News

By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay

Governance think tank, Institute for Governance Reform (IGR) has called on President Julius Maada Bio to announce delivery targets that his government’s progress will be measured by.

They made the call in the latest in a series of study - “Critical Perspective in Governance” which was launched on Wednesday in Freetown.

The call comes almost a month since President Bio told a cabinet retreat that 2020 was “the year of delivery”.

By Newman Anthony Levey in Bo

The administration of the Bo Government Secondary School for Boys has slammed eight pupils with an indefinite suspension from the school. The eight reportedly skipped school and hid themselves in the ceiling of their dormitories.

In a statement released by the school, the authorities say “all warnings from their town masters fell on deaf ears”. They say such a behavior was unacceptable in the school with the boys therefore suspended indefinitely and must vacate the dormitories “with immediate effect”.

By Francis H. Murray

Njala University Mokonde campus is to host a 500 KW solar mini grid installation for electricity supply. 

Officials of the ministries of energy, higher education, planning and Economic Development as well as a foreign delegation from AUDA-NEPAD (African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for African Development) completed a visit to the campus for the proposed solar construction.

By Francis H. Murray

The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), an organ of the African Union has ended its 29th review Forum Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The APRM aim is to encourage the adoption of policies, standards and best practices that lead to good governance through peer review.

The Summit which started on 8 February 2020 brought together Heads of State and Government and marked a momentous milestone for the governance mechanism as it drives for universal accession.

By Hajaratu Kalokoh

Telecommunications operator, Orange SL has launched a computer programming for pupils as part of its effort to fulfill a pledge made towards the government’s Free Quality Education (FQE) initiative.

The program “Super Coders Scratch” was launched on Wednesday at the Annie Walsh Memorial School. It is geared towards exposing pupils to computer programming by connecting colored blocks using the mouse. These groups of blocks, known as Script, tell characters on the screen, which are called Sprites.

By Hajaratu Kalokoh

The lead defense lawyer for nine former Members of Parliament of the opposition All People Congress (APC) who lost their seats in May 2019 has called for one of three judges hearing the appeal to step down from presiding over the cases. 

Lawyer Ady Macauley told the Court of Appeal on Monday morning that his clients were uncomfortable with Justice Ivan Sesay presiding over the cases because of his previous affiliation with the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party.

By Mabinty M. Kamara

Amidst the increased electricity tariff, residents of Freetown have expressed dissatisfaction over the recent frequent power outages in the capital and have accused the Electricity Distribution Supply Authority (EDSA) of increasing tariffs and not improving service.

In recent months, power outage has been frequent in Freetown. The outage comes following an increase in tariff by EDSA in January this year. Businesses and homes have been severely affected by the recent situation.