to use misleading information online to discredit your achievements.

We are equally proud of our achievements of the Commonwealth University and accreditations received to date and the value we are adding to top executives and their respective organizations.

You can view Universidad Empresarial de Costa Rica’s ranking in Costa Rica and in the world ranking here:

https://www.4icu.org/reviews/1083.htm

You can read about the university on its website here
http://www.unem.international/us.html

Now, I will go on to address the publication.

The publication is not only incorrect but also misleading. We consider this clarification necessary so as to put the records straight.

Those who have put up the negative publicity have never attended our programmes neither have they visited or contacted us with any query.

Our investigations revealed that the publications were politically calculated to harm a perceived strong opposition figure in the said country.

I will like to provide additional information about the London
Graduate School and Commonwealth University for your attention:

The London Graduate School is registered in the United Kingdom as a provider of higher (tertiary) education services to teach degree programmes of other institutions. It is the appointed tuition provider and administrator of Commonwealth University and several non-UK universities.

The London Graduate School does not have powers to award its own degrees. The degrees are awarded by the Commonwealth University or our partner universities which are UNESCO-listed Universities recognised and accredited by their home government.

London Graduate School has authority to bring people to the UK for our top executive education courses and training that are for a period of 6 months or less.

The awarding body, the Commonwealth University, is a corporate professional private distance learning university registered in the City of Panama. It is a non-traditional university that is globally focused and has its international office in London at the London Graduate School office.

As a Corporate Professional Private Online University that is globally focused, the Commonwealth University seeks to maximize the value of degrees which its graduates get. We do this by obtaining relevant international accreditation from recognized professional bodies and international distance learning accreditation bodies. Below are the Accreditation and Approvals so far received:

1. UNESCO LEARNING BADGE

Commonwealth University has been given the UNESCO Learning Badge for advancing internationalization of education. This UNESCO certification is valid till 2023.

2. INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION (QAHE)

QAHE inspects the internal quality assurance system and reviews study programs of a university. The QAHE Accreditation scheme assists institutions to achieve and maintain international standards and all accredited institutions must enter the Continuous Perfection
Evaluation process every year (www.qahe.org)

3. CERTIFIED MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT QUALIFICATION

Our management consultancy related degrees are recognized for the purpose of awarding the Certified Management Consultant (CMC) qualification. The CMC is the highest professional qualification in Management Consultancy and it is recognized in over 50 countries reciprocally.

4. INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR DISTANCE LEARNING

The Commonwealth University is an Accredited Member of the International Association for Distance Learning (www.iadl.org.uk).
The UK relevant laws allow non-UK institutions like the Commonwealth University, a Panamanian registered institution, to operate in the UK.

Even though the Commonwealth University has a UK office and a UK partner school, it is not a UK university and the degrees awarded by the Commonwealth University are strictly those of the Commonwealth University as a registered International Business Company (IBC) under the jurisdiction and authority of Panama and are not those of any UK Universities.

DUAL DEGREE PARTNERSHIP

The Commonwealth University and the London Graduate School have entered into strategic alliances with a number of universities in what is called Dual Degree partnership.

Under this arrangement, any student who completes the Commonwealth University Degree and who wishes to avail himself or herself of the Dual Degree programme will complete the Assessment Documents and the entire transcript and evidence of work such as completed assignments and dissertation shall be submitted for further assessment and upon satisfactory result will receive another degree from the Dual Degree Partner.

The dual degree partner universities are recognised and accredited by their home government and are also listed on the UNESCO Handbook of universities.

OUR TRADITIONAL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE – CAMPUS BASED STUDY

The Commonwealth University in collaboration with St Clements University have established a university college in Benin Republic called École Superieure Universitaire St Clements and Commonwealth (www.esucotonou.com).

The university college is one of the sixteen (16) private universities that was approved and accredited by the government of the Republic of Benin in 2016. It is accredited for the Brevet de Techniciene Superieure (BTS) Associate Degree. We currently have over 70 students currently studying full time with us in Cotonou.

OUR HUMBLE ASSURANCE

We are 13 years old as an institution and we have served many leaders from over 72 nations. We have been organising these top executive leadership seminars in Dubai since 2007. I have attached our UNESCO Learning Badge certificate and the QAHE Accreditation.

The proactive step we took was to ensure that the misleading publication does not cause you harm in any way. So, your award is from Universidad Empresarial de Costa Rica and not from Commonwealth University.

Please do not rely on Wikipedia, anyone can put up information on Wikipedia. You can make enquiries directly from the relevant authorities.

I hope these few lines designed to give you assurance have achieved the desired result; for you and for us.

Kind regards.
Ms. Sadiksha Rai
HOD Continuing Education Programmes

London Graduate School – Commonwealth University Consortium

Central London Office
Mayfair Point, 34 South Molton Street, London, W1K 5RG

T: +44(0)7786776802 +44(0)2036122749

E: info@londongs.co.uk W: www.londongs.co.uk

Sierra Leone News: ‘UBA Marketplace’ Is Poise To Enhance Young Sierra Leonean Entrepreneurs

July 22, 2019

‘UBA Marketplace’, Africa’s largest gathering of business owners and entrepreneurs, promises to be the ideal forum for the enhancement of Young Sierra Leonean entrepreneurship and other young entrepreneurs across Africa, especially as over 20,000 visitors and over 100 small and medium enterprises, plus top private and public sector players will be gracing the event on the 26^th & 27^th July 2019, with the theme “Empowering African Entrepreneurs”, scheduled to take place at the iconic Transcorp Hilton Hotel, in Nigeria’s capital city of Abuja.

To further advance the course of entrepreneurs in the continent, 3 African leaders on day 2 of the event, will be engaging an audience of 5,000 and watched around the globe through TEFConnect, coutesy of the founder of TEF, Tony O. Elumelu. There will be plenary sessions which will highlight entertainment and music industries. Likewise, fashion, a big cultural and revenue attraction on the continent, will be showcased with the designs of 10 leading African labels. A good number of young Sierra Leonean entrepreneurs are poised to grace the trade fair and will be showcasing Sierra Leonean culture. With this event, UBA seeks to touch base with small business owners while positively affecting the lives of entrepreneurs doing business in its countries of operations and beyond’.

Furthermore this Forum presents the largest single annual opportunity for entrepreneurs and policy makers to interact directly and all sessions at the Forum have private sector and public sector leaders anchored in panel discussions, master classes, and a dynamic pitching competition that will engage an audience of start-up entrepreneurs, development institutions and policymakers. More Sierra Leonean entrepreneurs were captured in this year’s TEF Entrepreneurship Programme. The event seeks to promote young entrepreneurs and business people across Africa and create the enabling environment for interaction among business owners and the mentorship of youths.

The aim of this event was aptly put by Kenneth Uzoka, GMD of UBA Plc., when he said “I think everyone realises the fact that we need to prioritise the private sector. We need to encourage entrepreneurship and the youths. This is the driving factor and the major reason why we are organising an event of this magnitude’.

The applications will be run on TEFConnect and forms will be available in any of the branches of the United Bank for Africa (UBA). Following the end of the application window, an initial longlist of 5,500 applicants will be selected to undergo the 12-week business training. After the training, the final shortlist of 2,000 applicants will be announced to join the previous 2019 TEF cohort.

Below is the hyperlink to be accessed.

https://www.ubagroup.com/nigeria/market-place-africa/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz-vH90nhKe/?igshid=1dt4s1ic1qg1o

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz96T5znmn9/?igshid=5x5sdkbwlp61

Sierra Leone News: ‘30% Under-5 Deaths Are Vaccine Preventable’

July 21, 2019

‘Relatively, Sierra Leone has high infant and under-five mortality rates at 92/1000 live births and 140/1000 live births respectively. While the country continues to make effort in reducing child morbidity and mortality, vaccine preventable diseases and malaria still account for 30% and 17% of death among children under the age of five according to the Sierra Leone’s 2016-2020 Malaria Strategic Plan.

This is according to Dr. Mame Awa Toure who was speaking on Wednesday 17^th July 2019 which marked the close of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation Expanded Immunization Program (EPI), implemented by ICAP in Sierra Leone with funding from the U.S Centers for Disease Control Provisions (CDC’s) through its Global Immunization Division.

The workshop held at the Bintumani Hotel in Freetown attracted numerous health sector development stakeholders from both the private and public sectors.

ICAP, a global health institution based in New York is keen on empowering the wellness of families and communities by strengthening health systems around the globe.

In collaboration with the Ministry, ICAP intervention in the GID supported EPI program focused on three dimensions which involved: (1) national scale up of malaria prevention vaccine for infants, immunization, capacity building on Measles 2^nd dose vaccine (MCV2) drop out and conducting a formative assessment of immunization and malaria prevention services.

In her overview speech, ICAP Country Director Dr. Mame Awa Toure highlighted both current and future opportunities of the GID Project in Sierra Leone.

“In 2017, the Global Health Security Cooperative Agreement requested ICAP to provide technical assistance to Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health and Sanitation, with primary focus on Child Health Immunization which includes EPI and Intermittent Preventive Treatment for Infants. “The intent was to implement high impact of child survival interventions across Sierra Leone,” she said.

She added that eventually, ICAP/MoHS EPI implementation targeted four districts: Bombali, Tonkolili, Western Area Rural and Western Area Urban. Each district was supported with EPI mentors from ICAP, based in the district to ensure effective support and supervision.

Despite the project’s funding limitations, ‘I encourage you all to keep ICAP informed about the district engagement as we will be willing share our experiences when necessary. I lure you all to collectively reflect on sustainability measures taking into cognisance your own capacity, resources and the involvement in the communities. Immunization is an effective lifesaving intervention especially for children emphasized,’ Dr. Mame stated.

In his speech on the history of the project, Dr. Hardeep Sandhu from CDC Atlanta said: “Many African countries that experienced Ebola outbreak suffered infrastructural damage.” The idea behind GID roll out is to rebuild the country’s structure which needs more than two or three years.

The Deputy Program Manager of EPI unit at MoHS Lynda Farma chairperson for the workshop emphasized the importance of the project encouraged all districts to work hand in hand to enable similar success though the challenges will be different from the four other districts.”

Thanks to ICAP and CDC support Sierra Leone in such crucial area in the health system. “Your work has been successful in all four districts and we’ve seen the difference and we will lean from you,” said Dr. Foday Sesay, District Medical Officer.

Sierra Leone News: 16 ECOWAS Ambassadors Elect Sidique Wai

July 21, 2019

In advancing President Julius Maada Bio’s Economic Diplomacy agenda abroad, the Sierra Leone Ambassador to Washington D.C. – also accredited to 7 other countries in North and South American countries, Sidique Abou-Bakarr Wai has made major inroads less than six months in office.

Last week, the ambassadors of all 16 West African countries in Washington D.C. unanimously agreed to put Ambassador Wai in charge of managing their collective secretariat. In this capacity, Wai will lead the group’s secretariat in engaging the United States Government in ways that present the ECOWAS group as a vibrant and unified diplomatic community, and the ECOWAS region as a common market for attracting U.S. investments.

The ECOWAS endorsement of Ambassador Wai came a week after spearheading a consultative meeting among the Mano River Union (MRU) group of ambassadors. At the meeting, the ambassadors agreed on a “one-region, one-market” diplomatic advocacy initiative for the MRU sub-region. This understanding has resulted in the development of the first ground-breaking billion-dollar one-market infrastructure concept dubbed as the Mano River Rail Transport (MRRT) project to be presented to the United States Government. The initiative is part of an effort to attract funding from the Trump administration’s 60 billion dollar Prosper Africa initiative.

The proposed project is expected to connect all four capital cities in the MRU, including Conakry, Freetown, Monrovia, and Abidjan to strategic tri-border towns around Koindu in Sierra Leone and Gbapleau in the Ivory Coast. The ultimate objective of this pacesetting project is to boast trade and transportation in the sub-region, while at the same time creating employment and numerous complementary business opportunities for both local and foreign investors.

A memorandum of understanding is being worked on by the four ambassadors and consultation is underway with their governments, top U.S. rail construction and transit management companies, and the senior leadership at the White House and the State Department in Washington.

In addition, Ambassador Wai has secured an invitation from the Governor of the state of Mississippi, Honourable Dewey Philip Bryant to President Bio, for the latter to pay a state visit to Mississippi from October 1-2, 2019.

While in the oil-rich gulf city of Biloxi, President Bio will have to opportunity to engage state and city leaders, as well as executives of oil companies and other business leaders in the gulf region. Also underway is a collaborative effort with several line ministries, including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Freetown on a “Tourism and Trade Fair” expo proposed for mid-September in Washington D.C.

In other developments, Ambassador Wai’s team has made significant inroads in their engagement with the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security to make a case for the removal of Sierra Leone from the B1/B2 visa restriction. The restriction was imposed on select officials of government in Sierra Leone and two other African countries by the Trump administration in September 2017. This came because the countries in question were declared recalcitrant in accepting deportees. Sierra Leone is currently under review and is expected to be removed from the recalcitrant list at the conclusion of the review.

Ambassador Wai has also championed initiatives geared toward improving consular and other administrative services at the Washington Embassy. Staff morale, collaboration and teamwork among embassy personnel is currently at all-time high, and diaspora community engagement is in overdrive. The recent town hall meeting hosted by the Embassy in Washington D.C. dubbed as “Bringing the Embassy to the Sierra Leone Diaspora Communities in the Americas” witnessed the start of a remarkable community-based engagement and collaboration.

As a former community affairs adviser to the New York City Police Commissioner, Raymond Kelly, one-time candidate for New York city-wide Public Advocate and past president and spokesman for the United Africa Congress, Ambassador Wai is no stranger to the corridors of power in the United States and the African Diaspora community in general. In Washington DC, Ambassador Wai is now at work leveraging the goodwill he has earned over the decades to make President Bio’s Economic Diplomacy agenda a success.

Sierra Leone News: 7 Sentenced To Death by Hanging – Justice Taylor

July 21, 2019

Hon. Justice S.O Taylor Special High Court in Port Loko has sentenced 7 people to death by hanging in Port Loko.

It was a very touching moment in and out of the courtroom for the bulk of those that were following the proceedings in the matter of the State versus Mohamed Kabba alias ‘Sisco’ and 7 others.

The majority of them burst into tears as they pleaded with the Judge to tamper justice with mercy.

Hon. Taylor himself said it is with a heavy heart that he pronounced the sentence on the 7 convicts for which the Jurors returned a verdict of guilty.

The convicts were part of 8 persons accused for the murder of one Haja Umu Jalloh – 47 year old woman who died after armed robbers ransacked her residence at Rotifunk in the Kaffu Bullom chiefdom.

Police was able to arrest a total of 8 suspects. These were – Mohamed Kabba aka ‘Sisco’, Alhaji Yusif Sankoh aka ‘Paw-Paw’, Alpha Yayah Wurrie, Ibrahim Conteh alias ‘Worlof’, Alimamy Kargbo alias ‘Catch Fire’ Santigie Mansaray, Alhaji Kamara alias ‘Bomba and Mohamed Jalloh alias ‘ Ezekiel’.

They were subsequently arraigned before Hon. Justice S.O Taylor on a 3 count charge of Conspiracy, Murder and Unlawful Possession of Small Firearms with regards the death of Haja Umu Jalloh.

The third Count was specifically for the 1st. Accused – Mohamed Kabba aka ‘Sisco’ whose possession the Small Firearm was found.

These Accused Persons were being defended by Lawyers Mohamed Kori and Randy Bangura of the Legal Aid Board of Sierra Leone, while the matter was prosecuted by the State Counsel / North – Lawyer Aruna Jalloh. A total of 6 Prosecuting Witnesses testified including the Scene of Crime Officer and the Pathologist – Dr. Simeon Owizz Koroma. They said in their separate testimonies that, the 47 year old Woman did not die a natural death and that the finger prints obtained at the scene of crime do bear the features of all the Accused Persons in the dock. It was therefore unbelievable to hear the Foreman of the Jurors who said the verdict was unanimous that the 5th. Accused – Alimamy Kargbo alias ‘Catch Fire’ was not found guilty of any of the charges levied against him.

In a way of mitigation, the Defence pleaded with the Judge to tamper justice with mercy. Lawyer Mohamed Kori submitted that the Convicts are pretty young Sierra Leoneans who were determined to refrain from all forms of criminality and ready to transform to productive Nationals if given the chance. He said the prescribed penalty for such offences will lead to untold sufferings for the families of the Convicts adding that the aspect of Sentence is entirely in the hands of the Honourable Judge. But Hon. Justice S.O Taylor was not very much convinced and therefore unable to change his mind.

He said even though it is with a heavy heart that he would be making his pronouncement, yet the Law is the Law and could not do otherwise. He therefore sentenced the 1st. Convict – Mohamed Kabba alias ‘Sisco’ to 12 months on Count 3 – which is Unlawful Possession of Small Firearm. Hon. Justice Taylor went on to pass sentence to each of the 7 Convicts to 8 years imprisonment for the offence of Conspiracy. He further sentenced all of them to death by hanging as he prayed for their Souls to rest in Peace.

In another development, Justice Taylor also sentenced Nabie Sesay to 4 years imprisonment after he was found guilty for the offence of Sexual Penetration, adding that his time spent in detention would be taken into consideration.

This was as a result of the plea of mitigation by lawyer Randy Bangura. He based his submission on the appeal that the convict did not know the consequence of his action which he has now regretted.

Lawyer Bangura added that the convict is a young man that has promised to refrain from such offences and would become a useful Sierra Leonean if given another opportunity.

Three other accused persons – Mohalim Conteh alias ‘White Boy’, Mohamed Kamara alias ‘Koko – Di – Bongo’ and Ibrahim Bangura aka ‘Old Boy’, who were on a 3 count charge of Conspiracy, House Breaking and Larceny, have all been acquitted and discharged. They were accused of breaking and entering the dwelling residence of one Mohamed Kamara and stole therein properties valued at over 15 million Leones. The incident occurred at Lungi in the Kaffu Bullom Chiefdom on 2^nd August 2017.

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