Tuesday, 29th July 2025
Key Highlights
By: Zacharia Jalloh, Ministry of Information and Civic Education
The Ministry of Information and Civic Education’s weekly press conference on Tuesday, 29th July 2025, brought together key government spokespersons and institutional heads to update the public on major national developments ranging from the recent MCC Compact approval and transport sector reforms to digital innovations supporting public service delivery and child welfare protection. Below are the key highlights from the engagement.
Sierra Leone’s $480 Million MCC Compact Approved
The Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor Bah, emphasised the uniqueness of Sierra Leone’s MCC Compact approval by the United States Government. Minister Bah said after the United States Government has done comprehensive and thorough review of all their trade and foreign investments, of the 25 countries with the MCC program, only 12 were approved, including 5 from Africa. Minister Bah informed the public that the only Country in Africa that was cleared for approval with no modification to its compact program is Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone MCC Compact which is a $480 million will focus on transforming the country’s energy infrastructure.
Fare Reductions and Transport Updates Following Fuel Price Cuts
The Deputy Minister of Transport and Aviation Rex Bhonapha provided update on the transport sector. Following the reduction of prices in petroleum products, the Ministry of Transport and Aviation engaged members of the transport sector on the 25th July 2025 to negotiate a price reduction that is reflective of the pump price. Subsequently, the engagements with the drivers’ union, Keke riders, bike riders, and Waka Fine Buses agreed to reduce prices by NLe2 for internal services and NLe10 for the provinces.
On the sea front, Minister Bhonapha announced that they have also negotiated with the ferry operators to reduce fares as well. The ferries operating from Ferry to Targrin and Government Wharf to Targrin have reduced fares by NLe2 and NLe10 for heavy vehicles. He disclosed that students, military personnel and Police officers in uniform are exempted from paying fares.
Child Rights Commission Commends Free Transport for School Children
The Commissioner, National Commission for Children Joyce Wuya Tejan-Kella commended the Ministry of Transport for ensuring school children don’t pay in the ferry and thanked the government of Sierra Leone in providing school buses as well for pupils.
Madam Wuya Tejan-Kella went further to discuss some of the key mandates of the Commission in ensuring the safety and well-being of Children. One of the key mandates she outlined is to monitor and coordinate the implementation of the Convention of the Rights of Children and the African Child’s Act on the Rights and Welfare of Children. She also noted that the Commission has been empowered by the reviewed Child Rights Act of 2007 to investigate matters related to Children.
DSTI Driving Digital Transformation Across Sectors
The Director and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Directorate of Science Technology and Innovation (DSTI), Jasper Patrick Sembie, outlined the tremendous job DSTI is doing to support Ministries, Agencies and Departments in building systems to drive government’s digital drive.
Director Sembie started off with the development of a digital tool called PResTract which seeks to support the Government of Sierra Leone to reduce maternal mortality rate. The tool has been rolled out to over 40 clinics and has benefited over 10,000 pregnant women.
DSTI has also supported the Sierra Leone Nursing and Midwifery Council with a digital regulatory platform which seeks to streamline the licensing, indexing and registration of nurses and midwives in Sierra Leone.
Another significant intervention by DSTI as mentioned by Director Jasper Patrick Sembie is the support to the Sierra Leone Armed Forces with the digital transformation of the Armed Forces Endowment and Loan Scheme (AFELS) that benefits 11,000 military personnel. The platform brings efficiency, trust and transparency to the financial support scheme. Director Sembie also disclosed that they are training about 1000 military personnel on digital skills and capacity building.
Another support highlighted by Director Sembie is to the energy sector. He said they are working in collaboration with the sector lead Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella to develop a dashboard that will provide real-time updates on energy flows and demand.
DSTI, for the past 5 years, has introduced the Learning Passport which provides the requisite skills training for young people. The platform empowers young people in finding solutions to solve problems in their communities. Several hubs are across the country equipped with computers, internet, and solar with different content to enable young people to learn new skills. This has already benefited around 28,000 young people, according to Director Jasper Patrick Sembie.
