First Independent Mena Newspaper
Sierra Leone has reaffirmed support for Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its entire Saharan territory, praising in this regard the historic Resolution 2797 adopted lately by the UN Security Council. The supportive stand was expressed by foreign minister of this West African country Musa Timothy Kabba during his talks held Thursday in Rabat […]
The French Navy has intercepted nearly 10 tonnes of cocaine aboard a stateless fishing vessel off the coast of West Africa, marking one of the year’s largest drug busts and highlighting the region’s growing role as a key transshipment route in the global cocaine trade. The 9.6-tonne haul — valued at roughly $600 million — […]
African leaders used the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) as a platform to demand structural reform, global justice, and recognition of Africa’s geopolitical relevance. Central to their message: the urgent need for permanent representation on the UN Security Council and a rebalanced global order that is ‘outdated and unjust’. President Cyril Ramaphosa of South […]
West Africa is becoming a central node in global cocaine trafficking, as powerful criminal groups from the Western Balkans expand their footprint across the region, a new report has revealed. Once operating largely behind the scenes, Albanian- and Slavic-speaking networks have now entrenched themselves in countries like Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, and Cape Verde. These […]
The ambitious Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic Gas Pipeline project has reached critical milestones following high-level meetings in Rabat, positioning the 6,000-kilometer infrastructure initiative for imminent implementation. In December 2024, West African leaders approved the Intergovernmental Agreement during the 66th CEDEAO Summit, spelling out each country’s rights and responsibilities for the project. Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition Leïla […]
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Liberia have been elected to serve two-year terms as of the United Nations Security Council, beginning January 2026. The two African nations secured overwhelming support in Tuesday’s (3 June) vote, with the DRC receiving 183 votes and Liberia 181 out of 193 UN member states. They will replace […]
Sierra Leone’s president Julius Maada Bio has fired Alusine Kanneh, the country’s head of immigration, following the publication of a video showing Kanneh with Johannes Leijdekkers, a notorious Dutch drug kingpin. The footage, which emerged on 7 March, shows Kanneh receiving a birthday gift from Leijdekkers, who is wanted across Europe for drug trafficking and […]
Nigerian naira, Malawian kwacha and Rwandan franc have been named the worst-performing African currencies against the US dollar in 2024, according to a latest report, having faced an array of challenges, from persistent trade imbalances, dwindling foreign reserves, to political instability. Some African nations strengthened their currencies, while others faced worsening exchange rates in 2024. […]
The Millennium Challenge Corporation, a U.S. state development fund, offered a grant of $430 million to help Sierra Leone generalize electricity access. The grant would back efforts to give electricity access to some 4.6 million people in the country where 30% of the population lacks electricity. Electricity access is a major issue in Sub-Saharan Africa, […]
Sierra Leone has asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a 38-month Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement worth about $253 million. The facility would support restoring stability through continued macroeconomic adjustment to address debt vulnerabilities, reduce inflation, and rebuild international reserves; bolster inclusive growth and poverty reduction through structural reforms and targeted social spending; and […]