Freelance Media Creative Hub

14/06/2023

Verifying using the SLAJ iVerify platform.
https://fb.watch/l9d9kbcIEq/?mibextid=l2pjGR

14/06/2023

TOPIC: WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIES CAN WE UTILIZE TO ADVANCE PEACE IN THE UPCOMING ELECTION.

https://fb.watch/l9blAF0gxb/?mibextid=l2pjGR

06/06/2023

https://wp.me/peBgvH-9L
In today’s world, the institution of marriage has become a powerful force in breaking down tribal lines and fostering a sense of unity among diverse communities. The story of Yvonne Aki Sawyerr, the former Mayor of Freetown City Council, serves as an inspiring example of how embracing diversity and recognizing our collective heritage can contribute to a stronger and more harmonious society.

In today’s world, the institution of marriage has become a powerful force in breaking down tribal lines and fostering a sense of unity among diverse communities. The story of Yvonne Aki Sawye…

06/06/2023

https://wp.me/peBgvH-9B
Assessing the Pros and Cons of IMF US$20.7 Million Approval Disbursement for Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone has received a major boost as the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved the immediate disbursement of US$20.7 million under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) Arrangement. While this disbursement brings several merits, there are also significant demerits that need to be addressed for long-term sustainability.

IMF Deputy Managing Director, Li Bo Sierra Leone has received a major boost as the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved the immediate disbursement of US$20.7 million un…

06/06/2023

Orange Sierra Leone has made the highest tax contribution In the 2022 financial year, dwarfing its past four years' tax contributions.
2022 financial year OSL contributed an astronomical Le 285 billion (equivalent to $14,482,702.50) in taxes to the government of Sierra Leone.

Orange Sierra Leone, a leading telecommunications company, has reported a significant increase in its tax contribution to the government of Sierra Leone. In the 2022 financial year, the company mad…

06/06/2023

Isha Johansen, the Chairperson of Fashion for Change, officially inaugurated the “Football for Reform Training Center” at the Female Correctional Facility in New England, Freetown. This initiative is supported by FIFA and CAF it aims to utilize soccer as a powerful tool for promoting positive change and rehabilitation within the facility.

Freetown, Sierra Leone – On Friday, June 2, 2023, Isha Johansen, the Chairperson of Fashion for Change, officially inaugurated the “Football for Reform Training Centre” at the Fem…

26/05/2023

Sierra Leone experienced a devastating blow on Wednesday 24 May 2023, as one of its most cherished symbols collapsed in the aftermath of a violent storm over night.
The mighty Sierra Leone cotton tree, which had stood tall for centuries, met an untimely demise, leaving the nation in awe and contemplating what lies ahead.
https:// salonelelemu.wordpress.com/2023/05/26/gone-with-the-wind-an-iconic-landmark-crumbles-what-lies-ahead/

By Freelance Media Sierra Leone experienced a devastating blow on Wednesday 24 May 2023, as one of its most cherished symbols collapsed in the aftermath of a violent storm. The mighty Sierra Leone …

24/05/2023

24/05/2023

As the President rallied support for the upcoming elections, pledging to continue the transformation initiated in 2018, it is essential for the electorate to critically evaluate the government’s track record. Promises and sky-scraping rhetoric alone cannot guarantee a prosperous future.

Ultimately, true progress and a prosperous future for Sierra Leone can only be achieved through a diligent examination of the government’s performance, a demand for transparency, and a commitment to tangible results. It is through accountability, transparency, and palpable results that true progress can be achieved for the people of Sierra Leone and not by selling dreams in a country where majority are too broke to buy.

Eastern Technical University in Kenema Radiates with Hope as President Bio Peddles 5 Grand Promises While Launching The SLPP’s 2023 Manifesto President Julius Maada Wonie Bio By Ophaniel Gooding|Fr…

23/05/2023

https://salonelelemu.wordpress.com/2023/05/18/sierra-leone-gears-up-for-inclusive-and-transparent-elections-amidst-challenges/

Kojo Asante, the Acting Network Coordinator of the West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS), expressed concerns and shared observations during a press conference held at Radisson Blu Hote…

02/05/2023

02/05/2023

Check out the latest project by ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms (ARISE IIP) that aims to transform Sierra Leone's economy through an extended rail network and a unique industrial zone. The project will connect Sierra Leone's rail network beyond the Pepel Tonkolili line, linking it to neighboring Guinea and other economic centers in the country.

The primary goal is to improve connectivity to farmlands, ports, and neighboring countries, which is essential for the success of Sierra Leone's special industrial zone in Koya. ARISE will introduce a passenger train as part of the project to transport people and workers between provinces, promoting connectivity across the country.

The Koya special economic zone will cover 1,600 hectares and will feature a single-window building with government authorities, an area for import substitution and export-oriented products, and a customs-bonded inland container depot servicing the factories. The project will be powered by a 100 MWh natural gas power plant, and the first three factories, including a ceramic tiles manufacturing unit, a non-ferrous metals recycling plant, and a pharmaceutical unit producing capsules and injectables, are already being set up.

Jesper H. Boll, Logistics Value Chain Director at ARISE, expressed his excitement about the project's potential to transform Sierra Leone's economy and improve the lives of farmers. He encouraged all Sierra Leonians to embrace the development, which will not only boost the country's economic and social development but also have sustainable benefits.

Sierra Leone is heavily dependent on imports of basic goods, which cost 50% more than they did a year ago. The special economic zone will produce goods locally, replacing expensive imports and benefiting all Sierra Leonians. The project will also facilitate the transformation of agricultural products and dramatically improve the lives of farmers, unlocking the country's huge potential for agriculture.
Link: https://salonelelemu.wordpress.com/2023/05/02/train-network-sets-to-transform-salones-economy/

12/02/2023

*Join the Conversation*

Dr. Samura Kamara is set to officially announce his candidacy for the APC flagbearer ticket in Makeni today.

Recent data from the Central Bank shows that the government's cash flow based budgetary operations recorded a significant increase in deficit from Le 289.28m in July 2022 to Le 730.38m in August 2022.

Readers, we'd like to ask:

What are your thoughts on Dr Samura Kamara's bid for the APC flagbearer ticket?

How do you interpret the increased deficit in government budgetary operations?

How do you think this will affect the country's economy and its citizens?

We value your feedback and look forward to your responses.

20/01/2023

https://twitter.com/ophaniel/status/1616087800084058114?s=46&t=85JfSZGVIdOjq8zrvoDm6g

“Have no fear, Bio's here! lol”

12/01/2023

In Storyland, it's storytime. When will the story end? These are the questions we should ask before making a decision that would lead to another five years of storytelling.

23/12/2022

Have you heard about the Sky Stone?

15/10/2022

Dear Friends

Welcome to week three on another series of .

It is getting really exciting and I note that the stories followed by our Truth Team at Salone Fact Checker this week are mostly true.

Excellent job Sierra Leoneans!

Again this gives me hope that societal solutions and technological fixes will improve the dire forecast on online and offline false and misleading narratives.

According to Pewt research, when BBC Future Now interviewed a panel of 50 experts in early 2017 about the “grand challenges we face in the 21st century” many named the breakdown of trusted information sources.

“The major new challenge in reporting news is the new shape of truth, Truth is no longer dictated by authorities, but is networked by peers. For every fact there is a counterfact and all these counterfacts and facts look identical online, which is confusing to most people,” said Kevin Kelly, co-founder of Wired magazine. (“The Future of Truth and Misinformation Online”)

Friends, the rise of fake news and the proliferation of doctored narratives that are spread online and offline is challenging to all of us. At Salone Fact-Checker with thanks to U.S. Embassy Freetown, Sierra Leone we are attempting to minimise the spread of unreliable, sometimes even dangerous, socially destabilising false narratives in through and attempting to showcase different sides of the story in our blogs. Check the blogs for more information on our report cards https://imdev.media/blog/

Be Media Information Literate!

Think before you share. Ask yourself .. Is this story true or do I want it be true.. think again before you hit the share button and or promote the discourse through your peers.

Yours sincerely
Yeama Sarah Thompson
Publisher
Salone FactChecker

15/10/2022

According to research conducted at Stanford University, people often overestimate their ability to tell real from fake news.
How do we avoid being accidental co-conspirators in spreading disinformation? Follow the checklist below ⬇️ and check out the Africa Check article for more information: bit.ly/3BBR77M

10/10/2022

Dear Friends

The Salone Fact Checker is out again! And I assure you that the current Truth Team consisting of bloggers, journalists and women rights folks will not disappoint.

And ahhhh sorting through the vast amount of information created and shared online and on our legacy media is challenging even for experts. And I can attest that it took a lot of sweat from the Truth Team w to ensure you have access to the right information.

This phase of the Salone Fact Checker will investigate and define terms including and related to "fake news" while offering resources and information to avoid both reading and sharing it.
Friends, the more aware you are of what false information is and how it spreads, the better you will be at avoiding it yourself and helping your friends and family do the same.

Information has real-life consequences. It can be a literal life-saver—when it's true. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true.

I am pleased to release the first report card of our 12 weeks Factchecking series with kind support from the US Embassy in Sierra Leone..usembassy

The Salone Fact Checker is a product of the Initiatives for Media Development and is collaborating with Media Matters for Women to roll out this phase.

Fake news has dire repercussions. Be Media Information Literate!
Yours sincerely

Yeama Sarah Thompson
Publisher
Salone Fact Checker

For More information and reading on the report card. Please click https://imdev.media/blog/

10/10/2022

Dear Friends

It’s our second week of fact checking on a 12-week series with thanks to the US Embassy in Sierra Leone. U.S. Embassy Freetown, Sierra Leone

Ahem! there are a lot of trending stories to choose from and its amazing and sad that we have a lot of content trending on social and legacy media that needs to be fact checked.

This week there were many half-truths. Yes Half Truth is a statement that is only partly true, especially one that is intended to keep something secret and one has to dig digger to bring out the truth.

Given the prevalence of misinformation, disinformation and malinformation on both social media and legacy media, plus the fact that prior knowledge may not always save one from falling prey to misinformation ahhhh understanding the various elements that influence believability of a message is extremely important. Yes it is!

Lord Alfred Tennyson wrote “that a lie which is half a truth is ever the blackest of lies, that a lie which is all a lie may be met and fought with outright, but a lie which is part a truth is a harder matter to fight.”

Be Media Information Literate!

Yours sincerely

Yeama Sarah Thompson
Publisher
Salone Fact Checker

For more information on the findings of the report cards, please click this link https://imdev.media/blog/

And the report cards are published weekly on Facebook on

20/08/2022

engagement with the & in the wake of the August 10 protest.
Part 1

20/08/2022

conducted a meeting on Friday, August 19, at the in Aberdeen in to reflect on their work and consider how they may promote in the wake of a CSO, engagement with regarding the demonstration.
Follow on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/ophaniel/status/1560876380400893953?s=21&t=buG1wZAfjhNTm2GEiWynPg

19/08/2022

The President of Sierra Leone Association of Journalists - Ahmed Sahid Nasralla speech during a and engagement with at , following the bloody protest.

30/07/2022

08/07/2022

https://salone-news.com/waitad-bridge-knowledge-gap-of-25-journalists-on-ecowas-trade/

In order to bridge the knowledge capacity gap in holding public actors accountable for their commitments to the smooth implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of trade instruments, GIZ and ECOWAS Commission on Monday, July 4, 2022, began a week-long training for 25 journalists from anglophone West African countries -Gambia, Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone- at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos – Nigeria.

The training, which was conducted by the West African Institute for Trade, Agriculture and Development (WAITAD) seeks to enhance the capacity of media practitioners on effective strategies that could trigger improved advocacy and communications efforts toward ensuring that trade and trade facilitation instruments work and impact positively on the ECOWAS Member States.

There is a knowledge capacity gap on the part of non-state actors, particularly media practitioners in holding public actors accountable for their commitments to the smooth implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of trade instruments. As a result, the requisite changes at the national and regiona...

04/07/2022

The UN Women's Regional Director for West and Central Africa (RD), Oulimata Sarr, urged the media in Sierra Leone to break stereotypes and alter the gender narrative.

“The media plays a critical role in the work that we do. We need you to amplify our messages. We need you to help us change the narrative, but we also need you to unstereotype the narrative,”

The UN Women RD stated that the UN Women will share knowledge, data, and advocacy papers for the media to play their critical role in gender equality and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director UN Women (ASG/DED), Asa Regner explained that violence against women is different it is sexualized. “It can be physical sexual violence; it can be very sexualized comments, which make it very difficult for women to come out with their political messages; and it can be organized campaigns against women for being women.”

The UN ASG/DED, said women politicians are often also measured differently. There are different norms and standards for women and men, and “we actually know from research in many countries that if the media is not thinking about this or is not aware enough, sometimes the media portrays women politicians differently than those of men because we kind of expect power to be carried by a man and therefore women are measured by other standards.”
She emphasized that it is very important for democracy, to give women and men the same chance before and during and after elections.

In comparison to women, males are proportionally more frequently featured in the media, although such depictions are frequently condemned for embodying sexist tropes.

The majority of reviewers also talk about how male characters in movies and television tend to be more harsh, aggressive, and controlling.

https://twitter.com/Ophaniel/status/1543916846973321217?s=20&t=Ylj8W5SMH7CPKfg4gfsIHA

“. RD West & Central has urged Media to break stereotypes and change narrative. Research shows that in many countries, portrays women politicians differently than men, becos women are measured by different standards.”

02/07/2022

https://twitter.com/ophaniel/status/1543038851626696711?s=21&t=VDg0MXbJ6a7F4IIA_Vhmew

“ that while continues to strive for a 30% quota for women in , has had 50% of women in and since 2012? ”

01/07/2022

https://twitter.com/MinisterManty/status/1542855336918409217

“During a meeting with the AGS, DED said the "concrete action taken by the government to protect 's rights are quite inspiring." "We will support legislative reforms that the Government of Leone has brought," she adds. ”

01/07/2022

The United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women reaffirm UN Women’s commitment to supporting Sierra Leone’s achievement of Agenda 2030.

The Assistant UN Secretary-General (ASG) and UN Women Deputy Executive Director, Ms. Asa Regner, have said the United Nation's Women's Office is committed to supporting Sierra Leone in achieving Agenda 2030.

Sierra Leone has made tremendous strides to achieve gender parity, the Gender Minister, Manty Tarwallie, said to the visiting team during a bilateral meeting at her office yesterday, June 30th, 2022. A Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy (GEWE) is in place, however, more needs to be done to support the passing of the GEWE bill which has been tabled in parliament.

ASG/DED Regner said there is a need to galvanize resources to meet the desired expectations of the Ministry of Gender. “I am here because we want to show that we are dedicated to Sierra Leone, and we want to find ways to work with you." In the last few hours we have seen constructive thinking around Sierra Leone and gender equality, "said Asa Regner

Ms. Asa Regner also said that there is a huge gap between policies and reality. “Most countries in the world have a gap between legislation and reality, and we’ve increasingly learned how to support the closing of that gap.”

ASG/DED Regner said that there are great lessons in Sierra Leone in the engagement of boys and men, as well as whole families, in the prevention, protection, and providing justice for sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Sexuality Education is also an important tool for girls to know their rights, she concluded.

Regional Director of West and Central Africa of UN Women, Oulimata Sarr said she is very hopeful that the government of Sierra Leone will support “we know Sierra Leone is going to provide representation and resources to the women talked about in the GEWE Bill and we were very pleased to see how the bill is addressing issues of representation, the issue of economic empowerment, the issue of education of the girls,” she added that this is as a result of the commitment handwork and dedication of the Gender Minister.

At a meeting in Parliament with the Speaker, the team highlighted the GEWE Bill, which they described as all-encompassing for the attainment of Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Sierra Leone.

“We are very hopeful that the bill, that is set before us will be passed. "We will be increasing the representation to 44 women as the bill requires that for every 2 males there should be a female representation," the Speaker of Parliament responded.

In a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor David Francis said Sierra Leone is a small country with free quality education. He said that 2% of the GDP is invested in free quality education, and that's translated into 2.5 million children going to school.

AGS/DED said when women's rights are upheld and put into practice, and when they hold political positions and other authority, we can really assess that the difference is more legitimate and long-lasting because it is much more inclusive.

RD I come from a country where clarity has been made since 2012. Since 2012, the parliament has had 50% local government and that's why we believe that Senegal will be seen as a source of inspiration.

Less than 20% of elected seats in Sierra Leone are held by women, who make up 52% of the country's overall population. In comparison to males, their representation, visibility, involvement, and voice in elected and appointed posts are still quite low. Inadequate progressive legislation that protects and promotes participation for women; high levels of illiteracy, deeply ingrained traditions and practices; political violence and retaliation, lack of economic independence; and lack of confidence to run for public office are a few of these obstacles.

14/06/2022

It took nearly two hours from Bo City to Lablama, a gold mining hamlet on the outskirts of Sierra Leone's Southern Province.
Approximately 200 meters off the Kangari Hills Forest Reserve gangs of artisanal gold miners clusters around pits frantically searching for gold as if it were the California Gold Rush of the 1800s.
One of the miners stoops within a tarpaulin pool full of dirty water and ore. He washed the slurry using a headpan half full of ore and water. Mercury, a sliver-like liquid floats in his metal bowl, attracting and merging with the gold to produce an amalgam.


The miner then carefully turns the mercury which is now mixed with gold into a handkerchief-size cloth and squeezes the blend, the mercury escapes leaving a nugget of gold-laced with some amount of mercury inside the cloth.
Without any protective gear or safety measures, these miners engaged in the crude and dangerous process of using mercury to extract gold.
The use of mercury in artisanal gold mining is spreading across the sector, says Peter Rosenbluth the Project Manager of Artisanal Gold Council.
7 communities have been identified using mercury in gold mining, he reveals.

Read more on Awoko
Tuesday June 14 Edition

10/05/2022

one story at a time

04/11/2021

Irate APC supporters bulldozed by Sierra Leone Police as ACC calls the party form flag bearer Samura Kamara for questioning with regards to breaching procurement procedures to the repair the Sierra Leone mission to UN building.

15/10/2021

Name one feature of Jet Lee?

15/10/2021

President Bio defends controversial 🇬🇳 visit on

12/10/2021

In City pupils in Bumpa High School are driven out of school because they failed to give teachers five cups of rice.

07/10/2021

This young lady allegedly killed an abusive boyfriend. What’s your take?

02/10/2021

It was done by one of the best in Radwan Skeiky