News

By Francis H. Murray

The body of five-year old Khadija Saccoh has been laid to rest at the Kissy Road cemetery. Her death in June sparked off street protests calling for justice amid allegations that she had been raped before she was killed.

The Hill Station Central Mosque became a pool of tears on Friday 22 January 2021 as hundreds of family members and sympathisers converged to say final prayers for the deceased.

First Lady Fatima Bio and the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Elizabeth Turay, were among the mourners.

Vice President Dr Juldeh Jalloh left for Senegal yesterday for a study tour of how the country has implemented its US Millennium Challenge Cooperation (MCC) projects which it has tremendously benefited.

According to a statement from the Sierra Leone embassy in Dakar, the VP will lead a team of senior cabinet ministers, the Financial Secretary and the Chief Executive Officer of MCC to Sierra Leone.

By Mabinty M. Kamara

Over alarming rates of road accidents across the country, mostly attributed to drunk driving, the Sierra Leone Roads Safety Authority is set to institute the use of breathalysers to test the rate of alcohol contents in drivers.

The figures released by the Roads Safety Authority recorded from January to December 2020 show a total of 2,763 road accidents with 867 deaths (501 men, 334 women and 32 children) and 770 people seriously injured.

By Mabinty M. Kamara

Civil society organisations working in the extractive sector have presented to the mines minister their inputs and observations about the draft Mines and Minerals Development Bill due to be laid before parliament.

According to the Natural Resource Rights and Economic Justice Network Sierra Leone (NaRGEJ), they did so in response to a call for their inputs and contributions to the draft legislation made by the minister, Timothy Kabba. 

By Prince J Musa in Kenema

The head of surveillance for Kenema district attached to the district Health Management Team (DHMT) has expressed concern over a drop in the compliance rate of Covid19 regulations in the district.

Speaking to Politico, Koi Alpha said that “Since 2020 to date which is over 148 days now Kenema district has not recorded any new case of Covid19”, but said he was worried over the lack of compliance from the people especially relating to the use of face masks and handwashing

By Alpha Abu

410 tractors, fertilizer applicators, seed broadcasters and power tillers valued at over $18 million have arrived in Sierra Leone to support private sector farmers in mechanised farming.

They are to be pre-positioned in seven centres to service the numerous   farmer groups across the country.

Explaining to journalists, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Dr. Abubakarr Karim explained the diverse and expansive agricultural projects that the government has embarked on in different parts of the country.

By Politico staff writer

President Julius Maada Bio has on Friday 22^nd January 2021 Launched the Sierra Leone Health Village and also Turned Sod for the Construction of an Ultra-Modern General Hospital at Kerry Town.

Kerry Town, Western Rural District of Sierra Leone served as a major treatment center in the Western Area during the outbreak of the Ebola epidemic which claimed thousands of lives in the over a year stay in the country.