Local News

By: Kadijatu Bangura, Daily Scope Reporter Sierra Rutile Limited plans to lay off 339 employees as it seeks to reduce operating costs and stabilize the business amid falling returns and broader economic headwinds. The mining firm, now wholly owned by Leone Oil Company, said the redundancy exercise will affect 213 general staff, 80 senior staff,…

By: Saidu Jalloh, Daily Scope Reporter The government is moving to bring artificial intelligence into the classroom, joining a new international study with Google DeepMind and Fab AI aimed at improving mathematics outcomes for students. The partnership was announced Wednesday at a high-level breakfast briefing on AI in education held at Google’s London office. Minister…

By: Saidu Jalloh, Daily Scope Reporter Progress on Sierra Leone’s $480 million energy compact came under review Tuesday as senior officials from the Millennium Challenge Corporation met with Energy Minister Cyril Arnold Grant to assess ongoing reforms. Acting Vice President for Compact Operations Africa Alicia Robinson-Morgan led the MCC delegation, which included MCA CEO Ndeye…

By: Kadijatu Bangura, Daily Scope Reporter Sierra Leone’s port security is under fresh scrutiny after Spanish authorities seized a record cocaine shipment aboard a vessel that had recently called at Freetown. The Comoros-flagged MV Arconian was intercepted near the Canary Islands on May 1 with an estimated 30,215 kilograms of cocaine onboard, valued at about…

By: Joseph Momoh, Daily Scope Reporter Sierra Leone has recorded a dramatic decline in maternal mortality and remains Ebola-free, even as the Ministry of Health boosts national preparedness in response to an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mustapha Kabba told residents at the Lungi Civic Day Townhall on…

By Joseph Momoh, Daily Scope Reporter Authorities in Sierra Leone have arrested and detained a man and several of his family members over an alleged child marriage, as the government steps up enforcement of new child protection laws. The Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs confirmed the arrests in a statement, saying the operation was…

By Kadijatu Bangura, Daily Scope Reporter First Lady Fatima Bio has spoken publicly about fleeing an arranged marriage as a teenager during Sierra Leone’s civil war, crediting the experience with shaping her advocacy against child marriage. In an interview with the BBC, Bio said her father had arranged for her to marry a man in…

By Kadijatu Bangura, Daily Scope Reporter Sierra Leone’s National Revenue Authority officially opened a new border crossing post at Jendema on Monday, marking a step toward faster trade flows and tighter border management along the Liberia frontier. The facility, commissioned in Sorogbema Chiefdom, brings upgraded customs infrastructure to a key entry point in the Mano…

By Saidu Jalloh, Daily Scope Reporter Sierra Leone secured a seat on the steering committee of the World Health Organization’s top decision-making forum as Health Minister Dr. Austin Demby joined global counterparts for the opening of the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva on Monday, 18 May 2026. Demby attended alongside Lansana Gberie, Sierra Leone’s…

By Joseph Momoh, Daily Scope Reporter A Turkish business delegation held talks in Freetown on Monday, 18 May 2026, to assess investment prospects in Sierra Leone’s agriculture and infrastructure sectors. The delegation, led by Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to Turkey, Francess Virgina Anderson, met with officials at the National Early Warning and Response Mechanism Centre [NEWRMC]….