News

By Kemo Cham

Sierra Leone has been included in the United States’ President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), the White House has announced.

The country was named on Monday alongside Cote D’Ivoire and Cameroon to be part of the US government’s program that seeks to eliminate the deadly parasitic disease that accounts for most global deaths to illness.

Malaria is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan called plasmodium. The parasite is transmitted by the mosquito.

By Mustapha Sesay

After the ground breaking creative work of Kelvin Doe, who succeeded in creating his own radio station, the country has recorded more creative youngsters, Mahmoud Javombo, the Program Director of Innovate Salone, has said.

By Umaru Fofana

Lecturers at polytechnics and teacher training colleges throughout Sierra Leone yesterday started an indefinite stay-at-home strike over pay and conditions, disrupting classes for thousands of students in Freetown, Makeni, Kenema and Port Loko. However, following a meeting with education minister Dr Minkailu Bah, the striking lecturers agreed to suspend their action amid assurances by government to meet their demand.

By Septimus Senessie in Kono

Civil societies and environmentalists in the Kono District, east of Sierra Leone, have raised alarm over a proliferation of town mining which has left part of Tankoro Chiefdom defaced.

Vegetable crops, private homes and other landmarks in the affected areas have either been destroyed or are under threat of annihilation by a mining practice that involved some highly placed community stakeholders, environmental officials in the diamond rich district have alleged.

By Allieu Sahid Tunkara

The Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) has published the first draft of its report for public vetting.

The CRC is charged with the responsibility of reviewing the 1991 constitution. The abridged draft was published in a validation workshop hosted by the CRC which provided opportunity for members of the public to endorse or reject some of the provisions contained in the new constitution.

By Allieu Sahid Tunkara

Fourah Bay College, FBC, one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in Africa, has commemorated its 189 anniversary amidst concerns about its dwindling influence.

Founded by the Church Missionary Society in 1827 and now one of three constituent colleges under the University of the Sierra Leone, FBC is still grappling with challenges ranging from insufficient infrastructure to accommodate students, to water shortage and unreliable power supply in the face of high demand for enrolment.

By Kemo Cham

A new Finance Act aimed at boosting the donor funded partial Free Health Care (FHC) initiative has been submitted to parliament, the National Revenue Authority has confirmed.

The Act, which also aims at encouraging women's empowerment, provides for the allocation of 0.5 percent of all GSTs charged to the Free Health Care programme introduced some five years ago to boost access to health care for some of the most vulnerable people in society.