New Orange S/L CEO meets Chief Justice

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 challenged by present and future access to water are reflected in this work and importantly, in the solutions designed to address the challenges of water,” said Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr.