The Daily IIJ

International Leaders at the ongoing African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) in
Accra have renewed their commitment to transform agriculture in Africa into a productive and profitable business aimed at ending hunger, whilst eliminating poverty in the sub-region. “The time for African green revolution is now”, declared the International Leaders at the AGFR on Thursday. [Read more →]

THE COMMISSION on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) says if Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ documentary on the barbaric treatments meted out to the destitute and orphans at the Osu Children’s Home recently is a true reflection, then it is indeed very disheartening and abhorrent. Read more on www.nayank80.blogspot.com

Uganda’s Supreme Court has ruled that the country’s Seditious Libel Law is inconsistent with Freedom of Expression which is guaranteed by its constitution. The five-member panel said the law did not fall within the acceptable limit of free speech and struck seditious libel off the country’s law books. [Read more →]

One of the eye-catching aspirants for the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) flag-bearer position has revealed a number of reasons for contesting the opposition’s most coveted post and why he believes party loyalists should pin their trust in him by giving him the mandate to lead the SLPP to the crunch 2012 presidential and parliamentary elections. [Read more →]

It has been empirically established that there is great potential in volunteerism alleviating social ills and advancing national development. The impact of volunteerism and its activities result in huge benefits for civil participation and social inclusion.
Volunteerism, provides the much needed local solutions to local problems as it ensures the enhancement of the pool of expertise and skills within the country. It engages the most valuable assets of our society, .i.e. youths and prepares them to take up their rightful leadership roles.
Obviously, one stand- by saying that it can contribute for the advancement of any nation, if the youths are ready to take the challenges and lead. Governments on the other hand, also need to create incentives so as to maintain the scheme.
United Agencies, Non- Governmental Organisations and Civil Socitey Organisation also have a great role to play in meeting the demands of volunteerism in any nation or to make volunteerism projects succeed. [Read more →]

The twelve drug suspects who were apprehended in May this year are likely to face twelve drug related charges at the lower Court in Banjul.
The suspects, Varela Fernando (Cape Verde/Deutsch national), Rudy Rasoalhamid Ghazi (Deutsch national), Godwin Barset (Ghanaian/Sierra Leonean), Jorge Ivan Sanchez-Tabares (Mexican/Liberian), Dennis Wilgo Winter (Deutsch), Ephiam Michael Chidubem (Nigerian), and Juan Carlos Sanchez Eric Porping, Luis Dose Fermin, Esledan Zuala, George Ivan Sanchez, Juan Carlos Daiz (Venezuelans) were earlier charged with three Counts of conspiracy, being in possession of drugs and drug trafficking.
The later two charges were withdrawn but the conspiracy charge remains. The suspects were put on trial in June 2010 by police in Banjul after some arrests led to a massive drug bust involving more than 2 tones of cocaine said to worth over $1 billion. [Read more →]

Gambia’s Minister for Basic and Secondary Education Mrs. Fatou Lamin Faye has express concerns over the likelihood of a reduction in rice export to the country as some rice exporting countries are experiencing serious natural disasters such as floods. [Read more →]

The empowerment of women and the improvement in their status are important and essential for the achievement of sustainable development.
In fact, paragraph 16 of the Beijing Declaration of the Fourth World Conference on Women held in 1995, states among others that “Eradication of poverty based on sustained economic growth, social development, environmental protection and social justice requires the involvement of women in economic and social development, equal opportunities and the full and equal participation of women and men as agents and beneficiaries of people-centred sustainable development”. [Read more →]

The Minister of Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Affairs, Lamin Kabba Bajo has admitted that policy makers occupy a pivotal position in the process of improving and maintaining access to fisheries products in international markets.
He said technicians cannot proceed far enough to register success without the support of key decision makers in government. The existence of sound policy commitment in support of the control of the health and safety of fishery products is important but cannot be put in place without understanding the fundamental requirements for meeting standards.
“It is therefore important that policy makers in government understand the issues around sanitary and phytosanitary requirements for compliance with international standards,” he charged, while adding that commitment to ensuring compliance is very important but health and safety requirements of fishery products. [Read more →]

“After the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) war, the very big news that happened to Sierra Leone is the coming of African Minerals. I cannot over emphasize the importance of African Minerals to this country today,” said the Mines and Mineral Resources Minister Hon. Alhaji Alpha Kanu whiles addressing delegates of Shandong Iron and Steel in the conference room of his ministry.

A delegation from China representing Shandong Iron and Steel led by the company’s vice president Li Qiang Ro has ended a five day visit to Sierra Leone during which the delegation met with President Ernest Bai Koroma and ministers of government.

Shandong Steel company has developed interest in African Minerals’ Tonkolili Iron Ore Project and ready to pump into it US$1.4billion. This partnership between African Minerals and Shandong Steel is a source of revenue for government and employment for the people of Sierra Leone.

During the meeting in the mines ministry conference room on Friday 27^th August, every minister present saw African Minerals as a development partner. For the minister of Trade and Industry David Carew, “investment of this nature brings a lot of benefits from growth of commodities market, stimulation of Foreign Direct Investment to infrastructural development.”

The Minister of Transport and Aviation Allieu Pat-Sowe claims that there has been great improvement in air and sea transport. Likewise the minister of Labour and Employment Minkailu Mansaray emphasized job creation as another direct benefit of the Tonkolili Project to the people.

African Minerals came to Sierra Leone immediately after the war and since then the company has been engaged in exploration work. AML spent about $300million on the exploration and the result shows that Tonkolili holds 10.5 billion tons of iron ore.

Records of the mines ministry shows that there are 135 exploration companies registered with the ministry but only two are operating and African Minerals is one.

Having graduated from exploration to mining, African Minerals has paid crop compensation to locales of chiefdoms whose farmlands fall within the railway path and haul roads being constructed.  In an interview with Mohamed Kamara a farmer living in Lokomasama Port Loko District, he said that the crop compensation he received from African Minerals clearly shows that the company means well for the people and government.