AWE Media Sierra Leone

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson Sierra Leone accounts for 69.3 percent of illiterate male population whereas 80.0 percent of the female population is illiterate the Ministry of Education has confirmed. This puts the country among nations across the world with the highest illiteracy rate.  Findings of Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) shows that women and girls were mostly affected by the county’s eleven years civil war which exposed women to a number of abuses including sexual and other human rights abuses leaving many as victims of rape and war widows.  In order to redress such violations encountered by women, the TRC put forward imperative recommendations for education, skills training, access to justice and economic empowerment to be provided for Women by the Government. Paragraph 495 and 496 of the Commission’s recommendation upholds that: “skills training programs should be provided for amputees, other war-wounded, victims of sexual violence, and war widows. On the successful com...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson One of the utmost aims of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Sierra Leone is to ensure that never again violations of human rights such as drugging, forced recruitment, rape, and sexual assault be meted on children as it was during the nation’s civil war. Therefore, the Commission made recommendations on the following areas in order to ensure the welfare of children in Sierra Leone. These include: Child Rights Bill, Age of Majority, Adoptions, Fostering and Guardianship, Early Marriages, Sexual Offences against Children, School Education and Laws on the Employment of Children to ensure that the rights of children are fully protected are to be ensured by the government. Among the areas highlighted above, school education is the prime focus of this publication as it is considered to be the basic building block for national development. The TRC recommendation 385 clearly states that, ‘’The Commission notes that primary school education is supposedly...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson✍️   With support from the European Union through the PRO-Act 2015 Resilient Project Cooperazione Internationale (COOPI) has trained over 200 Smallholder Cashew Farmers in Kambia, Port Loko, Bombali, and Karene on Safety Standards in Cashew Processing and General Food Safety from August 25 – 4th September 2020. The training which was held in four different locations in the districts headquarter towns of Kambia, Port Loko, Bombali, and Karene respectively catered for over fifty Cashew Farmers and Processors in the each of the four districts.  Elvis Lamin Koroma was lead facilitator of the entire training. He disclosed to Northern Times that the training featured a number of key issues but importantly it was tailored to fit the participants who were thoroughly guided on topics such as: What is Food Safety, its standards, concepts and processes, As well as the Health and Safety of the Consuming Public and the Needs for Safe Cashew Processing and Safe Food.  When as...

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson✍️ As they continue to popularize the concept to abolish the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Sierra Leone, the National Movement for Emancipation Progress (NaMEP) with support from Men-Engage has conducted a day’s meeting with residents of Mankneh-I community in the Bombali District, Northern Sierra Leone.  The meeting fostered discussion between NaMEP and residents of Mankneh-1 community on the abandonment of the practices of FGM in the community as a way of curbing the effects of the ancient practice in that part of the country.  Moses Lamin Fofana, a led facilitator of the meeting said that attendees were very responsive and positive in terms of accepting the dangers of FGM and all of their feedback was crystal clear on their readiness to abandon the practice of FGM in the community.  Mohamed Tholley and Salamatu Kamara spoke on behalf of other attendees. When speaking to Northern Times, the two parents acknowledge that the practice of FGM has ...

Invitation for Bids National Competitive Bidding (NCB) Date of First Issue: 3rdSeptember 2020 Karene District Council CONSTRUCTION OF FOUR(4)TWIN CULVERT ALONG KAMETHE-KAFUNGUBA ROAD SELLA LIMBA CHIEFDOM IN KARENE DISTRICT. Procurement Number:KarDC/RMFA/GoSL/2020/001 LOT NO: DESCRIPTION QUANTITY CULVERT POINTS KM CHIEFDOM 1 Twin Box Culvert 04 0+0.77;0+1.5;0.2.0;0+2.75. SellaLimba The Karene District Council has received funds Road Maintenance Fund Administration (RMFA) for the procurement of, works and now invitessealed bids from eligible bidders for the Construction of: Four(4)Twin culverts along Kamathe to Kafunguba in the SellaLimba Chiefdom Karene District. Bidding is open to all National Contractors who hold Sierra Leone Roads Authority Certificate and Registered with the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure. Interested bidders may obtain further information and inspect the bidding document ...

By: Ibrahim Jalloh – (Jallomy) It was suppressed jubilation when the National Advisory Committee (NAC) of the main opposition APC party congregated in the North East Regional Headquarters of Makeni city to preside over the official return of Sam Sumana to the APC where some five years ago he was hounded out like a common criminal. The official endorsement on the return of Sam Sumana was predictable as previous events and actions dictated. Sam Sumana's ascendancy to the Pinnacle of power in the APC and subsequent political graduation to the Vice presidency of the state of Sierra Leone was dramatic and incredible. The explanations were many and varied but what was common place was the profiling that he was the money man and therefore the key financier of the APC campaign leading to the political victory of 2007. Upon becoming vice president and early in the journey of state governance, the working relationship between Sam Sumana and his boss, former president of Sierra Leone Dr. ...

By: Richmond Brima Tholley Family sources yesterday confirmed to this medium that the chiefdom authorities at Simiria Chiefdom in the Tonkolili District, Northern Sierra Leone last week unanimously agreed to banish a married man Alusine Kargbo from his biological land on the ground that he allegedly killed an industrious manAlimamy Tamba Koroma from his witch craft activities. Alusine Kargbo is a married man at Makomp village in the Simiria chiefdom and is said to have abandoned his wife and three children to an unknown destination as tradition and custom demands. His banishment came after a group of traditional herbalists in the chiefdom proved him guilty through their own traditional means that prompted chiefdom authorities to take the said decision to banish him. In an interview with the Regent Chief, he said the accused Alusine Kargbo must be banish from the land because such actions are not new in the chiefdom during the reign of PC Alimamy Bangura 11 his predecessor and there...