News

By Hassan Juana Koroma in Bo

The death of an inmate in the hands of his cellmates in Bo has raised questions about prison conditions in Sierra Leone.

Twenty-two year old Juana Brima died on April 4 from injuries he sustained from torture meted out on him a day earlier.

The management of the Bo Correctional Center confirmed the incident which occurred at the Male wing of the Centre which is located in Kortigbuma Section in Bo Town.

By Mohamed T. Massaquoi 

Personal differences within the management of Moyamba District Council are proving to be obstacle for development, raising concerns among civil society and community people in the district.

The Chairman of the Council, Joseph Benedict Mbogba, doesn’t see eye to eye with the Acting Chief Administrator (CA), Veronica Fortune. And the two are trading accusations and counter-accusations at each other.

Sierra Leone’s president, Julius Maada Bio turned one year in office on 4 April 2019. It followed his declaration by the National Electoral Commission on that date in 2018 as the candidate duly elected after receiving the most votes in the runoff election.

President Bio sat down with Umaru Fofana at State House for a self assessment of his stewardship.

Umaru Fofana: Mr. President, it’s one year since your election what would you say your achievements have been?

By Mohamed T. Massaquoi

The dream of the Freetown Port becoming the largest transshipment hub in Sub-Saharan Africa is getting closer to reality with the recent inauguration of its newly expanded container terminal.

The project funded by the renowned French port handler, Bollore Transport and Logistics, which manages the terminal, is expected to cut down on the time of clearing containers and increase output and thereby boosting the country’s economy.

By Kemo Cham

A new publication by the World Bank may hold the key to many unanswered questions around the management of Sierra Leone’s mineral resources with the potential to avoiding the phenomenon known as resource curse.

By Mohamed T. Massaquoi

Traditional voice and voice-related products continue to lead in the revenue composition of the Sierra Leone telecommunications industry, pointing to a low rate of internet penetration, figures from the Sierra Leone Cable Limited (SALCAB) show.

Voice related products account for 65 % of revenue, while data contributes only 22 %, according to the figures. The remaining 13 percent comes from VAS (Value Added Services) or content.

By Umaru Fofana 

A 32-year-old woman in Kenema, eastern Sierra Leone says she fears for her life as members of the Bondo Society have allegedly threatened to put her through female genital mutilation. She appears in court with them today, Friday, in a case she filed. 

Brenda Amara told Politico that after an altercation she had had with another woman last week, some Soweis - as the FGM initiators are called - surrounded her house to forcibly take her to the bush and put her through the procedure.