On 12 May 2013 the Panamax vessel, MV ALAM PESONA, left Freetown Harbour carrying over 83,000 tonnes of London Mining’s iron ore concentrate, the largest quantity ever to have been loaded in the harbour, vindicating the decision by the Sierra Leone Ports Authority (SLPA) to authorize additional draft at the port. Sailing at a tide of 3.60 metres and a draft of 14 metres, the vessel exceeded the SLPA’s previously recognised draft at the harbour by nearly 10%.
Written by Alhaji M.B. Jalloh, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Tuesday, 21 May 2013 14:54
Sierra Leoneans in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last week held a one-day meeting of all their nationals in the commercial city of Dubai .At the end of the meeting, they officially formed what they called ‘The Sierra Leone Nationals' Association in the Emirates," (SLNAE) with Ibrahim Bah as their Acting Chairman
I was in Sierra Leone recently. During my visit, I observed that some of the mining companies are opening the doors for development in our country. One of them is African Minerals (SL) Limited (AML).
I visited some areas where the company is carrying some of its operations and the visit explains exactly why our President His Excellency Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma believes that our mineral wealth is making us one of the fastest growing economies in Africa.
Describing 2011 as a year of transition and 2012 as “a year of delivery” for Sierra Rutile, CEO John Sisay highlights an impressive list of achievements in the company’s 2012 financial results for the year ended 31 December 2012 (published April 25).
These include increasing rutile production by 39% to 94,493 tonnes, completing the new Lanti Dry Mining project, which is now in the final stages of commissioning, and completing studies on a number of further expansion projects including the Gangama Dry Mining project.
Freetown, 12 April 2013 – Today UNICEF handed over 73 motorbikes to 20 NGOs implementing water and sanitation projects in Sierra Leone. The bikes will be used for monitoring and implementation of water and sanitation projects aiming at building or rehabilitating wells and sanitation facilities in schools, health centers and communities.
SOUTH AFRICA: National assembly approves controversial information bill
Reporters Without Borders is very disappointed by the South African national assembly’s adoption of the new version of the Protection of State Information Bill (POSIB) yesterday with 190 votes for, 73 against and one abstention.
UNICEF Reiterates - Allow All Pregnant Girls to Take Exams
Freetown 3 May2013 –UNICEF calls on everyone, parents, exam officials and head teachers in Sierra Leone to ensure pregnant girls are allowed and supported to take their exams. “It has come to our attention that last year a number of girls were either not entered for the exams or turned away from the exam hall by invigilators because they were pregnant”, said UNICEF Country Representative Roeland Monasch. “UNICEF would like to point out that this practice is highly discriminative.
TUESDAY MAY 7, 2013 -Two veteran journalists, now Members of Parliament representing Bo and Kailahun districts, today paid a courtesy call on the executive of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) where they formally congratulated the new President of SLAJ, Mr. Kelvin Lewis, on his victory in the Association’s last Biennial Conference and also pledged their support to the Association in its fight to have the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill passed into law and the Seditious and Criminal aspects of our laws repealed.
On 24 May last year, I went to Kailahun with the Peace Project to donate crutches to the disabled and while there the blind also requested we help them with walking canes. We promised to be back with the 500 walking canes once they arrive from the United States.
When I got back to Parliament after the trip, I bumped literally into Hon Alice Foyah and after apologising for my clumsiness I told her of my trip to her constituency. She smiled fully, her eyes like two shining buttons. She placed a hand on my shoulder and said warmly:
BOYS SCHOOL CAMPUS, Magburaka Town, 17 May, 2013/--His Excellency Dr Ernest Bai Koroma has confidently told the people of Magburaka that their township is on the rise. "Magburaka is rising again with paved roads, solar-lit streets. Magburaka is rising again, with employment opportunities opening up for its inhabitants; Magburaka is rising again, with renewed zeal, faith and action. And with the rise of this town, our school, the Government Secondary School Magburaka, will continue to sustain its heritage of producing sterling leaders for all fields of endeavours in our country", he said
Kurubonla town, or call it what you like, is the chiefdom headquarter of Neya Chiefdom located in the south/east of Koinadugu District. It is one of the Sierra Leone’s largest chiefdoms giving its amalgamation in about 1952 by the British colonialists. It is an amalgamation of four original chiefdoms, Kulor, Saradu, Neya and Neidu, and these are now referred to as Sections, headed by Section Chiefs hailing from their original chieftain houses in those Sections. In the 1970s, the then All People’s Congress (APC) government under Siaka Probyn Stevens split up Neya Section into two, Neya I, with headquarter being Kurobonla and Neya II with headquarter being Porpon. Neya II was carved to create room for its then Youth Leader in that area, the late Gbondo Madusu Lahai II, who was later to become Paramount Chief of the Chiefdom on two separate occasions. He died in office in 2011.
On 12 May 2013 the Panamax vessel, MV ALAM PESONA, left Freetown Harbour carrying over 83,000 tonnes of London Mining’s iron ore concentrate, the largest quantity ever to have been loaded in the harbour, vindicating the decision by the Sierra Leone Ports Authority (SLPA) to authorize additional draft at the port. Sailing at a tide of 3.60 metres and a draft of 14 metres, the vessel exceeded the SLPA’s previously recognised draft at the harbour by nearly 10%.
Describing 2011 as a year of transition and 2012 as “a year of delivery” for Sierra Rutile, CEO John Sisay highlights an impressive list of achievements in the company’s 2012 financial results for the year ended 31 December 2012 (published April 25). 
BOYS SCHOOL CAMPUS, Magburaka Town, 17 May, 2013/--His Excellency Dr Ernest Bai Koroma has confidently told the people of Magburaka that their township is on the rise. "Magburaka is rising again with paved roads, solar-lit streets. Magburaka is rising again, with employment opportunities opening up for its inhabitants; Magburaka is rising again, with renewed zeal, faith and action. And with the rise of this town, our school, the Government Secondary School Magburaka, will continue to sustain its heritage of producing sterling leaders for all fields of endeavours in our country", he said