TRACE JOENAL

By Martinet Sesay The Mankind’s Activities for Development Accreditation Movement-Sierra Leone (MADAM-SL) on Tuesday 28 th March 2017 commenced a ten day training of two hundred and thirty six (236) women in financial education and Business development under the project “Women Economic Empowerment and Business Development (WEBD)” The first phase of the training which took place at the Mabonkani Community in SafrokoLimba Chiefdom attracted thirty seven participants. The training which was meant to create the platform for APEX Bank to raise awareness among the beneficiaries on their banking procedures and processes wasfacilitated by a representative from the Apex Bank. According to the livelihood Officer of MADAM, Mohamed Koroma, the training would be replicated` in the seven other chiefdoms including, MakariGbanti, Lebisigahun, KonikaySanda, and Masingbi among others in Bombali and Tonkolili.  He said the objective of the refresher training was to among other things give be...

By Mariama B. Bah Andrew KemohKeili held a brief meeting in his constituency to sensitize them on the registration process. The meeting was held in his constituency to educate his people on the ongoing registration, so that they will be able to cast their votes in the 2018 elections. The meeting was attended by members of the SLPP, youths and other stakeholders. Keilli said he was pleased to see everyone and stressed that the coming elections will be for everyone but it will be more for the young folks because they are the future leaders. “Many people will come out to rally but would not register. It’s very important that all of us are registered so that we can cast our votes because our votes will be speaking for us.”  He reminded the young people about the war that killed many and made many to suffer just for the democracy they are enjoying today because according to him, people were not given the privilege to vote for whom they want but were forced to vote under...

By Ibrahim Joenal Sesay The United States Ambassador and the British High Commissioner to Sierra Leone have visited the Sea Wright Mining Company Sites in the NjaimaSewafe, Kono District and GoramaMende in the Kenema District respectively. US Ambassador John F. Hoover after touring the facilities stressed that they as governments were extending a great deal of foreign assistance to Sierra Leone which he said is very important. “…that kind of assistance was critical in helping Sierra Leone to overcome the Ebola crisis and it is important for the country’s long term investment but what really excites me today is to see this kind of investment in Sierra Leone because I believe far more than foreign assistance, private sector investment can make a country prosper and develop.” The US Ambassador went on to say he was proud to see an American citizen like Dr. Alfred Seawright investing in the country. He also commended Gilbril Wilson for investing in Freetown. He stressed that...

Andrew Karmoh Keili of the Alliance of All Aspirants has been declared winner in the South East Votes.   Andrew Keilli who comes from the East defeated Munda Rogers who hails from the South by 37 to 33 votes. Chief Ernest M. Ndomaina who served as Chief Electoral Commissioner for AAA said before the votes were cast, they were in that meeting as a family  and not a show of contest as they were charting the way forward in the party. The delegates came from the seven districts of the South East of Sierra Leone. "Some of us were concerned about the party's dream. AAA has done something that is very unique and for which we have being praying. We believe that any form of election will bring lot of division within the party. We don't want to conduct an election." said one of the delegates. Mohamed Sandy said the palm tree is togetherness and as a result they were in the process as one family with togetherness as a party. "We are not talking about a flagbeare...

By Manteneh A. Daboh Ahmadiyya Muslim Secondary School and other nine Secondary Schools in Freetown have received donations from Mariatu Kargbo Foundation and Global Group of Companies. The donation which took place at the Ahmadiyya School yesterday 28 th February 2017 brought together nine more secondary schools in Freetown under one roof as they received smart phones from the two groups. Mariatu Kargbo is an ex-pupils of that school. The donation to the school  ranged from emergency cell phones, sport jerseys and musical instruments. Before making the donation, Mariatu Kargbo thanked the principal, staff of the school and the other visiting principals of the different schools that graced the ceremony. She said she was a daughter from the school, and was pleased to have gone back to her alma mater to give them what she described as a small token. Mariatu Kargbo Foundation and Global Group of Companies believed that education is the act of learning through a medium t...

Director of Children Affairs at the Ministry of Social Welfare, Madam Buya Kamara has described her Minister, Sylvia Blyden as “crooked and corrupt” She made this statement while explaining to the Parliamentary Committee on Social Service about the missing 707 Million Leones last Wednesday 1 st February 2017. She revealed that UNICEF has stopped funding the ministry because they failed to account for the Le 707M which was given to the ministry for children’s activities in 2016. “The Ministry is losing fund because of the attitude of the present minister,” Director Buya Kamara maintained. The permanent Secretary in the Ministry Osman Kanu appealed to the committee that the information which the chairman requested will be presented to the Committee in the next adjourned date. Kanu told the committee that the ministry is faced with a lot of challenges in terms of finance as they have not been receiving funds for fuel for the past one year. Permanent Secretary Kanu pointe...

The no-nonsense Auditor General of Sierra Leone, Lara Taylor Pearce has exposed how the Sierra Leone’s Revenue Generation Body, National Revenue Authority or NRA is conniving with airline operators in the country to swindle the state of billions of Leones The auditor report revealed how NRA self-righteously decided to split payment made to them in bulk by the airline operators. “Kenya Airways made a bulk payment of Le 517,762,786 without specifying how the payments should be apportioned. However, the payment was split equally over a nine-month period by NRA officers on the assumption that Le 57,529,198 was the tax paid for each month,” the report states. This, according to the report cannot be explained by NRA and  how it determined the splitting particularly when comparing  the monthly payment arising from the splitting to other monthly payments (October Le245,204,978 and November Le 218,925,325). “We found that the splitting done by the NRA was unreasonable,” the a...

Hero Of Our Time is please to feature another prominent personality in Sierra Leone, he is no other person but Dr. Santigie Sesay the current Director of Reproductive and Child Health in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation. Dr. Santigie Sesay was born on the 8 th of April, 1963, at the Western Area Rural District of Freetown called Devil Hole where his parents settled decades ago from Bombali District, North of Sierra Leone. Dr. Sesay attended the Rokel Primary School at the Rokel Community from class one to four. He also attended the Hastings Primary School from class five to six, where he graduated with a National Primary School Examination Certificate (NPSE). Dr. Sesay after his NPSE, went to the Peninsular Secondary School where he sat to the GCE O level. After his GCE O level, Dr. Sesay entered the National School of Nursing where he was trained as a State Registrar Nurse. He worked briefly as a State Registrar Nurse and left the soil of Sierra Leone to the former...

Students that successful trained by Art of Gold Byriri have expressed their opinion about makeup course as one that is not meant for drop out but for people that are intellectually capable. This is what they told SALONE TIMES Fashion and Beauty page. Madam Minyata Grey Wood who is working with one of the government Ministries as one of the heads of department and she said she has always being impressed by good makeup as one of the things that motivated her. She said that she wanted to learn the art of doing a professional makeup but that normally she believes that learning to do make-ups are for dropped outs. She explained that she was motivated by two things, firstly to learn the art of beauty and how to enhance it as a lady and secondly to learn the skill that she can always use as a back up to her formal traditional working life. Juliet Kaikai, a final year law student and also a student at the art of gold institution said she has always loved makeup. “When I saw the ...

Barrack Obama, former United State President in his ‘Audacity of Hope Book’ described politics as a tradition based on the simple idea that we have a stake in one another, and that what binds a nation together is greater than what drives that nation apart. He furthered that if people believe in the truth of that proposition and act on it, then “we might not solve every problem, but we can get something meaningful done.” After having lunch together at  Crown Bakery in Freetown on 6 th   February 2017, the former UNIDO boss and Intending Flag Bearer Aspirant of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella (KKY), referencing Obama’s book referred to the Leader of the Alliance Democratic Party (ADP) Mohamed Kamarainba Mansaray as the ‘Audacity of Hope’ of Sierra Leone. The former UNIDO Boss further stated that it is very important to change the narrative of politics in the country to protect the next generation and that Kamarainba as a young political ...

“We have bought our forms, only for the University to say that there are no spaces,” one of the potential students of the University of Sierra Leone lamented to SALONE TIMES. Last week the University of Sierra Leone came out with a press statement, indicating that it has opened the sale of entrance forms for just one week- from the 26th January to 2nd February 2017. The press release stated that pupils who wanted to apply should rush to the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank and pay 350,000 Leones an equivalent of 50 United States Dollars to purchase forms for all departments in the University except the department of law. Students who had bought forms and applied for entrance into various departments in the University of Sierra Leone and now being told that there are no spaces in many of the departments such as engineering, mass communication, accounting etc. Some of the aggrieved students explained that they had bought the form and applied at University but that they were being t...

Lawyer Abubakarr S Turay who is also the Public Relation Officer of the Sierra Leone Bar Association has given back to his community in constituency 105 popularly called Central 2. Lawyer ABS Turay who is  famously known as Kabaka unveiled a reservoir cost millions of Leones which he constructed to alleviate the problems of water in the mountain cut community and its environs over the weekend. This is the community where the lawyer was born and bred and he knows that the community is seriously constrained with pipe borne water from the 90s to date. In his address, he stated that his mantra is to give back whatever little to those who deserve it, adding that he felt obliged to respond to the needs of the community. According to him, he sponsored the construction of the cement tank that will act as a water reservoir  for the Mountain Cut and Barham Community in Constituency 105 to solve the problems of water. “This will also help the people in the community, more so ...

By Mariama B. Bah Total Sierra Leone has introduced Madam Nkada Rose as the new Managing Director of the company.  This was made known to the public on Thursday 25 th January 2017 during a farewell cocktail for Soulaymane Troare who was the Managing Director of that company at the Radisson Blu hotel in Freetown. The cocktail also saw the launching of the Total Excellium Diesel Fuel, the latest product of Total. In her address to her audience, the new Total MD, Madam Nkada Rose extended her appreciation to all present to be a party of such a historic moment. Madam Rose thanked the outgoing M.D for his commitment during his tenure in office as he “Mr.  Troare” has demonstrated it in front of everyone. She said she felt very pleased to take over the new position as Managing Director of Total Sierra Leone which was well managed by the Mr. Troare. She added that she had the necessary qualification to manage the company, noting that she is confident. According to ...

By Ibrahim Joenal Sesay In line with their mandate, the National Tourists Board of Sierra Leone through the support of DFID and other donors will establish five Eco-Tourist Sites in the country. Yassin Kargbo, GM, National Tourists Board of Sierra Leone This was disclosed by General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of the National Tourist Board Sierra Leone, Yassin Kargbo yesterday at his Lumley Beach office. Mr. Kargbo stated that the EIF is the integrated frame work, it is a funding that they got from DFID and other donors they are going to use to establish 5 Eco-Tourist sites in the country. The fund which they received by the end of 2016 is about $2 million. “We received a very positive letter from DFID stating that they have re-instated the funding which is about $2 million.” Yassin Kargbo was speaking about their successes in 2016 to this medium. He said just after the 2015 ebola, they had difficulty but the confidence that was lost before has been regained a...

By Ibrahim Joenal Sesay  Hi folks, this is not TRACE’S intention to come back to this topic about the cemeteries but a statement made by no less a person than President Ernest Koroma, made TRACE to write this piece. TRACE had that the president called for the protection of the cemeteries? The question on the lips of many is, why now? It is with deep mixed feelings that TRACE is writing this piece, considering the level of information TRACE gave to the Freetown City Council as a local government and the central government as a whole about the massive encroachment that is going on in the cemeteries especially the Circular Road cemetery were corpses were uprooted just to mount radio station. TRACE was shocked when the news break about the 72 graves that were opened at Kissy Road, Circular Road cemeteries among others and nothing came out of it. The perpetrators deemed it fit to strike again, this time is Aberdeen Cemetery. Now the government wants to speak about protec...

Students of Providence International High School have expressed to Junior SALONE TIMES what they think about their school and how they are going to celebrate their school’s 10 th year anniversary. Kadish Nadia Kamara an Art student of the secondary school expressed that she is very excited and blessed to be a student of that great school and celebrating ten years of the school’s anniversary is worth celebrating. ‘’ I am so grateful and happy because ten years is not ten days and within this year our school has gone through a lot but to God be the glory, it has been successful,’she said. This year’s celebration will be one with a difference from all other celebrations, we will be seeing ex-students of the school interacting with us the present and outgoing students, sharing their successful and inspiring stories with us and our teachers, there will be a school band in the evening at the school campus for all to merry and we will embrace it with joy because as the saying goes ‘...

Former   Vice President   of Sierra Leone and Presidential Aspirant of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) Solomon Ekuma Berewa has described the constitutional review as a mere waste of resources. The elderly statesman was speaking to SALONE TIMES recently in an exclusive interview at his Goderich resident in Freetown.  According to Solo B as he is commonly called, there is nothing wrong with the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone. “There is nothing wrong with the 1991 constitution, if you ask me and if I was the Antony General I will never advice for it to be amended.” He pointed out that the American constitution is small but it is doing well. The Gambia constitution as well is doing fine, while England has no written constitution but they are going fine because the right people take up office. He went on to say a good leader can run a country with a very small constitution. “You can put a fine language in the constitution but if you get a bad man th...

Students of Providence International High School have expressed to Junior SALONE TIMES what they think about their school and how they are going to celebrate their school’s 10 th year anniversary. Kadish Nadia Kamara an Art student of the secondary school expressed that she is very excited and blessed to be a student of that great school and celebrating ten years of the school’s anniversary is worth celebrating. ‘’ I am so grateful and happy because ten years is not ten days and within this year our school has gone through a lot but to God be the glory,it has been successful,’she said. This year’s celebration will be one with a difference from all other celebrations, we will be seeing ex-students of the school interacting with us the present and outgoing students, sharing their successful and inspiring stories with us and our teachers, there will be a school band in the evening at the school campus for all to merry and we will embrace it with joy because as the saying goes ‘a...

Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, Hon. Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray continues to demonstrate his loyalty to the All Peoples Congress (APC) and its Chairman and Leader, President Ernest Bai Koroma. It is rumored of late that the Mines Minister, who also serves as the Deputy Chairman and leader of the party is interested in the Flagbearer of the Party. SALONE TIMES visited Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray’s office over the weekend to find out his views on the rumor going around that he is interested in becoming presidential aspirants of the ruling All Peoples Congress Party. In a very relaxed manner, with his usual smile, the Minister of Mines said, “I am the Deputy leader and Chairman of APC. I am also a Minister of the present government. Politically, as Deputy Leader and Chairman of the party I take specific and general instructions from the leader and chairman, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma. The party has taken a decision to stay focused on its agenda to develop the country.”  He ad...

By Thomas Dixon President Ernest Koroma has seemingly allay the fears of Sierra Leoneans by stating that the elections are going to be held according to the 1991 constitution and that people should stop making unnecessary tension. The President was careful in his statement when he said that the elections will be held under the 1991 constitution but refused to be very clear on the year and the date for elections. One may not want to agree with the President that the elections will be done under the 1991 constitution for the simple reason that there are sections in the 1991 constitution which talk about extension of term, more so when the state of emergency in the country is still in force. On the same elections, we have seen leaked letters from the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Nfa Alie Conteh to the President Koroma, proposing several dates to the President for the 2018 elections but there has been no response from Koroma to the letters of the Chair of NEC. The fact that Nf...