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Young Peacebuilders in West Africa Are Needed

Applications now open

Deadline to apply: August 31, 2016

Application Guidelines and eligibility criteria available HERE

Guided by the principle that youth are key actors to achieve peace, UNAOC develops educational programming to enhance the ability of young people and their organizations to foster mutual respect, understanding and long-term positive relationships between peoples of different cultures and religions.

The Young Peacebuilders project is designed to engage young women and young men from West Africa in an intercultural dialogue and peacebuilding experience. The aim is to support the growth of networks of young peacebuilders who are equipped with the tools to address stereotypes, prejudice and polarization in order to build more inclusive and peaceful societies in their communities and globally.

The programme is intended for young women and young men who are starting their involvement in this field.

20 selected participants will learn and collaborate online and in-person during 12 weeks – from October to December 2016.

Participants will interact online through a series of facilitated modules and in-person during a one-week workshop in Abuja, Nigeria in November.

During the programme, participants will:

• Learn about other cultures, faiths and worldviews within and beyond the group to foster intercultural cohesion and collaboration;
• Learn about stereotypes and how to critically analyze them to reduce their prevalence;
• Understand different perspectives in identity-based conflict and gain tools to develop solutions at local, national and regional level and transform conflicts peacefully;
• Develop competences to use different forms of media or expressive arts as a way to create alternative narratives, reduce polarization and promote social inclusion.

Man Rapes His 12 years old step Daughter

One Ezekiel Mohamed Marcus Bassie was last Friday remanded at the Male Correctional Centre in Freetown for an alleged sexual penetration of his stepdaughter.

The accused was arraigned at the Freetown Magistrates’ Court No.1, presided over by Magistrate Dr. Abou Bhakarr Binneh-Kamara, on one count of sexual penetration of child contrary to law.
According to the particulars of offence, the accused on diverse dates between April and May 2016, at Spur Loop, in Freetown, sexually abused the victim, aged 12.

Youth at Mount Aureol are in support of kandeh Yumkella 2018 Presidential race

Some young people at the Mount Aureol axis in Central Freetown have argued that among the leading flag-bearer aspirants of the main opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) for the February 2018 presidential election, Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella (KKY) is the most fitted person that will appeal to the Sierra Leonean electorate.

The desperate young people vowed to give their unflinching support to the former international civil servant that served the United Nations in various capacities including Director General of UNIDO.

One of the young people, Mohamed Sesay, asserted that Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella is someone with a clean record both locally and internationally and could win the attention of Sierra Leoneans yearning for a dignified and hard-working national leader.

He entreated SLPP delegates to vote in the flag-bearer contest wisely in order to take the right decision that will take them to State House in 2018.

Another youth, Christian Jones, argued that SLPP will not win the 2018 presidential election without endorsing Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella as their presidential candidate.

He described the former UN official as a Sierra Leonean with the passion for national development as demonstrated by the projects he engineered for Sierra Leone when he was Director General of UNIDO, including the Bangasoka mini-hydro dam and the Growth Centres in Bo, Kenema and Makeni respectively.

Christian Jones believes that the SLPP lost the 2012 presidential election to the ruling All People’s Congress (APC) because the former chose the wrong presidential candidate which he described as a very big mistake.

The concerned youths urged the SLPP to embrace peace and unity in order to regain their past glory as they prepare to hold their national convention late this year.

BREAKING NEWS: Youth in Koinadugu District Came Under Fire By Police. Umaru Fofana Report

This Demonstration Started because the youth felt betrayed by their president who had earlier on in December 2014 allegedly  promise the Villagers a Vocational Institution that will train and prepared them for entrepreneurship.

A Construction work that should have started in January last year is now been transfer to another district. this has cause the uproar of the youth

.

below is the report from Umaru Fofana 

 Young Anti-government demonstrators in the northern Koinadugu district say they've come under police fire. The district youth leader, Mohamed Marah says "police have just started firing teargas and live rounds at us". They are protesting against the government's decision to establish a skills-training Youth Village in another district which they say had been promised them in 2014. Police in the region are not responding to my calls. 

 The District Youth Chairman in Koinadugu, northern ‪#‎SierraLeone‬ says young men and women will embark on street protests today for the second time in a week. Mohamed Marah told me the move was "to demonstrate our frustration over the humiliating treatment by President [Ernest] Koroma and his APC party meted out to us over the promised construction of a Youth Village in the district which has now been moved to Tonkolili". He said the president had in December 2014 promised them the Village, a vocational institute to train the skills of young people and prepare them for entrepreneurship, with construction work to start in January 2015. "Now they've taken it to another district humiliating us as if we are less Sierra Leonean". The government is yet to comment, but sources say big hitters have been sent to the district. 
Photos are of a previous protest.

Kennedy Uzoka Assumes Office as UBA GMD/CEO

Kennedy Uzoka has assumed his position as the Group Managing Director and CEO of pan-African banking group, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc. This follows the retirement of Phillips Oduoza as Group Managing Director and CEO of UBA Plc on July 31, 2016 after completing two terms of three years each.
Uzoka, the new GMD/CEO of UBA Plc, was until his appointment, the Deputy Managing Director, a position he has held in the last six years, working closely with the former GMD/CEO. His appointment as the new GMD is seen as a testimony to the strength of the bank’s succession planning process.

“Kennedy Uzoka is not only very hard working, but he is also a man of impeccable integrity. He is passionate and committed to UBA. The board is confident that he will take the bank to the next level” said Tony Elumelu, Chairman, UBA Plc.
Kennedy Uzoka comes well prepared for his new position. He has been leading the transformation agenda of the Bank, after returning from completing the Advanced Management Programme of Harvard Business School.

Uzoka has over two and a half decades of experience in commercial banking, strategy and business transformation. Prior to his sabbatical at Harvard, Uzoka served as Deputy Managing Director, UBA Group and was also the CEO of UBA Africa, responsible for the Group’s operations in 18 countries across Africa as well as business in New York and London.

“Uzoka brings an extremely strong skill set and a breadth of financial services experience that will help the bank execute the next phase of its growth strategy.” said Elumelu.
Speaking to staff in a video podcast after resuming on August 1, the new GMD/CEO, Uzoka who described UBA as a strong, recognizable and trusted brand across Africa, promised to build a bank based on a strong foundation of customer service.

“We will stay close to our customers and do everything possible to serve them properly. Our customers will be the beginning, the middle and the end of our strategy” he stated.
United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, is one of Africa’s leading banking Groups with operations in 19 African countries and offices in three global financial centers: London, Paris and New York.

It is a publicly quoted company listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and has a well diversified shareholder base.

China-Salone sign two medical agreements

The Chinese Ambassador Zhao Yanbo and the Minister of Health and Sanitation Dr Abu Bakarr Fofanah on Friday at the Ministry’s Conference hall, Youyi Building signed two medical agreements that will see Chinese doctors come in to help in the area of eye surgery and maternal health care.
Giving a short address before the signing, the Chinese Ambassador said during the ebola, they discovered that Sierra Leone do not have enough doctors and they had to send 20 doctors that are working in the Jui hospital.


“Ebola is over and the problem is more evident now because some of the doctors unfortunately lost their lives and this has worsened the problem. It is because of that reason my government has decided to come in again to help in the area of eye surgery and Maternal and Child care.”

Ambassador Zhao said since 1973 China has been sending medical teams to Sierra Leone and they helped establish the Kingharman Road hospital where the doctors were working.
The two teams that are coming will do Cataract operations and the second team will help with Maternal and Child Care, food nourishment, child health and development, infant and child nutrition.
“They will come with equipment which they will use to help in this area and when they are going they will leave it behind for the Ministry.”

Concerning the Cataract operation, the registration process is on-going and the first team of doctors will come at the end of the month to set the stage for the rest to come as they intend to perform 500 or more eye operations.

“We refer to this agreement as the ‘Journey to Brightness’ because the operations are for Sierra Leoneans to get their eye sight again in perfect order. So we are calling on all Sierra Leoneans that have cataract or someone you know who has it, to visit the Jui hospital now and register. The operations will be done free of charge and this will be the fifth operation conducted in Sierra Leone.

The Minister of Health thanked the Chinese Ambassador and his team for their continued support and said China has shown how sincere their friendship is to Sierra Leone.

“We are truly grateful for this assistance and do hope that the continued bi-lateral friendship will develop. You truly know our problems and these two agreements we will sign will definitely help us achieve the President’s Recovery plans as our health system is challenged.”
He said they are looking forward to start working with these Chinese Teams so that they can help contribute to the health of the people of Sierra Leone.

Both teams are expected to arrive at the end of the month and to put modalities in place to start operations. The signing agreement was witnessed by the two deputy Ministers, and the Economic Counsellor and other Ministry of Health Officials and doctors from Jui hospital.

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Over illicit mining in Kono…CSO’s call for Legal Action: by Mohamed Kabba

In testing the democratic processes of this country Civil Society members in Kono district have signed a position paper over the illicit town mining along the Congo Bridge in Koidu city demanding for legal actions to be taken against all those involved.
It could be recalled that on Friday 3rd June 2016 illegal mining activities commenced under the Congo Bridge in the municipality of Koidu which drew the attention of civil society, students union body, residents, government officials including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), The National Minerals Agency (NMA) and other human rights groups.
More emphasis were laid on identifying those behind the illicit mining, a campaign that was championed by the national body of Kono Students Union (KONSU) exactly fifteen days from commencement of mining on Friday 17th June 2016. Their intervention was described by many as ‘timely’ because after nine (9) days of persistent pressure a stakeholders meeting was summoned on Sunday 26th of June 2016, where the Resident Minister East, Hon. Karamoh Kabba, the Minister of Transport and Aviation, Hon. Balogun L. Koroma and others took full responsibility for the mining and apologized for not informing the district.

In their joint position on the illegal mining signed by the Civil Society Network (CSN), KONSU National, Women in Need of Development Sierra Leone, Women in Mining and Extractives, Kono Women in Governance Network and Campaign for Just Mining, they highlighted ten (10) points ranging from violation of the laws of the country, both the EPA and Mines and Minerals Acts to the involvement of a foreigner by the name of Max Brandwain of Pluto Mining Company, holder of small scale mining license, among many.
The Civil Society therefore made four strong recommendations in their position paper, calling for; Legal actions to be taken against those involved in the illicit act; that thorough assessment on affected people and properties be conducted for adequate compensations, that the Independent Media Commission (IMC) investigate SLBC radio FM 90.2 in Kono and the person who moderated the Resident Minister’s radio program in which the minister repeatedly uttered derogatory statements against the populace of Kono, and that, the mining license of Pluto mining be withdrawn with immediate effect and legal action taken against the owner.

It is worth remembering that the Minister of Transport and Aviation, Hon. Balogun L. Koroma during his keynote statement during the 26th June stakeholders meeting in Koidu did assure the district that, “All diamonds from Congo Bridge belongs to Kono district and they are safe. So whosoever does any fraud with it should be blacklisted by the people including myself, so everything from the bridge should benefit all,” he emphasized.
The much desired unanswered question is whether their position paper will be addressed, by who and or when because the mining activities under the Congo Bridge in Koidu city will soon come to an end and the road work will continue by the Chinese.


By Mohamed Kabba