Search Results

Blyden Refutes Claims of First Lady's Involvement in Sahr Memphis’ Detention Former Minister and political commentator Sylvia Olayinka Blyden has formally dismissed allegations linking First Lady Fatima Maada Bio to the reported detention of Sahr Memphis, Chief Executive Officer of Born 2 Blog. In a recent public statement, Ms. Blyden asserted that the First Lady had no role in the legal proceedings and urged the public to refrain from attributing responsibility to her office. Blyden emphasized that the First Lady is currently attending to personal matters and that the detention of individuals does not align with her current priorities. The commentary also addressed the prevalence of false narratives regarding the incident. Blyden criticized the dissemination of unverified claims connecting the First Lady to the police action, calling for an end to the spread of misinformation. The controversy stems from the reported detention of Sahr Memphis by officers of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). According to Born 2 Blog, the CEO was taken into custody following a social media post related to a campaign supporting Mrs. Tuma Gento. Investigations reportedly center on whether the content of the publication was offensive or contained veiled references to the First Lady. Despite these concerns, Born 2 Blog has maintained that the post in question did not explicitly mention the First Lady and was not intended to target any specific individual. The platform contends that the interpretation of the post by authorities may be misplaced. The detention has prompted significant public debate regarding the freedom of expression and the basis for CID interventions in social media activity. Ms. Blyden’s intervention serves to further distance the First Lady from the executive actions of the police department amidst the ongoing controversy.

SLBA Rejects Attorney General’s Directives on AGM Postponement The Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA) has formally rejected directives issued by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Alpha Sesay, concerning the postponement of its Annual General Meeting (AGM). In a communication from President Tuma Adama Gento-Kamara, the Association insisted that the Attorney General lacks the legal authority to intervene in its internal governance. The SLBA acknowledged the constitutional significance of the Attorney General's office but maintained that respect for that office does not equate to compliance with what it deems unlawful directives. The Association further asserted that the Attorney General holds no statutory supervisory powers and argued that the title "Titular Head of the Bar" is merely ceremonial. Regarding disputes over executive tenure, the SLBA argued that such matters fall under judicial authority rather than executive oversight. The Association cited the Companies Act to clarify that the postponement of its AGM does not violate the requirements set forth in Section 185. The SLBA emphasized that the High Court is the appropriate forum for resolving any such disputes and warned that the Attorney General’s directives crossed a constitutional boundary, characterizing them as unlawful interference. In conclusion, the SLBA noted its commitment to holding the AGM within three months and reiterated its insistence that the independence of the Bar remains essential to the rule of law.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), Moses Mambu, has alleged that individuals linked to the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) are among those arrested in the ongoing national crackdown on the illegal drug known as “kush.” Speaking in an interview on Liberty Online TV, Mambu said the fight against drugs should not be politicised, but claimed that recent enforcement operations have revealed political links within the drug network. “When kush business started, it was the APC that raised concerns about it, but when government took certain positions, we found out at the end of the day that they were people heavily linked to the APC,” he alleged. He stressed that substance abuse remains a long-standing national challenge affecting communities across Sierra Leone and should not be used for political advantage. “Drug business should not be political because it has been from generations,” he said. Mambu further referenced substances such as tramadol and “pampers water,” claiming they were introduced during previous administrations and have contributed to youth addiction and social problems. “It was under APC government that pampers water, tramadol and others were brought that destroyed thousands of young men’s lives in the country,” he stated. He added that the current crackdown on kush appears to be yielding results in some communities, citing recent arrests and enforcement actions. “Drug issues won’t make you win political power from the people,” he added. Mambu also criticized the APC’s approach to governance, alleging inconsistencies in its public positions on national issues. The allegations come as law enforcement agencies intensify nationwide operations against kush trafficking and consumption across Sierra Leone. The APC has not yet responded to the claims.

Sierra Leone has taken a major step toward deepening economic relations with Europe following the official inauguration of the European Chamber of Commerce in Sierra Leone (EuroCham SL), a new platform aimed at promoting trade, investment, and private sector cooperation. The launch brought together representatives of the European Union, the Government of Sierra Leone, and private sector stakeholders, in a move designed to strengthen the country’s investment climate and expand economic partnerships with European businesses. EuroCham Sierra Leone is expected to serve as a central platform for European companies operating in the country, facilitating dialogue, collaboration, and engagement with government institutions and industry stakeholders. The inauguration ceremony was held alongside the Third Public-Private Dialogue, which gathered government officials, development partners, and business leaders to discuss policy reforms and opportunities to support economic growth and private sector development. Key speakers at the event included Chief Minister David Moinina Sengeh, Minister of Trade and Industry Alpha Ibrahim Sesay, European Union Ambassador to Sierra Leone Jacek Jankowski, and President of EuroCham Sierra Leone Hans Christopher Wursche. They collectively emphasized the importance of strengthening collaboration between government and the private sector, improving the business environment, and attracting sustainable foreign investment to drive national development. The establishment of EuroCham Sierra Leone is expected to enhance business cooperation and increase trade and investment flows between Sierra Leone and Europe. The initiative comes as the government continues efforts to attract foreign direct investment, support private sector growth, and build stronger international economic partnerships as part of its broader development agenda.

The Ministry of Health has reassured the public that Sierra Leone currently records zero cases of Ebola, emphasizing that the country’s health surveillance systems remain fully active to prevent any resurgence of the disease. The update was provided during the Weekly Government Press Conference held at the Miatta Conference Centre, Youyi Building, and hosted by the Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor Bah. Speaking to journalists, the Minister of Health gave a comprehensive briefing on the country’s epidemiological status, stressing that maintaining Ebola-free status remains a national priority given Sierra Leone’s historical vulnerability to outbreaks. He outlined ongoing preventive measures, including strengthened surveillance systems and monitoring at border entry points, as well as community-level preparedness initiatives aimed at reducing the risk of cross-border transmission. Central to the national response, he noted, is the National Public Health Agency (NPHA), which operates under the direct oversight of the Ministry of Health and the Presidency to ensure rapid response capacity and coordinated national health security. The Ministry reaffirmed government’s commitment to maintaining vigilance while strengthening public health systems to safeguard citizens against potential outbreaks.

The Ministry of Energy has announced a gradual stabilisation of electricity supply across Sierra Leone following recent power disruptions linked to reduced water levels at the Bumbuna Hydroelectric Dam. The update was delivered during the Weekly Government Press Conference held at the Miatta Conference Centre, where sector ministers provided briefings on key national developments. The Minister of Energy explained that recent nationwide outages were the result of a managed emergency response after a significant drop in reservoir water levels at Bumbuna, the country’s main hydropower source. He clarified that the situation required temporary load shedding rather than a full national blackout. To mitigate the shortfall, the ministry implemented alternative power arrangements, including support to Freetown through the Kingtom and Blackhall Road power stations, while Makeni and Magburaka were supplied using fuel-powered thermal generators. He further announced that water levels at the Bumbuna reservoir have now improved significantly, allowing for a steady recovery in electricity generation. As a result, power supply is being stabilised, with increased capacity now being fed into the national grid to reduce consumer deficits. Looking ahead, the Minister said government is pursuing energy diversification projects, particularly in solar power, to reduce reliance on hydropower fluctuations and fossil fuels, and to build a more resilient national energy system. The briefing was part of the government’s routine public communication efforts, chaired by Minister Chernor Bah, who reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to transparency and regular updates on national issues.

The National Publicity Secretary of the All People’s Congress (APC), Sidi Yayah Tunis, has expressed confidence that his party could return to power in the 2028 general elections, claiming the opposition currently holds a 70 percent chance of victory. Speaking on Liberty Online TV, Tunis attributed his optimism to what he described as growing public dissatisfaction with the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), arguing that this sentiment is strengthening the APC’s political position ahead of the next elections. “We have a 70 percent chance of winning,” he stated. He claimed that multiple sectors of the country are underperforming, singling out education and referencing concerns around national examination results, including the BECE and WASSCE, as indicators of broader systemic challenges. “There is no sector right now that is working. Even the education they are talking about, the WAEC results that are coming, BECE and WASSCE,” he said. Tunis also dismissed the idea that the SLPP retains strong political strongholds, arguing that the party’s support base has weakened across the country. He further alleged that the ruling party does not fully support free and fair elections, accusing it of attempting to manipulate electoral outcomes—claims that remain the position of the APC spokesperson. “SLPP never believes in fair elections. They always want to find a way to rig. That is how they believe they will come to power,” he alleged. Describing the APC as a people-centered political movement, Tunis said the party remains rooted in the aspirations of ordinary Sierra Leoneans and has historically pursued policies aimed at national development. “The APC is in the power of the people,” he said. He further claimed that the APC has played a leading role in the country’s development history, citing infrastructure and institutional projects such as the Aberdeen Bridge, the Bank of Sierra Leone, the medical school, the law school, and various road networks as examples of achievements under previous APC administrations. “Every development in this country, it was the APC that started it,” he claimed. Tunis also criticized the SLPP’s development record, arguing that some government projects have failed to deliver meaningful impact to citizens. The remarks come as political parties gradually intensify positioning ahead of the 2028 elections, with both the APC and SLPP expected to increase political engagements in the coming years.

The Government of Sierra Leone has launched a comprehensive review of Kono University as part of its broader efforts to strengthen governance, accountability, and service delivery across the country’s public higher education system. The exercise, led by the Public Sector Reform Unit (PSRU) in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher and Technical Education (MTHE), took place on Tuesday during an engagement with the university’s leadership and senior staff in Kono District. The review forms part of a nationwide Management and Functional Review (MFR) of public universities, following similar assessments conducted at Njala University and Eastern Technical University. It comes amid growing national concerns over graduate unemployment, infrastructure gaps, staffing challenges, and the need to align university programmes with labour market demands. Welcoming the delegation, Kono University Vice Chancellor, Tamba Jamiru, described the exercise as timely, noting that it provides an opportunity for institutional reflection and improved dialogue on the university’s development path. Speaking on behalf of the Ministry, Human Resources Director Mrs. Rebecca Saffa said the review is designed to ensure that public universities align with national development priorities and support the government’s Human Capital Development agenda under President Julius Maada Bio. Chief of Programmes at the PSRU, Mr. Albert R.C.E. Williams, described the initiative as the first comprehensive assessment of all public universities in Sierra Leone, adding that it was approved by Cabinet. He explained that the exercise will identify institutional strengths, operational gaps, governance weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement across the higher education sector, stressing the importance of universities in building national productivity and competitiveness. Kono University, one of the country’s newest public universities, is seen as a key institution in expanding access to higher education, particularly for students in eastern Sierra Leone who previously had to travel to Freetown, Bo, or Makeni. During the engagement, the PSRU team outlined the objectives, methodology, and implementation framework of the review, while encouraging full participation from university management and staff. The review is expected to produce key recommendations that could shape future reforms in university governance, curriculum relevance, institutional management, and service delivery. As Sierra Leone continues to invest in human capital development, attention is now focused on whether the findings will translate into practical reforms capable of improving the quality of higher education and better preparing graduates for the modern workforce.

Hundreds of children in rural Port Loko District are set to benefit from improved access to education following the construction of new school facilities aimed at reducing overcrowding and expanding learning opportunities. Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh on Saturday inspected ongoing school expansion projects in Lokomasama and Kofobulum Chiefdoms, reaffirming government’s commitment to strengthening education infrastructure under President Julius Maada Bio’s Free Quality Education (FQE) programme. At the Lokomasama School of Science, the Vice President reviewed newly constructed classroom blocks funded by Marampa Mines, a private-sector partner supporting education development. The additional facilities are expected to ease congestion and improve learning conditions, particularly for science students. He also visited a new primary school under construction in Kofobulum Chiefdom, another Marampa Mines-supported project expected to serve hundreds of children with limited access to nearby schools. Officials said the four-month project will include modern classrooms for nursery and primary pupils from Class One to Six, as well as an administrative block, and is on track for completion within schedule. The facility is expected to be named Dr. Juldeh International Primary School, with plans to expand it into a secondary school in the future. The visit highlighted the growing role of public-private partnerships in education delivery, alongside government’s ongoing investments under the FQE programme launched in 2018, which has expanded tuition-free education, learning materials, school feeding initiatives, and infrastructure development nationwide—though challenges in classroom space and quality persist. Vice President Jalloh reiterated government’s commitment to ensuring equal access to quality education for all children, describing education as central to national development. For communities in Lokomasama and Kofobulum, the projects represent improved learning conditions, expanded opportunity, and hope for the future as construction continues toward completion.

The Patriotic Advocacy Network (PAN) has raised concerns over what it describes as a growing wave of examination malpractice during the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in Sierra Leone, urging the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education to take immediate action to protect the integrity of the examination process. In a formal communication addressed to the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, PAN alleged that increasing incidents of cheating, collusion, bribery, leaked examination materials, and the presence of so-called “ghost students” at examination centres are threatening the credibility of the country’s education system. According to the organisation, the WASSCE has long served as a critical benchmark for assessing students’ readiness for tertiary education and should remain a fair and credible measure of academic achievement. “The WASSCE has historically served as the definitive benchmark for determining our pupils’ readiness for tertiary education. Unfortunately, this standard is now being undermined by rampant unethical practices,” PAN stated. The advocacy group warned that the growing prevalence of examination malpractice is having far-reaching consequences, particularly for hardworking students who dedicate years of effort to their studies. According to PAN, many diligent candidates are becoming increasingly discouraged as cheating appears to be widespread in some examination centres, creating an uneven playing field and undermining confidence in the examination process. “Brilliant, dedicated pupils who spend years studying rigorously now feel their efforts are futile due to the open-door culture of cheating in many centres,” the organisation noted. PAN further cautioned that the continued tolerance of unethical practices risks normalising corruption within the education sector, potentially fostering attitudes and behaviours that could have long-term negative consequences for national development. The organisation called on the Ministry to implement urgent and robust measures to address what it described as a systemic problem, including strengthening monitoring and enforcement mechanisms at examination centres across the country. PAN also alleged that examination malpractice is being enabled by a network of actors within the education system, including some school administrators, teachers, parents, and examination officials, and stressed the need for a coordinated national response involving all stakeholders. “We are fully committed to working with the Ministry and other stakeholders to eradicate examination malpractice in Sierra Leone,” the group stated. The organisation further disclosed that it is preparing a comprehensive position paper outlining the key factors contributing to examination malpractice and proposing practical recommendations for addressing the issue. PAN also requested a formal meeting with the Ministry to discuss collaborative strategies aimed at restoring credibility, fairness, and public confidence in the examination system. The concerns come amid the ongoing nationwide administration of the WASSCE, which continues to attract public attention over issues relating to examination integrity, accountability, and equal opportunity for all candidates.

The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Alpha Sesay, has formally directed the Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA) to immediately announce a definite date for its Annual General Meeting (AGM), arguing that the Executive’s decision to postpone the meeting indefinitely lacks legal basis and undermines democratic governance within the Association. In a letter dated 2 June 2026 and addressed to the President of the Sierra Leone Bar Association, the Attorney-General expressed concern over what he described as fundamental issues affecting the rule of law, the integrity of the legal profession, and the governance of the Association. According to the Attorney-General, the current SLBA Executive assumed office on 17 May 2024 and, under Article 20 of the Association’s Memorandum and Articles of Association, its two-year tenure expired on 17 May 2026. He noted that while Article 22 permits the President alone to remain in office until a successor is elected, the provision is intended solely to ensure continuity during a brief transitional period and does not authorize an indefinite extension of the Executive’s mandate. The Attorney-General stated that the Executive is now operating as a caretaker body with limited authority, restricted to routine administrative functions and incapable of making substantive corporate decisions on behalf of the Association. He further argued that the Executive’s announcement on 1 June 2026 postponing the AGM indefinitely raises serious legal concerns. Citing Section 185(1) of the Companies Act 2009, he emphasized that every company is legally required to hold an Annual General Meeting each year, with no more than fifteen months between successive meetings. According to the Attorney-General, an indefinite postponement effectively amounts to a cancellation of the AGM and constitutes a breach of statutory requirements. He maintained that the outgoing Executive lacks the authority to indefinitely postpone the AGM, extend its own tenure, alter governance processes, commit the Association to new obligations, or make substantive decisions on behalf of members. “Such decisions may only be taken either by order of the High Court or by resolution of the membership at a duly constituted general meeting,” the letter stated. The Attorney-General stressed that the AGM belongs to the membership rather than the Executive and that members alone have the authority to determine whether elections should proceed as scheduled or be deferred, as well as to decide other governance matters affecting the Association. As a result, he directed the outgoing Executive to immediately withdraw its notice postponing the AGM indefinitely and to announce a specific date for the meeting. He also instructed the Executive to notify all members through available communication channels that the AGM will proceed as scheduled. The Attorney-General warned that compliance with these directives is a legal obligation and emphasized that the Sierra Leone Bar Association cannot credibly champion the rule of law in courts and public discourse while allegedly disregarding legal requirements within its own institution. “The Postponement Notice raises questions of legality, the Executive’s mandate has expired, and the AGM must proceed,” he stated, adding that the future governance of the Association rests exclusively with its membership assembled in a General Meeting. He concluded by urging the Association’s leadership to take immediate steps to comply, while noting that several legal and constitutional options remain available to ensure adherence to the Companies Act, the Association’s governing documents, and the rule of law.

During a session at Pademba Road Court No. 1, the prosecution presented testimony from a witness regarding the defendant, a 35-year-old farmer charged with violations of Sierra Leone’s wildlife and conservation laws. Chief Superintendent of Police Tommy B. Zizer, Esq., representing the prosecution, called Ibrahim Tanko, a civil servant with the National Protected Area Authority (NPAA), to provide evidence. Tanko provided an account of the defendant’s activities observed within the Western Area Peninsula National Park. Tanko testified that on Saturday, May 2, 2026, he was alerted by NPAA Director Alhaji S. Tunis to a fire within the protected area. Upon arriving at the scene, Tanko reported observing the defendant cutting wood inside the forest, which is prohibited under conservation regulations. Tanko stated that the defendant initially left the area when officials approached. On the following day, Tanko returned to the location and encountered the defendant again, who was allegedly in possession of wood harvested from the protected forest. The defendant was subsequently arrested and taken to Lumley Police Station, where a formal statement was recorded. During cross-examination, the witness maintained his account regarding the defendant's unauthorized entry and activities within the park. Magistrate Mustapha Brima Jah ordered the accused to be remanded at the correctional facility in Freetown due to the nature of the charges. The matter has been adjourned until June 16, 2026, for further proceedings. Illegal logging remains a challenge for Sierra Leone's forest reserves, contributing to deforestation and the loss of biodiversity. Unauthorized activities, including tree cutting and land clearing without permits, impact the conservation of the country's ecological resources. Environmental experts note that deforestation affects local ecosystems and the capacity of forests to sequester carbon. Authorities continue to address illegal logging through legal protections and enforcement measures to support environmental security and sustainable development.