Ambassador Ndomahina Interacts with Investors at Hunan Pilot free Trade zone in Changsha city 

By Idrissa Conteh, Information Attache

 Sierra Leone Embassy Beijing, China

Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, His Excellency Ernest M. Ndomahina has called for a collaboration and partnership with Chinese companies to construct the second sea port in Southern Sierra Leone during the Hunan Pilot Free Trade zone event.

Ambassador Ndomahina expressed his appreciation and gratitude to all stakeholders of the gathering for such a laudable initiative in an effort to boost trade. He stated that even at the midst of Covid-19 pandemic, trade between Hunan and Africa increased in 2020.

According to data from China customs, the Hunan overall trade volume amounted to $4.47 billion in 2020, an 18.3 – percent year-on-year increase, with Hunan’s exports totalling $2.7 billion, up 7.4 percent, and its imports reaching $1.77 billion, up to 40.3 percent.

Sierra Leone’s Polio campaign introduces a new and safe Vaccine

A four-day nationwide campaign to vaccinate 1,472,813 children aged 0 – 59 months against polio, kicks off around the country on Friday 28^th May 2021 and will end on 31^st May 2021.
During this campaign, the Novel Oral Polio Vaccine 2 (nOPV2) is being introduced for the first time in the country. This vaccine is safe and effective and has been proven to provide better protection in preventing polio.
The Government of Sierra Leone, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Rotary International, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and World Health Organization (WHO), has secured 4,920,000 doses of the novel Oral Polio Vaccine, (nOPV2) and targets to immunise a further 1,472,813 children during each of the two rounds planned to hold in May and June 2021.The first outbreak response is slated to hold from 28-31 May while the second round will  hold from 2-5 July 2021.
The campaign comes against the background of detection of 32 confirmed cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2), which were detected between December 2020 and May 2021.

Institutional Transformation: New Direction moves Sierra Leone into the heart of Moscow

By Festus J. Lahai

Information Attache

Moscow, Russian Federation

What seems impossible for 31 years has now been made possible by the result-orientated representative of President Julius Maada Bio in Russia, Ambassador Mohamed Yongawo.

The Sierra Leone Embassy in Russia was established in Moscow City in 1962; accredited to 23 countries in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe; under the jurisdiction of the Ambassador based in Moscow in the Russian Federation.

Since its establishment, Sierra Leone has posted 11 Ambassadors to serve as Presidential Representatives in the Russian Federation.  Ambassador Mohammed Yongawo is the 12th.

Apparently, Sierra Leone used to have one of the best mission buildings in Moscow, which hosted the Chancery, The Residence of the Ambassador and some Diplomatic Staff.

Unfortunately in 1990, under unknown circumstances we lost the building.

So, the Embassy was  moved to a 4 bedroom rented apartment office space at Rublyovskoye Chausse, which Sierra Leone has been using since then.

It is suffice to summarize that, the environment was not fit for a diplomatic mission and to carry out diplomatic activities.

However, a patriotic citizen who thinks about our nation's dignity has now taken the Sierra Leone Embassy to the ‘heart’ of Moscow where other Embassies and businesses operate; and can now compete for serious investment opportunities, especially taking cognisance of the fact that President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Government’s attention is shifting into making Africa their investment priority location.

When asked his  reason for moving the Embassy, Ambassador Yongawo responded: *"Running a mission is like governing a state; you look for the best edifice which places your country in a position of strength.”*

Ambassador Yongawo continued: *“This Building occupies over 12 other Embassies; accessible to the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry, a walking distance from the Kremlin, closer to the Central Bank, the area serves as the Diplomatic Quarter for most Foreign Diplomats from across the globe.”*

*"Investors can now access our Embassy easily due to its location.”*

Ambassador Yongawo commended His Excellency, President Julius Maada Bio for the opportunity given to serve as Ambassador.

Ambassador registered his gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for their continued support, the Ministry of Finance, the Sierra Leone Central Bank and the Government of Sierra Leone for unflinching support to his mission.

The Ambassador extended same to the Government and People of Russia for their continued support.

WHO panel OKs emergency use of China’s Sinopharm vaccine

The World Health Organization on Friday gave emergency use authorization to  China’s Sinopharm, potentially paving the way for millions of the doses to reach needy countries through a United Nations backed program rolling out coronavirus vaccines.

The decision by a WHO technical advisory group — a first for a Chinese vaccine — opens the possibility that Sinopharm’s offering could be included in the U.N.-backed COVAX program in coming weeks or months and distributed through UNICEF and the WHO’s Americas regional office.

Aside from efficacy numbers, the Chinese manufacturer has released very little public data about its two vaccines — one developed by its Beijing Institute of Biological Products and the other by the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products.

The Beijing shot is one the WHO advisory group considered for the emergency use listing. The Sinopharm vaccine will join ones made by Pfizer-BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and a version of the AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India, in receiving the coveted authorization from the U.N. health agency.

The announcement raised the prospect that the Chinese vaccine, which has already been exported by millions of doses in some countries, could join the U.N.’s arsenal against COVID-19 at a time when supplies of other Western-made or -developed vaccines have been lacking.

“The addition of (the Sinopharm) vaccine has the potential to rapidly accelerate COVID-19 vaccine access for countries seeking to protect health workers and populations at risk,” said Dr. Mariangela Simao, WHO assistant director general for access to health products.

Arnaud Didierlaurent, a professor at the University of Geneva’s medical school who chairs the advisory group, said it had requested additional studies from Sinopharm, and that there would be “continuous evaluation” of the vaccine.

“In fact, the work does not stop after the listing,” he said.

FIFA, CAF Presidents Pay Courtesy Call on Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, Promise to Improve Football Infrastructure to Host the African Cup of Nations

By State House Media and Communications Unit 

President of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, FIFA, Giovanni Vincenzo Infantino and the Confédération Africaine de Football, CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe, have called on His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio and promised to improve on the country’s football infrastructure to be able to host the African Cup of Nations.

Sierra Leone’s Minister of Sport, Ibrahim Nyelenkeh, welcomed the delegation from the football world governing bodies, saying that it was history in the making that the country was hosting the sitting presidents of FIFA and CAF for the first time.

“I am not surprised. You must have heard about government’s assiduous strides and relentless efforts at developing and supporting football from the grassroots to the national level,” he noted, adding that the present government had supported sport, particularly football, more than all others in the history of Sierra Leone.

While introducing the visitors, the President of Sierra Leone Football Association, SLFA, Isha Johansen, said that their visit was as timely and historic as it was meaningful to the country. She thanked them for choosing Sierra Leone as one of their three Africa nation tours, the others being Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia.  

FIFA’s President Infantino told the gathering that it was an honour and a pleasure to be in Sierra Leone, saying that they were very committed to helping and supporting Africa shine in the world.