Youth Minister Launches Social Good Summit 2021

By Bampia James Bundu, Strategic Communications Unit MIC.

The Minister of Youth Affairs Mr. Mohamed Orman Bangura has launched the 2021 Social Good Summit intended to raise awareness, inspire global actions and explore accelerating means of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2023.

The launching ceremony was held at the weekly government press briefing held at the conference room of the Ministry of Information and Communications 8th Floor Youyi Building in Freetown on Thursday 16th September 2021. 

In his address, the Minister of Youth Affairs Mr. Mohamed Orman Bangura explained that the Social Good Summit is an opportunity to bring young people of Sierra Leone to the centre stage of driving social change.

The summit encourages national innovation to advance the Global Sustainable Development Goals. He revealed that government through the Ministry of Youth Affairs in collaboration with National Youth Commission, National Youth Service, Directorate of Science Technology and Innovation, United Nations Agencies and Private Sector Partners, is using this national platform to give young people the opportunity to showcase their ideas, creativity and the use of technology to solve community development challenges.

NCD launches Report on the State of Sierra Leone’s Democracy

By Musa Kamara

The National Commission for Democracy (NCD) whilst observing the International Day of Democracy (September 15^th) with theme, “Strengthening Democratic Resilience in the Face of Future Crisis,” has on Tuesday, September 21^st 2021, launched a report on “The State of Democracy in Sierra Leone,” and with other 2 policy briefs.

The report was launched at the New Brookfields Hotel in Freetown by Ambassador Mohamed Foday Yumkella- Minister of Political and Public Affairs, on behalf of the Vice President, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh.

In his statements on behalf of VP Jalloh, Minister Yumkella said the report on “The State of Democracy in Sierra Leone,” and the 2 policy briefs on “Promoting Political Tolerance in Sierra Leone” and “the Barriers and Challenges to Parliamentarians Engagement with their Constituents, shed lights on the significant role of research in provoking policy decisions that have repercussions on the consolidation of democratic good governance.

MTHE Introduces Online Voting for SU Elections at IPAM

The Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE) has introduced an online voting system in the conduct of Students' Union (SU) elections at Institute of Public Administration and Management- University of Sierra Leone (IPAM-USL) for the first time in the history of the country.

Being a project initiated by MTHE s Directorate of Technology, the SU online voting system has allowed IPAM- USL to be the first higher learning institution in Sierra Leone to set the stage for a digitized electioneering system, creating an ambiance for a peaceful exercise of students' franchise. Aside from being excellently transparent, the system has equally enabled students to be anywhere and conveniently cast their votes for their candidates, unlike in previous years when there would be huge number of students clustered around the campus premises, causing chaos and vandalizing campus property.

Ministry of Health to Benefit from $2.1m STRIATA Deployment Funding

Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) will be among two other countries' health sectors that will be benefiting from the deployment of STRIATA in their health systems.

In 2020, Macro-Eyes supported the Government of Sierra Leone's COVID-19 response by partnering with the MoHS and the Directorate of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI), to build and pilot STRIATA-Infrastructure - an intelligent health systems index providing visibility into the health systems readiness as a whole - including health facility infrastructure, materials, supplies, and human resources.

UNICEF and WHO welcome Sierra Leone’s adoption of the BMS Act

Freetown, 4^th August 2021 - The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization, (WHO), welcome the milestone reached by the Government of Sierra Leone to adopt the Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (BMS) Act 2021.
By adopting this Act, Sierra Leone joins the other 136 countries with legal instruments to guide the prohibition of aggressive and unethical marketing of breastmilk substitutes, feeding bottles and teats and thereby protect and promote the practice of breastfeeding in the country.
The Act regulates the marketing and distribution of breastmilk substitutes and ensures that mothers and families receive accurate and unbiased information about the healthiest way to feed their infants and young children— free of commercial influence and interest.