Archive for November 2010
Youth unemployment and its consequences
In Sierra Leone, the issue of youth employment had long been a major problem affecting the socio-economic and political development of the country, and it is an issue of general debate amongst Civil Societies, Local and International Non Governmental Organizations and the Government of Sierra Leone. The rate of youth unemployment in Sierra Leone, according to some school of thoughts is about 60% country wide. This problem has been and still creating serious threat to the hard won peace we have all paid for.
Firstly, one of the problems of youth employment is the issue of putting proper structure in place, such as Institution firms, factories, companies to name but few, which if put in place would minimize the rate of crime among the youth population in Sierra Leone.
If one can look at the present educational system in Sierra Leone, which is the 6334 meaning six years in Primary School, three years Junior Secondary School, three years in Senior Secondary School and four years in University was implemented by the past Government as a way of creating a particular system of education that would cater for all youths category. But if we can closely look at the said system, it lacks all the structures through which youths would have used to go through proper training that would enable them to gain employment. The system was called for the establishment and implementation of technical vocational in the various school system to be able to train other youths that lack the ability to go through the former educational system thus it lacks the structure of youths employment. The said system has left many youths in the street passing without any job. Most of these youths are engaged in picking things from the garbage, criminal activities and the use of drugs.
Another major issue of youths unemployment is qualification set up by companies, such as previous working experience as a criteria set by employers, such as what they called five or more years working experience. To be realistic, how someone can gain five or more years working experience without allowing the person to work. If premium is placed on past experience to gain job, young graduate from Universities, Poly-techniques, Colleges and even Institutes would not apply for such jobs, which as a result would create room for these youths to end up in circle of violence, crime and drugs abuse and excess that will pose threat to the socio-economic and political development of Sierra Leone.
Again, there is another strong stumble block to the youth employment in Sierra Leone, which is what we called ‘’SABABU’’. This is a common social term used among all Sierra Leoneans in search of employment and other assistance that may arise on daily basis, which means ‘’INFLUENCE’’. Most times even if somebody is qualify for a particular job pr position, but that person has no SABABU would not be awarded with the job or position. This issue of SABABU had played and still playing a hold back to the youth’s employment scheme, and many young energetic youths out there are unemployed.
The consequences surrounding this whole issue of youths employment has caused a great harm on the future of the country if not address. Presently, there are youths who are qualified, but do not have the stipulated years of working experience are out of jobs can be mostly found in odd places engage in taking harmful drugs and alcohol abuse. Also, many of these unemployed youths are can be found in the ghettos wasting their time and potentials.
Sierra Leone Ghetto Perspectives (2)
“In the course of the youths the struggle continues”.
Sierra Leone Ghetto Perspectives – 2nd Series
All over the world, youths are said to be the center of attention of development strives; in terms of policy declarations made by all Government officials, the International Committee, Non Governmental Organizations and Civil Society Organizations.
In Sierra Leone the story is just the same, the Government and many other institutions have been and are still fighting tooth and nail to create mainstream environment within the society for the most destitute group of the nation’s 40% population composition (the youth population).
Like any other post conflict nation, Sierra Leone has numerous youth’s problems; ranging from poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, lack of housing facilities etc. But how much effort is been put into solving the numerous youth problems in Sierra Leone is a topic that requires some serious discussions, which this medium is highly interested in searching for information in the form of survey or research.
From the look of things, there is still much to be done in order to create mainstream environment for the promising youths of the lion mountain (Sierra Leone), but who should take the greatest blame for the present unpardonable conditions surrounding the youth’s population in Sierra Leone?
As our reporter came in contact with some of the youths in the city’s ghettos, he realized that majority of the youths still blame the government for their mishaps. “We were used to fight during the past eleven years civil war, we helped to change the government but today no one cares for us”, A youth commented. “In fact we were cheated from getting the disarmament and demobilization benefits” another comment by another youth who lamented to underline his friend’s claim.
As our reporter continued to probe, some elderly citizens blamed the attitudes of the youths as a storming block to their development while others talk of lack of sustainable youth development programs.
Another Hollywood movie at the Sierra Leone Central Bank
What seems to be a Hollywood movie is the recent escape of a deputy manager in charge of the cleaning section of Sierra Leone Central Bank or Bank of Sierra Leone in Freetown? Although official statement has not been made about the issue or information about the matter could not be accessed, but this medium has been informed by some of the Bank’s workers, who explained their part of the story to our reporter in Freetown. According to one of the junior staffs, it all started one early hours of one of the working days in November, 2010; when one of their colleagues who was busy with work and could not have chance to deposit his hard earn money into his personal account asked their boss; the said – Deputy manager, to assist him deposit the money in to his account.
As the story continues, the said source revels that the deputy manager accepted the money from his subordinate with DI – (Different Intention) to dupe the Bank by interchanging the real money in to demonetized notes (money that has been condemned by the central bank ready for destruction).
Never did it occurred to Mr. Manager that he could be noticed, he slip in to one of the stores where a huge sum of demonetized notes have been kept and the manager selfishly exchanged Le, 80.000 worth of the good notes in replacement with the demonetized notes with the intension of stealing the bank and even the state, because the said money has been condemned by the Government from circulating.
The real drama unfolded when the deputy manager of the cleaning section took the mixed up notes to the cashier’s desk to be deposited in to the account of his colleague, from there, cashier straight way noticed that some of the notes deposited had the mark of the demonetized note in the store. The cashier then pin the deposit slips to the deposited money and forwarded it to the Bank Governor’s Office for the matter to be further investigated.
Few days later, the Bank Governor and his deputy then called on the crook Deputy Manager of the cleaning section to his office, in the presence of other senior staffs of the bank; to personally investigate the issue.
To the dismay of the Bank Governor and his deputy, the deputy manager of the cleaning section requested to use the rest room before he could explain anything. Due to the gravity of the issue the Bank Governor even went further to asked the accused cleaner to use his official rest room attached to his office but the other senior officer refused and suggested that the accused should go down stairs with one of the securities attached to the bank. As the accused cleaner and the security officer went down stairs; no one knows how the accused man escaped from the security man.
Sources closed to the accused cleaner disclosed to this press that the man directly went to his home and sold some of his household properties and left for an undisclosed destination. Presently, the security guard from whom the cleaner (accused) escaped has been suspended from his job until he presents the accused cleaner.
The drama is still unfolding, stay in contact with this medium for detail report about the issue.
Sierra Leone Airport Security Nabs Gold Smuggler
A joint security unit at Lungi International Airport on Thursday arrested Ibrahim Mustapha Tarawalie of Old Railway Line, Kenema with 380g of gold and US$ 42,000 in cash while reroute to Dubai.
According to sources from the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Resources, the alleged gold and diamond exporter only declared 714.38g of gold he was planning to export and paid the 3% export fees of about Le 3, 631,492 to the Government Gold and Diamond Office in Freetown.
The sources said that it was during the search at the airport by security officials that the extra gold was discovered along with two Sierra Leoneans passports with serial numbers, 0120096 and 0270589, bearing the name of the suspect.
‘’US$ 42,000 and Le 960,000 were also discovered in the luggage, after failing to declare them,’’ disclosed the sources. According to the Mines and Minerals Act 2009, any person caught trying to smuggle minerals out of the country will forfeit everything to the state, and 40% of the money derived from the sale of the minerals will go to the units that made the arrest and 60% to the Consolidated Fund. ‘’ The amount that goes to the units that make the arrest serves as an incentive and motivation to officials in the units,’’ the sources said, adding that the incentive serves as an encouragement to officials to do further arrests.
However, concerns has been raised by officials at the units as to why the units have not been benefiting when such arrests are made in the past, saying they had been deprived of their rights.
They called on the Government to allocate to them the amount the act specifies so that they will be robust in tackling future illegal activities at the only international airport we have as a main gate way in to the country.
The issue of smuggling is not a new phenomenon in Sierra Leone, if I can recall in all of my travelling instances out of Sierra Leone, I used to come across series of cases of smuggling. In 2009, similar case of smuggling came up at the Cambia Border Crossing to Guinea, where a Sierra Leonean woman was caught with more than 40,000 Euros and large quantity of gold deposit in her possession. When I came to Freetown, I tried to follow up the case from one of my colleague who was stationed at the Border on a student holiday job, told me that the matter had been resolved, and they have allowed the woman to cross to go to Guinea. Again I have travelled with Air Maroc to Casablanca on several occasions with a lot of business people from Sierra Leone including Lebanese business people, where handshakes in different ways will give red carpet to the business people without going through rigorous check as compare to non business passengers. The handshake used to always give me bad feeling about myself for why my own hand is not being shaken by any of the security officers, but I can now understand why not my hand, but business hand.
Lansana Juana
Taking 2010 Budget to the people
Sierra Leone 2010 national budget is much more important than anything else, even more the Presidential address to Parliament.
The budget is more important, because it is the instrument that determines how the country will be run for the next fiscal year. However, it is also important to note that instead of just airing it live in the electronic media, the people should have a chance of actual reading of the budget, and seeing what it entails, especially with regards to the figures if one consider the illiteracy rate in the country, because of the above issue it is not very easy to recall all the figures being rolled out by the Finance Minister.
However, just like in many other cases in Sierra Leone, people don’t treat serious things, issues with seriousness they deserve in all aspects of life on daily basis, but are highly interested in this budget issue., because that is the only way they can be able to
It is even worse when the Press Gallery, which is supposed to inform people of the activities of their representatives in Parliament, are left wondering as to how they can lay hands on a document as important as the budget speech, which is also known as the Appropriation Bill 2010.
In times past, and in other part of the world, the budget is distributed to the Press and even if they do not want any premature publication, they ensure that it is embargoed till after the speech is delivered by the Minister of Finance. Not also stop there, the Finance Minister should ensure that he briefs the Press immediately after his speech in Parliament to simplify the document in a way that it will be easily understood by the lay man who is also supposed to know the day to day activities of the Government, to explain to journalists about all what is contained in the budget and why, so that the journalists in return will sensitize the citizen of the operation of the Government about what the future holds for them.
Christmus (Religious tolerance in Sierra Leone)
“Religion is not a tool for conflict in Sierra Leone,” Said a student who is studying Conflict Analysis at the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone.
According to the student, the people of Sierra Leone are very much religiously tolerant if compare to other part of the world, for example Nigeria where religious violence is common. In Sierra Leone, religion is being treated as an institution where people can make friends and other social connectivity. That is, there are series of several inter- marriages between people of diverse family religious background. Where in, you can see Muslim married to Christian and both of them keep their religion. Children from Muslim background can attend Christian school without any problem. In terms of funeral, it is common to see Christian sympathizing with Muslim. Interestingly, religious holidays are observed with Horner; by all and sundry without any conflict on the basis of religious belief.
The country is comprises of Chritmus, this is a term that can best describe the way Sierra Leonean are religiously tolerance with each other. The term Christmus is where Muslims can easily accept people from other religious back grounds, such as Christian and more. There is an organization called inter religious council, that is comprises of both Muslims and Christian, where they can meet and discuss ways as to how to continue with the good relationship amongst different religions especially Christian.
Even the African Traditional Religions share the blessing of religious tolerance of Sierra Leoneans. This is manifested by the numerous public traditional rituals that go uninterrupted. In Sierra Leone, nobody seems to care about religious deference; but as the saying goes “there is hardly a white space without a highlighted spot”.
“Off course, with all the hand lifted flag been fled; displaying religious tolerance in mother Sierra Leone there is still room for improvement” .says a woman whose daughter was turned down by her fiancé, on the eve of their marriage.
According to the view of most people contacted on this subject before going to press, there has been one or two incidence of religious misunderstandings but this has never claim live as it is in the case of our friends in Nigeria.
SLTU educates teachers on access to bank loans
According to the teacher representative at the Dr. S .M. Boardrick Municipal
Primary School in Freetown, Mr. Mohamed K. Senesie, the Sierra Leone Teacher Union (SLTU) solitary a moment ago summoned a meet for teacher’s representatives from various schools in Freetown, the capital city of Sierra Leone to make things clear to them concerning the availability of bank loans for teachers.
According Mr. Senesie, “teachers are to organize themselves in to cooperative groups in order to access loans from the numerous commercial banks in the city”.
Mr. Senesie further explained how his colleagues could not understand his explanation about the criterion for the so called bank loans for teachers; in a staff meeting that suffices the Sierra Leone Teachers Union (SLTU) meeting on Monday 22nd November, 2010 in Freetown.
“But whether they understand or not the fact remains here is that teachers now have access to bank loans, but with strict conditions”; Mr.Senesie continued.
In response to questions from our correspondent, Mr. Senesie said he will pass the concern of his fellow teachers to the national body of SLTU in any subsequent meeting.
A part from the loan issue ,that supersedes the said SLTU meeting other items were discussed ;including the inter-schools sports activities .On the issue of sports the national body raised high concern over the increase in violence amongst school pupils during inter secondary school sports occasions organized by the Ministry Education and Sport every year.
On the issue of violence in sport, the SLTU member representatives agreed on setting up a working committee that will police the inter secondary school sport activities in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Police, the Metropolitan Police or any Local or International Organization that to help prevent further occurrence of violence during sport.
By the look of the situation, there has been a repeat of violence in inter secondary school sports activities in Freetown and other parts of the country. According to one elderly man who stays by the National Stadium, most of the violence is caused during competitions mostly by school pupils that are now out of school, but are youths that are roaming about the street of the capital city, Freetown. The old man further said that such increases in violence are as a result of the past civil war that menaced the country the country for eleven years.
In further discussions, citizens raised great concern over the malicious thieving and damage that is been caused to ordinary community members around the sports venues in the city. According to news report from a local radio station, the Sierra Leone Police force has been very instrumental in making sure that perpetrators are always arrested ;which has somehow tend to reduce the incidence of violence crime during inter secondary school sports activities in the capital city.
The Ghetto Perspective
SIERRA LEONE—- The Getho Perspectives
“Time is red ripped for the traditional home coming of our JCs, most people come to Sierra Leone from the Diaspora for them to meet with relatives and friends in mother land - Sierra Leone. Their visit is marked by lots of movement and mix –jamming with people within or outside the city”.’ Man Go Bette back’. The latter is the respond from a ghetto boy to a discussion between two gentle men who went past an area ghetto. The logic is simple; for reason been that the marginalized, unemployed and destitute youths of this country have no alternative but to play the pussy-cat trick for survival.
That is just one corner talk about JCs but probe more and you can understand why most of our brothers and Sister in the Diaspora come for a home visit only once in their stay abroad. Once a woman wept as she explained about the ordeals of her only son; whiles he was at their village for a visit from the USA. As the poor woman wept, She talked of how her elder brother confessed of having be witched her son at the time the young man came for Xmas holiday, I ran a cold blood along my spine.
My gentle readers, don’t mind about all been said above, the reality lies within the analysis of a normal ghetto discussion among destitute youths who have the ghetto as their school for learning about “prajets”.
Follow me to see if we can have a talk with them; about education. The first young man of about 30 yrs. Said he is highly educated but he only needs to sit in any office and meditate under the air condition with computers that play music and games. You might think the guy is unreasonably an idiot, don’t even imagine that because the young and the rest of his kinds have the right to conscience and they are simply living in their own world.
Take a walk with me for a night club jam-hunt and see how the so called youths “the eat money “ leke say them getan na bank “.Don’t ask me where they get the money they lavish in the night clubs .Off course they really have alternative sources .Even when I took my time to listen to them they were madly drunk but dressed in very costly outfit —Home Goods. I will explain more my experience after I meet with them again when they become sober.
“IT TAKES TWO TO CHANGE THEIR MIND ———–“
Coopi intensifies support to Food Security in Sierra Leone
Coopi intensifies support to Food Security in Sierra Leone
An Italian International Organization –Cooperation Internazionel (Coopi) has intensified it support to the tieless effort of the government in ensuring food security for the people of Sierra Leone; by distributing agricultural tools and organic fertilizer to subsistence farmers in the Urban West of Freetown.
In addressing the beneficiaries, Mr. Abdul. A.B.Senesie; the Coordinator for the Subsistence Farmers program at Coopi Organization explained the back ground of the project “This project in funded by the European Commission and implemented by Coopi in collaboration with the National Association of Farmers in Sierra Leone (NAFSL)”.
Mr. Senesie lamented on the various supports his organization is presently given to farmers in Sierra Leone; especially the West –Urban Subsistence Farmers in Freetown. Mr. Senesie also said that the objective of the day’s activity is to support Subsistence farmers with tools and organic fertilizer that will help the beneficiaries to engage in diversified food production by practicing the new agricultural techniques learnt during workshop sessions that preceded the distribution exercise.
Despite all the previous support from Coopi, the coordinator from Coopi explained that the present exercise is aimed at empowering the various subsistence farmer groups in the Urban West of Freetown with tool and fertilizer.
Mr. Bob Mangu who is the Admin Secretary for the National Association of Farmers in Sierra Leone (NAFSL) was one the observers at the distribution exercise; which took place at the Horticulture Division of the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Food Security, at New England in Freetown.
In an exclusive interview with one of the beneficiary group leaders, Madam Nana Samura; who gave the vote of thanks; She appreciated the move made by Coopi to complement government effort in ensuring Food Self Sufficiency for farmers in Sierra Leone .According to Madam Nana Samura, the supply of tool and fertilizer had been a long gone story and she said that it has been over a period of two years without receiving such support from any government institution or Non –Governmental Organization; so she said they are very pleased to receive the tools and fertilizer. She also expressed that a heartfelt thanks to Coopi and the Government; on behave of all the other beneficiaries.
Madam Nana Samura went on to explain that most of group members are widows and their only means of survival is their back yard vegetable garden. She lamented that most of their children are out of school because they cannot pay school fees out of the subsistence vegetable gardening and she asked that Coopi and the government help them with scholarships for their ; in order to take them out of the circle of poverty . Madam Nana Samura ,who is the chairlady for the New England Vegetable Growers Association and a member of the Urban District Farmer’s Associative Executive, said that one of the major problem facing her group members (especially those who have their vegetable garden down below the Coco-cola Company is the contaminated waste that is constantly been deposited
Woman Jailed 6 Month for Sale of Counterfeit Drugs
Woman Jailed 6 Month for Sale of Counterfeit Drugs
Salamatu Kamara, a drug peddler in the Eastern city of Kenema has been sentenced to serve six month in prison by the Kenema Magistrate Court for the sales of counterfeit and substandard drugs contrary to the provisions of the Pharmacy and Drugs Act 2001 and the Anti Drugs Act of 2008 respectively.
After a marathon court hearing the court finds the said drug peddler guilty and made a verdict of a fine of Le 500,000 (five hundred thousand Leones) or serve six month in the high detention prison in the eastern city of Kenema.
Information investigated by this press; on the issue reveals that Salamatu was charged to court after she was arrested in a joint raid of the’ Police-Joint Task Force on drugs ‘of the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone. The Police- Joint Task Force launched an unprecedented early morning raid on drug peddlers in the township of Kenema .
The case of Salamatu Kamara is not an isolated one this year as the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone has ensured that many of the culprits caught in its frequent raid on drug peddlers in concert with the Sierra Leone Police have been successfully charged to court with fines and jail terms imposed using the new Anti Drugs Act of 2007 and the Pharmacy and Drugs Act of 2001.
Word from Shuwary Barlatt who is Head of the Inspection Department of the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone says “the Board is very much happy at the few successes mentioned so far in the fight to reduce the level of drug peddling in the country, adding though that the battle if far from complete yet as majority of the problem in drugs counterfeiting in the country emanates from drug peddlers in the country”.
Head of the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone WCN Johnson had earlier noted that 97% of the registered market of drugs and pharmacy in Sierra Leone if free of fake and sub-standard medicines but that all other drugs found in the black market are counterfeit and that the Government and the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone are very determined to ensure that the problem of fake drugs menacing the public health of the country could be fought against by using the full strength of the law and public sensitization.
Pharmacy Board Holds CPD for Kono and North
Pharmacy Board Holds CPD for Kono and North
The Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone has conducted continuous Professional Education for Pharmacists in the Northern Region and Kono District in the East of the country.
The training centered on the problem of drug counterfeiting and how to identify counterfeit pharmaceutical products, drugs use in acute respiratory and track infection as well as the use of drugs in the combating of Leprosy tuberculosis in the country.
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Speaking on the issue of counterfeit medicines, Deputy Registrar of the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone Pharmacist James P. Komeh told his fellow counterparts that despite the wide spread problem of counterfeit medicines in the world over, the international community and health institutions have provided no harmonized definition of counterfeit medicines; stating however that WHO says “counterfeit medicines are those which are deliberately and fraudulently mislabeled in respect of its identity, content and source.” The Deputy Registrar added that counterfeit medicines can apply to both branded and generic pharmaceutical products and may include products with correct ingredients or with incorrect ingredients and or wrong and misleading labeling as the case may be.
Mr. James Komeh noted that counterfeit medicines are the greatest evils of our times, the silent but most dangerous killer and a weapon of mass destruction on the public health of the citizenry and a gross economic and social sabotage. He explained that the evil of fake drugs is worse than the combined scourge of malaria, HIV and Aids and Armed robbery as according to him, malaria can be prevented, HIV and Aids can be avoided and armed robbery kills a few people at given times but counterfeit drugs he said “kills en-mass and silently”.
Among other things the Deputy Registrar deliberated on the issue of counterfeit medicines are the implications of counterfeit medicines on the public health of the country, types of counterfeit medicines, the global trends in medicine counterfeiting, visual inspection and practical experience with fake medicines and reasons for counterfeiting.
In Sierra Leone he said, Pharmacy Board has been able to identify various forms of fake medicines that include drugs with no active ingredients, drugs with insufficient ingredients, with active ingredients different from ones stated on the packages, clones of fast moving drugs, illegally imported drugs and many more.
Speaking on Drug use in Acute Respiratory tract Infections (ARIs) Pharmacist Ornome Thomas Abiri of the Drug Evaluation and Registration Department of the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone stated that these are infections affecting the upper respiratory tracts such as the nose, nasal cavity, sinuses, pharynx, larynx and lower respiratory tract such as trachea, bronchi and the lungs.
Ornome Abiri explained that the most common respiratory infections are common cold followed by pneumonia and are generally recognized worldwide as leading causes of mortality among children in developing countries and is caused by poverty, overcrowding, air pollution, malnutrition and poor case management as being reasons for the high fatality rate in the various cases.
Lectures were also given on the issue of tuberculosis where the head of the tuberculosis control programme of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation gave an extensive overview of the fight against malaria in Sierra Leone. Head of the Sierra Leone TB programme noted the need for good relation between TB programme and pharmacists and according to him; pharmacies are the first point of call for patients suffering from the infection of tuberculosis. He called on pharmacists in the two regions to work closely with the programme and make prompt referrals in suspected cases of TB meeting them at their various posts.
UN reviews Peace-building in Sierra Leone
The United Nations Peace-building Commission last week held the High-Level Stakeholders Meeting of the Peace-building Fund at the UN Headquarters in New York. The purpose of the meeting, according to the UN secretary general, was an opportunity to review the achievements of the Fund and to strengthen its role in peace-building, Sierra Leone’s delegation at the meeting and other sessions of the PBF included the Permanent Representative to the UN, Mr. Shekou Toure; the Deputy Permanent Representative for Legal Affairs, Mr. Osman Keh-Kamara; the Minister lenipotentiary Leeroy Wilfred Kabs-Kanu; and Counselors Victoria Sulimani and Saidu Nallo.
In his statement during the opening session, the Secretary General of the UN, Ban Ki-Moon, called for generous contributions to the UN Peacekeeping Fund, which he said was set up in 2006 to support efforts to agument peace and stability in countries emerging from conflict. Peace-building, he went on, means ‘’addressing some of the most sensitive issues facing a given society-issues that, indeed, have previously proved so charged and intractable that led to armed conflict’’. The Secretary General said that the Peacekeeping Fund has so far received $342 million, which exceeds the initial target of $250 million and 46 countries contributed. Mr. Ki-Moon went on to say that 60 percent of the $206 million already allocated by the fund, went to the following countries on agenda of the UN Peace-building Commission, which are Burundi, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau and the Central African Republic. The UN Boss went on to say that the goal now is to raise, allocate and spend $ 100 million per year for the next three years. In addition to the statement delivered on behalf of Deputy Finance Minister, Dr. Richard Konteh, who is Government of Sierra Leone Co-chair of the PBF, by the Permanent representative, Ambassador Shekou Touray, a presentation on the justice Sector of Sierra Leone, was made by the Consultant Master and Registrar of the Judiciary of Sierra Leone and Coordinate of PBF Project for the Justice Sector, Madam Julia Sakodi-Mensah. She stated that problems in the Justice Sector of Sierra Leone also contributed to the war and it was therefore important in the country’s judicial reform process to develop a sector-core reform to develop capacity. According to her, the main thrust of the peace-building agreement, which was signed with the Justice Sector, is ‘capacity development of the Justice system to prevent delays in trials and to clear existing backlog of cases of approximately 700 cases; which could also help to decongest the prisons’. She outlined 5 outcomes of the project which included the successful disposition of 698 cases, through the setting up of backlog courts through the country; improvement of the functioning of the courts with activities like the recruitment of judicial staff, provision of logistics and vehicles, specialized training for judicial and legal staff, limited legal aid fund etc, etc; improvement of a functioning officers’ Department through the recruitment of more state counsels and training of police prosecutor, among others; providing increased access to justice for all especially the more vulnerable women and children. In his statement, Mr. Robert Heifer, the Executive Coordinator of the Peace-building Fund, said that the Fund has two dimensions: Rapid interventions and structural changes. He said that the Fund has turned its attention to the second phase which is structural changes social, economic and political transformation, democratization, inclusion, social reform etc. Many countries delivered statements. Some like the World Food Program (WFP) stressed the need for credible peace dividends like the creation of employment, development of infrastructure, job and food security. Speakers underlined the fact that food security provides the basis for stability. The UNSCR talked about community leadership as essential elements for the prevention of the recurrence of conflicts. Luxemburg placed emphasis on the catalytic role peace-building has 0layed and called for quick-impact projects that will stem the problem of relapse into war. During the pledging segment of the meeting, countries and organizations that are contributing to the Peace-building Fund made commitments to continue their support while calling for enhanced coordination and cooperation between the PBC and the PBF. Some of them made outright pledges while others promised to indicate in due course how much they will continue to give to support the fund.
The countries which made pledges were: Sweden; China; Luxemburg, Ireland; Belgium; Germany; Australia; Canada; Russia; Quatar; Finland; Egypt; Chile; Korea; Pakistan
FBC (U/SL) Students Convocate
As the end of the year approaches the Fourah Bay College (F.B.C.), and other constituent colleges of the University of Sierra Leone, will be graduating their hopeful and ambitious students about a month from now. The college, F.B.C., is one of the oldest universities in Africa that has to a large extent contributed to the development of higher education in Africa and beyond. Year in, year out, students from diverse fields of studies graduate from the college, and this year is no exception. However, there are few jobs available in the country today, and the few that are available are available only for a minute clique of the privileged, the elite, and the powerful. So, yes! Yes, the famous F.B.C. will sure be graduating their students, 100s of them will then join an ever-swelling membership club of the unemployed. So guys, bear in mind that perhaps elsewhere, after academic struggle comes job opportunity, but in Sierra Leone, after academic struggle, comes struggle for employment. This situation must change! Create jobs Mr. president, for the youthful population in your country.They too deserve right to gainful employments after long years of scholastic struggles.
Would-be graduates all is not crushed. You and all of us will make it. We Will one day get gainful employments. But, jobs don’t grow on trees, they are created by the private and public sector. In the Sierra Leone scenario, it is the public sector that does much of this job. And the jobs provided are not attractive. Resultantly, this has and is responsible for brain drain in the country.
Should this graduation be another grandiose show of what brains the country can produce only to be drained later? No, the HE’s ‘positive change’ should also address this area with much seriousness.
In sum, guys, welcome to the universe. May Allah Bless you with colourful jobs.
Thank you.
Ahmadou v. Kanneh
