President Ernest Koroma has reopened a long-defunct iron-ore mine in northern Sierre Leone that is intended to rake in millions of dollars in coming years for one of the world's poorest states. At a colourful ceremony 77 miles (120 kilometres) from the capital Freetown on Thursday, Koroma described the re-opening of the Marampa mine as "as a great day in the history of Sierra Leone, in its development of the mining industry."

Read Article

Newly elected outspoken Women’s leader of the ruling All People’s Congress (APC) United Kingdom/Northern Ireland Branch, has said she will rally her fellow women to support and boost President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma’s Agenda For Change.  Kadijatu Buya Kamara said President Koroma’s Agenda For Change is worth supporting because the President has made significant achievements since taking over the reigns of power and called on every well-meaning Sierra Leonean to rally behind him to take Sierra Leone forward.

Read Article

Feathers will be in short supply at State House once again this morning as the Government of Sierra Leone celebrates key exoneration from the British Department of International Development . Yesterday, some sections of the media were buzzing with reports of certain allegations made against the government by a British MP called Denis MacShane who claimed that aid to Sierra Leone from the British Department of International Development ( DFID) was being diverted into the pockets of ministers. One day after the MP's allegations , the DFID has exonerated the Sierra Leone Government. The National Audit Office  from the Department went to Freetown last month and found no evidence to substantiate the allegations .

Read Article

In Freetown, the Director-General will have bilateral meetings with the Government to follow-up on the Trade and Investment Forum, which took place, under the auspices of H.E. President Koroma, on 18 November 2009 in London. There, Yumkella brokered many important discussions, which also involved Rt. Hon. Tony Blair and other high-level leaders. "Sierra Leone needs to continue its recovery process", said Yumkella, "therefore trade and investment promotion are of utmost importance to bring back growth and prosperity". The UNIDO Director-General will also discuss follow-up measures to the GEF projects in the energy field that the Organization is implementing for the country.

Read Article

Sheiku Tejan Koroma, former Minister of Health and Sanitation was today convicted by the High Court presided over by Justice Mary M Sey of offences of: Abuse of Office contrary to section Section 42(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act 2008 ; Abuse of Position contrary to section Section 43 of the Anti-Corruption Act 2008 ; Wilfully failing to comply with laws and procedures and guidelines relating to procurement, tendering of contracts and management of funds, contrary to section 48 of the Anti-Corruption Act 2008.

Read Article

The attention of the All People’s Congress Northern UK/Ireland Branch has been drawn to a disturbing and malicious article captioned “APC Snubs Eddie Turay” which appeared on the Global Times Online. Among other things, the article asserts that the APC UK & Ireland Branch had organized a party at the residence of the Sierra Leone Deputy High Commissioner to the UK on Sunday 7th March 2010, from which His Excellency the High Commissioner was excluded, purporting to be an alleged rift and disagreement between the High Commissioner and the Branch of the APC.

PHOTO : THE APC UK BRANCH IS SUPPORTIVE OF ALL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS , INCLUDING AMBASSADORS : PICTURED HERE WITH MINISTER OF DEFENCE PALO CONTEH (THIRD FROM LEFT - FRONT ROW . THE BRANCH CHAIR MS. KUMBA MOMOH IS NEXT AFTER THE MINISTER)

Read Article

You cannot fault the ambition of Sierra Leone politicians who want to see their country as the new China. The Pudong business district of Shanghai was just bare fields in the 1990s; in a decade it has been transformed into a forest of steel and glass. “And we will have that here”, urges Richard Konteh, Sierra Leone's deputy finance minister. “It will be a tough negotiation with the property owners, but we will never move forward with these narrows roads.” The capital, Freetown, is gripped with gridlock every day. With an 1820s road layout designed for horses and carts, it is hard to see how the city will cope with the flood of cars that last year's discovery of offshore oil will inevitably bring.

Read Article

A Sierra Leonean doctoral student in the Islamic University of Medinah has joined over 500 qualified students out 5,000 across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in a four-day scientific conference for higher education students held at King Fahad Cultural Center in Riyadh. Speaking shortly after the conference to the Information Bureau of the Sierra Leone Embassy in Riyadh over the weekend, Sheik Ahmad Ramadan Jalloh said the conference was organized under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdallah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud.

Read Article

President Ernest Bai Koroma has arrived in the Federal Republic of Nigeria Tuesday March 9th to join his Colleague Presidents in a bid to endorse the initiative for the development of Agribusiness and Agro-businesses in Africa. He will join his colleagues on the third and final day of a three days conference on Wednesday March 10, 2010 at the congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton Hotel, where other forty four Governments Ministers of Agriculture & Food Security and Ministers of Trade from different parts of Africa including Sierra Leone’s Hon. David Carew and Hon. Sam Sesay who participated on Tuesday, the second day.

Read Article

Sierra Leone as you aware went through a devastating brutal civil war that left the whole country in tatters with almost total destruction of the socio economic structures. At the end of that war, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) set up by government and the findings were that GBV is the greatest threat to peace. This sentiment echoed the broad based opinion of Sierra Leone women. One of the key recommendations of the TRC was institutional and legal reforms to address this.

Read Article

Vice President Alhaji Samuel Sam-Sumana on Monday March 8 ended a week-long visit to Italy to further strengthen bilateral relations in the areas of energy, water, health, trade and investment. This is in line with the sworn commitment of the government to improve the lives of people in a country which until recently was considered one of the worst places to live in due to among other things, its erratic or non existent electricity supply; its high rate of maternal and infant mortality; poor water supply, food insecurity and dilapidated infrastructure as result of the brutal civil war and neglect.

Read Article

Speaker of Parliament Hon. Justice Abel Stronge led Sierra Leone’s delegation to the two-day African Regional Preparatory Meeting on the Review of the Implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action (BPoA) which commenced on Monday at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The delegation also included the Deputy Director of the Development Assistance Coordinating Office (DACO) in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, Mrs. Abie Kamara and the Clerk to the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Foreign Affairs and Youth and Sports, Mr. Mohamed Koroma.

Read Article

Nigeria’s Acting President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday in Abuja received his Sierra Leonean counterpart Ernest Bai Koroma whom he assured of Nigeria’s readiness to assist to exploit that country’s oil resources. He stressed the need for African countries to cooperate in the area of trade, while exchanging knowledge and ideas. He also congratulated the Sierra Leonean government for the discovery of oil in that country and emphasised the need to encourage indigenous companies to play key roles in its exploitation. “We are ready to assist your country ; Nigerian indigenous companies will be encouraged to invest in oil exploitation in your country,’’ he said.

Read Article

The United Nations Peace Building Commission has yesterday 8th March 2010 lauded President Ernest Bai Koroma for the achievements made by his government in governance in a very short time since he assumed office.  Making a statement at State House on a courtesy call on the President, the Executive Representative of the United Nations Secretary General, Michael Schulenburg, thanked President Koroma for the progress made under the ‘Agenda for Change’, thus registering the total commitment and support of the UN Peace Building Commission to Sierra Leone and to the ‘Agenda for Change’.

Read Article

President Ernest Bai Koroma, in keeping with his promise to inspect all medical stores across the country before April 27th 2010 (the date that government has set for the abolition of user fees in all hospitals/health centres for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers across Sierra Leone), yesterday 8th June 2010 made his first inspection at the Medical Stores at New England in Freetown. Speaking at a meeting with all major stakeholders at the conference room of the Medical Stores, President Koroma said this was a follow-up to  the last health meeting held at State House where it was discovered that there were still grey areas to be immediately addressed.

Read Article

Accompanied by Minister of Information and Communications I. B. Kargbo, Deputy Minister Saidata Sesay, and Chairman of the National Telecommunications Company (NATCOM) Siray Alpha Timbo, the Chief Executive Officer of the London-based Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, yesterday 8th March 2010 presented President Koroma with a comprehensive report done by the CTO on different telecommunications programmes in African countries and beyond.

Read Article

A delegation of the United Nations Peace Building Commission (PBC) led by H.E. Ambassador John McNee, Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations, is currently visiting Sierra Leone from 8 to 12 March 2010.  The delegation comprised of some ambassadors of various nationalities will during their   stay in Sierra Leone, engage discussions with the government and other stake holders on ongoing activities of the Peace-building Commission and also assess progress on the Country’s peace consolidation.

Read Article

Kumba Momoh has been retained as Chairlady of the All People’s Congress United Kingdom/Northern Ireland Branch for the second time.  Kumba was elected unopposed and glowing tributes of her dedication, maturity and of leadership style were paid on her behalf for her.Popular Sierra Leonean-born Councillor Sheikh Mackie is the new man taking over the seat of Vice Chairman from Yoni Sesay while Tamba Lopel Sam Sumana also retained his position as the branch’s Secretary General. Assisting Sumana is Sheku Ibrahim Sorsor Conteh while Amadu Fofanah retained his position as Finance Officer with Josephine Wilson serving as his deputy.

Read Article

Today on the International Women’s Day and United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace, I would like to congratulate all women of the world for their tremendous achievements in various fields including economic, political and social spheres throughout human history. This day is exclusively dedicated to commemorate the fact that securing peace and social progress and the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms require the active participation and progress of women and that women’s role in strengthening international peace and security should be acknowledged.

Read Article

Some of the critics of this Column complain that I am “too philosophical”.  Fans of this Column who rave over my articles say they like it because “it is philosophical”.  I get people thinking….  Sometimes, I get informative; a few times, I do unabashed PR for someone I think, objectively, deserve local and international recognition; but, most often, my aim is to be philosophical in this Column. For those who may think that “philosophy” is all about academic abstractions, think again.  

Read Article

Mr Kaikai exercised his right to reply on the same programme on the same radio station in which he admitted to visiting Lugbu. He, however, later called both the President of SLAJ and the Coordinator of the IRN taking exception to the journalist’s report. He was advised to report the matter to the Independent Media Commission which he refused to do and chose instead to do what clearly amounts to an attack on the journalist.

Read Article