TRACE JOENAL

data-original-height="1200" /> Hello folks how are you doing? TRACE Joenal has been closely monitoring the activities around the famous Freetown Cotton Tree from the day Mayor Yvonne Akie Sawyer took over. The nature of the Cotton Tree is one that sends a very bad signal that Sierra Leone is not ready to attract tourists. The Cotton Tree which is known commonly as a kapok tree is a historic symbol of Freetown, Sierra Leone capital city. Let us go down memory lane: According to legend, the "Cotton Tree" gained importance in 1792 when a group of former African American slaves, who had gained their freedom by fighting for the British during the American War of Independence, settled at the site of modern Freetown. These Black Loyalist settlers, called "Nova Scotians" because they came from Nova Scotia after leaving the United States and before they decided to go back to Africa or, "Navatians" in Sierra Leone, founded Freetown on March 11...

The inspiration of Kenema residents on the road sector development has been rekindled by First Tricon as Chief Minister, Professor David Francis commissioned a digitized crusher plant in Tissor, on the outskirt of Kenema city. The brand new State-of-the-Art equipment with a capacity of 250 Tons per hour is the first in the road industry in the country and will provide the required crushed rocks for the rehabilitation of the 7km roads in Kenema city and its surrounding. The event was also witnessed by the Minister of State, South, Deputy Minister of Finance, Mayor of Kenema City and other local government dignitaries, including the Paramount Chief Elect of Nongowa Chiefdom. Kenema city had been the most deprived city in the road sector in the country and its residents have been yearning, over the years, for a system that will transformed their socio-economic status, especially in the roads infrastructural development. This dream is gradually becoming a reality with the advent of t...

Limkokwing University, one of Sierra Leone’s best private universities is showcasing solution to digital, videography, graphic design, advertising and branding challenges in the country. The University’s Faculty of Design Innovation on Monday 4th March 2019 opened an exhibition to showcase its two programs, digital photography and graphics design to the public at their Hill Station Campus in Freetown. The exhibition which is expected to end next week also showcased good number of students whom have so far been trained and are ready to make an entrance into the job market to execute what they have learnt. Limkokwing University Sierra Leone Head of Faculty of Design Innovation, Lesly Tshekedi, said their students are well trained to undertake professional jobs, and added that they have the ability to rebrand a whole entity with a comprehensive marketing solution and rebranding. The students, he said selected some major companies of which they are able to put together rebranding mate...

The chaos in the parliament of Sierra Leone was reported on international media which made some members of parliament in other legislative houses in the world laughed at the Parliament of Sierra Leone. This was made known by Hon Abdul Kargbo of the main opposition All People Congress on local television. He said that a certain Member of Parliament in Botswana called him when he heard that the news of Sierra Leone Parliament determining two-third majority by voice collection. “A member of Parliament from Bostwana with whom we were in China in a conference together and they admire the representation of Sierra Leone Members of Parliament called me and he was shocked that in Sierra Leone the Speaker can determine 2/3 majority by voice collection,” Hon Abdul Kargbo explained. This controversy about the state of emergency is still rambling on but the leader of government business in parliament presented the certificate to the President on the state of emergency on Monday 25 February. On...

By Andrew Keili Fierce was the wild billow Dark was the night Oars laboured heavily Foam glimmered white Trembled the mariners Peril was nigh Then said the God of God "Peace! It is I." St. Anatolius This is the tale of two captains. One who threw his sailors overboard for the sharks to devour and the other who after realising his mistake of ditching them threw them life rafts. It was a lesson in contrasts to listen to Radio Democracy yesterday. Honourable Ibrahim Bundu of the APC, ex Majority Leader of the House was a guest together with Dr. Prince Harding, Deputy Chairman of the SLPP. Hon. Bundu told listeners about his new appointment as ACP President and Co-President of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA). He appeared only too happy to do this as this signified the high regard in which he was still held. Having been cast aside by his party as Majority Leader and regarded by many as having reached the end of the road with a faltering presidential am...

Excel Day-care and Primary School prides itself to be one of the best primary and day-care schools in the country, which has provided quality and affordable educational services to pupils over the years. The school has established partnership with the Freetown Cheshire Home as a demonstration of love during the Valentine’s Day celebration. Excel Day-care and Primary School on Wednesday 20th February 2019 donated a big deep freezer and a cheque of Le3, 000, 000 (three million Leones) to the Freetown Cheshire Home at a colourful ceremony held at the Family Kingdom Children’s Play Ground in Freetown. Chairperson of the Board of Directors at Excel School, Mrs Zorah Anthony underscored the importance of love for children in the Freetown Cheshire Home which her school has been demonstrating since its first donation last year. “We want our children to have a good partnership with their colleagues in the Cheshire Home,” she said and added that they are building a relationship that will las...

Looking back in the days when things were going on smoothly, some people made utterances that they now regret while some are finding ways to take back their words back. Indeed life is full of ups and down. The then ruling All People Congress (APC) party faced serious confrontation with one Haja who alleged that APC took a piece of land situated at Poultney Street that belong to her. The land is situated along Poultney Street in the Central Business District of Freetown, opposite the former Nigerian High Commission and back of the former National Electoral Commission complex. APC put up a stiff resistance for that land. Statements and counter statements were said between both parties but at the end APC took possession and started the constriction. The controversial land dispute was seen by many as APC bullied the old woman. Despite the heavy criticism, that did not deter the APC from going ahead with their construction. On May 15th 2017 former President Ernest Bai Koroma turned ...

By Mariama B. Bah As a way of supporting government’s free and quality education initiative in the country, the Development Initiative Programme with support from Terra Tech Germany has donated learning materials to ebola/ mudslide pupils and also supported thirty vulnerable women groups in the western urban and rural respectively. The donation ceremony attracted hundreds of ebola/ mudslide beneficiaries, councilors, chiefs, important dignitaries and media practitioners. The Program Manager Flex Kpange noted that they donated the learning materials to the ebola/mudslide victims as a way of supporting the New Direction government to achieve its goal of the free quality education to all Sierra Leonean in line with the Sustainable Development Goal. He explained that each ebola/mudslide beneficiary would receive a package comprising two dozen exercise books, bags, pens, uniforms, shoes among others. He noted that the items would serve as a relief for caregivers who were making lots of...

I n line with her passion and vision to support people regardless of their background, one of Sierra Leone’s finest philanthropist, celebrity and cultural Ambassador to China Mariatu Kargbo through her foundation empowered the youth of Lakka. Lakka is one of the remote and deprived villages in the Western Area Rural District, Freetown Peninsular with hundreds of youths being unemployed, a good number of them spend their precious time in the ghettos but through the Mariatu Kargbo Foundation smiles have returned to the faces of Lakka youth. Maria over the weekend donated a pressure wash machine, 4000 watt generator and 55 LCD flat screen TV to the Lakka Youth Organisation. Mariatu Kargbo Foundation Secretary General, Adel Karim Damdas before presenting the items to the youth on behalf of Maria said what Maria is doing is to empower the youths for them to earn their living and create more rooms for others. He went on to explain that Maria through her Foundation has done a lot for pe...

The Chief Executive Officer of Seawright Mining Company, Dr. Alfred Seawright has handed over a state of the art cold-room to the people of Nimiyama Chiefdom, Kono District. The colourful ceremony which took place at the chiefdom on the 20th February this year brought together different stakeholders as they described the project as one of their biggest dreams that had come true. Dr.Alfred Seawright thanked the Chief for giving him an open hand. He said Seawright Mining does not undertake individual projects but one that will benefit the entire community. He pointed out that they were undertaking more of community development projects. Both chiefdoms in which they are operating, he said made requests to them and one of the requests was the provision of a cold room. He promised to do the same in the other chiefdom but pointed out that that the next one will be more advanced than the current one. Dr. Seawright said he felt very comfortable with the honorary chief position given to ...

Since it was established in 2016, Never Give Up Foundation has been working tirelessly to ensure the standards of children are elevated. Just after it was established, the foundation engaged in different activity as a means of giving joy to children. The founder of Never Give Up Foundation, Lance Mavin Marah explained that the main aim of the Foundation is to assist orphan kids and children with disabilities. Lance Mavin Marah said his main intention is to ensure that he provides shelter, food,medications and scholarships for those children. He said Baw Baw area is the place he is planning to construct a home for them. He disclosed that he has been engaging the children in school feeding programme in July and Independent programme in April last year but intend to continue with it. In 2018, Never Give Up Foundation engaged in community feeding programme in December 2018. The same year, the foundation took 30 kids to watch the Black Panther movie at the Lagoonda Cinema west of Fr...

Even though the two dominated religions books both the Holy Bible and Quran condemn the practices of secret societies in Sierra Leone but yet still there are some elements in this society who are not willing and ready to comply to such request of the holy books and that the most recent one was the ‘Poro’ Society which led to the disappeared of Osman Maddie from his native land. A hunt has been launched in the entire Bombali District for Osman Maddie who they alleged has refused to be initiated into the traditional ‘poro’ secret society as an obligation to assume the mantle of leadership as elder son of Abdul Conteh (father) who was the traditional leader of the poro secret society. The ‘poro’ secret society is predominantly being practices among men in the South and Northern part of Sierra Leone where young boys even within tender age are force to be initiated into the society. Unfortunately for Osman Maddie step father Abdul Conteh happen to be section Chief of a village and automati...

As the political momentum continues to develop in the country, there has been an outpour of political bashing within the rank and file of the ruling All People Congress as to who is fit or unfit to replace President Ernest Bai Koroma. The latest person in line to condemn other candidates in the party is the Minister of Works and Infrastructural Development, Kemo Sesay. He condemned those he referred to as opportunists. In his exclusive interview with a local tabloid, Kemo Sesay reportedly said that some of those who want to be flagbearers in the party only joined the party in 2007. Kemo Sesay implied that many of those fighting for the flagbearership were opportunists who only joined the party after they were offered jobs by President Koroma. He lashed out that some of the people who are now spending lavishly in the party are only doing so because of the gains they envisage. This many people believe that it is a statement against John Bonor Sesay who is a cousin of the President...

By Abdulrahman Koroma Court file has revealed that one of sierra Leone’s Member of Parliament, Mabinty H. Bangura was duped Le100,000,000 (one hundred million Leones) by his step-son. Mabinty H. Bangura, sitting Honorable of Constituency 42 in Kambia District, on Monday 24th July, 2017 testified in court that she entrusted the said money to her step-son for a building project. Hon. Mabinty also stated that the accused person, Ibrahim Kabia was hired as an electrician in the said building project and that the accused was first given the sum of nine hundred thousand Leones (Le 900, 000) to buy electric cables for the electrification of the said building. She stated that the accused was mandated to control whatever goes in and out of the store, and that the accused was also directed to release things to the caretaker whenever work was in progress. Mabinty also narrated that the accused in two occasions received five million Leones from her to buy one hundred bags of cement “but th...

By Abdulrahman Koroma After a local newspaper first published this article on October 2016, a sierra Leonean researcher and academic, John Benjamin Sesay is still in a state of quandary after his life came under threat as a result of his research activities on the Addax Bioenergy Project in Makeni, Sierra Leone. Ever since the story was published, he has still not nurtured the courage to visit his native land. Below is the story that was published in the SALONE TIMES Newspaper on October 10th 2016: Land Rights Campaigner Fears For His Safety If He Returns To Sierra Leone By Abdulrahman Koroma Academic Researcher, Human Rights, Peace and Security Advocate; Benjamin John Sesay is afraid for his safety if he returns to Sierra Leone. Benjamin who specifically focuses his advocacy on the effects of land grabbing on the lives of landowners in Sierra Leone is presently in Sweden contemplating his home coming. Benjamin first visited Sierra Leone in September 2013 and returned to Sweden ...

Sierra Leone’s biggest GSM operator Africell has concluded their Ramadan Show with the distribution of case and other prizes amounting to Le. 542,176,000 (Five hundred and forty two million one hundred and seventy six thousand Leones) for over 370 winners. The presentation of prizes took place on Friday at Africell Head office in Freetown. In his statement, Africell Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Joe AbassBangura said the promotion was officially launched on Saturday 24 th June, 2017. “This promotion in the true africell style, provide our subscribers with the opportunity to observe the month of Ramadan, play fun games and win great prizes in the process.” He stressed that the Africell Ramadan Show was designed for subscribers to win over Le. 500,000,000(Five Hundred Million Leones).

The Minister of Water Resources, Momodu Elogima Maligie II together with staff of his Ministry have held a fruitful community meeting as a way of getting feedback on the dry season water projects. The meeting which took place at Kabbasa Lodge on Thursday 29 th June was for ward 394,392, 393 and 391. The Minister while addressing members of the constituencies  said water situation in this country is not an easy task for the government and its people. He said in the provinces, the Ministry has 42 stations that have been installed. He spoke about how government plans was to build the Rogbere dam which should have served from the East end to central Freetown while Guma dam should have served the western area of Freetown. He said the Rogbere dam project came to mind when President Koroma visited Nigeria where he saw such initiative but he said the Ebola epidemic and the dropped of the Iron Ore in the world market made things more difficult for them. “It was not the dream...

As Sierra Leone continues to be admired by the world for its religious tolerance between Muslims and Christians, youths in Constituency 129 on Sunday 25th June 2017 came out in their numbers to celebrate this year's EiduFitri or end of Ramadan. To preach peace, unity, and love amongst youths in that part of the city, the leading contender for the parliamentary symbol in Constituency 129 under the All Peoples Congress (APC) party, Lamin A. Kamara, aka 'Sir Jay', organized a football competition for various categories including women. The matches, played on Sunday 25th and Monday 26th June 2017 respectively, brought together ghetto youths and gangsters under a single platform to interact and promote peace, unity and development. At the end of the matches, the APC aspirant, 'Sir Jay' presented cash prizes to the winners disclosing that this is not the first time he has been associating with youths in the constituency, the reason he is optimistic that if awar...

In line with their dream to empower young people, the International Ambassadors of Sierra Leone (IAMSL) Pageant Agency (IAMSL) has disclosed their plans and success stories about pageantries. Mrs Zainab Dauda Bangura is mostly called CEO2 as the assistant to Swadu Natasha Beckley founder of (IAMSL). Centre: Swadu Natasha Beckley founder of (IAMSL) She began to explain about Swadu Natasha Beckley, former beauty queen, pageant coach and producer. Natasha is the founder of the International Ambassadors of Sierra Leone (IAMSL) Pageant Agency, a charitable organization that believes in the developing youthful national talents and providing them with the tools to build up their personal and professional careers. According to Mrs Bangura IAMSL objectives are: Mrs Zainab Bangura CEO 2 ·          To showcase the accomplishments and potentials of today’s young Sierra Leonean women. ·          To pr...

By SiLNoRF Communications Unit In recognition of the relentless effort exerted in the area of human rights advocacy, the Funds for Global Human Rights (FGHR) on Thursday 15th June 2017 presented a Plaque in appreciation of the tremendous contributions of the Sierra Leone Network on the Right Food (SiLNoRF). It could be recalled that the FGHR funds after working in West Africa for almost 13 years decided to focus on other themes in other parts of the world. Therefore, its presence and activities in West Africa is to be reduced. Throughout its presence in West Africa, SiLNoRF is one of the most outstanding organizations that have contributed in no uncertain terms to the actualization of FGHR Vision and Mission. It is on that note that FGHR decided to honor SiLNoRF among few other organizations in West Africa. Last week, a two man delegation from the Head Office in Washington DC visited SiLNoRF to express their appreciation for what they described as the wonderful partnership betwee...