On October 28, 2024, Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Mimi Yeama-Soba Stephens, opened discussions for Sierra Leone’s first Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) in alignment with the UNFCCC standards. In her keynote, Deputy Minister Stephens highlighted the importance of the BTR in upholding Sierra Leone’s commitments under the Paris Agreement, emphasizing the role of…
More than 600 million women and girls are now affected by armed conflict, a 50% increase from a decade ago, with concerns that their plight is being overlooked amid a growing backlash against women’s rights, according to top U.N. officials. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted in a recent report that record levels of violence are…
At the historic Samoa summit, Commonwealth nations signed the Apia Ocean Declaration—their first commitment to protect oceans—calling on all 56 member states to address climate change, pollution, and overfishing. This pact aims to protect 30% of oceans and restore marine ecosystems by 2030, focusing on completing the Global Plastics Treaty and ratifying the high-seas biodiversity…
Senegal’s $1.8 billion IMF aid program, secured in 2023, is now frozen and requires restructuring after an audit revealed higher debt and budget deficits than reported. Finance Minister Cheikh Diba announced at the annual IMF meetings in Washington that discussions with the Fund are underway, aiming for a revised agreement by early 2025. The audit,…
On October 23, 2024, the Sierra Leone Embassy staff, Sierra Leonean community, and Students Union in Morocco gathered in Rabat to bid farewell to Ambassador Atumanni Dainkeh, marking the end of his mission in Morocco. At a luncheon hosted at the Embassy, Ambassador Dainkeh reflected on his tenure, expressing gratitude to President Julius Maada Bio…
Sierra Leone has taken a significant step on the global financial stage, earning an alternate position on the Development Committee of the World Bank Africa Group One Constituency at a recent statutory meeting in Washington D.C. The gathering brought together finance leaders across Africa to discuss pressing economic policies. Representing Sierra Leone, Minister of Finance…
In a bid to tackle youth unemployment, PRT Logistics and Agro Sierra Leone have signed an agreement with the Ministry of Youth Affairs, introducing the “Youth in Commercial Transportation (Kekeh) Loan Project.” This initiative offers accessible loans for young people to purchase Kekehs (three-wheelers) and engage in the transportation sector. The project aims to empower…
Brima Baluwa Koroma, Executive Chairman of the Petroleum Regulatory Agency (PRA) and National Committee Chair of Sierra Leone, recently called for urgent global energy transformation at the World Petroleum Council (WPC) Executive Committee meeting in Washington, DC. Addressing council members, Mr. Koroma emphasized the need for collaboration, innovation, and strategic foresight to address challenges in…
In response to pressing climate change challenges, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) launched the Environmental Democracy Project in Freetown on October 24, 2024. Held in Parliament’s Committee Room No. 1, the event also included a Developmental Democracy Programme and Stakeholders Mapping Exercise. Rev. Alusine Diamond Suma, WFD’s Country Director, stressed Sierra Leone’s urgent need…
At the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington on October 23, 2024, Sierra Leone’s Finance Minister, Sheku A.F. Bangura, sought UK backing for economic initiatives aimed at strengthening fiscal stability. He emphasized Sierra Leone’s commitment to structural reforms, reserve building, and fiscal accountability, while UK representative Nick Dyer voiced the UK’s support and raised concerns…