SIERRA LEONE TELEGRAPH

COVID-19 test chaos at Sierra Leone’s Lungi Airport – officials accused of corruption

August 3, 2020 0

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 3 August 2020: There was confusion and chaos at Sierra Leone’s Lungi International Airport last week, when passengers arriving at the airport from overseas were told to pay $80 for a COVID-19 test that does not exist. Hundreds of arrivals who had already taken COVID-19 test in [Read More]

COVID-19 test chaos at Sierra Leone’s Lungi Airport – officials accused of corruption

August 3, 2020 0

Sierra Leone’s parliamentarians to make best use of question time

August 3, 2020 1

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 3 August 2020: The role of MPs in Sierra Leone’s parliament is about to be strengthened, should plans for the introduction of a ‘Question Time’ style procedure be accepted and formalised. The idea of parliamentary Question Time is not new. In many countries including Britain, MPs are [Read More]

President Bio launches Social Investment Fund five years after Ebola

August 2, 2020 2

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 2 August 2020: Last Thursday, President Dr Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone launched the country’s Post-Ebola Recovery Social Investment Fund (PERSIF) project, five years after the country was declared free of Ebola by WHO. The aim of the PERSIF project is to provide basic social services [Read More]

Sierra Leone government’s supplementary budget and the reality of Covid-19 economics

August 2, 2020 0

Mahmud Tim Kargbo: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 2 August 2020: With an unbelievable 5.4 percent recovered GDP in 2019, which was further projected to grow by 4.2 percent in 2020 but now expected to decline to 3.1 percent as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sierra Leone’s policymakers need a new [Read More]

Does Africa need term-timed Presidential democracy?

August 2, 2020 4

Abdulai Mansaray: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 2 August 2020: To ask whether Africa needs term-timed Presidential democracy is bound to linger on the absurd. However, if Africa is to adopt, promote and remain democratically stable, is it worth looking again at Africa’s version of democracy? The widely held notion is that [Read More]

World Bank approves $40 Million to boost Sierra Leone’s SMEs and diversify the economy

July 30, 2020 3

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 30 July 2020: The government of Sierra Leone today received another major grant support from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), to boost investments in the country’s Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) involved in the non-mining productive sectors. Sierra Leone’s economy must be diversified to [Read More]

Fresh Salone to start exporting vegetables to European markets

July 30, 2020 17

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 30 July 2020: Last Friday, the Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SLIEPA) and other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) visited one of Sierra Leone’s newest farm produce exporting companies – Fresh Salone (SL) Ltd in Kobbaya, Kaffu Bollum Chiefdom, in the Port Loko district, as [Read More]

Government of Sierra Leone and Joule Africa reach agreement on Bumbuna II

July 30, 2020 4

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 30 July 2020: Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Energy last week announced that it has reached agreement with Joule Africa, the developer of the Bumbuna II Hydroelectric Power Plant (“the Project”) over the cost and funding mechanism of the project. The government, nor Joule Africa has disclosed the [Read More]

COVID-19 hampers Sierra Leone’s fiscal consolidation gains – says World Bank Update

July 29, 2020 2

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 29 July 2020: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted Sierra Leone’s medium-term growth prospects with the economy projected to contract by 2.3 to 4.0 percent in 2020 due to disruption in global trade, travel restrictions and domestic restrictions on mobility, according to the new World Bank Sierra [Read More]

Parliament approves new NEC boss Mohamed Konneh as political row continues

July 29, 2020 8

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 29 July 2020: Parliament of Sierra Leone yesterday voted by a majority to approve the newly appointed Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) – Mohamed Kenewui Konneh, despite strong protests by the main opposition APC party and others, including the PMDC, claiming that Mr Konneh is [Read More]

EU and Ireland provide 1.5 Million Euros to help tackle COVID-19 across districts in Sierra Leone

July 29, 2020 2

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 29 July 2020: Sierra Leone’s Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Francis Kai-Kai yesterday Tuesday, launched the “Team Europe Initiative” aimed at supporting decentralized COVID-19 response in Sierra Leone. The “Team Europe Initiative” will support and strengthen Sierra Leone’s response in the most vulnerable communities. Both [Read More]

Sierra Leonean blues and jazz singer and guitarist – Bai Kamara nominated in US Blues Blast Music Award

July 28, 2020 2

Bolaji Alonge: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 28 July 2020: Sierra Leonean singer, songwriter and guitarist, Bai Kamara Jr & The Voodoo Sniffers album Salone, which was released earlier this year has been nominated in the Best Acoustic Blues Album category at the Blues Blast Music Award ceremony to be held in September. Nominated [Read More]

President Bio sacks mines minister as export revenue drops by almost 50% in two years

July 28, 2020 6

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 28 July 2020: President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone has sacked his mining minister – Foday Rado Yokie, after two years of failing to improve the performance of the ministry in helping to revive the country’s exports revenue. Despite the government’s review of all mineral rights [Read More]

President Bio reminds ECOWAS of the need for peace in Mali

July 28, 2020 9

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 28 July 2020: Yesterday, Monday 27 July 2020, Sierra Leone’s president Dr Julius Maada Bio addressed the Extraordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) through video conferencing, where he said that maintaining peace and [Read More]

Makeni riot – who said it was about a generator?

July 28, 2020 16

Andrew Keili: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 28 July 2020: Much has been written and said about the recent riot in Makeni that resulted in such much mayhem and loss of valuable lives. Blame has been cast on all sides and comments from the politically inclined have tended to support the views [Read More]

Parliament approves president Bio’s government supplementary budget

July 27, 2020 3

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 27 July 2020: Parliament of Sierra Leone last Friday, 24th July 2020 approved the government’s 2020 Financial Year Supplementary Budget and Statement of Economic and Financial Policies, tabled by the Minister of Finance – Mr. Jacob Jusu Saffa. Presrenting his budget to MPs, the Finance Minister – [Read More]

When freedom of speech does NOT guarantee freedom after speech

July 27, 2020 1

Abdulai Mansaray: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 27 July 2020: The Parliament of Sierra Leone on July 23, 2020 unanimously approved the new Independent Media Commission (IMC) Act 2020 and repealed Section 5 of the 1965 Public Order Act (POA) that criminalized libel as seditious crime against the State. It has been [Read More]

Those responsible for Makeni killings must be held accountable – says ARTICLE 19

July 27, 2020 16

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 27 July 2020: As the international community and Global human rights groups come to terms with the shooting of unarmed youths in Makeni, Sierra Leone on Saturday 18th July 2020, calls for those responsible for the killing of at least five young protesters to be brought to [Read More]

WHO to increase COVID-19 testing from 500 up to 1000 a day in Sierra Leone

July 26, 2020 2

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 26 July 2020: The World Health Organization Country Office has secured a grant of €500,000 from the German Technical Cooperation (GIZ) through a strategic partnership to increase COVID-19 testing capacity from 500 up to 1000 tests per day in Sierra Leone. The support will ensure the procurement [Read More]

Naija music artist – M Show is back with another stunning track

July 26, 2020 0

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 26 July 2020: M Show releases her highly anticipated single titled “Gbera” which is produced, mixed and mastered by Boostmix. She is the 1st runner up of Whoepp Golden Chance contest. M Show’s love for music and life remains the driving force behind her music and ‘Gbera’ [Read More]

Young people perceive COVID-19 as catalyst to re-shape Africa’s future

July 26, 2020 0

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 26 July 2020: The Mo Ibrahim Foundation has published its first Now Generation Network Survey findings on the impact of COVID-19, entitled “COVID-19 in Africa: what does it mean for young people?” The report analyses youth perspectives on the challenges Africa faces as a direct result of [Read More]