AWE Media Sierra Leone

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson David Moinina Sengeh (PhD), the chief minister and chief innovation officer of Sierra Leone has boldly corrected a false claim he made regarding President Julius Maada Bio’s recent election as  the new chairperson of the Economic Commission of West African States - (ECOWAS) . Minister Sengeh’s retraction publicly corrects his previous incorrect claim that resident Bio “is the first Sierra Leonean President to serve as Chairman of the Authority of Heads of States and Government of ECOWAS” made in his congratulatory messages  posted across three of his widely followed social media handles: Facebook ,  LinkedIn and X . The post follows President Bio’s election as ECOWAS Chair on Sunday, June 22, 2025 during 67th Ordinary Session of Heads of States, succeeding Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The Chief Minister’s claim drew public doubt and was quickly fact-checked by one of our 2025 Kwame KariKari OSINT Fact-Checking Fellowship fellows to set the records ...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson Claim: Sierra Leone’s Chief Innovation Officer and Chief Minister, David Moinina Sengeh (PhD), in an X post claimed that President Julius Maada Bio is the first Sierra Leonean President to serve as Chairman of the Authority of Heads of States and Government of ECOWAS in the 50 years of its existence. Verdict: False! Siaka Stevens was the first Sierra Leonean President to serve as Chairperson of the Authority of Heads of States and Government of ECOWAS from 1981 to 1982, and not President Bio, who was elected on Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Abuja, Nigeria. Full Text The Economic Commission of West African States - (ECOWAS) , was established on Wednesday, May 28, 1975 in Lagos, Abuja where 15 African nations   namely: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo, signed the 1975 Lagos Treaty . Currently, three of the 15 member nations of E...