Feature

By Kemo Cham and Mabinty Kamara

The last two months have been a difficult period for the National Fire Force of Sierra Leone. It has had to deal with dozens of fire outbreaks in quick successions.

It began with the outbreak at the Shell Station in Kissy in the east end of Freetown. And even before the cause of that was ascertained, the fifth floor of the headquarters of the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) went ablaze.

By Mustapha Sesay 

For some it should be enforced as a day of resting; for others retaining the no-trading rules on Sundays would mean depriving them of a whole day’s earnings, which they depend on to survive.

These were the mixed reactions of some traders within the centre of the business district of Freetown with regards to the question of whether the restriction imposed at the height of the Epidemic should remain in force or be relaxed after the country has been declared Ebola-free.

By Assiatu A Jalloh

By Kemo Cham and Mabinty Kamara

Those against the ‘Safe Abortion Act 2015’ have been the most vocal on the ongoing debate over the increasingly controversial piece of legislation. This is certainly not because there are not many people who support the enactment of the law; it may just be that they just aren’t being given the platform.

By Indrias G Kassaye 

The story of a girl who dropped out of school after becoming pregnant and marrying demonstrates the challenges for girls’ education in Sierra Leone.

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone– Hajah Conteh [not her real name] never intended to drop out of school, but in desperate circumstances, the very solution she thought would help her stay in school is what ended her education.

By Dr. Habib M Sesay

Introduction

This self-explanatory paper succinctly examines the intricacies of House of Chiefs, Unicameral Parliament, Parliamentary System of Government and Proportional Representation (PR) mode of election of members of parliament and councilors. Additionally, it proffers the rationale that enables the 1991 Sierra Leone Constitution Review Committee Plenary to carefully consider, vote and anchor the above critical issues in the 2015 Draft Sierra Leone Constitution.

House of Chiefs

Guest Writer:

By Abdul Tejan-Cole

With high rates of infant and maternal mortality compounded by a high incidence of teenage pregnancy, it is hardly surprising that the abortion debate in Sierra Leone has recently become heated.

Parliament’s overwhelming support for the “Safe Abortion Bill” and the President’s decision not to give the Bill his assent but to send it back to the House for further review provoked intense debate between pro-choice and pro-life groups.