News

By Umaru Fofana

Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, Manty Tarawally says the much-needed forensic laboratory will soon be set up in Sierra Leone.

Speaking to Politico, she said “We have put together a committee. And they’re actually working towards the end of year or first quarter next year” to set it up.

Ms Tarawally said it was a highly technical project with different components needing to be put together or considered when doing this.

By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay

Four state owned enterprises are to receive a bailout package totaling Le15 billion, according to the supplementary budget for the 2020 Financial Year.

The four enterprises that will benefit from the bailout are, according to the document presented to parliament by Minister of Finance Jacob Jusu Saffa last week are the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority (SLAA), Sierra Leone Airports Authority (SLAA), Sierra Leone Road Transport Corporation (SLRTC) and the Sierra Leone Postal Services (SALPOST).

By Kemo Cham

Some Le308.8 billion was allocated to the health sector for the remaining time in the current financial year, according to details of the supplementary budget presented to parliament last week.

Finance Minister, Jacob Jusu Saffa, said the amount included Le200 billion as the contribution of the Government of Sierra Leone to the operations of the National Covid-19 Emergency Response Center (NaCOVERC).

The supplementary budget was presented to the House on Friday July 24.

By Francis H. Murray

Five rural communities in the Bagruwa Chiefdom, Moyamba District, have commenced activities geared towards connecting three patches of forest in order to create the first corridor for wildlife species in Sierra Leone.

The communities: Mobondah, Mai, Mokombo, Yelleh and Sorbengi, have been discovered to have two secondary forests surrounded by mangroves, which will provide a home for a number of key wildlife species.

By Francis H. Murray

Farmers in Makpele and Sahn Malen chiefdoms in Pujehun District and Upper and Lower Banta chiefdoms in Moyamba District have benefited from the second tranche cash payment by the World Food Programme (WFP).

The project aims at building the capacities of institutions that promote peace as well as create multi stakeholder dialogue platforms for peaceful relations between communities, government and private investors.

By Kemo Cham

Sierra Leone and two of its West African neighbors Liberia and The Gambia are to share $53.25 million being grant from the Africa Development Bank as budgetary support to help fight Covid-19 in the three countries.

The multi-country grant for COVID-19 response in Gambia, Liberia and Sierra Leone, which was approved by the AfDB Board of Directors on Friday, according to a news release issued via the African News Organization, is meant to mitigate the impact of the ongoing viral pandemic in the three countries.

By Francis H. Murray

Mariama Sajor Barrie and Ibrahim Bah, the two people accused of murdering five-year old Kadija Saccoh, appeared before Magistrate Mark Ngegba on Tuesday for preliminary investigations into the charges which also include conspiracy to murder.

The prosecution alleges that the accused persons on the 1^st May 2020 and on diverse dates between that day and Wednesday 17^th June, at No. 23 Spur Road in the Western Area of Freetown, conspired with other persons unknown to murder Kadija Madiatu Saccoh.