Daily Informs

TODAY’S KRIO PROVERB
Watin una tink of this proverb
Una gie una yone proverbs make we see di one wae yu sabi

🏥🇸🇱 UNICEF SUPPORTS MAKENI NEWBORN UNIT WITH £32,000 IN EQUIPMENT

UNICEF has provided medical equipment valued at approximately £32,000 to support the Special Care Baby Unit at Makeni Regional Hospital.

The support, funded by the UK Government through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), is aimed at strengthening specialised care for newborn babies, including premature, low-birth-weight and critically ill infants.

The equipment comes as the hospital works to restore and improve newborn care services following a fire that affected the unit.

The intervention is expected to benefit families in Makeni and communities across Sierra Leone’s Northern Region, while helping healthcare workers provide safer and more effective care for vulnerable newborns.

🇺🇸 US EMBASSY OPENS APPLICATIONS FOR 2027 MANDELA WASHINGTON FELLOWSHIP

Young African leaders now have an opportunity to apply for the 2027 Mandela Washington Fellowship, a prestigious leadership programme supported by the United States Government.

Selected Fellows will spend six weeks at a U.S. college or university, taking part in leadership training, professional development, academic activities and networking with other emerging leaders from across Africa.

The programme is designed to help young African leaders strengthen their leadership abilities, expand their professional networks and build lasting connections with institutions and fellow leaders in the United States.

The U.S. Embassy is encouraging eligible young African leaders who meet the programme requirements to submit their applications through the official application portal.

If you are an eligible young African leader, this could be an opportunity to develop your skills, expand your network and gain international leadership experience.

AYV UNVEILS 8 CONTESTANTS FOR MISS UNIVERSITY 2026

The race for the AYV Miss University 2026 crown is officially underway, following the unveiling of eight university students who will compete for the prestigious title.

The contestants were introduced during an official ceremony attended by AYV management, pageantry professionals, media representatives and other stakeholders.

Representing universities and higher learning institutions across Sierra Leone, the contestants are:

✨ Theresa Josephine Conteh – Ernest Bai Koroma University of Science and Technology (EBKUST)
✨ Grace Aliyah Bangura – Limkokwing University of Creative Technology
✨ Destiny Imonitie – Limkokwing University of Creative Technology
✨ Winifred Samai – Fourah Bay College
✨ Dudlynette Harding – Fourah Bay College
✨ Tick-Dankay Kamara – Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM)
✨ Mariama Neneh Kakay – University of Makeni (UNIMAK)
✨ Vivat Kiyamai Metnhian – Njala University

AYV Managing Director Umaru Fofana said the pageant is intended to be more than a beauty competition, with emphasis on confidence, leadership, personal development and creating opportunities for young women.

AYV Marketing Director Daniel Moore encouraged the contestants to make meaningful use of the platform, while General Manager Mariama Ariel Kamara assured participants that the competition would be conducted fairly.

The eventual winner is expected to take home a car, while the first and second runners-up will also receive prizes.

Pageantry expert Hawawa Turay, CEO of Hawawa Modeling Agency, urged the contestants to focus on purpose, personal growth and the impact they can make beyond the competition.

With all eight contestants now officially unveiled, attention shifts to the upcoming mentorship sessions, media engagements and other activities leading to the AYV Miss University 2026 grand crowning.

Who do you think will shine on the big stage? 👇

🇸🇱 SIERRA LEONE GAZETTES NEW DISTRICTS, COUNCILS AND CHIEFDOMS

Sierra Leone has taken another significant step in reshaping its local governance system following the publication of an Extraordinary Gazette containing new establishment orders for districts, councils, chiefdoms and villages across the country.

Among the new legal instruments is the Biriwa Limba Chiefdom (Establishment) Order, 2026, formally recognising the establishment of Biriwa Limba Chiefdom under the new administrative arrangements.

The Gazette also provides for the establishment of new local government structures, including Freetown City Council, Freetown West City Council, Lungi City Council, Bandajuma District Council and Kpanguima District Council.

The restructuring means that Freetown will have two city councils, creating separate administrative arrangements for Freetown City and Freetown West. Lungi has also been given a city council structure as part of the wider decentralisation process.

The new arrangements are aimed at bringing governance closer to communities, improving local administration, strengthening development planning and creating a clearer framework for the delivery of public services.

The establishment of Biriwa Limba Chiefdom, together with the creation of new districts and councils, marks another important development in Sierra Leone's ongoing decentralisation process.

A new chapter in local governance is unfolding across Sierra Leone.

What do you think about these new administrative arrangements? 👇

KONO UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY RECEIVES OFFICIAL ACCREDITATION TO OFFER NURSING PROGRAMMES

The Kono University of Science and Technology (KUST) has received official accreditation from the Nurses Council of Sierra Leone to run its nursing programmes.

The accreditation letter was formally presented at the Nurses Council’s headquarters in New England, Freetown, where the Council’s Registrar handed the document to KUST Registrar, Mr. Alpha A. Jalloh.

Mr. Jalloh accepted the accreditation on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor and the university administration, marking a significant development for nursing education in Kono District.

The accreditation gives KUST the official approval to train students in nursing, creating an opportunity for aspiring healthcare professionals in Kono and surrounding communities to pursue nursing education closer to home.

The development also adds a new institution to Sierra Leone’s accredited nursing education landscape, with KUST now positioned to contribute to the training of future healthcare workers.

Kono District | Eastern Sierra Leone

SLLCA Holds 3rd Quarterly Consultative Forum on Local Content

The Sierra Leone Local Content Agency (SLLCA) has held its 3rd Quarterly Consultative Forum at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Conference Hall in Tower Hill, Freetown, bringing together stakeholders to discuss local content implementation and ways to increase Sierra Leonean participation in the economy.

The forum brought together representatives from the Office of the President, National Minerals Agency (NMA), ACC, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Technical and Higher Education, Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, National Revenue Authority, TVET Council, SLARI, National Farmers Union, Sierra Leone Union of Technicians, Sierra Leone Importers Association, Sierra Leone Standards Bureau, National Consumer Protection Commission, Guild of Editors Sierra Leone, and other MDAs and private-sector stakeholders.

ACC Commissioner Francis Ben Kaifala, who welcomed participants and co-chaired the meeting, emphasized the need for stronger indigenous participation in Sierra Leone’s economic activities and highlighted the distinction between what is national and what is specifically indigenous.

The SLLCA Director General, who chaired the forum, called on public and private institutions to strengthen local content implementation across key sectors including mining, banking, telecommunications and services.

Participants also discussed local content approaches in Ghana, Kenya, The Gambia, Botswana, Nigeria, Guinea and Tanzania, considering lessons that could support Sierra Leone’s implementation efforts.

The meeting forms part of SLLCA’s ongoing consultations with institutions and stakeholders on expanding opportunities for Sierra Leonean businesses, professionals and service providers.

The SLLCA Steering Committee is expected to meet again next week at the ACC Integrity House to continue discussions and work on the next steps for local content implementation.

16 School Pupils Participate in Second Sierra Leone World Food Prize Youth Institute

Sixteen school pupils from across Sierra Leone have participated in the Second Sierra Leone World Food Prize Youth Institute, held at the Country Lodge Hotel in Freetown.

The programme brought together school pupils to discuss challenges affecting food security, hunger, climate change, poverty and agriculture, while giving them an opportunity to present ideas on how some of these challenges can be addressed.

The event was held in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the World Food Prize Foundation, with educators, mentors and other stakeholders also present.

During the programme, two school pupils, Aminata F. N. Kabba and Komeh David Issa, were presented with Borlaug Scholar certificates.

The initiative provides school pupils with a platform to study food and agricultural challenges and develop ideas that could contribute to addressing food insecurity and related issues in Sierra Leone.

The gathering also highlighted the role of schools in exposing young people to practical issues affecting agriculture, food production and the wider economy.

🇺🇬 EDWARD RUKIDI NYABONGO I CROWNED KING OF UGANDA’S TOORO KINGDOM

Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma has officially been crowned King (Omukama) of Uganda’s Tooro Kingdom, taking the royal name Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I.

The 56-year-old former television journalist was enthroned on September 29, 2026, at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal, following the death of the previous monarch, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who died on August 27 at the age of 34.

Kijanangoma is a member of the Babiito royal clan and a cousin of the late King Oyo. He previously worked as a television news anchor and editor before being selected as the next monarch.

His selection followed a formal succession process by the Babiito royal clan. A 21-member committee selected him on September 9, and the Tooro Kingdom Supreme Council later endorsed his appointment.

The succession process attracted public attention after questions were raised about a possible young heir from the late king’s family. However, the royal clan proceeded with Kijanangoma’s enthronement according to Tooro’s traditional succession procedures.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni attended the coronation ceremony, which included traditional rituals and cultural performances.

The coronation marks a new chapter for the Tooro Kingdom, one of Uganda’s historic traditional kingdoms, as Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I begins his reign and takes on the responsibility of preserving the kingdom’s culture and traditions.

🇸🇱 SIERRA LEONE MOVES TO STRENGTHEN SGBV PROTECTION IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS

Stakeholders in Sierra Leone’s tertiary education sector have begun reviewing a proposed policy and guidelines aimed at strengthening the prevention and response to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in universities, colleges and other higher learning institutions.

The review was organised by SEND Sierra Leone through its BRAVE Project, bringing together members of the Project Technical Working Committee to examine the inception report guiding the development of the new SGBV policy and guidelines.

The committee includes representatives from the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education, Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs, Ministry of Social Welfare, the Family Support Unit, Women’s Forum and other relevant institutions.

The approximately 20-page inception report sets out the proposed approach for the consultancy, including its objectives, scope, policy context and coordination arrangements. The work will cover 10 selected tertiary institutions across Sierra Leone’s Northern, Eastern, Southern and Western Area regions.

During the review, stakeholders examined how the proposed guidelines could address the realities faced by tertiary institutions and strengthen existing systems for preventing, reporting and responding to SGBV cases.

Members of the Technical Working Committee also provided recommendations on institutional responsibilities, referral mechanisms, coordination among service providers and safeguarding measures.

The feedback will be used to improve the inception report before the consultancy moves into its next stages.

The broader objective is to develop practical and context-responsive SGBV policies and guidelines that can help tertiary institutions strengthen prevention, reporting, referral, response and safeguarding for students and other members of the academic community.