Africa

Journalists in Uganda face accreditation hurdles ahead of election

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Ugandan authorities to ensure that members of the press can freely cover the country’s national elections scheduled on January 14, 2021. On December 10, 2020 the Media Council of Uganda, a statutory body, said that local and foreign journalists would be barred from covering electoral events […]

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Chadian Police raid Radio FM Liberté

Chadian authorities should refrain from conducting police raids on news outlets and should thoroughly investigate allegations that journalist Blaise Noubarassem was assaulted by police and intimidated by a government official, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On November 27, in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, police raided the office of privately owned broadcaster Radio FM Liberté

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Sierra Leone: Le21.3 billion spent on irregular procurement

By Chernoh Alpha M. Bah, Matthew Anderson, and Mark Feldman An internal audit into procurement activities of the Maada Bio administration for the fiscal year 2019 has revealed how Le21.3 billion was spent on diverse procurement activities by two government ministries that were not in their respective procurement plans. Auditors say officials of the country’s

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Sierra Leone: Le27.2 billion missing in maritime revenues

By Chernoh Alpha M. Bah, Matthew Anderson, and Mark Feldman  Sierra Leone’s Maritime Administration (SLMA), the country’s regulatory body responsible for the development of improved standards of performance and practice in the shipping industry including registration of ships and other vessels, could not account for more than Le27.2 billion Leones in maritime revenues collected during

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Angolan police detain journalists covering protests

Media freedom groups are calling on Angolan police to stop arresting and assaulting journalists who are covering protest across the country. At least six journalists and one media worker were arrested – with four held for more than two days – and another was harassed while covering anti-government protests by civil society groups and opposition parties

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Sierra Leone: Le21 Billion missing in three government ministries

By Chernoh Alpha M. Bah, Matthew Anderson, and Mark Feldman Details of an internal audit into financial activities of the Maada Bio administration for the fiscal year 2019, an advance copy of which the Africanist Press has seen, reveal how three government ministries in Sierra Leone collectively spent a total of Le21 billion (US$2,115,870) without

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Sierra Leone: Government Stops Audit into Coronavirus Funds

By Chernoh Alpha M. Bah, Matthew Anderson, and Mark Feldman The government of Sierra Leone has stopped an ongoing audit that looks into the use of the coronavirus emergency funds by the country’s National Coronavirus Emergency Response Center (NaCOVERC). Cabinet minutes and a letter from the country’s Law Officers Department, seen by the Africanist Press,

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Africell, Telecom Operators owe Sierra Leone Le88.1 billion in debts

By Chernoh Alpha M. Bah, Matthew Anderson, and Mark Feldman An internal audit into revenue arrears of Sierra Leone’s National Telecommunications Company (NATCOM), the country’s telecoms regulatory agency, has revealed a chronic failure by telecommunications companies and other operators to pay yearly license fees and other operational service charges amounting to billions of Leones owed

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Trust the Messenger: Why who is saying what matters for Covid-19 communication in Sierra Leone

By Nina Meghji Messaging at the start of the 2014 Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone was problematic. A lack of trust in the government and authorities, widespread misinformation, impracticable advice and culturally irrelevant and insensitive information were among the factors that contributed to the spread of the virus. Communicating the right messages through trusted channels

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From Freetown to “Treetown”: Can urban reforestation build environmental resilience in Sierra Leone’s capital?

By Nina Meghji  On 14 August 2017, a devastating mudslide claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people in the hillside village of Regent, 6km east of the capital, Freetown. Mudslides are an increasingly frequent occurrence in Sierra Leone. According to Dr Joseph Macarthy, Executive Director of the Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre (SLURC), they

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