Sewa News Stream

Mohamed Sorie Forna, a medical doctor who later became a politician, was executed in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on July 19, 1975. Below are excerpts from one of the last letters Forna wrote to Siaka Stevens, who was Sierra Leone's Prime Minister from 1967 to 1971 and President from 1971 to 1985. In his letter, Forna emphasized that when a single individual holds exclusive control over state power, it undermines democracy, centralizes authority, and poses a threat to freedom and justice. Dear Prime Minister, In 1967, Sir Albert brought this country to the brink of political and economic disaster. All right thinking people realized that Sir Albert’s insatiable desire for power and wealth spelt chaos and complete disruption of our social fabric. What he wanted to impose upon this nation was a one-man dictatorship, shrouded by a fraudulent Republican Constitution that concentrated all powers in the hands of a single person. In view of this menace to personal freedom and economic stability...

" While it is possible to find a place to rent in Sierra Leone, what makes sense price-wise doesn't come with the amenities ," writes Vickie Remoe in a recent checklist she published for Millennials and Gen Z planning to live and work in Sierra Leone. Rental properties that include amenities are priced for expatriates, Vickie cautioned. Additionally, renting in Sierra Leone comes with the financial burden of paying rent a year or two in advance. "You may be able to afford it the first time around, but depending on the kind of salary or income, continuing to do so after a year might stretch you," she said.  Reading Vickie's tips left me with more questions than answers: 1. What does she consider as amenities? Do they include, say, running water, a rain garden, a well pump in the backyard, and a solar-powered electric generator? 2. What does Vickie mean by rentals are priced for ex-pats? 3. What are the comparative rent prices across Sierra Leone? Is she talk...

Since the Ebola epidemic exploded into Sierra Leone in May 2014, the disease has claimed more than 1,250 lives and the virus continues to outpace efforts to contain it. In October, Save the Children warned that a rate of five new Ebola cases an hour in Sierra Leone means healthcare demands are far outstripping supply. According to the World Health Organization, 24 percent of the total number of 6,000 Ebola cases in Sierra Leone have been reported in the past three weeks. Although doctors and nurses in Sierra Leone are laboring to combat the Ebola outbreak, which is putting enormous strain on the limited healthcare facilities, and emergency medicine volunteers have flown in from various countries to help in the fight, Sierra Leone remains a country with widespread transmission. In response, a new medical organization plans to tap Sierra Leonean born doctors, nurses, and public health professionals around the world to fill the gap. For more information on the US-Sierra Leone Healt...

Sierra Leonean small farmers and people who depend on agriculture rely on the nation's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security. The ministry's political appointees and career civil servants have the responsibility of transforming agriculture in Sierra Leone through the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) process. With CAADP, African nations have developed and are still developing agriculture strategies and sector investment programs and have pledged to devote 10 percent of their national budgets to agriculture. Writing in The Guardian newspaper’s Comment is free column four years ago this September, Joseph Sam Sesay, Sierra Leone’s minister of agriculture, forestry and food security (in photo), said that between 2007 and 2009, the nation’s agricultural sector has gone from 1.6 percent of the budget to 9.9 percent in 2010. “In Sierra Leone, the fund is helping small-scale farmers move from subsistence to commercial farming, including ...