AWE Media Sierra Leone

By: Mohamed Sahr The Ogoni, a minority group region situated in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria have been disproportionately affected by the oil industry's activities which have polluted their land, water and air. However, the pollution has led to health problems such as respiratory diseases, cancer and birth defects. The crisis has also sparked social unrest and protests. On that point, this work focuses on the Ogoni women as a set of minority groups. Hence, the on-going oil pollution crisis is a tragedy that has left a severe toll on the women. For decades, oil companies have spilled millions of gallons of crude oil into the Ogoni environment, causing catastrophic damage. Women have been forced to live with contaminated water, toxic soil, air pollution, and they have been denied access to basic human rights such as health and well-being. Even their traditional way of life that is centred on farming and fishing has disappeared forever. Since then, the crisis has contin...

By: Amadu Wurie Timbo The Girls Connect Mentorship Program in Sierra Leone (GCSL) recently achieved a significant milestone with its 2nd annual mentorship conference held at the Bombali District Council Hall in Makeni, on October 28, 2023. GCSL’s Mentorship Program in Sierra Leone appears to be making a positive impact on the lives of young girls by providing them with mentorship, guidance, and inspiration to achieve their dreams and become future leaders. The year’s event theme is "Empowering Girls in this Digital Generation to Lead Tomorrow’s World," brought together 80 young girls from schools in the Northern Region of Sierra Leone who had the opportunity to be mentored by accomplished women in Makeni and beyond. A panel discussion was conducted featuring many highly placed women of society including Dr. Manseray C. Kamara, a Medical Officer from Makeni Referral Hospital and Lecturer at the School of Clinical Sciences. In her session she emphasized the significant...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson  After years of engaging in lyrical battles and exchanging verses, five notable rappers, namely Governor Blaq, Augustine Jay Tee, Sabi Success, Vee Pee, and Diamond Prince, are expected to come together at a highly-anticipated hip hop festival. This festival underway later today is being organized by D-Threat Empire Muzik, a team led by the experienced rapper BiggieKing, who has been a major contender for these lyricists. It will be staged at the Makeni city plaza which is expected to witness an extraordinary display of talent and a powerful lyrical showcase as these five renowned artists, along with BiggieKing himself, share the same stage and microphone. This unity concert aims to put an end to their long standing disputes and differences, allowing them to support one another and inspire the younger generation of rappers, especially those from Makeni. Additionally, it hopes to settle the debate among their fans about who holds the title of the best rapper...

By: Amadu Wurie Timbo The Sports for Empowerment Foundation Sierra Leone has embarked on a transformative journey with its Nationwide Grassroots Coaches Education and Management Training. This drive, which began on October 14, 2023, with broader aims to enhance the skills of coaches and also seeks to empower young athletes with the tools they need to succeed both on and off the field. Led by a team of dedicated professionals, including Harry Varley, KAA Gent's Head scout in Africa, who came with a twofold mission; Seeking to identify promising talent for his Belgian club and as well as with the core focus to build a solid foundation for the future of Sierra Leone's sports, with a primary emphasis on grassroots coaching and youth player development. Since they arrived in Sierra Leone on October 13, the foundation's team has travelled to some parts of the country, conducting training sessions in key locations such as Lungi, Bo, Kenema, Kamakwie, and Kono, with plans to ext...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson The 2023 Liberia presidential election will see incumbent President George Manneh "Upon" Weah, who is running as the presidential candidate for the Coalition for Change (CDC), and former Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai, representing the Unity Party (UP), facing each other in a run-off election. Both candidates emerged as the top two contenders in the general election held on October 10, 2023, but neither secured the required 50% plus one vote threshold to be declared the outright winner. The final results of the October 10 polls that was announced on Tuesday evening by Mrs. Davidetta Browne Lansanah, Chairperson of NEC Liberia indicated that the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) received the highest number of votes, with 804,087 votes (43.83%), followed closely by the Unity Party (UP) with 796,961 votes (43.44%). However, since neither candidate obtained the required 50% plus one vote to win outright, a run-off election was declared. Durin...

By: Alhaji Manika Kamara Fatmata Maria Kamara, staff at the Makeni Government Hospital Library, is optimistic that the introduction of passenger trains by ARISE will help to reduce road crashes on the highways while driving to and from the provinces and help save lives. Fatmata was sharing her thoughts on the possible re-introduction of passenger trains that will be plying across various districts if the Government of Sierra Leone honors it agreement with ARISE for the development, expansion, and management of the Pepel Port and Rail.  She said the passenger train will help to ameliorate the suffering of the masses, especially as the pump price continues to increase. She said with the passenger train, people will have to pay less, and the fear of road accidents will be minimized. She appealed to the government and investors to ensure provisions are made for the masses to have access based on affordable train tickets. Ahmad Wurie Jalloh, a businessman, explained that he only s...

Proposed event flyer The Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy & Food Security, under the theme "Developing a Just and Inclusive Energy Transition Plan for Sierra Leone in the Context of Climate Resilience and Sustainable Food Systems," will be convening the 1st National Dialogue Conference aimed to develop an Energy Transition Plan that promotes a just and inclusive transition to renewable energy sources while ensuring climate resilience and sustainable food systems. The event will take place at the Freetown City Council and commence with a keynote address by His Excellency Julius Maada Bio, the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, under the auspices of Alhaji Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, the Chairman of PI-CREF. Dr. Kandeh Yumkella and President Bio Big 5 Agenda - A Lasting Legacy for Sierra Leone  Dr. Yumkella's appointment as Chairman of the Special Initiative for Climate Change, Renewable Energy, and Food Security underscores his expertise and...

By: Amadu Wurie Timbo Newsfeed Sierra Leone, an online media institution in collaboration with Barrie Help Foundation and Ivorian Sillah has embarked on an innovative campaign to combat drug abuse among young people. This featured a day’s spirited basketball competition held on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, at the Makeni Basketball Court, located within the perimeter of the Makeni Wusum Stadium. The theme of the event "Say no to Drugs," resonates with its purpose, spectators who witnessed the contest between Wusum Leakers and Rim Shot basketball teams all of Makeni said. Before the match unfolded in an atmosphere of tranquillity with loud cheering from dishearten spectators of both teams, messages advocating against drug abuse and misuse were disseminated, creating a powerful interaction between sports and social awareness were passed by Abu H. Kargbo, a co-founder and editor at Newsfeed Sierra Leone. Following his address to players, officials and spectators of the entic...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson Augustine Gbla, a veteran forward for the Makeni Veterans Football Club, has gained the attention of football scouts due to his impressive performance in a recent match against Koidu Community. During the early morning friendly encounter which took place at the Koidu mini stadium on October 15, Gbla scored four goals (a haul) for his team in a 10-goal thriller. Gbla who’s known for his unique dribbling skills, speed, and shooting power, did evidently display the same amazing tricks during the weekend match. Although he entered the game as a second-half substitute, Gbla wasted no time to quickly help his team to equalize, and eventually put them in front, scoring four goals successively, with his last goal coming in the 77th minute. However, Koidu Community rebounded and took a 5-4 lead in the 83rd minute. It was only a last-minute goal by Morlai Kamara that allowed Makeni Veterans to salvage a draw in the high-scoring match, which ended 5-5. After the gam...

Alusine Rehme Wilson The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has chosen the American-Senegalese music star Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (AKON), as the host for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final draw. Known for his successful music career and his 'Akon Lighting Africa' project, which aims to provide solar power to African countries to help meet their basic needs, AKON's involvement is seen as an opportunity to add star power and glamour to the event. Given AKON’s passion for football and his dedication to social causes in Africa, this choice has been well-received by Africans. The AFCON final draw will take place at the Parc Des Expositions venue in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and will be live-streamed on CAF TV's YouTube channel and broadcasted across various global television partners, making it accessible to viewers in over 50 countries. It’s seen as a significant event where the 24 qualified teams will discover their group stage opponents for the 3...

Liaison Officer of Multinational Maritime Coordinating Centre ‘Zone F’ appraised journalists of the transnational maritime security crimes incurred despite the blessings endowed within the zone during a visit made by media experts as part of the Maritime Security Reporting Course in Accra, Ghana funded by the Danish Government. Flight Lieutenant Eyram Kwami, Liaison Officer of Multinational Maritime Coordinating Centre Zone F said the area which spammed from the Eastern Maritime border of Ghana to the West Maritime border of Guinea served as a transit point for goods from Americans, Europe and the Southern Africa; adding that it provided lots of fishing activities for the coastal nations within the six countries in the ‘Zone F’ region namely Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Cote D'Ivoire and Burkina Faso as one of the landlocked countries in the Gulf of Guinea. Lieutenant Kwami added that despite the endowments within the ‘Zone F’ region, the area claimed transnational ma...

From the lusty jungles of 'mama Salone' to the bustling views of Accra, Ghana, was marked by calm and anxiety on the desk of the flight. My journey from Freetown International Airport to Katoka International Airport in Accra was full of adventure and wonder. I boarded my flight with Asky Airlines, ready for a new experience. The flight was smooth and scenic with an amazing bilingual crew captain and members and their cutting-edge performance to enhance safety and unrivalled comfort that push back the limit of the sky. EXPERIENCE I was poised to have the popular belief as to when boarding a flight for the very first time which many had presented as a rollercoaster adventure or fear of flying 'aerophobia'. I recognized that the air was safe but scary. Maybe it is because the fear of flying is commonly accompanied by shame and the fear of appearing crazy to others in an event of a panic in situations like taking off the tarmac, descending and landing which bring a fract...

In a bid of achieving comprehensive approach and sustainable development of the blue economy, Kofi Annan International Peace building Training Centre (KAIPTC) with fund from the Danish Government as part of a five-year project engaged media practitioners on maritime security reporting within the Gulf of Guinea during a week capacity building course on Monday in Ghana, Accra. Air Commodore George Arko-Dadzie, Deputy Commandant of KAIPTC said maritime piracy and armed robbery at sea within the Gulf of Guinea which stretches from Senegal to Angola continued to grapple with a number of maritime crimes like illegal fishing, human trafficking, marine pollution, toxic waste dumping, illicit arms and drugs trading. He furthered that these activities exploited the region’s inadequate maritime control, which resulted from insufficient law enforcement capacity, underdeveloped legislation and limited policy implementation in the maritime domains. He said the United Nations Office on Drugs and C...