Law Court Slams Hearing Protocols

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The Judicial court of Sierra Leone has on Friday 27 November, 2002 inform the general public that starting from the 1^st December 2020 only persons who produces valid Identity Card will be allow into the premises of the Law Court Building.

The statement continue that valid ID Cards like; passport, National Identity Card, voter’s cards, Driver’s License, University or School Identity card, Firm Identity Card and Many more will allow your way to the building.

The statement also said that all Lawyers must use the front entrance by Siaka Stevens street and must also show a valid Identity Card or their Firm Identity Card before entering.

See press release below.

  

Orange SL. Launches Oversea Money

By Feima Sesay

Orange Money a reliable offers of Orange Mobile Telecommunication Network  has on Friday 27 November, 2020 at their  head office Hill station Freetown  launched it new Oversea Money facility  for active orange Money customers to receive money from international destination.

This means that if a person has relatives oversea and had wanted to send money in Sierra Leone, the person don’t need to go to western union or any other money Bureau to collect money but instead the money will be sent directly into your orange money wallet.

David Mansaray, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Orange Money explained this during the launching of the facility  that Orange is in partnership with other service providers via Western Union, BnB, Small World, Omex Group and many more directly to their Orange Money Wallet.

He also described the facility as a way of enhancing the process of money transfer and mitigate the numerous difficulties involve of which recipients encountering to cash-out money sent from their relatives in overseas. Noting  that it take away all the hustle of receiving money.

He further stated that the product will give authority in the country a clear picture of the total number of remitter’s that comes into Sierra Leone which he said is good, adding that bigger picture of the oversea money is that,  when you look at it from a broader economic point of view, it brings more people into the formal sector of money transmission.

Orange money CEO mentioned that customers can receive as low as Le, 50,000 and as high as Le, 15,000,000 daily, yet, senders should ensure that name of the recipient he or she enters is the exact name of the recipient registered on Orange Money, else transaction will fail if the names do not match.

Alpha Barrie, CEO of the BnB Bureau form Guinea said they started operation in 2014, and therefore assured customers  that his company will deliver its best services in terms of making customers receive money from oversea through Orange Mobile Telecommunication company in Sierra Leone. And, BnB has established its services many countries of the world including overseas.

New Pro-Chancellor Assures Administrative and Academic Staff of NU

 The newly appointed Pro-Chancellor for Njala University, Mr. David Carew has at the end of one day visit to Njala University, Njala Campus assured members of the Academic and Administrative staff of the University that he will leverage on his private-sector background to support the growth of the University.

Mr. David Carew started his day visit on Thursday 26th November 2020 by touring various water and energy facilities, schools, laboratories, the Njala Campus Library, and the Oil Palm Nursery site at the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences.

He later reported in a meeting with members of staff of the University that he was impressed with the strides he saw while touring the various schools amidst the very little resources available to the University.

 Mr. Carew lauded the sacrifices and enthusiasm of staff members who according to him already have the solutions to solving the plethora of issues confronting teaching and learning at the University.

‘’My interface with various staff members has given me an insight that some of these staff members have the answers to the problems of the University but only needs support from the strategic level to push through their brilliant initiatives’’ he noted.

He assured them that he will provide the enabling environment to support these initiatives and partnerships with the private sector and Government.

He went on to note that he will accordingly intimate the Government of Sierra Leone that Njala University is critical to the development aspirations of Government and hence should be fully supported.

The Acting Chairman of Court earlier on welcomed his boss to the shores of Njala University, while the Registrar of the University, Dr. Muneer Jalloh introduced the new Pro-Chancellor to members of the University Coordinating Committee.

Acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Osman Sankoh, Mallam .O. was full of praise for members of his Coordinating Committee and reported to the new Pro-Chancellor that his staff members are selfless and had displayed complete exuberance over the years to continue to graduate quality students despite the numerous challenges confronting their welfare, teaching, learning, and research.

He called on the Pro-chancellor to leverage on the commitment of the staff to sustain the gains already made at the University.

Mallam .O. further intimated the Pro-Chancellor that upon his assumption of office he conducted an online survey of key stakeholders in the University and was able to generate credible data that would be useful in managing the day to day activities of the University and that he is willing to share the data with the new Pro-Chancellor.

He also expressed his satisfaction about the way the University Court had been managed under the Acting Chairmanship of the University Court, Mr. Joseph Munda Bindi, and requested through the Pro-Chancellor for the establishment of an Endowment fund that will take care of the many challenges of the University.

Mallam .O. concluded by intimating the Pro-Chancellor that under his watch he has ensured transparency and accountability both in the management of the resources of the institution and in the decision making processes of the University and assured his boss that the institution would be free from any audit queries in the next coming years.

Members of the Academic and Administrative staff while responding welcomed the Pro-Chancellor to Njala University and encouraged him to work with the Acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal who according to them had worked very hard in the last few months to make visible reforms in the management of the meager resources of the University.

They called on the Pro-Chancellor to leverage on his newness and his rich private sector influence to attract the requisite support to the University.

Dean of the School of Environmental Sciences, Dr. T.S Kabba on behalf of the Academic Staff Association drew the attention of the Pro-Chancellor to the many demands of the Association and reported that their colleagues at the sister institutions are on strike but they had constrained themselves not to join.

He requested the new Pro-Chancellor to find time to look at these demands.

Mr. David Carew was recently appointed as the new Pro-Chancellor for Njala University replacing the Late Professor Arthur Abraham.

He was the country’s Minister of Finance for three years and had also spent over forty years as an Accountant and Consultant.

Pres. Bio Launches Bo-Kenema Network Rehabilitation & Expansion Project

 His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has launched the Bo-Kenema Network Rehabilitation and Expansion Project in Kenema while emphasizing the importance of energy supply to national development.

He thanked donors and partners like the British Department for International Development, African Development Bank among key partners who supported the project. He talked of his government’s plans to build robust energy infrastructure, train citizens to ensure a smooth knowledge transfer regime and deliver on the new energy projects.

The President also stated that upon the completion of the different energy supply project components and deliverables, he was hopeful that in the not too distant future electricity supply would be steady in the southern city of Bo, Kenema in the east and towns like Gerihun, Baoma, Yamandu, Tinkoko and Jembe in those part of the country.

”My government recognises the impact of energy insecurity on quality of life, public service delivery and business development. Access to energy is good for learning and education. With electricity, students can use a wide array of ICT facilities to access information, communicate and learn new skills and technology,” he said.

President Bio also noted that access to reliable energy supply could support the establishment and enhancement of huge financial and communication facilities, adding that his government had insisted on providing reliable energy access to Sierra Leoneans because it was critical to development.

Minister of Energy, Alhaji Kanja Sesay, said that after two years the government was in a better position to adequately assess and reflect on progress in the energy sector.

He said the project was very important because it would improve on the already existing and potential energy generation and distribution efforts of his ministry, adding that donors had already pulled out of the project, which started in 2017, before his intervention to build confidence in the process of delivering the project. 

President at Alpha TND Limited and contractors of the project, Avinash Dadhich, disclosed that the project was going to directly benefit households, small businesses and manufacturing units located in the towns of Bo, Kenema and Blama, adding that more than 500,000 persons in general, would benefit from a better power supply in one way or another.

“The project seeks to enhance the reliability of power supply for existing consumers by adding 4 new Substations including 2 x 66 kV Substations and provide 37,000 additional connections to the grid. The final development goal of the project is to ensure reliable power supply and access through a complete rehabilitation, improvement and extension of the distribution network enabling newly established communities who do not have access to electricity to be connected to the grid,” he said.

 

Health Minister Launches 3 NCDs Documents

By Ibrahim Sorie Koroma

The Minister of Health and Sanitation, Hon. Prof. Alpha Tejan Wurie ha on Thursday 26th November, 2020 launched the Non-communicable Diseases Strategic Plan, NCDs National Policy and the Sierra Leone Non-communicable Diseases, Injuries and Poverty Commission (NCDI) Findings and Recommendations. The launch took place at the Hill Valley Hotel, West of Freetown.

Prof. Wurie while giving out his keynote address, said that the launch of the 3 NCDs document is a step in the right direction as for far too long the health system has been focusing on communicable diseases to salivate suffering, morbidity and deaths while paying less attention to issues around  Non-communicable diseases.

The Minister was optimistic that these three documents will help to attract some attention on the area of NCDs, especially on screening and providing the enabling environment in addressing NCDs issues.

“We are here today to launch 3 documents all in an effort to address issues around NCDs and Injuries but stated that the enabling environment for screening and management of NCDs is not readily available in most of our health facilities”. This the Minister noted can be addressed by all stakeholders/partners.

The Hon. Minister said that NCDs could be associated to physical body issues , genetic, environment, urbanization, excessive alcohol intake and poverty to name but a few

 Prof. Wurie reiterated the need for robust health promotion and awareness raising on NCDs thereby promoting the risks/dangers of NCDs to the public.

He continued that NCDs are preventable and information and communication for changing behaviors are key in disease prevention. He also urge for attention to be given on Mental Health as the country had experienced civil unrest, Ebola, Mudslide and now COVID-19 and with that we all can now  relate to the devastating mental issues in the country.

He further called for huge investment on NCDs which he noted may not come from Government alone, but NGOs, UN Agencies and public private partnership.

The Minister thanked partners like WHO, Partners in Health (PIH), World Bank for their support in on NCDs as there are very few partners who can venture that area. 

While presenting the Findings and Recommendations of the NCDI Commission Report, the Director at the Directorate of Non-communicable Diseases and Mental, Dr. Santigie Sesay said  the key objectives of the Sierra Leone NCDI Commission was to serve as a Multi-sector Staring Committee for the MoHS NCDS and Mental Health Directorate and to provide Strategic Planning  and Policy  guidance on  NCDs issues and Injuries, adding that a sizable number of the country’s population is associated to either 1or 2 conditions of NCDs.

He thanked partners for their support and called for more support and collaboration, especially from the Public-Private Sector.

The World Health Organization Country Representative (WR), Dr. Shon committed their continued support on NCDs, especially in strengthening the health system to actualize Universal Health Coverage. He advocated for more investment where the health system cannot only provide services on communicable diseases but also Non-communicable.

Lawyer Kalokoh Meets Chief Sam Sumana

One of the former flag-bearer Aspirants of the APC, Lawyer Abdul Kalokoh on Thursday 26 November, 2020 visited the former Vice President in the Ernest Bai Koroma led government, Chief Alhaji Sam Sumana at his Yamandu Lodge in Freetown.

In what he referred to as a collaborative visit, the astute lawyer told Chief Sam Sumana, and those present that the biggest lesson he learnt from the 2018 flag-bearer race was, that every aspiring candidate must enter the race with an open  mind policy. “It is that open mind policy that has brought me to your house today” Kalokoh Esq. said.

Speaking further, Lawyer Kalokoh said, as comrades aspiring to lead the APC, they are all fighting a common goal which is to return the APC to power and save this Nation from the calamity it finds itself in with the current political dispensation.

He therefore urged all aspiring Flagbearer candidates to see themselves as partners in the redemption struggle.

Even though the visit was his first, he said, it certainly won’t be his last.

In his response, the former Vice President informed the gathering that the Yamandu Lodge is home to Lawyer Kalokoh and that he is elated to receive him and his team in their home.

Chief Sam Sumana applauded the effort of the lawyer and one time flag-bearer aspirant in his role in bringing the National Reformation Movement (NRM) to the negotiating table. This, the Chief said, has brought lasting peace and reforms to the APC which has better positioned the party to reclaim governance.

The former Vice President and front-runner in the Flag-bearer race informed the visiting team that as Global Peace Ambassador, it behoves him to run a peaceful campaign and not allow himself to be dragged into a campaign that promotes hatred amongst comrades.

Chief Sumana also admonished that personal aspirations should not be bigger than that of the APC party. Leadership, he said, is the ability to accept the will of the people one aspires to lead. Therefore, he went on, all those aspiring to lead the APC, must not be adverse to competition and should display their willingness in accepting the verdict of all APCians.

NCD Director Advocates for Non-communicable Diseases

By Ibrahim Sorie Koroma

The Director at the Directorate of Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) and Mental Health in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Santigie Sesay has called on Authorities and partners in investment to address issues around Non-communicable Diseases and Injuries as the burden is already huge.

He made the plea at the lunch of the NCD Strategic Plan and Policy and the NCDI findings and recommendations at the Hill Valley Hotel last Thursday in Freetown.

While updating participants on the findings of the NCDI Commission Report, Dr. Santigie said that 33.9% of all disabilities and 39.5% of all deaths were accounted for NCDs and injuries in 2017, adding that the burden of NCDs and Injuries has significantly has had an up surge in the past two decades. 

The Director further disaggregated that there are 56.5% of NCD related disabilities and 78.4% of injury related disabilities in Sierra Leone which surprisingly accounted for people below age 40.

“So, you see the issue of NCDs only associated to people at age 40 and above is gradually changing also affecting our younger population” Added Dr. Sesay.

Dr. Santigie continued that only 36.7% of NCD related disabilities are attributed to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory disease that are included in the global NCD monitoring framework in Sierra Leone.

However, a significant proportion of disabilities which are attributed to NCDs are also caused by mental disorder which stands at 7.4%, sickle cell, rheumatic heart disease.

He further educated that, though there are behavioral interventions that one can do to maintain health, behavioral and metabolic risk factors, such as alcohol, smoking, obesity, and hypertension, are not the only risk factors of NCDI and however the findings of the NCDI Report which states that other systematic risk factors related to poverty, environment, and chronic infections are also contributing factors to NCDIs in Sierra Leone. 

Dr. Sesay called for more research on NCDI as they they limited data on NCDIs, although data on NCDIs has been introduced and integrated into the HMIS, data collection must be strengthened to appropriately capture the burden of NCDs at facility level in the country. 

He continued that the NCDI Report recommends the national agenda for NCDIs to be expanded to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC), 38 potential interventions to be introduced or intensified within the health sector to target these NCDI priority conditions and that NCD intervention should be integrated throughout the health sector, including primary health delivery.

Malodor Associates Opens New Fuel Station

Malador Associates SL Ltd, a growing Indigenous Company has on Thursday 26th November, 2020, commission its first Filling Station in Freetown at Dwazark junction.

Minister of Lands Dr Dennis Sandy who officially opened the station stated that he was happy to see the work done by Malador Associates as it was good for national development.

While making his statement, Minister of Trade and Industry Dr. Hinga Sandy who graced the event alongside his Deputy said that Mr. Malador is a very good example to young people in Sierra Leone, citing that such an investment in the country was good for employment of many youth.

The Managing Director and the chairman of Rokel Commercial Bank,  Chief Executive Officer of  NP Sierra Leone , Representative from TOTAL Sierra Leone and a host of Religious leaders who were all present  gave an insight into how the company was formed from a dream of a single individual who is the CEO of the company to the expansion nationwide.

This is the 6th station officially opened to the public across the country.

The event was officiated by the Chief Imam of Fullah Central Mosque at Jenkins Street Alhaji Amadu Barrie as well as the Chief Imam of Ilmo-Zikre Mosque at Hill Station Alhaji Mohamed Chernoh Jalloh.

FCC, Eminence Africa & Green Door Pictures on COVID-19 Documentary

 

The Freetown City Council (FCC) has launched the long-awaited Rona & Bola mini TV series. This campaign supported by Idris Elba and his production company, Green Door Pictures, partnering with GOAL Sierra Leone and Eminence Africa and to produce five short COVID-19 illustrative videos.

The first episode will be aired on four Sierra Leonean radio and television channels starting Friday December 4, 2020, with subsequent episodes being aired each following week. The videos will also be circulated on social media platforms including Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube.

Produced with the support of Idris Elba and his London-based production company, Green Door Pictures, and working with Sierra Leone production company Eminence Africa and GOAL Sierra Leone, this mini-series depicts the differences between the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and the Ebola virus Disease (EVD) whilst reinforcing key messages for COVID-19 prevention, including the importance of social distancing, and wearing of face masks.

Special thanks to all our partners who worked with us on this project. This unique collaboration is harnessing multi-media expertise, and emergency response experience to reach every single home in Sierra Leone.

To all Freetonians, please remember to always practice COVID-19 preventive measures and play your part to StopCOVID19

 

ASA’s Industrial Action, USL, GoSL & SU Governments

By: Ishmaila Jalloh Jamburiah

Though I am student, I am critical enough to learn that ASA’s strike is not against USL students. It appears so, but in reality, it’s not.

Many forward-thinking students and I hold the view that the industrial action by ASA is reasonable, understandable and justifiable.

To me, ASA has seized the best opportunity available to them to get government’s or duty bearers’ undivided attention to addressing and/or improving their conditions of service.

It’s just that their best opportunity to solve their own problem is at the detriment of us, students of USL.

Students of USL should understand that ASA is not against them. Rather ASA is unavoidably punishing students to get GoSL’s fullest attention to their predicament.

It’s only through holding students hostage that this seeming perennial problem of salary adjustment and policy review can be addressed squarely.

The Problem

It’s frustrating to learn that the salaries of lecturers have not been reviewed since 2011, when according to policy it should be reviewed after every *three year*.

This means the policy has remained untouched for *nine years*. While the price of everything, besides the national flag, continues to rise without any attempt of a fall, the salaries of lecturers remain the same, even though *inflation rate since 2011 has risen to 137%*.

This, in other words, means if lecturers were paid *10 million leones in 2011 when a litter of fuel was sold at 3,000le for instance, without a review of the policy, they are still in November 2020 paid the same 10 million leones when a litter of fuel is sold at 8,000 le*. You do the vexing calculations.

Living on a 2013 cost of living when the world is in 2020 worth some appreciations. This is how governments, past and present, have got away with legal slavery and bold insolence to academia.

This aside, this government took upon themselves a duty of paying subventions (subsidy) to USL which USL in turn uses to part of lecturers’ salaries. This payment, according to ASA,  has also not been fully honored by those in charge.

Aside these, GoSL has also not payed the salaries of some COMAHS lecturers for six months now. Imagine going six months without a salary. ASA has, in fact, been compromising this issue of “salary salary bizness”. Believe you me, the concerns of ASA for going on a strike must be genuine.

The question of why an employee (lecturers) of a single employer (USL) is payed by two entities (USL & GoSL) is a topic of another discussion. What can be speculated is that the autonomy of USL is either under serious jeopardy  or there is no USL AUTONOMY at all.

Students and the Problem

Of all the ‘draw draw’ between ASA, USL & GoSL, we, students of USL, pay the price. As we’ve already started paying it, it should be noted that this semester has been a one-of-it-kind semester. From the frying pan to the fire, students have grappled with the tasteless online classes, which was in fact a waste of time for both tutors and students to the one month but two-week-of-real-teaching classes.

If COVID-19 has had any real effects on any class of society, then it will be USL students. Sadly, at the time when students hope to peacefully bid farewell to the “troubling 2020”, ASA decided to add more to what USL students can carry.

Should students be angry about it? Yes, they should be. How can they bear with a natural phenomenon (COVID-19) and at the same time bear with a man-made disaster (GoSL’s failure to address the salary issue)?

Students are supposed to be angry, but that has not been seen so far. Students have exercised appreciable patience with both USL and GoSL. I think it’s time to stand up not against anyone but for ourselves since no one (President, GoSL, Civil Society Organizations) has done so on our behalves.

But who should lead us? This lands us to another critical area. We must stand up, but we must do it lawfully.

*Students Unions – FBC, IPAM & COMAHS*

It’s not your role to beg ASA to end the strike. Rather it’s your responsibility to face those who have put ASA in such a situation to reconsider their decision. Students Union bodies are and/or should not be organs or MDA’s of government.

Just as we believe diplomacy is the best way, we should also not forget that not every problem can be addressed through dialogue. If the SU bodies of USL were really proactive and pragmatic (NOT radical) enough, then this unbecoming prolonged industrial action would have been nipped in the bud.

Until and unless students union bodies, including all students irrespective of political ideology, rise and demand GoSL to squarely address this issue of ASA salary, industrial actions or interruptions will continue at USL. The time is NOW.

A semester which should have ended by early December will now end in mid December or in early January. How many weeks will students have to prepare for the 2021 academic year? How many weeks will students who hail from the provinces have to reunite with their families? How many weeks will USL have to do admission and prepare for 2021 academic year?

Answers to all these questions provide adequate reasons why GoSL should help students get out of this problem.

#USLStudentsAreNotHappy

Everything is this article represents the author’s view.

How Dr. Dennis Sandy Is Destroying The SLPP

By Sorie Fofana

In 2007, the SLPP lost both the Parliamentary and Presidential elections to the APC (All Peoples Congress) Party. *In fact, in the whole of the Western Area (Rural and Urban), the SLPP did not win a single Parliamentary seat in 2007.* The APC won all twenty-one Parliamentary seats in the Western Area that year.

The devastating defeat of the SLPP in the Western Area, in both the *Presidential and Parliamentary elections in 2007 was due partly to Dr. Alfred Bobson Sesay (the SLPP Lands Minister’s) decision to demolish people’s private property and the forceful seizure of private lands in the Western Area.*

Dr. Bobson Sesay became notorious for destroying people’s private property thought to be built on State land. Voters in the Western Area decided to severely punish the SLPP in the ballot box for the sins of Dr. Bobson Sesay, voting the party out of office in 2007.

*Dr. Dennis Sandy*

*Since his appointment as Minister of Lands in 2018, Dr. Dennis Sandy has become the most hated Minister in the SLPP government. He has been busy dispossessing people of their rightfully acquired lands in the Western Area using a band of thugs to intimidate them.*

Some of the people whose properties Dr. Dennis Sandy is illegally taking away from them are even fit to be his parents.  Some of these people acquired some of these properties even before Dr. Dennis Sandy was born.

We call on His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio to put the interest of the SLPP Party above the interest of Dr. Dennis Sandy by removing him from that office. Dr. Dennis Sandy is destroying the SLPP in the Western Area. He has given the Party a bad name in the Western Area.

There is a pending re-run election in Constituency 110 in the Western Area Rural on 12th December, 2020. The SLPP Parliamentary candidate, Madam Josephine Jackson is finding it very difficult to convince people in her Constituency to vote for her, simply because, Dr. Dennis Sandy has given the SLPP a bad name in the Western Area. By the way, why is Dr. Dennis Sandy using armed security personnel to intimidate peaceful citizens in this country?

We insist that, Dr. Dennis Sandy is destroying the good image of this government by the way he is going about intimidating and dispossessing people of their rightfully-acquired properties.

A stitch in time saves nine! It is time for Dr. Dennis Sandy to be booted out of this government. Let him return to his PMDC Party. That is where he rightfully belongs. The SLPP has no place for hooliganism and/or gangsterism. This is a government of law and order. Period!

“Sierra Leone’s Embassy working relationship in the EU countries is expanding and deepening” Ambassador Musa

By Betty Milton

Information Attaché, Brussels

 

Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to Belgium H.E Samuel Tamba Musa has disclosed that “our relationship with the accredited countries in the EU is expanding and deepening since I took up office just two years ago”.

The Ambassador has presented letters of accreditation in the Kingdom of Belgium, duchy of Luxembourg, Netherlands, France, and the Vatican (Holy see). The presentation is planned for Greece. The presentation of credentials opens the way for official engagements in each Country of accreditation.

Belgium is rightly regarded as the hub of the European Union (EU), linked to many countries and organizations, with several development pathways and investment opportunities.

On Sierra Leone’s relationship with the EU, Ambassador Musa stated that the two sides have built ties and have routinely engaged on matters concerning Sierra Leone. The Ambassador further participates in the Committee of Ambassadors meeting convened by Organization of Organization of African Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS). The OACPS has a framework arrangement, Cotonou agreement through which the EDF supports the development aspirations of partner countries meetings. The OACPS through the Committee of Ambassador is currently heavily involved in the post-cotonuo agreement has been in existence in the last 25 years.

The Ambassador further added the Mission represents Sierra Leone in other Sub-Committees to present the case for our government and showcase the positive developmental strides of Sierra Leone so that the outside world continues to be interested and committed in supporting the government’s agenda. So far, that effort has been very positive, and even in the midst of crisis, our relationship with the EU has remained strong.

“We work on strengthening our relationships with multilateral organizations like UNESCO, Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). We do this through various exchanges and meetings to discuss and reflect on pertinent issues. These organizations support capacity building initiatives”.

Acknowledging that it takes time to build relationships with companies, Ambassador Musa disclosed that the Embassy had got to a point where “we would have had major successful outcomes but we could not because of the COVID. We have facilitated business missions, tracked and shared funding opportunities. We were going to visit this December with 40 companies and I had written to the Ministry of Trade and Industry but had suspended the mission because of the pandemic. Hopefully when the situation improves, we will get it done”.

Explaining about the challenges faced in the economic diplomacy which the New Direction government is focused on, Ambassador Musa said there are several issues now at play including the COVID-19 pandemic which, he reminded, has seriously affected all the industries and businesses in Europe. ”A good number are focused on protecting their companies than expanding their operations to other countries”., he said.

The Ambassador opined that In this part of the world, many public and private institutions have strong ties with former colonial territories and for most of them those ties are not in English-speaking West Africa. For example, in Belgium, they have a fixed number of countries, mostly in French speaking Africa they work with as part of their aid effectiveness policy

He further reckoned that “There are challenges with that and the only way to address that is to nurture relationships with the public and private sector authorities s to see the need to expand to other countries and clearly, this is happening now. For example, apart from their former territories, France has come up with a strategy to engage Africa and they want to go into the English-speaking countries,” he said.

Disclosing the role of the EU Delegation in Sierra Leone to the socio-economic development of the country, the Ambassador stated that “The EU, under the leadership of Ambassador Tom Vens is doing quite a lot in Sierra Leone. And here in Brussels, through the Committee of Ambassadors, we engage the EU to discuss issues affecting our country and this goes to the EU Commission and Parliament. We are doing well”, he emphasized.

When questioned about the transition from NGO development sector to working for the government, the Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to Brussels said:

“I am happy to be the representative of His Excellency, Brigadier (RTD) Dr Julius Maada Bio in the accredited countries and the EU. He has given me the opportunity to contribute to the difference he is making in the transformation of the country through his inclusive approach. We contributing to increasing the visibility and rebranding of the country, explaining the progress. I do feel his energy from here in Brussels, the New Direction government is making under his leadership” … the Ambassador concluded.

 

 

SLRSA Engages Road Safety Corps on Ethics in Law Enforcement

 

The Management of the Sierra Lone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) on Wednesday November 25, 2020 commenced a two days training program for Road Safety Corps on the theme “Ethics in Law Enforcement” at the Authorities Head Quarters Kissy Road, Freetown with the objective to enable Road Safety Corps to be more effective and efficient in executing their duties.

The two days training which was moderated by the Director of Human Resources and Admin drew participants from rank and file of the Authority’s enforcement department.

In his address, the Director of Human Resources and Admin Mr. Joseph O. Dauda reminded the RSCs about their roles and responsibilities to the public and lamented over the appalling performance of some of the Corps. He Cited incidents of bad practice exhibited by some personnel over the last few months and warned that such conducts would no longer be tolerated.

The Director of HR/Admin said recent events by Road Safety Personnel on social media were not good for the image of the Authority, therefore Management had deemed it necessary to organize an in-service training for Road Safety Corps in order to improve on ethical behaviors and rebrand the image of the Safety and Enforcement Department of the Authority. At the end of the training “it expected of you to put up best practice”, the Director of HR and Admin affirmed.

Augustine Kaitongi Director of Safety and Enforcement admonished Road Safety Corps to work within the ambit of the law and always try to do best practice, he reminded them of ethics as being a moral principle and every law enforcer had a responsibility to be ethical in the dispensation of their duties.

Director Kaitongi maintained that, the training itself was material at this point in time especially when safety corps are facing backlashes from members of the public in the cause of their duties.

He encouraged the Safety Corps to make best use of the training and replicate best practice in society.

Mr. Litho Lamin a retired police officer was lead facilitator while Mr. Joseph Kangaju an expert on Ethics from the Anti-Corruption Commission also served as facilitator.

The Acting Executive Director Mr. James Baggie Bio expressed his determination to reverse current trends in the Safety and Enforcement Department and called all to cooperate with management to promote the Government’s New Direction Agenda.