Ahead of the Financial Year 2024 Budget Speech Day on Friday, 10th November, 2023 the Government is currently scrutinizing proposals for tax increases on imported cement and iron rods, according to a senior official in the Ministry of Finance. An emergency Cabinet meeting was held yesterday to look at the proposals. Up until last night, there was no confirmation that …

The Deputy Minister of Sports, Kai Laurence Mbayo (KLM), through his philanthropic organization KLM FREE WELL BODY PROGRAM has embarked on providing free surgical operations for the people of Kono District and the country. On the 10th of October 2023, the KLM FREE WELL BODY PROGRAM commenced operations on 15 beneficiaries from Sandor, Gbaneh, Nimiyama and Tankoro Chiefdoms respectively in …

IMF staff and the Sierra Leonean authorities have reached a staff-level agreement on economic policies to conclude the eighth and final review of the 60-month ECF financed program, releasing about US$20.4 million in financing once the review is formally completed by the IMF Executive Board. External shocks and policy slippages in recent years contributed to macroeconomic imbalances, including high inflation, …

His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio yesterday received the Millennium Challenge Corporation, MCC, scorecard from the United States of America’s Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Bryan David Hunt, saying that it is always good to have an independent international assessment of his government. Ambassador Hunt said he was pleased to let the President know that in the 2023 MCC scorecard, …

𝐁𝐲 𝐒𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐚. By the year 2000, an Isreali businessman Zeev Morganstein had taken the Government of Sierra Leone to the High Court in Freetown for failing to pay him about US$3M he was owed for supplying the Ministry of Defence with critical spare parts for a military helicopter owned by RSLAF (Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces). Zeev decided …

On 21st March, 2023 the Government of Sierra Leone signed a shareholders’ agreement with ARISE IIP (SL) Limited for the management of a special purpose vehicle in charge of managing and operating the Pepel rail and port. ARISE owns 90% of the company with 10% ownership by the Government of Sierra Leone. In the shareholders’ agreement, the Government of Sierra …

𝐁𝐲 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐁. 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐲 Mohamed Haroun Conteh, a Senior Secondary School (SSS) Pupil at the Providence International High School will today (1st November, 2023) make his first appearance at the High Court, before Justice Monfred Momoh Sesay, a Court of Appeal Judge sitting as a High Court Judge in the alleged murder matter between the State versus him. The accused …

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Timothy Musa Kabba has assured Morocco’s Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia His Excellency S.E.M Isam Taib that his country remains committed to upholding strong diplomatic bilateral ties with Morocco. During the courtesy call on the Minister, Ambassador Taib said that Sierra Leone and the Kingdom of Morocco continue to enjoy …

𝐁𝐲 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐁 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐲. Abu Bakarr Amara, the second witness in the tribunal hearing of the former Auditor General Lara Taylor Pearce and her Deputy Tamba Momoh was yesterday led in evidence by the Principal State Counsel Ahmed Joseph Maxwell Bockarie. Testifying on oath at the National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT) court, main Law Court Building in Freetown, …

Sierra Leone’s economy is projected to grow at 3.7% on average during 2023–25, below its long-term trend. This scenario is predicated on sound domestic policies, including a tight monetary stance to combat inflation, and an equally conservative fiscal policy to decrease debt pressures and rebuild fiscal space. Headline inflation could moderate gradually to 14% and the fiscal deficit decline to …