Sierra Leone Telegraph: 01 July 2026: As Nigeria’s energy sector enters a new phase defined by indigenous leadership, local operators are increasingly taking control of mature assets, accelerating marginal field development, and deploying capital into infrastructure that supports long-term production growth. From offshore developments and gas monetization to asset acquisitions and field optimization, this transformation will take centre stage at African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, where some of Nigeria’s most influential energy executives are confirmed participants. At the forefront of this shift is Seplat Energy, Nigeria’s largest independent producer, which continues to expand its upstream and gas portfolio following its landmark acquisition of ExxonMobil’s Nigerian subsidiary. The company’s 2030 strategy targets 200,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day and more than 1 billion standard cubic feet per day of domestic gas production, supported by key developments including the ANOH gas processing plant, which achieved first gas in January 2026. Incoming...

Saidu Bangura: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 2 July 2026 I’m very disappointed in Senegal. I thought they and Morocco were Africa’s two best teams. But you can’t be a serious team when you squander a two-goal lead with only four minutes of normal time left in a major tournament like the World Cup. Senegal were painfully kicked out of the World Cup last night by Belgium 3-2, despite leading 2-0 until the 86th minute. The old ghost of sloppy concentration and failure to see out games when African teams are enjoying a clear lead came back to haunt the star-studded Senegalese team. And now they’re going home, despite their brilliance on the field. I’ve watched the evolution of African teams in the World Cup since 1970 when Morocco became the second African team to participate in the tournament following a 36-year wait after Egypt’s participation in 1934. But the early tournaments...

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 01 July 2026: Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Monday, convened the HerAfCFTA Regional Conference alongside the 2026 African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Council of Ministers Meeting. The HerAfCFTA brought together African leaders, Ministers of Trade, policymakers, women entrepreneurs, private sector leaders, financial institutions, development partners, and regional organizations to advance women’s economic leadership and unlock the full potential of Africa’s single market. Held as Africa marks five years since the launch of AfCFTA, the Conference comes at a critical moment in the continent’s economic integration journey. With a market of more than 1.4 billion people and a combined GDP exceeding US$3 trillion, AfCFTA presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deepen intra-African trade, strengthen regional value chains, accelerate industrialization, and drive inclusive economic growth. The next phase of implementation requires moving beyond policy commitments towards practical solutions that...

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 01 July 2026: The 2026 RegTech Africa Conference and Expo (RACE 2026) concluded on a landmark high, bringing to a close a three-day gathering of regulators, investors, technology innovators, policymakers, financial institutions, and startup founders from across the continent. Held at the prestigious State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja, the conference reaffirmed its standing as Africa’s premier platform for advancing regulatory technology, digital financial services, and ecosystem-wide innovation — and this year’s edition may have been its most significant yet. RACE 2026 convened a rich cross-section of Africa’s financial and technology leadership for panel discussions, workshops, and policy roundtables designed to address the continent’s most urgent regulatory and digital transformation challenges. From central bank representatives and compliance professionals to venture capital investors and growth-stage founders, the conference created a uniquely convergent space — one where regulation, innovation, and capital could meet in productive conversation. Among the...

Yusuf Bangura: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 01 July 2026: Thabo Mbeki’s Africa Day Lecture on May 26, 2026 at the Thabo Mbeki Foundation in Johannesburg is a major pushback against the current xenophobia by Black South Africans against African immigrants—a phenomenon that has generated the term Afrophobia. It systematically throws the spotlight on the heroic contributions of Africans to the anti-apartheid struggles, urging his compatriots to reckon with this history and change course. In this lecture, Mbeki recollects his vast experiences in various African countries when the ties between the ANC and Africa were unbreakable. For decades, the continent viewed its own independence as incomplete as long as minority white rule persisted in South Africa. He points out that in the first two decades of South Africa’s liberation, the vision of the ANC government was to embed South Africa’s development within a Pan-African integration framework that would see South Africa and...

Abdulai Mansaray: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 21 June 2026: “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig from pig to man again, but already it was impossible to say which was which”. This excerpt from George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” was published on 17 August 1945. One month after its publication, the Second World War officially concluded globally on September 2, 1945. The novel is a satirical and allegorical fable about farm animals who rebel against their human master to create an equal, free society. The rebellion was unfortunately hijacked by pigs who established a dictatorship. With the pigs in charge, all the initial noble and lofty ideals that formed the bedrock and manifesto-like foundation of the rebellion were corrupted into tyranny. Sounds familiar? George Orwell painted a literary portrait of the Russian Revolution, the inherent Corruption of power and the betrayal of ideals and agenda. He...

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 21 June 2026: The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) is pleased to announce the entry of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) into its shareholding, marking a major milestone in the Bank’s history and a significant step in the implementation of its transformation agenda. Following approval by its Board of Directors on 17 June 2026 in Abidjan, the AfDB has committed a USD 30 million equity investment in EBID, becoming the first international development finance institution to join the Bank’s shareholder base. The investment is complemented by a USD 70 million long-term line of credit to finance high-impact projects, particularly in the renewable energy sector across West Africa. The entry of the AfDB represents a historic evolution in EBID’s ownership structure, previously composed exclusively of Member States. It reflects the Bank’s commitment to opening its capital to strategic partners in order to strengthen its financial...

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 27 June 2026: Experts and industry stakeholders, including policy analysts, believe that rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) will significantly improve service delivery for the telecoms operators in West Africa, just as it is already doing in the developed economy. They all spoke at the fourth edition of the West Africa Telecoms Infrastructure Summit and Exhibition (WATISE 4.0 and Awards) with the theme ‘The Resilient AI Fabric: Trust, Integrity, and Sustainability in Next Generation Network Infrastructure’ and organised by the award-winning telecoms, technology and business news website, TechnologyMirror. Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, who delivered the Keynote address and Lead Presentation under theme of the WATISE 4.0 edition disclosed that the rapid adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will significantly increase demand for data and connectivity, making resilient telecommunications infrastructure, cybersecurity, and public trust indispensable to Nigeria’s digital future....

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 27 June 2026: Shifra Ainomugisha from Uganda has been announced as the 2026 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year at the 2026 Commonwealth Youth Awards ceremony in London on 25 June. Government representatives, high commissioners, youth leaders, and other stakeholders attended the award ceremony to celebrate young people’s contributions to sustainable development goals in communities across the Commonwealth. Shifra, founder and CEO of Solafam Uganda Limited, an agri-tech social enterprise, was recognised for her climate-smart, AI-driven projects that deliver solar-powered cold storage and irrigation, improving farm productivity and reducing food loss and hunger in communities across Uganda. Her work is inspired by growing up in a tomato-farming family in Uganda, where she witnessed poor harvests and crops perishing because of inadequate storage and limited market access. Her experience of living in a patriarchal environment, where hard work is often perceived to be associated more with men than...

John Baimba Sesay: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 27 June 2026: This week, Freetown Mayor and C40 Cities Global Co-Chair, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE, championed the vital role of cities in delivering climate solutions at the London Climate Action Week 2026. Key engagements included a closed-door roundtable with the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on accelerating local climate action, a keynote at the Mayoral Dialogue on urban resilience, and keynote remarks at the ODI Global and LAGO Collective convening on women-led green innovation. Mayor Aki-Sawyerr also attended an invitation-only reception at St James’s Palace, where she engaged with King Charles III, highlighting C40 Cities’ work on climate action and clean air (Photo below). She further supported youth climate advocacy, held strategic bilateral meetings, including with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, and shared insights on the BBC Climate Question podcast, slated to air this weekend. Mayor Aki-Sawyerr met with the Executive Director of Breathe...