Local News
Govt Builds Capacity for AfCFTA Dispute Settlements
By Kadijatu Bangura reporter D.S Freetown, May 11, 2026 Sierra Leone is stepping up legal and institutional preparations to defend its trade interests under the African Continental Free Trade Area, Deputy Justice Minister Saptieu Elizabeth Saccoh said Monday as she opened a capacity-building workshop on the AfCFTA’s dispute settlement system. Addressing participants at the Radisson…
Govt Settles Sierra Tropical Severance Row, Cites Valid CBA
By Joseph Momoh reporter D.S Sumbuya, Lugbu Chiefdom, May 11, 2026 The Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Security has resolved a severance pay dispute between Sierra Tropical Limited and its former workers, confirming that the expired Agricultural Trade Group Collective Bargaining Agreement still governs benefits for staff below supervisory level. Tensions flared after some…
Women MPs Target Gender Gains in Constitution Review
By Joseph Momoh reporter D.S Sierra Leone’s Parliamentary Female Caucus has ramped up its campaign to embed gender inclusion and women’s rights protections in the country’s constitutional review, calling the process a key moment to lock in gains for equality and representation. The push came during a two-day forum held Thursday, May 7, at Committee…
UK Mission Denies Visa Policy Claims, Reaffirms Ties with Sierra Leone
By Saidu Jalloh reporter D.S The British High Commission has dismissed comments attributed to UK diplomats in a Global Times article on British visa policy, saying it was never contacted by the newspaper and was “surprised” by the publication. In a statement issued Monday, the High Commission said it had no involvement in the article…
Health Authorities Move to Allay Fears as Sierra Leone Steps Up Hantavirus Vigilance
By Kadijatu Bangura reporter D.S The Ministry of Health and the National Public Health Agency have moved to reassure the public that the risk of Hantavirus infection in Sierra Leone remains minimal, following global alerts linked to an outbreak aboard an international cruise ship. In a joint statement released Friday, health officials said they are…
Freetown to The Hague: Government Reaffirms Stand Against Chemical Weapons
By Saidu Jalloh reporter D.S Sierra Leone has renewed its pledge to uphold international disarmament efforts after Ambassador Philip Bob Jusu formally presented his credentials to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague. Ambassador Jusu, who also serves as Sierra Leone’s envoy to Belgium, was received by OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias…
The General Who Saved Freetown Returns
By Joseph Momoh reporter D.S Field Marshal Lord David Richards, whose decisive military command helped turn the tide of Sierra Leone’s brutal civil war, has returned to Freetown more than two decades after leading the landmark British intervention that secured the capital. Now Baron Richards of Herstmonceux and elevated to the honorary rank of Field…
Strike Looms Over Unpaid School Subsidies
By Kadijatu Bangura reporter D.S The Sierra Leone Teachers Union has warned that schools nationwide are under growing financial strain due to delays in government school fee subsidies, raising the prospect of renewed industrial action if payments are not made urgently. In a May 7 letter to Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, SLTU Secretary General…
Bio Urges Digital Customs Overhaul to Boost ECOWAS Trade, Security
By Saidu Jalloh Daily Scope – Freetown President Julius Maada Bio on Thursday called for stronger use of the ECOWAS Common External Tariff and a region-wide shift to digital customs systems, saying outdated border controls cannot match 21st-century threats. Speaking at the 32nd Conference of Directors General of Customs of the World Customs Organization for…
China Pledges Backing for Energy Reforms After Envoy Meets Minister
By Kadijatu Bangura Daily Scope – Freetown China has restated its support for Sierra Leone’s drive to modernize its power sector and expand electricity access, following talks between Ambassador Zhao Yong and Energy Minister Cyril Grant in Freetown on Thursday, 7 May 2026. During a courtesy call at the Ministry of Energy’s conference room, Ambassador…