The meeting, scheduled for Thursday and hosted by Ghana’s First Lady, H.E. Lordina Dramani Mahama, will focus on ending mother-to-child transmission and achieving the triple elimination of HIV, syphilis, and Hepatitis B across the continent.

The dialogue will emphasise the role of women in leadership in combating stigma, abuse, and neglect—challenges that disproportionately affect women and children—and highlight the need to strengthen protections for vulnerable groups.

Mrs. Mahama and the Lordina Foundation have earned global recognition for over a decade of advocacy in health and humanitarian support. In 2013, she was appointed a Health Ambassador to champion the Heart-to-Heart campaign for HIV/AIDS patients in Ghana.

In 2016, as President of OAFLAD, she delivered a powerful call for a proactive response to HIV and greater protection of sexual and reproductive rights at the 7th Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights in Accra.

First Ladies from Kenya, Liberia, and a former First Lady of South Africa are also expected to attend the high-level gathering.

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The visit, which took place on Thursday, September 18, 2025, formed part of Sierra Leone’s efforts to curb gold smuggling, enhance transparency, and raise mineral revenues.

Mr Bangura praised Ghana’s approach, describing it as an “innovative step to formalise and strengthen its gold sector,” adding that similar reforms could “play a key role in boosting Sierra Leone’s economy.”

He indicated particular interest in Ghana’s measures for licensing, assaying, and traceability, noting that they ensure minerals are properly accounted for and exports generate fair value for the state.

In response, Mr Gyamfi welcomed the prospect of collaboration, stressing GoldBod’s readiness to share technical expertise, institutional experience and best practices. He explained that formalising the gold trade through licensing, assaying and responsible sourcing not only bolsters government oversight but also builds investor confidence.

Source: Graphic.com.gh

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Speaking on PM Express on Monday, June 16, the ambassador said Israel’s recent missile attacks on Iran were necessary and long overdue.

“The answer is quite simple,” he said when asked why Israel had launched missiles into Iran.

“Whenever your enemy clearly declares his will and wish to get rid of you, to annihilate you, to destroy you, to erase you from the face of the earth—as the Iranian leaders have done since February 1979—that’s when we become worried.”

He warned that Iran’s threat to Israel is both ideological and technological.

“We have many enemies who would like to erase us from the face of the earth but do not have the ability. We have states that have the ability but do not want to. But when we have an enemy that has both—this is when we become worried,” he stressed.

The ambassador confirmed that the latest strikes on Iranian territory were carefully targeted at military and government sites. Several high-ranking Iranian officers were reportedly killed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the offensive “as long as necessary.”

Roey Gilad echoed that sentiment and noted growing internal support for the strikes.

“Israelis are very opinionated people. It’s very hard to find consensus. But now there is consensus that this was the right thing to do. The only discussion is whether we should have done it earlier.”

He said the immediate trigger was Iran’s rapid military buildup.

“They have enriched uranium up to 60%, which is enough for nine nuclear bombs. And they are developing, as you can see now, between 2,000 and 3,000 ballistic missiles.
They’ve already launched 200 against Israel. That caused significant damage. That has to be said.”

Asked if the strikes were strictly about the nuclear threat, the ambassador explained that it was a combination of threats.

“It’s two things. It’s the nuclear threat. And it’s the missile threat. The ability and the will together—that’s the danger.”

Ambassador Gilad was blunt about the stakes involved.

“We are not playing games. We are fighting for survival. If you know your enemy wants to destroy you and is getting closer to doing so, you do not wait for the final blow.”

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The visit aims to strengthen bilateral relations between Ghana and Sierra Leone.

Upon arrival, President Mahama was warmly received by Sierra Leone’s President Dr. Julius Maada Bio and Ghanaian diplomatic representatives in the country.

The visit is expected to foster cooperation between the two nations in areas such as trade, economic growth, infrastructure development, and regional security.

This visit comes at a time when both nations are focused on enhancing their economic and diplomatic ties.

Ghana and Sierra Leone have long-standing strong relations, collaborating in areas like trade, education, and governance.

The visit follows President Julius Maada Bio’s participation in President Mahama’s inauguration in January 2025, where he reiterated Sierra Leone’s commitment to strengthening relations with Ghana.

The West African country’s health minister announced the move on Monday after the second case of the deadly viral disease was confirmed.

“The confirmation of two cases of mpox in the country has prompted immediate action as mandated by the Public Health Act,” Health Minister Austin Demby told reporters in the capital, Freetown. “On behalf of the government of Sierra Leone, I am declaring a public health emergency.”

Last week, Sierra Leone reported its first confirmed case of mpox since the African Union’s health watchdog declared a public health emergency over the growing mpox outbreak on the continent last year.

A second case was confirmed after a 21-year-old man showed symptoms on January 6, the National Public Health Agency said on social media.

Neither case had known recent contact with infected animals or other sick individuals, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation said.

Only the first case involved recent travel, limited to the airport town of Lungi in the northern Port Loko District between December 26 and January 6. Both patients are receiving treatment at a hospital in Freetown.

The public health emergency “allows us to act immediately to mobilise the resources needed to contain the disease, prevent further spread and provide care to those affected”, the minister said.

Demby also announced increased border surveillance and testing, as well as the launch of a national awareness campaign. He added that Sierra Leone’s medical system was ready to respond to cases, pointing to experience gained during the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks.

“We urge all citizens to remain calm, stay informed and report any suspected cases promptly to healthcare authorities,” Demby said.

Mpox is caused by a virus from the same family as smallpox, manifesting in a high fever and skin lesions, called vesicles.

Also known as monkeypox, it was first identified by scientists in 1958 when outbreaks of a “pox-like” disease in monkeys occurred. Until recently, most human cases were seen in people in Central and West Africa who had close contact with infected animals.

In 2022, the virus was confirmed for the first time to spread via sex, as outbreaks were triggered in more than 70 countries across the world that had not reported mpox previously.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has borne the brunt of the epidemic, with a vast majority of the roughly 43,000 suspected cases and 1,000 deaths in Africa this year.

A decade ago, Sierra Leone was the epicentre of the Ebola outbreak that ravaged West Africa in an epidemic killing some 4,000 people, including nearly 7 per cent of the country’s health workers, between 2014 and 2016.

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Hosted by the Ghanaian government, the visit is facilitated by UNDP Sierra Leone as part of its Inclusive Democratic Governance Portfolio, aiming to learn best practices and insights on transforming the police force into a service-oriented institution.

The visit aims to explore Ghana’s successful transition from a Police Force to a Police Service, with a particular focus on understanding how Ghana’s Ministry of the Interior collaborates with its agencies to maintain law and order and strengthen public trust in the police.

The delegation has held meetings with the Ministers of the Interior, Henry Quartey, and the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame.

According to Sierra Leone’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Major General (Rtd.) David Taluva, the Police reforms are necessary to stabilize the country in order to attract more investors to improve the economy and enhance its development.

“We want a police service that will concentrate on serving the people of Sierra Leone, making them safe, protecting their property and building that confidence in the country to give government a friendly atmosphere to achieve its vision for the people”, he said.

He commended the Ghana’s security authorities for their continuous training support to the Sierra Leone security services, of which he was a beneficiary as a former soldier.

He thanked Ghanaian counterparts for sharing valuable insights on their successful transition from a Police Force to a Service, highlighting the benefits of a people-centric approach.

“This shift from Force to Service brings the police closer to the community, prioritising service over enforcement,” he noted.

During a visit to the Minister of Interior, Henry Quartey reiterated the government’s commitment to retooling the security services and collaboration. “We are ready to collaborate with Sierra Leone and share our experiences to strengthen our bilateral relations and enhance regional security,” he emphasized.

The Sierra Leonean delegation also held discussions with Ghana’s Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, focusing on broader issues related to justice and security sector reforms.

Sierra Leone’s Inspector-General of Police, Mr. William Fayia Sellu, hailed the visit to Ghana as a key moment in their reform journey.

He stated, “Our meetings in Ghana provided invaluable insights, charting a clear roadmap for our transformation from a police force to a service. We are excited to embark on this process, and Ghana’s experience has shown us the way forward. We’re now equipped to initiate a successful transition in our country, thanks to Ghana’s guidance.”

Fredrick Ampiah, Resident Representative of UNDP Sierra Leone, explained the UNDP’s support to the Sierra Leone Police Force, which falls under its governance portfolio focusing on policing, peace, and security.

He explained that the learning visit was inspired by a similar initiative UNDP undertook in Ghana 20 years ago, which successfully helped the Ghana Police Force transition into a Police Service.

As part of the visit to the Ghana National Police Headquarters, a Guard of Honour Parade was organized for the Inspector-General of Police of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Mr. William Fayia Sellu. After which, the delegation held further discussions  Ghana’s Inspector-General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, and the Police Management Board.

The Sierra Leonean team, which includes the Deputy Minister for Justice, the Inspector-General of Police, Police Commissioners, and officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and UNDP, is committed to applying the lessons learned from this exchange to inform ongoing police service reforms in Sierra Leone.

In his resignation letter on Friday, Sesay said he took full responsibility for the crisis. The office of the President Julius Maada Bio later announced that the energy ministry would fall under the direct supervision of the president.

Shortly after Sesay’s resignation, the government said in a statement that it had paid $17 million of the $48 million owed to Turkey’s Karpowership, which provides electricity to the capital Freetown.

A spokesman for the company confirmed the payment to Reuters and said full electricity supplies had been restored to the capital.

“We are pleased to confirm that the power supply at full capacity to Sierra Leone has been restored,” the company said in a statement.

Since mid-April, Freetown and the cities of Bo, Kenema and Koidu have experienced multi-day stretches without electricity.

In an email to Reuters on April 19, Karpowership said it was owed $48 million and had scaled down supplies to six megawatts from 60 megawatts.

At that time, it said it had not received payment from the government of Sierra Leone for “a protracted period” and was therefore unable pay fuel suppliers on behalf of the West African country.

In September, Karpowership switched off the electricity supply to Freetown over an unpaid debt of around $40 million, authorities said at the time.

Hospitals have struggled to cope, with at least one infant at the main children’s hospital having died due to the blackout, according to doctor Jeredine George. Medics had been using their mobile phone torches to carry out procedures, she said, while many had taken to social media to express their frustration.

The government statement also said it had paid $1.5 million to TRANSCO-CLSG, another electricity provider, which supplies the south and east of the country.

Reuters could not confirm the total sum that provider was owed.

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Kush, a psychoactive blend of addictive substances, has been prevalent in the country for years.

President Julius Maada Bio called the drug a “death trap” and said it posed an “existential crisis”.

One of the drug’s many ingredients is human bones – security has been tightened in cemeteries to stop addicts digging up skeletons from graves.

Groups of mostly young men sitting on street corners with limbs swollen by kush abuse is a common sight in Sierra Leone.

With a bandage around his ankle, one recovering addict told the BBC the drug has a tight grip on him.

“I don’t like doing this, but I cannot leave it because I enjoy it,” he said.

There is no official death toll, but one doctor told the BBC that “in recent months” hundreds of young men had died from organ failure caused by kush in the capital, Freetown.

The psychoactive substance also takes a toll on mental health – the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital, the country’s only institution of its kind, says between 2020 and 2023, admissions linked to kush surged by almost 4,000% to reach 1,865.

And the spike in kush use has seen Freetown’s main cemeteries request police security to protect themselves from young men digging up skeletons – ground-up human bone is one of the many ingredients used to make kush, although it is not clear why.

In a nationwide broadcast on Thursday night, President Bio said: “Our country is currently faced with an existential threat due to the ravaging impact of drugs and substance abuse, particularly the devastating synthetic drug kush.”

He added that there had been “escalating fatalities” among kush users.

The president also directed officials to set up a National Task Force on Drugs and Substance Abuse, which will primarily focus on “combatting the kush crisis”.

He said centres will be set up in every district and “adequately staffed by trained professionals to offer care and support to people with drug addiction”.

At present, Freetown is home to the country’s only functioning drug rehabilitation centre. The 100-bed facility was hurriedly set up in an army training centre earlier this year.

Experts have described it as “more of a holding centre than a rehab” because of its lack of adequate facilities.

As well as addressing treatment, the president said law enforcement agencies should “dismantle the drug supply chain through investigations, arrests, and prosecutions”.

Deputy Mayor of Freetown Kweku Lisk told the BBC that his office had requested security from the police in order to tackle gravediggers.

At the moment, there is a night-time police deployment at the Kissy Road cemetery, a large unfenced site in an eastern suburb.

Mr Bio’s administration has been criticised by people who say it lacks the strategy and drive to respond to kush abuse.

“Such is the vacuum left by the lack of adequate response that communities have often had to take the law into their own hands and have responded to the crisis sometimes in a disjointed and crude manner”, said a foreign diplomat in Sierra Leone.

This sentiment has been echoed by callers on some local radio talk shows and on social media.

Dr Abdul Jalloh, head of the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital, said Mr Bio’s emergency declaration is “the right step” and will be “crucial in addressing drug use”.

“It signifies the prioritisation of resources, attention and intervention to combat this growing epidemic,” he said.

Some 63% of the hospital’s current patients were admitted with kush-related problems.

Marie, a mother who lost her 21-year-old son to kush, said: “There is a lot the authorities must do beyond the president’s address last night to combat this scourge.”

They include former police and correctional officers as well as the former bodyguard of ex-President Ernest Bai Koroma.

Mr Koroma is also a suspect in the coup attempt and has been under house arrest since he was questioned by police last month.

The suspects are facing several charges, including treason, concealing treason and “harbouring, aiding and abetting the enemy”, Information Minister Chernor Bah said in a statement.

Other suspects “are expected to be charged in the coming days”, he added.

On 26 November, gunmen broke into a military armoury and several prisons in the capital city of Freetown, freeing almost 2,000 inmates.

At least 19 people, including 13 soldiers, died in the violence, which was labelled as a failed coup attempt by the army.

In December, the government announced that it had held 80 suspects over the coup attempt, including civilians and active and former police and military officers.

Mr Koroma’s daughter, Dankay Koroma, was also named among 54 other wanted suspects.

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Ghana has also slipped as the second most peaceful country in Africa in the 2022 index to the 4th position this year.

Commenting on the latest index, the Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Peace Council (NPC) Rev Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi said the development calls for more work as the decline was not too good for Ghana.

He was speaking at Prampram in the Greater Accra Region on Tuesday, July 11, 2023 at a two-day national dialogue on improving civilian – security agency relations for the prevention of violent extremism in Ghana.

Conflict deaths at the highest level this century is causing world peacefulness to decline, the 17th edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI) from the international think-tank, the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) stated.

The national dialogue was organised by the NPC and the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) with funding from the Netherlands Embassy with the objective of strategically building consensus and trust to improve civilian-security agency relations towards preventing violent extremism in Ghana under a project named the Prevention of Violent Extremism Through Social Accountability (PoVETSA) project.

The dialogue was attended by security agencies including the Ghana Police Service, representatives of the various political parties.

The GPI covers 163 countries comprising 99.7 per cent of the world’s population, using 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources, and measures the state of peace across three domains: the level of Societal Safety and Security; the extent of Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict; and the degree of Militarisation.

Why Ghana dropped

Rev Dr. Adu-Gyamfi attributed the decline to some of the happenings in Ghana to threats such as armed robbery incidents, highway robberies as well as some attacks on journalists, political violence, and the land guard menace and other perceptions, which all go to inform the rating and compilation of the results.

He said as a country there was the need to do the best we can to avoid some of these happenings.

He stressed the need to enhance trust and confidence between the security agencies and the civilian population to prevent extremism in Ghana and to improve understanding and tolerance as the country prepared itself for the 2024 general elections.

Interventions

He noted that the Peace Council, since 2020 had contributed to the prevention of insurgent activities by undertaking programmes to build resilience against terrorism and violent extremism.

Rev Dr. Adu-Gyamfi said the Council has engaged over 100 student leaders across the country, trained over 400 youths in all the regions of Ghana and reached out to over 200 fisher folks as well as commercial drivers on ways to prevent the insurgents from getting a foothold in the country.

He, however noted that despite these interventions, the extremist threat was persistent adding that it has been established that even though operations under the Accra Initiative temporarily halted terror groups’ activities and movements, it was limited in duration and geographic scope.

“It is worth noting that protracted chieftaincy conflicts give us reasons to worry, because the insurgents are always lurking around to use vulnerable communities for their nefarious activities. Other unresolved conflicts, including intra and inter-party elections at all levels must be holistically dealt with so that they do not serve as motivation for violence and provide impetus for aggrieved individuals to use unlawful means to seek revenge.” He said

Rev Dr. Adu-Gyamfi said some of the political tensions and mis-trust have security implications and therefore called on all citizens to help the Council build strong bonds of resilience at all levels of our national endeavours to ward off the common enemy.

“The Peace Council believes building the required trust between our political parties and the Ghana Police Service is a sure way to build and sustain our collective resolve against the threat of violent extremist and terrorism and even more importantly improve tolerance ahead of the 2024 general elections,” he said.

Global Peace Index 2023

The 17th edition of the annual Global Peace Index (GPI), the world’s leading measure of peacefulness, reveals the average level of global peacefulness deteriorated for the ninth consecutive year, with 84 countries recording an improvement and 79 a deterioration.

This demonstrates that the deteriorations were larger than the improvements, as the post-COVID rises of civil unrest and political instability remain high while regional and global conflicts accelerate.

Key results

• Deaths from global conflict increased by 96% to 238,000.
• New data shows higher numbers of conflict deaths in Ethiopia than Ukraine, eclipsing the previous global peak during the Syrian war.
• Seventy-nine countries witnessed increased levels of conflict including Ethiopia, Myanmar, Ukraine, Israel, and South Africa.
• The global economic impact of violence increased by 17% or $1 trillion, to $17.5 trillion in 2022, equivalent to 13% of global GDP.
• A Chinese blockade of Taiwan would cause a drop in global economic output of $2.7 trillion, almost double the loss that occurred due to the 2008 global financial crisis.
• Despite the conflict in Ukraine, 92 countries improved on military expenditure and 110 decreased their military personnel.
• Conflicts are becoming more internationalised with 91 countries now involved in some form of external conflict, up from 58 in 2008.

The rise in conflicts

79 countries deteriorated in the Ongoing Conflict domain, with conflict related deaths increasing by 96% compared to the prior year. Conflict deaths are now at the highest level this century.

The Ethiopian conflict claimed the most lives in 2022 with new data finding that battlefield deaths were over 100,000, while disease and famine related deaths were conservatively estimated at over 200,000. This conflict has been largely hidden from the media because of domestic media restrictions and internet blackouts. This has coincided with US and UN aid organisations stopping food shipments because of corruption in the food supply chains.

In sub-Saharan Africa, Mali recorded the largest deterioration with conflict-related deaths increasing by 154%, while violence against civilians rose by 570%. Eswatini experienced the next largest drop in peacefulness in the region.

The Ukraine war has seen the total number of Ukrainians who were either refugees or internally displaced jump from 1.7% before the conflict, to over 30% and is likely to continue increasing. Recent data has found that up to 65% of men in Ukraine aged 20 to 24 years have fled the country or died in the conflict1 . The report estimates 83,000 deaths are related to the conflict so far.

In contrast to the devastating effects of the war on the Russian population, other internal factors have improved including the incarceration rate, a decrease in violent demonstrations, and the impact of terrorism. The homicide rate within Russia is now at its lowest level since the inception of the GPI in 2008. If not for the Ukraine conflict, Russia would have been one of the largest improvers in peace in this year’s Index.

The global number of refugees and internally displaced people continues to rise; there are now 15 countries with over 5% of their population displaced.

Regional Highlights

The largest regional improvements occurred in MENA and North America. North America’s improvement was driven by Canada, but the United States deteriorated slightly where homicide rates have risen to levels six times higher than Western Europe.

Since 2016 MENA has seen the largest improvements in peace globally, however it is still the least peaceful region. The epicentre of terrorism has shifted from the MENA region into sub-Saharan Africa, especially the Sahel.

Central America, the Caribbean and South America have recorded substantial deteriorations, falling mainly on measures of repression, violence, and conflict.

Coastal West Africa is at its most peaceful since reporting began in 2008, with countries in the region recording an average improvement of 5% in the past 14 years.

The coastal region between Morocco and Ghana recorded no deaths from terrorism in 2022, in contrast to the neighbouring countries in the Sahel.

Europe is still the most peaceful region in the world, despite military expenditure and Neighbouring Country Relations deteriorating because of the Ukraine war.

The region is still home to seven of the ten most peaceful countries, with the level of violent demonstrations, protests and riots remaining high. The other three most peaceful countries are in the Asia-Pacific region.

“This election please let it be peaceful,” he said in a message in Pidgin English.

He reminded young people that they have the “power” in this vote, and that if the country is destroyed due to violence, it will be down to Sierra Leoneans to have to patch it back up again. 

“Not only is the world watching,” he said, but the whole of Africa. 

Saturday’s vote will be the country’s sixth presidential vote since a military takeover in 1992.

It will see the incumbent, President Julius Madaa Bio of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) go up against Dr Samura Kamara of the All People’s Congress (APC).

There have been arrests of critical opposition voices in the the run up to the vote. 

Elba’s comments come on the same day that the Commonwealth Observer Group in Sierra Leone, led by former Nigerian Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo, called for peaceful elections that will reflect the will of the people.

“The eyes of more than 2.5 billion people of the Commonwealth – more than 60% of whom are young people under the age of 30 – will be upon Sierra Leone. Watching, in solidarity and in hope,” Prof. Osinbajo said.

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She was referring to the violent protests of 10 August in opposition strongholds which left 31 people killed including six police officers.

The president blamed the protests – which were generally about the high cost of living – on the opposition alleging that they were part of a plot to overthrow him, leading to the dismissal of the top three in the army.

Speaking over the weekend at a fundraising event in the US, Mrs Bio accused unnamed people of wanting to overthrow her husband.

“Maada Bio has a PhD in coup d’état, can you remove him?” she asked rhetorically, before reiterating: “The man has a PhD in [staging] coups, how can you remove someone who teaches people how to stage a coup?,” the first lady said in a video shared on Facebook.

Mrs Bio was making an apparent reference to the fact that her husband first came to power in April 1992 as part of a group of young military officers who overthrew the civilian government of Joseph Saidu Momoh of the All People’s Congress, the party he defeated at the polls in 2018 and whom he accused of being behind the August protests.

The opposition party vehemently denied the allegations.

Many have condemned the statement with some of the moderate elements within her Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) condemning it.

Mrs Bio, a prolific user of Facebook and TikTok, has been known to make controversial comments.

She has not responded to the reactions following her coup comments, nor has anyone at the presidency.

Consequently, it has received a $250,000 fund for that purpose.

The fund, provided under the European Union—Water Operators’ Partnerships (EU-WOP) programme, is also to ensure that the vulnerable population in both countries were better served over a period of three years.

The grant was made possible after a funding proposal jointly submitted by the GWCL, GVWC and the Dutch VEI — water service provider in the Netherlands — was selected under the programme.

The partnership intends to contribute towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 6 of the United Nations of ensuring access to water and sanitation for all.

The EU-WOP programme is an initiative funded by the EU and managed by UN-Habitat’s Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA).

WOP project

As a starting point, the GWCL has visited Sierra Leone for feasibility studies and has started the transfer of knowledge and expertise to the country.

The team from Ghana has also held a workshop for its Sierra Leonean counterpart.

The Managing Director of GWCL, Dr Clifford Braimah, who briefed the Daily Graphic on this development, said the company’s visit to Sierra Leone was to gain first-hand the local challenges faced by GVWC in delivering water to the vulnerable communities.

“Being the lead partner, GWCL took advantage of the visit to gain a better understanding of the local challenges in supplying water to the vulnerable communities of Sierra Leone, and that commenced the transfer of knowledge and expertise. VEI also supported the process,” he said.

Dr Braimah indicated that they had received some funding from development partners, consumers and other sector stakeholders as a result of elevating the GWCL Low-Income Customer Support Unit into a full-blown department.

He said the department was focused on fundraising, community engagement, and improving water service delivery in poor communities through revenue collection initiatives and setting up water user associations.

The Chief Manager of the department, Faustina Boachie, said the department was crucial for the GVWC to fulfil its mandate.

Workshop

The VEI Project Manager, Krijn Driessen, provided hands-on training on the utilisation of a DJI Mavic Air 2 drone handed over to GVWC to enhance the company’s operations.

The partners then expressed their individual commitments to transform the unserved to be served in a sustainable way.

The Board Chair of GVWC, Bintu Myers, expressed the company’s commitment to work with the GWCL, while pledging the board’s strategic support to deliver on the programme’s objectives.

The two second-tier games saw Kenema-based Kahunla Rangers and Gulf FC of Kono heavily defeat their city rivals in Premier League qualifiers on Sunday.

Kahunla walloped Lumbebu United 95-0, and Gulf FC thrashed Koquima Lebanon 91-1, providing the two biggest victories recorded in the history of Sierra Leonean football.

However, the half-time scores were just 2-0 and 7-1 respectively, and both results have been annulled because of suspicion of match manipulation.

“We can’t stand by and see an embarrassing situation like this go unpunished,” SLFA president Thomas Daddy Brima told BBC Sport Africa.

“We’re going to launch an immediate investigation and bring to book all those responsible for this mediocrity.

“All those found guilty will be dealt with in accordance with the SLFA laws, and will also be handed over to the country’s anti-corruption commission.”

The chief executive of Kahunla Rangers “strongly condemned unsportsmanlike behaviour” and Lumbebu’s general manager said he was “not aware of any match manipulation”.

Meanwhile, the chairman of Koquima Lebanon claimed the match involving his side was actually a friendly and officials from Gulf FC declined to comment.

The SLFA said it would investigate players and officials from all four clubs involved, designated match officials and the Eastern Region Football Association.

The organisation added it “maintains zero tolerance” against match manipulation in the West African country, in compliance with the rules of world governing body Fifa and the Confederation of African Football (Caf).

• Goals flow after half-time

Both Kahunla and Gulf FC had the same number of points going to their final round of matches and were fighting for Eastern Region’s remaining place in the national Super 10 League, which serves as the final qualifying phase for the Premier League.

The two games took place simultaneously and the referee of Gulf’s match refused to officiate the second half, and was subsequently replaced.

Things took a dramatic turn over the course of the second halves when it became clear that the team with the better goal difference would go through – with Kahunla netting 93 goals and Gulf scoring 84 times.

The chief executive officer of Kahunla, Eric Kaitell, condemned his team and other three sides involved on social media.

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“I want to start by apologising to the football fans in the country and the world at large for the odd match result of my club Kahunla Rangers,” Kaitell said.

“I want to state firmly that I strongly condemn such unsportsmanlike behaviour displayed by my team, and the other teams involved.

“I’m setting up a committee to investigate the whole team including the technical staff and the executive members, and whoever is found wanting will be dealt with accordingly.”

• ‘I’ll never be part of match fixing’

The general manager of Lumbebu, Mohamed Jan Saeid Jalloh, stood in as coach for his team for the match in the absence of their substantive coach.

His side also had three men sent off in their 95-0 defeat, and he protested his innocence.

“I’m not aware of any match manipulation but can’t vouch for others,” Jalloh told BBC Sport Africa.

“We conceded lots of goals in the second half. I was frustrated and at some point even left the touchline in anger. I wasn’t concentrating afterwards, so I can’t even tell how many goals we conceded in all.

“I’ll never be part of match fixing.

“I’m calling on the football authorities to investigate both matches and bring to book anyone found wanting. And if nobody is found guilty of any crime then so be it.”

The chairman of Koquima Lebanon claimed the result against Gulf FC was from a friendly game, and he also disputed the 91-1 scoreline.

Mohamed Lanfia Tunkara said he had been told by his players and club officials that the league match between the two clubs did not actually take place.

Instead, it was an encounter between “players in the community, including some Koquima players” which was held to “entertain fans who had bought tickets to witness their match with Gulf FC”.

The small ceremony, which started off solemnly with a priest officiating the service, erupted into chaos when the wedded wife showed up just when the couple were set to exchange vows.

Videos shared online by sister of the aggrieved wife captured the moment she pulled out their wedding certificate as evidence.

Information gathered indicates that the current bride is a friend of the wife, and she was also the bridesmaid during his initial wedding.

Labeling the bride as an ungrateful woman and a husband snatcher, the legal wife and her family caused quite a pandemonium in the church.

Her rants went in her favor as the officiating pastor cancelled the wedding and urged them to settle their matter at home.

It was for this reason the family of the bride engaged the wife’s family in a heated fist fight which attracted scores of onlookers.

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The BBC has heard reports of young people killing themselves or harming themselves and others.

Medical staff in the capital Freetown say that 90% of the male admissions to the central psychiatric ward are due to Kush use.

Police are battling to win the war against the drug.

With Kush use spreading rapidly, with ever-younger users being exposed to it, Africa Eye reporter, Tyson Conteh, investigates the drug and asks whether Sierra Leone can stop the march of this dangerously addictive high.

Reports from GTV sports plus on Twitter stated that the Police in Freetown prevented angry fans from destroying the striker’s property.

“Police are currently protecting the house of striker Kei Kamara to stop fans from destroying the property in Freetown,” part of the tweet read.

Equatorial Guinea claimed a 1-0 win over Sierra Leone to book their passage to the knockout stages with their group leaders, Ivory Coast.

The Leone Stars had an opportunity to level the score which was enough to seal their place to the next stage of the competition.

Kamara was, however, denied the chance from the penalty spot after Jesus Owono made a stunning save.

This was in a meeting with Sierra Leone’s Minister for Trade and Industry, Dr Edward Hinga Sandi when the NPA boss, Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid paid a working visit.

Also present at the meeting was the Executive Chairman for PRA-SL, Dr Brima Baluwa Koroma.

The two countries shared experiences in the regulation of the Petroleum Downstream Industry.

PRA-SL requested to partner with Ghana’s NPA in their pursuit to improve their human resource capacity, legal and institutional reforms in their operations.

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Dr Hamid in his address admitted that cooperation was the only way the two countries can advance in development, hence, stated the call for assistance was a step in the right direction.

“The only way we can get out of our developmental challenges is by cooperating with each other. We are the only ones who are interested in the development of our countries and neighbouring countries.

“Because if I am not interested in the development of Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, and other neighboring countries and there is a crisis in any of these countries, Ghana or other neighbours get the spillover effect,” he stated.

According to the country’s central bank, the new currency will be valued at about 10 to the US dollar.

The leone has been falling since austerity measures were introduced in 2017.

With mining companies and the government in a long-running battle, the Covid-19 pandemic has made things worse.

The central bank governor, Prof Kelfala Kallon, said the move would make it easier for people who had to go around carrying “a whole amount cash to just do something very simple.”

He told the BBC’s Focus on Africa radio programme that people had been putting themselves at risk with thieves “lurking around [banks] to see who is coming out with a big sack and then they follow them”.

The governor said the re-denomination would also give a “psychological boost” for Sierra Leoneans.

No date has been given for when exactly the new leone, as it’ll be called, will be introduced.

In front of a huge crowd in Freetown on Sunday, team captain Umaru Bangura failed to convert the penalty that would have put Sierra Leone through to the group stages of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

Liberia, under new coach Peter Butler, went through instead. Five places have been reserved for Africa at the tournament in Qatar.

After the game, fans reportedly smashed the windows and doors of Mr Bangura’s home in Freetown.

Red Cross staff also came under attack after they were accused of shielding Mr Bangura from the fans, the BBC’s Umaru Fofana says.

Four Red Cross volunteers were injured in the unrest. People also threw stones at their ambulances, which were later pictured with smashed window.

Source: BBC

Being the only trained pathologist in Sierra Leone, the renowned disease expert is an acclaimed national hero status for the swift manner with which he attended to the bodies sent the Connaught Hospital, where all the bodies pulled from the mud were taken for pre-burial examination.

The crew from The Multimedia Group, including host of the Super Morning Show on Joy FM, went to Free Town to fish out the pathologist from his hideout in the cold room of dead bodies.
Many are amazed at his reserved yet resolute composure responding to the call when disaster struck his beloved country, Sierra Leone, Monday morning.
It is the biggest single disaster to have hit the nation that has suffered over a decade of war and was just returning to normalcy after it was plagued with the deadly Ebola virus in 2014.

“You have to be stubborn to face things…They say I’m one of the coolest bastards in the business. That’s what the forensic scientists say,” Dr. Koroma said in a hearty chat with Kojo Yankson broadcast on the Super Morning Show Friday, August 25, 2017.
A believer of the Christian faith, Dr. Koroma said he does not move a step away from the Holy Scriptures. He believes his country may be facing the wrath of nature because they have transgressed.
“Why did this happen? Why all these calamities? Have we disobeyed the Almighty God? I believe so…” he said.

After some of these questions have been answered within the next couple of weeks to months, life will return to normal, the Government Chief Pathologist Manager at the Connaught Hospital, expressed in confidence.
“We’ll be recovering, excavating, extraction, collection and the job will continue. That’s how life is”, the pathologist who also trained as a police officer said.

Several countries have come to the aid of the West African country including Ghana.

The government is sending relief items estimated at one million dollars, the Ministry of Information has said.

Pictures coming from Sierra Leone are quiet heartbreaking.

1. Woman grief over disaster. She is being consoled by a sad looking man.

2. Rescue mission desperately searching for missing bodies.

3. Family members line up in pouring rain to identify loved ones’ remains.

4. Man carrying coffin of a loved is too heartbreaking to look.

5. Over 300 graves dug to bury the dead.

6. People watch as disaster unfold

`7. Children were not spared either

8. Pain and anguish spreads through the nation

9. Buildings damaged

10. Man swimming through the flood. Cars being carried away.

More than 400 people died, with over 600 others missing after a mudslide swept away homes in the largest slum in Freetown, Regent.

Local journalists reported seeing a massive red opening when a section of Mount Sugar Loaf located in the village caved in.


In a show of solidarity, the government of Ghana dispatched officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to lead relief mission in the West African country.

Items donated by Ghana government include food, medicines, clothes and logistics.

Dr Bawumia handed the items to the Vice President of Sierra Leone.

The two Vice Presidents were accompanied by officials of their governments.

President Ernest Bai Koroma attended a multi-faith memorial service at the burial site in the city of Waterloo.
Some 600 people are still thought to be missing while more than 400 people are known to have died.
About 3,000 people are homeless in what is being described as a humanitarian emergency.
There is also growing concern about the risk to public health from water-borne diseases.

• A disaster waiting to happen?
• Gruesome clear-up to prevent health emergency

Mortuaries have been overwhelmed by the number of bodies they have received – more than 100 of them are children.
Freetown’s chief pathologist, Dr Simeon Owizz Koroma, said those buried were people who had been identified or whose bodies were badly decomposed.
Mr Koroma told the BBC that the number of bodies he had certified was “approaching the 350 marker. But we’re still expecting more coming, yes…. up to a month or two months, and I believe some are buried with the collapse of masonry, buildings”.
The mass grave in Waterloo is known as the Ebola cemetery after the 2014 disease outbreak, which killed nearly 4,000 people in the country.

Homes in the hilltop community of Regent were covered after part of Sugar Loaf mountain collapsed following heavy rain early on Monday. Many victims were asleep in bed when disaster struck.

Bereaved families have been gathering outside the mortuaries – some carrying pictures of their relatives – in the hope of identifying their lost loved ones.
Sorrie Koroma is searching for his missing 12-year-old daughter, along with his sister and her five children who were staying with them for the school holidays. “I need to see my daughter’s body just so my life can continue,” he told the BBC.
President Koroma, who has visited the stricken area, said “entire communities have been wiped out” and called on the international community to provide “urgent support”.
Sierra Leone began a week of mourning on Wednesday.

Image copyrightREUTERS

The EU has pledged 300,000 euros (£270,000), and Carlos Martin Ruiz De Gordejuela of the European Commission said the money would go to humanitarian organisations to ensure it reached those most in need.
The Red Cross has warned it is a race against time to find survivors. The search is taking place using diggers and makeshift tools.
Flooding is not unusual in Sierra Leone, where unsafe housing in makeshift settlements can be swept away by heavy rains.
The rains often hit areas in and around Freetown, an overcrowded coastal city of more than one million people.

The Red Cross has warned it is a race against time to find survivors.
Presidential spokesman Abdulai Baraytay told the BBC that bodies were still being pulled from the mud and rubble.
However, a planned a mass burial of victims on Wednesday to free up space in mortuaries has been delayed, the BBC has learned.

• A disaster waiting to happen?

The BBC’s Martin Patience, who is in Freetown, said workers there say they have been overwhelmed by the scale of this disaster. He described the rescue effort so far as “chaotic”.

Abu Bakarr Tarawallie, a Red Cross official, said rescuers were “racing against time, more flooding and the risk of disease to help these affected communities survive and cope with their loss”.
The British International Development Secretary Priti Patel said the UK already had “pre-positioned vital aid supplies” in Sierra Leone, while the United Nations said its local teams had mobilised and were supporting rescue efforts.
“Contingency plans are being put in place to mitigate any potential outbreak of waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid and diarrhoea,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

At the scene: Emotions reaching a crescendo

By Umaru Fofana, BBC reporter, Freetown
The scene at Connaught mortuary was gut-wrenching. Bodies were lying on the floor because the mortuary had run out of space. There were hundreds of them, and I lost count of the number.
Expect more raw emotions when families go to identify the corpses.

My own emotions have reached a crescendo and I am finding it hard to sleep.
While at the scene of the disaster, even though the sun shone brightly, I was drenched in tears to the point that I went to the washroom.
The emergency workers thought it was for reasons of hygiene, but it was to wash away my tears.
Officially, a rescue operation is under way, but it is more like a recovery operation. Only corpses are being retrieved, and ambulances are taking them to the over-crowded mortuary.

Meanwhile, the community is still coming to terms with the scale of the horror.
Ben Munson, who works for the charity Street Child in Freetown, said the stories he was hearing on the ground were “horrific”.
“One lady who our Street Child team was working with was inconsolable,” he told the BBC. “She had injuries on her arms and her face and she was eating the food that we were handing out, but wasn’t able to speak.
“My team later managed to sort of calm her down and she explained her story, and she was pulled out of the rubble after the disaster had happened and unfortunately she had lost all of her children and her husband.”
Homes in the hilltop community of Regent were engulfed after part of Sugar Loaf mountain collapsed following heavy rain early on Monday. Many victims were asleep in bed when disaster struck.

President Koroma fought back tears as he toured Regent on Tuesday and said the devastation was “overwhelming us”.
“Entire communities have been wiped out. We need urgent support now,” he said.
He urged people to stay away from the affected areas.
“This tragedy of great magnitude has once again challenged us to come together, to stand by each other and to help one another,” he said.
Flooding is not unusual in Sierra Leone, where unsafe housing in makeshift settlements can be swept away by heavy rains.
The rains often hit areas in and around Freetown, an overcrowded coastal city of more than one million people.

Sierra Leone’s Vice-President Victor Bockarie Foh said it was “likely that hundreds are lying dead”. The number of casualties is expected to rise.
Mr Foh told Reuters news agency that the disaster was “so serious that I myself feel broken”. He said that the area had to be cordoned off as people were evacuated, with many still feared trapped in their homes.
Locals were reportedly trying to recover bodies from the rubble and mud with their bare hands.
The worst-hit area is thought to be the Regent district on the outskirts of Freetown, where dozens of houses were submerged when the hillside collapsed at about 06:00 GMT.
A Red Cross spokesperson said that at least 205 bodies had been taken to the central morgue in Freetown, Reuters reports.
Another spokesman for the Red Cross, Abubakarr Tarawallie, told the BBC that the organisation’s volunteers and staff had been involved in search and rescue operations and that people affected were in immediate need of shelter and blankets.
He added that at least 100 properties had been submerged and that some had collapsed after a section of Sugar Loaf mountain came down before sunrise.
The AFP news agency later reported that the total death toll from flooding in and around the capital had risen to 312.
Hundreds of people are likely to be left homeless following the mudslide.
A Sierra Leonean disaster management official, Candy Rogers, said that “over 2,000 people are homeless” as a result of the mudslide in the Regent area, AFP reports.
Mr Rogers said that a huge humanitarian effort will be required to deal with the aftermath of the flooding.

At the scene: Search for loved ones

By Umaru Fofana, BBC Africa
People are wailing uncontrollably; one woman told me she had lost more than 11 members of her family in the disaster, while another man said he had lost his wife, mother-in-law and children.
Hundreds of people are still coming to the area to look for their loved ones. Some of them told me they have not been able to find them.
In fact, there is no sign of the dozens of homes that were built at the foot of Sugar Loaf mountain.
They are covered in mud, with large areas of mire in some parts. It looks strong, but it is flaky. The concern is that if people walk there they risk sinking in the mud.
Images posted on Twitter show people wading through streets, waist-deep in muddy water following the downpour in and around Freetown.
 

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Francis Reffell @francisreffell

Flooding in Freetown, Sierra Leone

12:50 PM – Aug 14, 2017

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Jamie Hitchen @jchitchen

“Increasingly frequent deluges disproportionately affect those living in informal settlements” #Freetown #floodshttps://bit.ly/FreetownFloods 

10:30 AM – Aug 14, 2017

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Flooding is not unusual in Sierra Leone, where unsafe housing in makeshift settlements can be swept away by heavy rains.
The rains often hit areas in and around Freetown, an overcrowded coastal city of more than one million people.
In 2015, Freetown endured deadly floods sparked by monsoon rains that killed 10 people and left thousands more homeless.

The discovery was made by Pastor Emmanuel Momoh in an artisanal mine in the village of Koyadu in eastern Kono district, a government statement said on Thursday.

“A 706-carat diamond was presented to President Dr Ernest Bai Koroma yesterday evening,” the statement said.

“Receiving the diamond President Koroma thanked the chief and his people for not smuggling the diamond out of the country,” it added, referring to the Tankoro chiefdom where Momoh uncovered the gem.

The diamond will be sold in Sierra Leone with a “transparent” bidding process to the benefit of the community and country, the statement said.

“I have to help the government and my people, so all of us can benefit,” presidential spokesman Abdulai Bayraytay quoted the pastor as saying.

Sierra Leone’s government has attempted to crack down on cross-border diamond trafficking to persuade foreign investors that “blood diamonds” that fuelled its civil war are a thing of the past.

‘Exceptional discovery’

Diamond expert Paul Zimnisky told the AFP news agency that once the gem’s quality was assessed it could rank “between the 10th and 15th largest gem-diamonds ever recovered”.

The US-based analyst said such a find by a so-called artisanal miner, the term for workers who use basic tools or their bare hands to sift the earth, was highly unusual.

“Most recent exceptional diamond discoveries have been made by large commercial miners that mine very large volumes of kimberlite ore and process it with advanced equipment,” Zimnisky said.

Even though diamonds can be found in about a quarter of Sierra Leone, the country of about six million people is one of the world’s five poorest nations, according to the United Nations.

source: aljazeera.com