Sierra Leone Telegraph: 12 October 2026: Cameroon’s Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development – Professor FUH CALISTUS Gentry, met last Friday with Mrs Maria van der Hoeven, Chair of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Board, to advocate for the lifting of Cameroon’s suspension. Held on the sidelines of the 10th EITI Global Conference, the meeting provided an opportunity to present Cameroon’s commitments to transparency and good governance in the extractive sector. Discussions focused on implementing corrective measures under EITI Requirement 1.3, particularly ensuring the free and effective participation of civil society in the EITI process. The Minister also outlined plans to strengthen the EITI National Secretariat through the appointment of a Deputy National Coordinator and technical staff. He further highlighted Cameroon’s commitment to working with the National Hydrocarbons Corporation (SNH) to establish a timetable for publishing petroleum contracts, financial statements and sectoral data. Cameroon also expressed its intention...

John Sesay: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 13 October 2026: Sierra Leone has begun the final 50-day countdown to its 2026 Population and Housing Census, with government officials and development partners calling for nationwide participation in the country’s first fully digital enumeration exercise. The countdown was launched at the Miatta Civic Centre in Freetown, bringing together Statistics Sierra Leone, the Ministry of Information and Civic Education, development partners, political representatives and the media to assess preparations ahead of Census Night on 1 December. Nationwide enumeration will begin on 2 December. The census is expected to provide critical demographic data to guide national planning, resource allocation and public investment in education, healthcare, housing, infrastructure and social protection. Speaking at the event, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Deputy Representative Sibeso Mululuma underscored the importance of reliable population data in shaping policies that respond to the needs of all communities, particularly the most vulnerable. “High-quality...

Sierra Leone Telegraph: On September 8, 2026, Aurion Capital Holdings, an American investment holding group with offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gabonese Republic and the Société d’Énergie et d’Eau du Gabon (SEEG), Gabon’s national water and electricity utility, for the development of Panthera Power, a natural gas-fired power generation program in Greater Libreville. The program is part of Aurion Capital’s industrial and energy infrastructure arm, which operates out of the United Arab Emirates, with planned expansions in Qatar and in West Virginia, where the group supports large-scale technology and industrial investments. The MoU was signed by Mr. Philippe Tonangoye, Minister of Universal Access to Water and Energy, on behalf of the Gabonese Republic; by Mr. Steeve Saurel Legnongo, Managing Director, on behalf of SEEG; and by Mr. Ali Diallo, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, on behalf of Aurion Capital Holdings. The program...

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 13 October 2026: The Principal Secretary for ICT and the Digital Economy, Eng. John Kipchumba Tanui, CBS, has called for stronger partnerships between industry and academia to equip Kenya’s youth with practical, market-relevant skills that respond to the demands of a rapidly evolving economy. Eng. Tanui made the call while delivering the keynote address at the Rift Valley Technical Training Institute (RVTTI) Partners’ Breakfast Meeting, held under the theme “Sustainable Futures.” The meeting was hosted by Eng. Prof. David K. Some, Chair of the RVTTI Board of Management, and Mrs. Loice Kutoh, Chief Principal and Secretary to the Board of Management. The Principal Secretary underscored the importance of aligning technical and vocational education and training (TVET) with industry needs, noting that closer collaboration between training institutions and employers is essential to preparing graduates for meaningful employment and emerging economic opportunities. He highlighted the role of digital technologies...

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 13 October 2026: The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, in collaboration with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), yesterday, 12 October 2026, commenced a workshop in Accra, Ghana to advance the implementation of the ECOWAS Inter-Institutional Communication Strategy and the ECOWAS Institutions Information and Communication Policy for 2026–2031. The workshop brings together communication officers from ECOWAS institutions and specialised agencies to strengthen coordination, align institutional messaging, share communication priorities and translate the objectives of the newly adopted policy and strategy into concrete, coordinated actions in support of regional integration and the ECOWAS Vision 2050. In his opening remarks, Mr Joel AHOFODJI, Director of Communication at the ECOWAS Commission, underscored the strategic importance of communication in advancing regional integration and bringing the Community closer to its citizens. He noted that the workshop marks a critical step towards moving from the adoption of the policy...

Saidu Bangura: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 13 October 2026: On 11th October 2026, I walked into the Pademba Road prison with a broken spirit. My boss Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara, Sierra Leone’s former attorney-general & minister of justice, had spent his fourth night behind bars, and despite my repeated visits, the reality of his continued detention had become increasingly difficult to comprehend. Perhaps, deep down, I had refused to accept that a man of his distinguished legal career, extraordinary public service, and remarkable national contributions could find himself incarcerated in the very country to whose constitutional order he has devoted so much of his life. Here is a man who has occupied some of the highest offices in our legal and public institutions: former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, former Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission, former President of the Sierra Leone Bar Association, and a distinguished former public servant. Yet, at...

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 13 October 2026: Proceedings have resumed this morning at Sierra Leone’s Supreme Court in Freetown, where laywers for the government and the opposition All Peoples’ Congress Party (APC), respectively, are making arguments about the recent decision of the country’s Speaker of parliament to declare that a vote of two-thirds of all elected members of parlaiment is not necessary to amend the Constitituion of Siera Leone. According to reports from Freetown, the former Attorney General – Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara, who is acting as senior counsel for the opposition APC, has this morning been released from jail, after he was arrested in court last week on the orders of Chief Justice Komba Kamanda. Chief Justice Komba Kamanda ordered the arrest and detention of the former Attorney General – Joseph Firzgerald Kamara after a heated argument between the two on legal procedural matters, which led to the Chief Justice losing...

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 12 October 2026: The Chief of Staff, ECOWAS Standby Force (COS ESF), Brigadier General Sheikh Massaquoi and the Commander, ECOWAS Logistics Depot (ELD), Lungi (Photo above), Navy Captain Idenyi Jude Akpa, accompanied by staff officers of the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) and the Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD) of the ECOWAS Commission, on Wednesday, 30th of September 2026, paid a courtesy call on the Nigerian Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, at the Nigerian Army Headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria. The visit formed part of ongoing engagements aimed at strengthening cooperation between the Military Component of the ECOWAS Commission and the Nigerian Army, particularly in the areas of regional security, defence cooperation, operational readiness, interoperability, training and logistics support. During the engagement, Brigadier General Massaquoi conveyed the greetings of the President of the ECOWAS Commission and the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (CPAP)...

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 12 October 2026: The unfortunate events of 7 and 8 October 2026, involving the Chief Justice of Sierra Leone, Justice Komba Kamanda, and former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara (JFK), during the Supreme Court proceedings concerning the Constitutional Amendment Bill, raise fundamental questions about judicial authority, contempt of court, constitutional rights and due process. The issue is not whether the Supreme Court possesses the power to punish contempt. Undoubtedly, it does. The real question is whether that power was exercised in accordance with the law and the Constitution of Sierra Leone. WHAT IS CONTEMPT OF COURT? Contempt of court is conduct that unlawfully obstructs, interferes with or undermines the administration of justice, including deliberate disobedience of lawful court orders. There are two principal forms. Civil contempt Generally, concerns disobedience of a court order, particularly where compliance is being sought. Criminal contempt Concerns conduct that...

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 12 October 2026: As we celebrate Black History Month here in the UK, today we honour a remarkable Sierra Leonean, living and working in London. She is  Adama Nyama Bah. By any measure, Adama Nyama Bah has lived a remarkable life. Born in Kabala, the headquarters of Koinadugu District in northern Sierra Leone, she grew up in a large family rooted in faith, community values, and service. Like many Sierra Leoneans of her generation, she had a childhood shaped by the challenges of civil conflict and limited access to healthcare. Yet those experiences would later inspire a lifelong commitment to supporting women and girls whose voices are often overlooked. Today, Adama lives in London, where she works as a healthcare professional and serves as the founder of the Women’s Health Advocacy Network (WHAN), a charity dedicated to improving health outcomes, promoting dignity, and expanding opportunities for women...