News

By Kemo Cham

As the race to contain the Covid-19 pandemic heats up, countries like Sierra Leone are lagging far behind in terms of vaccination.

Seven months since it commenced its vaccination programme, only about 3 percent of Sierra Leone’s population has been fully vaccinated, according to official data.

Besides hesitancy, which has been due to misconceptions fueled by fake news, occasional shortages of the jabs has also contributed to the low uptake. But authorities say not only is there enough jabs now, hesitancy has also reduced.

By Mohamed Foday Conteh

 Mohamed Conteh, a 56 year-old man who is on trial for alleged sexual abuse of a then 17 year-old girl described as his daughter since sittings on the case began, has told Justice Momoh-Jah Stevens that the girl is not his ‘biological daughter’.

Conteh, a mechanic,made the claim as he testified at the Sexual Offences Model Court in Freetown on Friday 22 October this year, over allegations of incest levied on him by the State.

By Alpha Abu & Prince J. Musa in Kenema

The first university in the Eastern Region of Sierra Leone has been inaugurated in Kenema. Eastern Polytechnic has now been elevated to Eastern Technical University (ETU), a new status that would see the introduction of a broader spectrum of courses that that would enhance the technical labour market in the country.

By Politico staff writer

As part of what is the largest COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Sierra Leone, the district of Pujehun has set a record with the administration of over 12, 000 doses in three weeks.

The initiative, dubbed the “Accelerated Covid-19 Vaccination Campaign,” is being championed by the NGO FOCUS 1000, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and other local and international partners.

By Mohamed Foday Conteh

Justice Cosmotina Jarrett has sent one Gibrilla Kamara, a District CoronaVirus Response Centre (DICOVERC) mobiliser, on remand at the Pademba Road Correctional Centre.

Kamara appeared together with one Michael Abdulai at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) section of the High Court in Freetown on Thursday 21 October this year, charged for corruption.

By Politico Staff Writer

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry through the Regional Rice Value Chain Project (RRVCP) has commenced harvesting of 264 hectares of farm rice at Batiwayah in Bum Chiefdom, Bonthe, in Southern Sierra Leone.

The Project says the harvesting this October is among first of many that will follow in other surrounding villages. The Project is also set to commence harvesting in Samu and Mambolo Chiefdoms in the Kambia district after the exercise at Tormabum would have been completed.

By Politico staff writer

A senior official of the investment company Africa Gulf Corporation has told the media in Bo that the company decided to start site-clearing the proposed new airport after experiencing “delays, time wasting and too much bureaucracy with people not wanting to talk to us on the project but we are ready to meet the authorities at any time”.

The Corporation’s Head of Communications, Jobson Saffa Momoh said they would “discuss and negotiate as soon as we get responses from those concerned”.