By Mustapha Dumbuya The Independent Media Commission (IMC) in support of the Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone had concluded a day seminar for senior media practitioners at the Kuna Lodge Hotel in Freetown. During the seminar, Dr. Massaquoi the chairman for the Independent Media Commission said that he is very passionate about the development of journalism in Sierra Leone and he is fighting very hard to have more fellowship training for journalists outside Sierra Leone. He explained that the Independent Media Commission is always ready to help journalists to search for the truth and report it fairly without malice. Ahmed Sahid Naseralla, president for the Sierra Leone Association (SLAJ) underscore that journalists should always followed the ethics and media code of practice; that is the professional road journalists should follow in executing their duty. The President continued that journalists are the gate keepers, even though the social media is now gaining momentum but journalists should always followed the rules and professional guideline of journalism which shows difference. Mr. Naseralla pointed that journalist have no longer have the Monopoly of the gatekeeper, because of the advisement of social media which made every individual can generate or give out information to the public but following the code and ethics will show that journalists were professional. The president also said that the SLAJ disciplinary committed will also ensure that they popularized the media code of ethics that will guide journalists while doing their work and that will gives them a great responsibility in performing their duty.  He explained that SLAJ have created the welfare fund to support independent journalists and they are developing a policy to know which media houses and journalists will benefit from this fund. He added that the main purpose of creating is to support journalists who were caught traumatizing during emergency on disaster reporting or covering live. The Chief Executive Officer for Campaign for Good Governance (CGG) Masella Samba explained the nexus between the media, the public and the civil rights activists. She maintained that these actors have a major role to play in the Sierra Leone governance system. Masella continued that while journalists were being called the Fourth Estate, civil society were the third force, but the media uphold a greater responsibility in ensuring the dissemination of information to the public. She also argue that the media is part of the society, the reason been the media is not part of the market which is the private sectors and also not part of the government as well. She continued that it is a tendency for the private sectors to punish and marginalized the public without any fear and the government also will do the same and therefor the two forces uphold a great responsibility to criticize the government. She ended that both forces have a similar role to play in making sure that they stand by the public and liberate for the public therefor the government will not punish the public because when they did, we are all involved. Lawyer Beretay set to take constituency 124 symbol …As He Embark on community development By Alhaji Turay The former National Security officer, who also served in the Health and Education sector, active member in the Bar Association lawyer Musa Beretay, has continued to embark on community developments projects on road maintenance at constituency 124. In a bid to continue salvaging the deplorable road conditions in constituency 124, aspiring candidate for the all people congress (APC) parliamentary symbol for the forthcoming 2023 election. Mr. Beretay has officially opened the Trustcot Street in the central part of Freetown Municipality on the 15th May, 2022. Addressing the crowd, lawyer Beretay informed his audience that he decided to rehabilitated the road because over the years the years the said feeder road had been referring as a” death trap,” adding that several pedestrians have sustained injuries while plying the said Street. According to lawyer Beretay, owing to the deplorable state of the road, drivers have been in the habit of dropping off passengers halfway for fear of their vehicles being damaged. He explained that a good number of residents and youths of that community supported the project especially in the area of labour and finance, among others interventions, for which he was also grateful. He further revealed that besides Trustcot Street, he had also rehabilitated others streets within his constituency, including Sackville street and Block lane. The Legal luminary express appreciation to all those in diverse ways supported him for completing the road, while calling on residents to regularly clean up the drainages at all time. Mr. Manga explained to this medium that lawyer Beretay alone spent over one hundred and seventy Million Leones, adding that through the Support of other community people, the project ended costing more than 178 million Leones. He continued that they cannot got help from any other person or organizations that they cannot boast of any support from the diaspora in the cause of the project implementation, stressing further that everything that was used to rehabilitate the road was locally generated. Speakers who made meaningful contributions, expressed similar sentiments as they all gives praises on Lawyer beretay, describing him as someone who always bends over backwards to ensure the happiness of his people. Several community people had called on the APC party to award constituency 124 symbol to lawyer Beretay to brings more community development for his people within his constituency. They also commended him for his efforts which they consider as laudable venture behind him for 2023 elections. The ceremony was climaxed by the cutting of the tape by their donor, lawyer Beretay amidst thunderous applause from the cheerful crowd. SLP Marred by Unprofessionalism… LUC Allieu Musa beats up complainants The Local Unit Commander (LUC) at Panlap Police Division on the outskirts of Makeni township, Allieu Musa, has been accused of physically manhandling a married couple. The officer allegedly manhandled Sarah Bangura and wife Kadiatu Kamara, after the couple had reported an assault case at the police

The incoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Orange Sierra Leone, Sekou Amadou Bah, has in a courtesy call on the Honorable Chief Justice, His Lordship Justice Desmond Babatunde Edwards, commended his unremitting support to his predecessor and to the company. Briefing the Chief Justice on the purpose of the visit, Haffie Haffner, Barrister and Solicitor of Orange S/L Ltd. said since the company’s new CEO took up office on the 1st of March 2022, he’s been busy trying to settle down and also meet with the relevant stakeholders. She said the new CEO is a Guinean by nationality and an Engineer by profession with wealth of experience in telecommunications, reiterating that Mr. Bah was previously the CEO of Orange Money in Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mr. Sekou Amadou Bah the Chief Executive officer for Orange SL said he has learnt about the unflinching support the Judiciary has given to Orange over the years which, he assured he intends to maintain and even take it to an impressive height. “I have learnt about all the support you give to Orange and my commitment is to continue to strengthen that good relationship we have enjoyed with you and other relevant stakeholders. My commitment is to continue to invest as well as to continue to undertake our Corporate Social Responsibility activities.” The CEO explained. Welcoming the team, the Honorable Chief Justice, His Lordship Justice Desmond Babatunde Edwards assured them of the Judiciary’s support to the growth of the company. “Orange is doing well in Sierra Leone and we’ll always be there to support. We’re hoping that we continue to work together for the good of the country and its citizens. We also welcome your Corporate Social Responsibility efforts in bringing in genuine investors to invest in different sectors,” the Chief Justice added. While he commended the CEO and his team for the visit, he encouraged the new leadership of Orange to take further steps higher than his predecessor in making Telecommunications better across the country. Africa day in UBA SL On the  May 25 2022, UBA Sierra Leone joined the bank’s other subsidiaries to celebrate the Africa Day in honor of Africa’s long standing history of cultural diversification, solidarity and power. The day is significant to the bank’s calendar of activities being that it respects the diverse ethnicity that constitute the strong workforce at UBA. Making their prideful entry into UBA Sierra Leone branch offices, customers were not only greeted by the sonorous blast of live band and cultural drumming performances, they were also welcomed to participate of locally made snacks and confectionaries in the spirit of the day. Kick starting the day, the Managing Director, Usman Isiaka and the Executive Director, Mohamed Samoura, stirred a greeting exchange in their local dialects with staff as they go from unit to unit in their courtesy visits at the bank’s Charlotte Street Headquarters. The symbolic day was also made memorable with the staff’s unique flaunt of African costumes across all of UBA Sierra Leone branches with each showcasing the indigenous dress and fashion sense deeply rooted in their various ethnicities. According to the head of Marketing and Cooperate Communications at UBA Sierra Leone, Sallieu Sesay, the bank seizes every opportunity to celebrate Africa’s strength, diversity, culture and standing resilience as a financial service role model that seeks Africa’s growth, development and economic prosperity. The day created an opportunity for staff of the bank to celebrate as well as reflect on the richness of their cultures, and language and of Africa’s resilience and potential to protect its lineage and proclaimed excellent history. Freetown Mayor goes high at Global Commission on Economics of Water The Mayor of Freetown Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr has served as a Commissioner at the Commission on the Economics of Water. Water is life and in Freetown the consequences of limited or no access to clean, potable water are acutely felt by almost 50% of our residents, and to some degree by us all. The challenges of access to water increased with the continued deforestation of the Western Area Peninsula National Park which protects the city’s major water catchment areas, including the Guma Dam. While many water challenges in Freetown are local and should be addressed with local actions, including environmentally sensitive urban planning, there is also a global dimension to the challenges of water. That is why a Global Commission on the Economics of Water was today launched at the World Economic Forum at Davos. The Global Commission will redefine the way we globally value and govern water for the common good. It will present the evidence and the pathways for changes in policy, business approaches and global collaboration to support climate and water justice, sustainability, and food-energy-water security. Chaired by Professor Mariana Mazzucato, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Professor Johan Rockström and Singapore Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the Commission has 12 Commissioners, 3 lead experts and 2 advisors. “I am pleased to serve as one of 12 Commissioners, bringing to the Global Commission the perspectives of a city leader from a developing country, where the challenges of access to water are a daily reality with far reaching socio-economic impacts. “The work of the Global Commission kicked off at a 2 day retreat in Geneva on May21-22. As an economist, I am excited by the approach being adopted by the Global Commission, as it will design solutions that go beyond simply fixing market failures. “What is needed are purpose-driven private-public partnerships on a scale that has never been attempted before, to mobilise finance, invest in innovations and deliver access everywhere to affordable, safe water,” said Tharman Shanmugaratnam. The Global Commission’s first report will be published to coincide with the UN’s 2023 Water Conference and inform the launch of a “Pact for Voluntary Commitments”. The two-year project will deliver an action agenda to spur change globally, among governments, local authorities, industry, finance, multilateral institutions and non-state actors. “As Mayor of Freetown, I will ensure that the needs and perspectives of those most

The leading telecommunications operators in the country, Orange Sierra Leone, have launched a catalogue of cloud services in its desire to support companies in their digital transformation. It means that enterprise customers can now benefit from the IT infrastructure and data backup services in Orange’s secure datacenter if so desired. The service is simple to use, and its offers will allow Orange customers to be more agile in the development of their business and their competitiveness. Orange Sierra Leone is also available to customers for personalized support. The offers under this service include Virtual Server, Virtual Date Center, Backup as a Service, and Physical Server Hosting. For the Virtual Server, it is quickly deployable for IT development or application hosting. This is new and a secure platform which facilitates the deployment of customers’ IT projects. The Virtual Date center, include a set of computer resources to host an entire information system, and it is a secure cloud infrastructure that allows the customer to calmly manage the deployment of his/her information systems. For the Backup as a Service, it easily and automatically saves the customer’s data in the Backup Secure Cloud. This is a solution that allows the customers to backup and restore the data of their servers and workstations as needed. The Physical Server Hosting provides safe and secure space for the customer’s physical “hardware” infrastructures in Orange SL’s Secure Datacenter. With these state-of-the-art offers, it is prudent for customers to secure their business with Orange cloud and datacenter solutions.  As part of their drive to create a sustainable digital Eco-space and support the Free Quality Education Program, Orange Foundation through the Orange digital center, in partnership with Biazo Limited and the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary School Education, on Monday May 23, 2022, launched the very first digital school kits to ten primary schools in the rural-urban area of Freetown. This event took place at the Orange-SL head office at IMATT, Hill Station in Freetown. Blessing the occasion, the Director of Orange Foundation Jestina Betts, expressed her sincere happiness and excitement to witness such an occasion they are launching for the very first time. The government-assisted schools were selected as recommended by the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary School of Education (MBSSSE), using methodology of access to stable electricity, accessible roads, secured room to house the items, and trained teachers. She went on to say that the digital school kits are to be used in the school and not outside of the school grounds. Jestina Betts added that Orange Foundation is pleased to bring exciting projects in terms of education, and that the digital train is on the move to change the lives of thousands of school kids in Sierra Leone. “We care and love to see positive change – and that by the end of the year we will select 10 other schools, which will take the number up to 20 schools to complete the year 2022,” she said. The B2B Director Edward Sesay, who was also the guest speaker at the event asserted that it is the beginning of a new chapter in terms of primary education, as they have launched the pilot phase of the digital school kits project in Sierra Leone. He went on to say that as they graced the occasion of digital transformation, they are all deeply moved by the humanitarian initiative of Orange Foundation to bring digital learning to less privileged kids Sierra Leone. The story behind this project is a huge step for the educational sector in the country, as he highlighted that in Africa and the Middle East many children have no access to books nor the internet, and digital schools and electronic libraries providing educational contents to underprivileged schools are without the necessary resources. He added that the aim of Orange Foundation is to offer children access to education using learning techniques and thereby close the gap between affluent and underprivileged schools. He underscored that in June 2016, the first digital school was officially launched and opened in Madagascar, and 12 countries are currently part of the digital school project with Sub-Sahara Africa having the greater percentage. He affirmed that each pupil will use a tablet to get access to the contents chosen by the teacher, with the contents also being projected on the board; pupils are eagerly waiting to use the kits – despite the turbulent interesting times ahead as Sierra Leone joins the digital school kits project for the first time in the Orange Foundation community. Edward Sesay further explained that the digital school kits are designed to provide underprivileged schools with the teaching and other relevant school materials that are not normally available to pupils. The kits will also provide educational contents in schools and the aim is to equip 20 schools in the pilot phase of the digital learning project to help pupils and teachers become familiarize with digital learning technologies. The project is in sync with Orange Foundation’s focus on digital inclusion and equality regardless of your background, thereby allowing children to gain access to educational contents using technology. He concluded that the financial investment from Orange Foundation is intended to impact over 2,000 children a year in the 20 schools chosen in the Urban-Rural communities – and investment in digital technological services and skills will raise the standards of education in the country. He hoped that the two days training for teachers was worth it and that they are fully equipped with the tools to transfer the knowledge to the pupils. This is the pilot phase in Sierra Leone and it is designed to benefit 20 primary schools country wide and each school will receive the following materials; 1 projector and screen, 10 headphones, 1 tablet with HDMI ports, 23 tablets without HDMI ports, 1 Acer laptop, 1 JBL Bluetooth speaker, 1 SD card 256GB, 6 power extensions, 1 big pack case, and 1 small power case. He congratulated the beneficiaries on behalf of Orange-SL and its partners, for making

By Mustapha Dumbuya The All peoples congress (APC) interim transitional governance committee has updated the media on its preparedness to run the affairs of the party leading to the 2023 General Elections. During the conference, Abdul Kargbo, MP, said that the Judgement delivered by Hon. Justice Adrian Fisher, on April 28 2022, is pleased to inform Party members, supporters and the general public that in compliance with the said judgement of the court, the ITGC was fully constituted on Friday May 13, 2022 with Alfred Peter Conteh as Chairman. Kargbo continued that at a well-attended handing over ceremony at the Party Headquarters, the former National Secretary General, handed over the Secretariat including, but not limited to, a detailed handing over note, bank statements, bank accounts information, membership documents and all offices of the Secretariat to the Chairman of the ITGC. Mr Kargbo pointed that Amb. Yansaneh also provided a signed detailed financial statement of expenditure of all funds held in the different accounts and how the funds have been expended on behalf of the party from October 2017 to April 28, 2022, adding that subsequently, Hon. Abdul Kargbo was unanimously elected as the Secretary of the Committee and Head of the Secretariat. He Further that in pursuant to the court’s ruling all existing Executive Offices were vacated and the ITGC constituted the following sub-committees to assist in the smooth running and operations of the Party during the transitional period. The Secretariat Sub-Committee were Hon. Abdul Kargbo as head, Ibrahim Prince Tholley, Alhaji Aka Koroma, Hon. Rugiatu Rosy Kanu, and Cnl. Alhaji Santigie T. Kamara as members. The Organizing Subcommittee involved Hon. Tom Issa Tucker, Hon. Ibrahim R. Bundu, Hon. Aaron Aruna Koroma, Marie Tambaka Kamara, Rashid S. Sesay, Chernor Sesay and Hon. Amadu Kanu and the Publicity Subcommittee are Sulaymani Burnnch Karnara, Hon. Abdul Karim Karnara, Hon. Ibrahim R. Bundu, Bintu Rabi Contch and Chernor Sesay. The Finance Subcommittees were Hon. Emma Simbo Fraser, Hon. Lahai Marah, Hon. Aaron Aruna Koroma, Cnl. Alhaji Santigie T. Karnara, Chernor Sesay and Hon. Amadu Kanu and the Legal Affairs Subcommittees are Alpha Muctarr Jalloh Esq, Hon. Alpha Amadu Bah Esq, Hon. Ibrahim R. Bundu, Hassan Karnara Esq and Hon. Lahai Mara-h. “Within the next few days, the Committee will develop rules and regulations to govern all internal Party elections leading up to the National Delegates Conference and shall deliver same to the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) not later than  May 27 2022 for onward publication in the government gazette as required by law,” he explained. He said that the Committees will also very soon constitute the other twenty four members of the Transitional Interim Independent Elections Management Committee pursuant to the Court Judgement with the responsibility to conduct the elections. He clarified that similarly, the Committee shall in the coming days appoint an audit firm to carry out a forensic audit on the financial activities of the Party between October 2017 and 28April 2022. Along these lines the ITGC has received up to date bank statements from all banks holding the finances of the party and wishes to emphatically dispel all unfounded rumours that the party has only three million Leones in the bank. The Honourable also said that the Committee shall resolve membership issues in accordance with the Court Order delivered by Hon. Justice Adrian Fisher and the Committee wishes to thank the former executives and assures all Party members of its commitment to work in unison to promote the ideals of the Party and set the stage for a victorious 2023 Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Councils election. According to him, the Committee shall keep the Party and the general public informed of further developments relating to the implementation of the Court Orders and further assures members of the party and the general public of a level playing field for all aspiring candidates in our internal electoral processes and a smooth and transparent transition for the All Peoples Congress Party. Smiles: UK Minister for Africa & Bio The United Kingdom Minister for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean has paid a courtesy call on His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio where she praised his leadership that has seen some remarkable development in the country. Victoria Grace Ford, a British politician, also thanked the President for the many reforms, she noted, would add to the attainment of modern democracy, adding that the Free Quality Education initiative was particularly crucial, especially with premium on women and girls now pursuing courses in the sciences at higher institutions of learning. “Your Excellency, thank you for your leadership. This is so amazing. Even in the midst of the Coronavirus, you were able to do what many developed countries couldn’t do. That is the right thing to do. The establishment of the One-Stop Center, the Gender Empowerment Law, the Sexual Offences Model Court, the repeal of the seditious libel law and most importantly, the abolition of the death penalty,” she noted.  In his short remarks, President Dr Julius Maada Bio thanked the visiting minister and the UK government for their continued support to the country, adding that Sierra Leone was a beacon of stable democracy that was providing a template for development for other West African countries. He also noted that despite the devastating effects of the COVID-19 and the war between Ukraine and Russia that was adversely affecting economies around the world, Sierra Leone had not used that as an excuse for not making change and development. “Over the last 4 years, my government has championed Gender Equality issues and has placed it at the heart of its New Direction agenda. The new Gender Empowerment Bill has enshrined a commitment to 30% of public appointments going to women. The ‘Hands Off Our Girls’ initiative by the First Lady is tackling child marriage and sexual violence through public awareness and advocating for stronger sentencing to end female genital mutilation for those under 18 years, by actively engaging traditional leaders. Also, the Munafa Fund is providing

The consultative meeting was organized by UNDP in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment at the Radisson Blue Hotel, in Aberdeen, Freetown. This saw the participation of MDAs, Parliament, Paramount Chiefs, Members of the Diplomatic Councilor Core, Local Councils and Civil Society Organizations to primarily discuss and bring out action plans on mitigation and adaptation to fight Climate Change in Sierra Leone. Given her welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Madam Nancy Tengbeh who chaired the consultative meeting expressed her profound gratitude to all invited stakeholders, noting that Stockholm +50 engagement with local and international partners demonstrates to the world that the Sierra Leone’s ecosystem and biodiversity is important hence called for their preservation. She cited the Medium Term National Development Plan that indicates several targets on environmental preservation. She said the Ministry is working closely with its supervising Agencies to restore degraded areas to life. Consequently, she emphasized that failure to protect the environment would have adverse consequences on individual livelihood. She thanked UNDP for making the consultative meeting a success and implored all relevant stakeholders to make meaningful contributions that would reflect the Stockholm declaration to accelerate the implementation of the UN decade of Action that seeks to preserving the environment for a sustainable development goal. In his keynote address, the Minister of the Environment, Prof. Foday M. Jaward said the consultative meeting is a high level one that seeks to commemorate the outcomes of the 1972 Stockholm Conference which served as a contribution to the environmental dimension of sustainable development to accelerate the implementation of commitments made in the context of the decades of action and delivery. He disclosed that several commitments were made by country parties during the signing and ratification of three Rio Conventions on biodiversity, climate change and land degradation and later also the Stockholm Convention. He noted that it is this backdrop several actions, programs and initiatives have been undertaken at the level of government, regional, district and community levels since Stockholm Conference on Environmental and Development in 1972. He affirmed that government has ratified four conventions, policy and legal instruments been formulated, institutions established, projects and programs implemented to address the trend of a deteriorating natural resources base and quality of Sierra Leone’s environment. He noted that government has already demonstrated the political will to tackle environmental challenges hence the establishment of the new stand-alone Ministry of the Environment, reviewed of six legislations, ungraded key institutions after the Stockholm Convention. In addition, he mentioned the roll out of the National Tree Planting Project with core objective to plant 5 million trees in all five regions in the country. He considered the submissions of the first and third National Climate Change Communications, noting that government is currently revising all necessary preparations for final submission to the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).  Consequently, he noted that Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) estimated that by 2030, Sierra Leone would suffer cumulative annual flood-related losses totalling US$200M. He continued that an extreme weather event would be more costly with loss of lives and properties. He emphasized that plastic and plastic waste management continued to pose an environmental hazard in the country. He said a single used plastic policy is also being developed. He therefore applauded World Bank in supporting the Ministry to develop the National Plastic Policy and Action Plan. He called on religious institutions, churches, mosques, local communities and Civil Society Organizations to undertake environmental projects in their locations and operations, noting that since it is the UN decade of ecosystem restoration.  Meanwhile, the UNDP Resident Rep. Pa Lamin Beyai underscored the significance of the consultative meeting, noting that it brings together government and its partners and other stakeholders to discuss environmental issues affecting Sierra Leone in the context of Stockholm +50. He said the meeting provides an opportunity for inclusive society that called for government discussions on the main theme of Stockholm +50 that has effective planning for transparency of the country’s responsibilities and opportunities to protect its nature. He took into consideration the awareness of protecting the planet, noting that it sets the path for people to overcome the triple prices of climate change and biodiversity loss and pollution and waste.  He disclosed that the UN conference on human environment also known as the stakeholder conference was the first UN conference held on the environment in June 1972. Sequel to this, he added that today’s event is organized by the Ministry of Environment and its partners to reflect on the 50 year declaration on preserving the environment. He said this forum would produce the platform to deliberate on how to accelerate transformational change that would lead to sustainable and greener economy, creating more jobs and healthy planet for all without leaving no one behind. Conclusively, he noted that UNDP would looked for continuing collaboration and partnership with the government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Environment and other institutions to support the country’s effort towards a resilient and zero carbon future.  At Tankoro Chiefdom… Local residents accuses chief Saquee     By Mento The Paramount Chief of Tankoro Chiefdom, Kono District in the Eastern part of Sierra Leone, Chief Gabba Paul Saquee had succumbed to public scrutiny over multiple allegations of operating clandestinely or working secretly against his own people in favour of the much talked about unacceptable attributes of the management of Koidu Limited, a mining company which is known for underground system of mining. In a recent visit to Koidu Town, Sierra Express Media gathered that although the management of Koidu Limited underground system of mining had been perceived by the local residents and miners as more risky or dangerous than that of the Open Cast system of mining.  As a result of the alleged reoccurrence of damaging and deadly incidents within the company’s mining site or operational areas, but Chief Saquee who is the traditional custodian of the Chiefdom stands accused of making no positive moves to advocate on behalf of his subjects in order to encourage the

His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has pledged US$500,000 to the Extraordinary Humanitarian Summit and Pledging Conference at the opening session of the 16th Extraordinary Conference of the African Union, AU, Summit. The summit deliberated efforts by African leaders to address the current humanitarian challenges in the continent, that were now being exacerbated by the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and disasters across the continent, identify durable solutions to address the current humanitarian challenges, especially of humanitarian financing and those that contributed to post-conflict recovery, peace and development. As a way of positioning the country on the global stage for a well-deserved respect, President Bio told the summit that Sierra Leone had gone ahead since to establish the National Disaster Management Agency to primarily deal with disasters of any sort, adding that his government believed that it should take care of their internally displaced and distress persons because of manmade and natural disasters. “Sierra Leone fully supports the setting up of the Africa Humanitarian Agency, and Sierra Leone is pledging $500,000. Thank you,” he concluded. SLRSA road construction destroys houses… Leicester Road residents call for compensation By: Mustapha Dumbuya. The Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) is a government agency responsible for the planning, control, construction and maintenance of all roads across Sierra Leone. Over the years, the government of Sierra Leone through the Sierra Leone Roads Authority awarded a contract to the China Railway International Group (CRIG) for the construction of a road leading from Berry Street to Gloucester in Freetown. The Human Resources Manager for CRIG, Aruna Babgura said because government had delayed payment to the company that has delayed the completion of the road, and causing it being done slowly. “I felt sorry for those that have been affected by the heavy down pour of the rains and hoping that the Management of SLRA will try by all possible means to compensate them,” he explained. One of the affected person Boi Davices explained that he is currently looking for another resident because he is any longer safe with his family, adding that he had almost lost all his appliances because of the mud and water entering their homes. He requested for the government to help them because they have nothing ‘to write home about’ and he is currently sleeping in a neighbor’s house with his family. Fatmata Koroma also explained to this medium that if government does not intervene immediately they will find it very difficult coping with the onslaught of water and mud. It has already destroyed her property to the tune of millions of Leones. She also pointed out that they have been sleeping in a neighbor’s house for over two weeks. She added that if government should compensate them they will try to relocate themselves, as the location is no more conducive for them to stay.  The Public Relations Officer for the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) Keifa Jaward informed this medium that they always do routine site inspection visit and they are aware of the incidents and the management would accept its responsibility. Mr Jaward assured this medium that the management of SLRA is currently working with the community in making sure they address the issues. “The Management of SLRA had also given some stipends to some youths in that community to construct drainages for diverting the water in the meantime”, He said. He added that the China Railway International Group (CRIG) is currently building a retaining wall to finally solve the problem. The PRO said that the management is facing huge challenges with their budget, even though they had submitted their budget to the   Ministry of Finance, but yet still is not approved. “We are aware of their situation, we are very much concerned after we had mobilized resources for the project to recommence and we will be able to sort out their problems”, the PRO Concluded. It’s Malicious to Compare the Taiwan Question to the Ukraine Issue –Amb.Hu Zhangliang Recently, certain Western politicians and media, by taking advantage of the international community’s attention to the Ukraine issue, deliberately compared the Taiwan question to the Ukraine issue with a view to confusing the public, creating more troubles and emboldening the separatist forces for “Taiwan independence”. Such acts are malicious. Anyone who is familiar with the historical development of the Taiwan question and who has some knowledge about the international law knows that the Taiwan question and the Ukraine issue are not comparable at all. Since 1991, with the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Ukraine has been an independent country recognized by the world. However, for the case of Taiwan, it has always been an inalienable part of China’s territory since ancient times and has never been an independent country. From the middle of the 12th century onwards, successive Chinese governments established administrative organs in Taiwan and exercised jurisdiction. In 1945 when the Chinese people, together with other people of the world, won the great victory in the war against Japanese aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, the Chinese government restored administration in Taiwan. A series of international law documents, including the Cairo Declaration (November 26, 1943) and the Potsdam Proclamation (July 26, 1945), have clearly and unambiguously confirmed China’s sovereignty over Taiwan. On October 1, 1949, the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China was formed, replacing the government of “the Republic of China” as the sole legal government of China and the sole legal representative of China in the international arena, fully enjoying and exercising China’s sovereignty, including sovereignty over Taiwan. In 1971, the 26th session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution No. 2758, which decided to restore all rights of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations and recognized the representatives of the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations. The reality that Taiwan has not yet been reunited with the mainland does not change the fact that Taiwan belongs to

Sierra Leone former president, His Excellency Ernest Bai Koroma, has over the week end endorsed his nation’s bid for a seat in the Non-Permanent Category of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). This very important endorsement follows a courtesy call by the country’s vice president, Honourable Dr Juldeh Jalloh, on the immediate past president at his residence in Makeni, the administrative headquarters of Sierra Leone’s northern Region. Former President Koroma and vice president Dr Jalloh discussed a wide range of issues bordering on national development and social cohesion.  The Vice President briefed former President Koroma on the progress of the Transco Electricity project which will provide electricity to many parts of the country when completed, and which remains close to the heart of the erstwhile president.  The project has already brought reliable electricity supply to Bo and Kenema, as well as several towns and villages along the project lines in the South and Eastern parts of the country. Vice President Juldeh informed that the next phase of the project which is its expansion into the northern region is well underway. On the international front, the vice president intimated former President Koroma about the Government of Sierra Leone’s intensified diplomatic campaign for international support for the country’s aspiration to return to the Non – Permanent Category of the Security Council. The last time Sierra Leone held such a seat was between 1970 and 1971. Given the rotational nature of this, and the sheer number (54)  of African countries within the United Nations, it is not surprising that it has taken this long for Sierra Leone to once again be eligible to serve in that category of the UNSC.  “I will endorse anything Sierra Leone aspires for at the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and will leverage international goodwill in pursuit of such an aspiration, as long as it brings pride and honour to our beloved, nation Sierra Leone,” said former President Koroma. President Koroma has repeatedly said that he would always avail himself if called upon on matters of national interest. Orange foundation Supports Schools with Digital Kits Th The Orange foundation in its continuation of its support to the educational sector has donated learning materials to different primary schools across Freetown. “We are proud to say that as of today Orange SL Foundation through the Support of Group Foundation (the providers of these digital school kits/equipment + Funding for the implementation) has Launched, Unveiled, Installed, donated and handed over Digital Learning Kits to four Schools in the 1st Phase of the project”, Jestina Betts, the director of Orange Foundation stated.  According to the Director of Orange Foundation, The Schools they have supported so far includes; 1. SOS Hermann Gmeiner Primary School, Beach Road, Lumley (Launched by Seray Bundu, Project Manager of ITN) 2. Juba Army Primary School, Juba Barracks (Launched by H.E Dr Juldeh Jalloh’s personal assistant,  Madame Estella Cole and Annie Wonie-Katta of GS{PR/CA/CSR) 3. Church of Christ Primary School, Gloucester (Launched by Joseph Momoh of Digital Transformstion and Hon. Haja Miatta Kamara supported by the Headman of Gloucester) 4. Fourah Bay College Primary School, Kortright(Launched by Buntina Conteh of Finance) The kits includes Tablets, Laptop Computer, Raspberry Pi, Projector & Screen, Extensions, Headphones, Power Bank, Bluetooth Speaker etc. This is indeed a digital revolution and inclusion in the Government supported Schools – first in the history of Sierra Leone for Schools to have such equipment. It’s the start of a new beginning in the Educational sector.  The pupils will now have easy access to technological learnings in the 10 schools. The gesture was well appreciated by the authorities and pupils of the four Schools we have done so far. We have 6 more schools to do in this 1st phase of the project. The setting up of the equipment, training of trainers and installation at the schools were done in collaboration with our Implementing Partner BIAZO Company Ltd – they will also be looking at the maintenance, inclusive joint Monitoring & Evaluation of the equipment in the various Schools. In addition to the above Staff of OSL and OSLF will be project ambassadors for each school, also responsible for monitoring of kits and quarterly reports for each school’s utilisation. Bringing Digital Technology closer to the foundation of learning in Schools – Catch the young and Watch the Space. APC ITGC Promulgates Lower Level Elections The All peoples congress Interim Transitional Governance Committee (TTGC) in a press release informed its membership and supporters of the party and the General public that Rules of Procedures and Regulations for the Conduct of lower level elections of the All Peoples Congress (APC) Party have been promulgated by the ITGC. According to the press release in compliance with the orders contained in the Judgement delivered by Hon. Justice Adrian Fisher, J. on the 28th of April 2022. The said rules of procedures and regulations are compliant with the 1991 Constitution, the APC 2022 Constitution and the Political  Parties registration Commission (PPRC) for the conduct of all lowerlevel elections. The statement also say the Party shall within seven days of the promulgation forward to the  PPRC the said rules for publication in the Sierra Leone Gazette a  required by law. “Similarly, the Committee has appointed Peter Kamaray & Co. Consultancy to carry out a Forensic Audit on the financial activities, of the APC Party for the period: October 2017 and 28th April 2022 and they shall provide report of the said audit within sixty days of their appointment. The Interim Transitional Governance Committee (1TGC) wishes to restate the Committee’s commitment to keep the Party and the general public informed of developments in the Party accordingly” the press release satated. African Union Humanitarian Fundraising…

Sierra Leoneans Women base in Washington DC in the United States of America have staged a massive protests at the Sierra Leone Embassy in Washington DC, the White House and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) against the Sierra Leone president Julius Maada Bio. According them, the Government of Sierra Leone should stop all forms of political Intimidation, human rights abuse, police brutality, and the economic hardship affecting especially women; and the poor health system, corruption, lack of freedom of speech, blatant tribalism, and harassment of strong women in the country. They cited the case of  suspended Auditor General, Mrs. Lara Taylor Pearce and the Mayor of Freetown, Mrs. Yvonne Aki-Sawyer both of whom they say are being targeted on the grounds of political witch hunt . The women have called on the international community to save the country’s Democracy from what they described as ruins of democratic values and good governance. Reports say the women including men; were Carrying placards condemning president Bio  for his ‘’various crimes against the people of Sierra Leone,.’’ The women told U.S officials that they were compelled to start the protests to bring to the attention of the international community the ‘’heinous crimes’’ being committed against the people by president Bio whom they called a dictator and ‘’human rights abuser,’’ . The protesters, were few in number but their messages carried a tremendous impact, given the respect Americans have for women political activism. Other Sierra Leonean women in different parts of the U.S said they are also planning protests across America and in Sierra Leone via zoom links. Some of these women have threatened that they plan to bring the nation to a standstill if the ‘’dictator’’ illegally removes the Mayor or rigs next year’s presidential elections. The ‘’Concerned Sierra Leoneans’’ in America are also planning big demonstrations against President Bio at the White House, State Department and MCC in the coming days or weeks, reports say. The demonstrations were described as small beginnings, a Sierra Leonean political activist, Mr. Hassan Sas Moi quickly responded that “Nothing is a small beginning in the world we are living today. A man plus a computer equal to a movement “. He said. The demonstrations were not entirely surprising to American officials as the U. S State Department Reports on Human Rights in the world for 2021 and 2022 seriously indicted the Sierra Leone government for mass human rights abuses, heinous crimes, unlawful killings, attacks and detention of political opponents. World Menstrual Day… Orange Foundation Donates Pads to Girls Feima Sesay Orange Foundation SL has on Monday 30 May 2022 donated menstrual hygiene pads to female pupils in various secondary and primary schools in Freetown. The donation was done on behalf of the company head of public relations, Annie Wonnie Katta. Each pack contains five re-usable pads, soap and other toiletries to boost women and girls’ menstrual hygiene.  While donating the items, Annie urged the pupils to value themselves during their menstrual periods. “There is dignity in menstruation; be confident and don’t look down on yourselves because it is something normal,”  World Hygiene Day’ is celebrated in collaboration with partners under the theme: ‘Making Menstruation a Normal Fact of Life.’ It is a direct appeal to society to stop stigmatisation of women and girls because of menstruation adding that it is a normal and natural way of life for women and girls. The day is observed every 28, May every year to raise awareness and boost education on menstrual hygiene. The day’s selection is by design as women and girls menstruate at least every 28 days and five days the maximum period the menstruation lasts.  It is also seen as a platform for women and girls to send a loud message that society no longer tolerates stigmatisation of women and girls owing to menstruation.  For centuries gone by, menstruation has always been a closely guarded secret owing to the stigma attached to it. To add weight to the occasion’s worth, several dignitaries from diverse spheres of life including the Deputy Minister of Basic and Senior School Education, Kadiatu Emily Gogra attended the ceremony. Pupils of various secondary schools in Freetown also took part in the day’s celebration especially girls who are the main target for menstrual hygiene education. In her address during the occasion, President for Orange Sierra Leone (OSL) women, Martha Sumaila made it clear that her institution was celebrating women and girls in all ramifications urging the public to think deeply about the statement that: ‘if you educate a girl or woman, you educate the world and if you care for a girl or woman, the care will radiate all over the world.  The OSL president mentioned basic hygiene challenges which female pupils face in their different learning institutions. Lack of special toilet and hygiene facilities for girls in schools was among key challenges she highlighted.  This situation, she went on,  forced girls to stay out of school for days during menstruation. The girls are not only stigmatised for menstruation but also considered as adults. “Girls go through a lot; once their period starts, childhood is over, sex life has started and must should prepare for marriage life,” the Women’s President told the audience. She went on to state that a large number of women and girls had little or no knowledge about menstruation adding that its occurrence was something abnormal. “Even elder women hardly know and monitor their menstrual cycle; it is a big challenge, and what comes after is a much bigger challenge,” she emphasised. The OSL Women’s president also did not lose sight of the thousands of women and girls who live in communities and institutions without access to sanitary products they need.  A UNICEF study, she said,  had shown that at least, 500 million women and girls globally lack adequate facilities for menstrual hygiene management. Pres. Bio Strengthens Bilateral Ties with Kenya His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio has met his colleague, His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, where they discussed bilateral relations