By George M.O. Williams Freetown, April 7, 2025—Sierra Leone has achieved a remarkable reduction in maternal mortality, with deaths decreasing from 443 to 354 per 100,000 live births between 2020 and 2023. This milestone was announced by Minister of Health Dr. Austin Demby during the commemoration of World Health Day 2025 at the Ministry’s Conference Room in Freetown. The statistics, provided by the UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group, represent...Read More
At a vast landfill in Sierra Leone’s capital of Freetown, smoke billows over decades of decomposing waste. Zainab sits there, squinting through the soot. It is her usual spot for buying kush, a cheap synthetic drug ravaging young people in the country. “This kush is so addictive,” she said. “If I don’t smoke, I feel sick.” Her current home, a shack of corrugated iron, contains only a tattered mattress where...Read More
By Saniya Sakenova ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu highlighted promising fruitful collaboration in trade, transport and logistics, healthcare, agriculture, and other key sectors during a meeting with Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Timothy Musa Kabba, who arrived in Astana for his first official visit on April 8. According to the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service, Kazakhstan, one of the world’s top...Read More
By Sallieu S. Kanu Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, Energy Sector Lead, has expressed serious concerns about the declining performance of the Bumbuna Hydropower Dam due to climate change and human activities upstream. Speaking at the Ministry of Energy’s maiden press briefing on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, Dr. Yumkella provided a comprehensive update on the state of Sierra Leone’s energy sector. Challenges in Freetown’s Electricity Supply Dr. Yumkella highlighted the ongoing electricity...Read More
By Ibrahim S. Bangura Freetown, April 5, 2025—The Ballanta Academy of Music and Performing Arts (BAMPA) dazzled Freetown’s cultural scene with its Vocal Variety Concert, a soul-stirring celebration of the human voice held at the academy’s auditorium. The event showcased an impressive spectrum of musical styles, ranging from classical arias to contemporary jazz. Aimed at nurturing talent, fostering artistic innovation, and deepening community appreciation for the performing arts, the concert...Read More
