By Chernoh Alpha M. Bah Five Sierra Leoneans have received doctorate degrees from Northwestern University since the mid-1960s. They include Enid Forde (1966, Geography), Josephus Olufemi Richards (1970, Art History), Gladys Harding (1971, Education), Augustine Stevens (1975, Political Science) and Cecil Magbaily Fyle (1976, History). I am the sixth doctoral graduate and the second historian …
By Chernoh Alpha M. Bah It is now clear to all those who have been watching developments in West Africa that the June 2023 elections in Sierra Leone have turned out to be the biggest tragedy in African elections. And the embarrassment is not felt by Sierra Leone’s elite alone, but the shame is equally …
Sierra Leone: Democracy Must Not Be a Rotational Façade of the Elite Read More »
By Chernoh Alpha M. Bah At this point, we are all in agreement that the elections in Sierra Leone lacked transparency; which is a key criterion for any democratic election. We also must make it known that any government that is the result of a non-transparent election is one that holds a stolen mandate. In …
Dangers of Endorsing or Participating in an Illegitimate Regime Read More »
By Chernoh Alpha M. Bah This year – 2022 – marks 20 years since the launch of the Africanist Press as an independent media organization providing a platform for free speech, democracy, and accountable leadership in Africa. Africanist Press journalists have campaigned against corruption and graft across three successive regimes in Sierra Leone. As editor, …
Africanist Press: Two Decades Promoting Democracy and Resisting Corruption in Africa Read More »
By Chernoh Alpha M. Bah, Matthew Anderson, and Mark Feldman The Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL) held a press conference on Monday 19th September 2022 in Freetown to provide updates on the voter registration exercise. The Commission also attempted to respond to the Africanist Press publication on ECSL’s US$10 million procurement scandal. The Africanist …
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following letter was sent to the parliamentary leader of the All Peoples Congress (APC) on 8th July 2022. It was written by Africanist Press Editorial Department in response to public statements made by a member of the APC party in Parliament providing defense for President Julius Maada Bio against corruption reports published …
Sierra Leone: Opposition Parliamentarians defend President’s corruption Read More »
By Chernoh Alpha M. Bah A statement attributed to Sierra Leone’s Financial Secretary, Sahr Jusu is being circulated on social media by government officials to explain and normalize a secret wire transfer of £94,050 to the Sierra Leone High Commission in London in the name of President Julius Maada Bio, who is currently on a …
Sierra Leone: The Financial Secretary and Money Transfers to London Read More »
By Chernoh Alpha M. Bah, Matthew Anderson, and Mark Feldman Details of the financial transactions from the banking records of the foreign affairs ministry for fiscal year 2018, during the first months of the Bio Administration, show that foreign affairs officials in Freetown withdrew all of the funds transferred by the Chinese government into the …
By Gregory Simpkins The decision by Sierra Leone to shut down the operations of U.S.-owned SL Mining has called into question that government’s commitment to the rule of law with regard to foreign investors. Since the mid-1990s, the U.S. Government has initiated various programs to boost U.S.-Africa trade and investment – from the African Growth …
Sierra Leone: Mining Dispute Threatens United States Firms Read More »
By Chernoh Alpha M. Bah, Matthew Anderson, and Mark Feldman President Julius Maada Bio has appeared on a number of television and radio talk shows in Freetown over the last two days to talk about his Presidency. The media events are apparently organized to help him respond to the ongoing Africanist Press investigative reports on …
Sierra Leone: President Maada Bio Lied About Paying a Hotel Debt in Japan Read More »
