AWE Media Sierra Leone

PRESS RELEASE  FREETOWN | 24th July, 2020    SLAJ Celebrates Repeal of Criminal Libel and Enactment of New IMC Bill 2020    The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) rejoices over the historic repeal by the Sierra Leone Parliament of the 55-year-old Part 5 of the infamous Public Order Act of 1965, which criminalises free speech and the work of the media, and the enactment of a New IMC Bill 2020 which seeks to regulate same.    Thursday, 23rd July, 2020 will be remembered as Freedom Day not only for journalists but for all Sierra Leoneans. The biggest beneficiary of the repeal of this bad law is Sierra Leone. Our beloved country has now joined the enviable community of progressive nations, where free (and responsible) speech is guaranteed and protected by law.    SLAJ commends His Excellency the President Julius Maada Bio for providing the political will, his Minister of Information and Communications Mohamed Rahman Swarray for driving the process, and the Sierra Leone Parliame...

MEDIA REFORM COORDINATING GROUP (MRCG) CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT AT THE PRE-LEGISLATIVE HEARING ON THE PUBLIC ORDER (AMENDMENT) ACT 2020 AND THE INDEPENDENT MEDIA COMMISSION ACT 2020 AT THE COMMITTEE ROOM IN PARLIAMENT ON MONDAY 13TH JULY 2020 Photo of MRCG CHAIRMAN Dr. Francis Sowa Mr. Chairman, Honourable Members, Hon Minister, President of SLAJ, all protocols observed. Mr. Chairman, for 55 years, a giant has stood on top of the media fraternity and industry. It may be like Goliath in the Bible, or in more recent times, it can be linked to the Police Officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck for about 8 minutes. Floyd called for help, but got none. Mr. Chairman and Hon. Members, we in the media are calling for help like Floyd. Our eight minutes have started long ago. We may be in our final minute. The media industry like Floyd, is shouting “it can’t breathe.” Unlike Floyd, we at the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG), comprising 10 national media organisations, are optimistic that our ...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson – (AR-WILSON) Cooperazione Internazionale - (COOPI) with support from the European Union has on Wednesday July 22, 2020 engaged over 20 Journalists in a day’s workshop at the MAF Conference hall in Bombali District, Northern Sierra Leone. The engagement was centered on bridging the gap between the media, farmers and other agricultural partners as well as fostering smallholder Agriculture in the country and was facilitated by COOPI’s Project Coordinator, Alpha Koroma and colleagues. In his opening statement, Alpha remarked that: “The Media is a strong factor that can easily influence any stakeholder to present the needed measures to be taken, sharing their success stories, publish knowledgeable materials at the same time can serve as a medium of extension services. “Unfortunately the media seems not to be interested in agricultural coverage especially in print media apart from a few radio programs which are usually powered by Agricultural development par...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson – (AR-WILSON) Sierra Leone for the first time is on course to bring into force like other nations have done, the International Labour Organisation Mandate since the law was adopted at the 95 th International Labour Conference held in Geneva in June 2006. The Ministry of Labour and Social Security have successfully regularized the ILO Convention Number-187 on occupational safety and health protection through its occupational and health safety unit, the unit’s director Mohamed Alhaji Koroma told Northern Times in Makeni at a regional consultative meeting with key stakeholders in the Northern Region in June. Mr. Koroma while explaining the need for holding such meeting said it is part of the occupational safety and health unit's mandate to meet and engage various stakeholders from key institutions including Ministries, Agencies and Departments in all the regions of the country.  He further disclosed that the East and Southern regions have already added ...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson – (AR-WILSON) Sierra Leone male elite League has been cancelled owing to the novel corona virus outbreak, despite earlier announcement from SLFA to resume the country’s Premier League in due course. The decision to call off the 2019/2020 football season was unanimously taken by the Sierra Leone Premier League Board (PLB) in consultation with the country’s local football federation (SLFA) at a meeting held on Wednesday, July 15, 2020 at the Atlantic Hall in Freetown, with representatives of all 14 Premier League clubs. Two main issues were discussed. The status of the 2019/2020 Sierra Leone Premier League and whether or not two teams must represent the country at the 2020/2021 CAF Inter-clubs tournaments. It was agreed that the entire season be cancelled without a champion and that no team will relegate. At the same time the top six clubs according to the League standing which includes Big Money Spenders Bo Rangers, who were on 23 points, two points off se...

By: Sahr J. Bangah Magistrate Peter Brima Gogra has committal a sixteen- year old boy to high court for sexually fidgeting a four- year old minor. The sixteen years old boy was arraigned in court for the offence of Sexual Penetration of a child contrary to section 19 of the Sexual Offences Act of 2012 as repealed and replaced by Section 4 (a) (i) of the Sexual Offence (Amendment) Act of 2019 Act 8 of 2019. After keenly listening to the all the allegations against the sixteen years old accused. Magistrate Peter Gogra rules that there was sufficient evidence against the accused person and on that note committal him to high court for further trial. In another related event. A nineteen years old Man, Abdul Conteh of New Jersey, back of Makeni government hospital was committal to high court for another similar offence which he committed against a ten years old minor at Mak ama village in the Bombali Shebora Chiefdom, in the Bombali District.  

By: Ibrahim Jalloh – (Jallomy) The landmark ruling of the Jury on the treason trial of erstwhile former Minister of Internal Affairs, Alfred Paolo Konteh and two others, points to the decomposing culture of political interference in state related matters. What was wrongly ascribed to be a victory for Paolo Konteh was in truth and fact an irreversible victory for President Julius Maada Bio for conspicuously standing aside and allowing the wheels of justice to spin and rest on a definite conclusion. Sierra Leoneans were held spellbound and in utter disbelief conditioned by the enduring culture of political interference in state related cases. I stand to be corrected but no generation of government in Sierra Leone has ever lost a treason trial!   We still contend with the brutal memory of the historically damaging case against the state for wrongfully and unconstitutionally sacking the former Vice President Sam Sumana. In the end, the state was exonerated and the President w...

By: Abdulai Mansaray. Just when you think that the world at large, and Sierra Leone in particular is facing the ravages of an invisible enemy the Corona Virus, our nation is plunged on the precipice of self destruction; a clear affirmation of our penchant for attracting chaos. It looks like the slow but insidious rise in COVID cases in our community is not troubling enough to scare the living daylights out of us. COVID carries its own scepticism; but that discussion is for another day.  Faced with such a common enemy, the last thing you would expect is the seeming disintegration of law and order.  One would expect all Sierra Leoneans to put aside all our differences to fight this common enemy. Unlike our politicians, we cannot accuse the COVID 19 of tribalism, nepotism, or favouritism Covid 19 is an enabler of equal opportunities. This should be one of the rare times to unashamedly put our collective patriotism, and to some extent our jingoism to use.   But that is to...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson – (AR-WILSON) Former Sierra Leone and San Antonio FC Midfielder Michael Laoud has on Thursday, July 9, 2020 announced his retirement after playing professional football for 11 years. Michael 33, while announcing his retirement in America, thanked his family, fans and supporters for being part of his football journey. “Play for Sierra Leone was a dream come true for me, I’m very proud to have played with a number of team mates at the same made friends and represented you all well internationally,” said Lahoud. “It’s always bitter-sweet to close a major chapter in everyone’s life but I’m excited for what I have. I will continue to be involved in the beautiful game of football and sports to give back what was given to me and more to the next generation of footballers,” he added. Lahoud started playing football in Sierra Leone at a very tender age but had to leave the country when he was six years old due to the civil war and settled in Washington DC in the...

By: Sahr J. Bangah Following repeated incidents of armed robbery against the unsuspecting civil populace in Makeni and its immediate environs, the Local Unit Commander, Chief Superintendent of Police Francis Songu, in charge of Makeni Division over the weekend intensified “operation weed armed robbers” in the municipality. According to the newly posted Operations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police Momoh Dumbuya informed this medium that police has applied several strategies to combat armed robbery within and without the municipality. He disclosed that strategies developed to combat the high spate of armed robbery included but not limited to erection of snap checkpoints, day and night patrols and redeployment of police personnel to volatile and suspected areas. The head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Assistant Superintendent of Police, Jimmy J. Momoh,   revealed that since the reopening of the Makeni Magistrate Court over thirty suspected criminals ...

By: Summner Kongbap Since 2018, July 14th is set aside annually to raise public awareness on the importance of protecting and saving the incredibly unique and iconic species. In Sierra Leone, this day is of great significance as it is the only country to have the chimpanzee as its National Animal. In 2009, Tacugama’s Outreach team conducted a national census and concluded that there are approximately 5,500 chimpanzees remaining in the wild in Sierra Leone. The census also confirmed that a significant number of chimpanzees live outside protected areas leaving them more completely vulnerable.  Since 1995, Tacugama continues to overcome deforestation, poaching and encroachment to ensure the protection of the species and prevent the chimpanzees from extinction. These irreplaceable animals are critically endangered meaning if actions are not taken to protect their population and habitats they would be lost or wiped out completely from the country.  For 25 years, the sanctuary h...

By: Hakim Bangura The Northern Region Secretariat of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) north, on Wednesday 8 th July 2020 was attacked by a group of armed robbers who forcefully make their way in to the office and carted away with properties worth millions of Leones. According to the night watchman, Sheku Conteh, he disclosed that these armed robbers were above six in numbers and that they were all wearing masks and armed with cutlasses. He further revealed that the armed robbers forcefully broke the main door and entered in the main conference room and attacked him. He noted that during the scuffle, he shouted for help but unfortunately it was raining heavily and was left with no alternative but to flee for his life. He continued that while he was running for his life, he continuously shouted that armed robbers had entered into the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) Office and immediately the Chairman of SLAJ, Sahr James Bangah was called upon an...

By Alusine Rehme Wilson – (AR-WILSON) Sierra Leone’s President, His Excellency Dr. Julius Maada Bio on behalf of his government in collaboration with the European Union representative to Sierra Leone has on Friday July 10, at the UNIMAK multipurpose hall announced its latest project which will provide financial assistance to Local Authorities and Civil Society Organizations in four local districts in the country. “Many thanks to the European Union for this great boost to Local councils in the country, this is in line with the new direction manifesto to decentralize the governance and development process in the country, said President Bio. “My government will ensure that the much needed desires o this project is reached and I am sure the CSOs, Traditional Leaders and Administrators of the Councils will do the same.” The President vowed. The said grant for each of the four targeted councils for the project: Bombali, Kambia, Kenema and Pujehun worth’s huge Million Euros and is me...

By: Ibrahim Jalloh – (Jallomy) Bringing all the elements together in fighting the Coronavirus Pandemic in Bombali district is the most outstanding strength of the Coordination lead in the district, Alhaji Mohamed Mogambo Siaffa.   Mogambo took leadership of the coordination of the response efforts just about three months ago but the impact is visible and outstanding as most of the major stakeholders in the district are solidly integrated into the response.   All acclaimed and commended the servant leadership style of Mogambo. From inception, President Bio offered the strongest political will and gave the entire response efforts a national character and identity. Mogambo was quick to understand and appreciate the position of the president on the fight against the Coronavirus and replicated those attributes that will enhance strong solidarity in fighting the common enemy. In record time, Mogambo has reached out to key sectors in Bombali like the religious bodies, security ...

By: Abdulai Mansaray Since the former Defence, and Interior Minister was arrested and charged, among others with treason, the trial-by-social-media and in the court of public opinion has been in overdrive. The court of public opinion had tried him and given its own verdict long ago.  It is needless to say that the views, opinions and protestations proffered by these legal and political purveyors are largely laced with political persuasions. It is also obvious that such views could be polarised along the usual denominators of tribal, regional and political considerations. So, when Paolo Conteh was found “ not guilty” of treason; (the cardinal sin) by the jury, despite being guilty on two counts of unlawful gun possession; (the venial sin) the reactions coming from all our legal, political and social commentators were predictably spilt.  So, what has this verdict taught us about our judicial system today? The government/state, through the Office of the Attorney General alle...