People like the former Financial Secretary, Mr. Edmond Koroma, Dr. Richard Conteh, Dr. Abu Bakarr Fofanah, Alhaji Dr. Alpha Khan, Lawyer Abu Bakarr Kalokoh, Hon. Ambassador Alimamy Kamara, etc all APC and the current Minister of Labour Alhaji Alpha O. Timbo, the current Minister of Mines & Mineral Resources, Hon. Musa Timothy Kabba, the current Cabinet Secretary, Mr. John Sumaila, the Permanent Secretary Techman and the current Deputy Minister of Political Affairs, Amara Kallon etc, all SLPP. This media learnt that there are more Franciscans in both political parties and it is St, Francis Secondary School that has more of this unique attribute than any other school in the country.
It is therefore not a surprise that on the day of its celebrations there were several high profile personalities on the high table. The Guest of Honour for the celebrations on Saturday was the current Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, who spoke on proficiency in the current Educational System in Sierra Leone, highlighting the challenges and opportunities. Other personalities present include Dr. Samura Wilson Kamara, the Minister of Health and Sanitation, Prof. Alpha Wurie, who, together with his executive, represented OBBA of Bo School and the former Attorney General & Minister of Justice, Joseph F. Kamara (JFK)
All those present included the following:
1. Dr. Samura Mathew Wilson
2. Joseph F. Kamara (JFK)
3. Dr. Richard Conteh
4. Prof. Alpha Wurie & top OBBA Executive
5. Dr. David Sengeh
6. Alhaji Alpha Khan
7. Ambassador Alimamy Kamara
8. Deputy MD, Rokel Commercial Bank
VP JULDEH JALLOH SHARES SIERRA LEONE’S EXPERIENCE WITH AFRICAN LEADERS AT 9TH SMART AFRICA BOARD MEETING
Friday 7th December, 2020 – On the invitation of H.E Paul Kigame, President of Rwanda and Chairman of the Board of Smart Africa Alliance, the Hon. Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, on7th December 2020, participated in the 9th Smart Africa Board Meeting of Heads of State and Government members of the Smart Africa Alliance.
Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh used the occasion to reaffirm Government’s commitment to Smart Africa’s bold vision of transforming Africa into a single digital market through collective alliances. He underscored the immense importance of digital transformation and its corresponding impact on economies and socio-economic development. At the meeting, other Heads of State congratulated Sierra Leone on the use of data and technology to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, which has enabled CDC to list Sierra Leone as one of the four safe African countries to travel to.
The Hon. Vice President informed the meeting that as part of Sierra Leone’s commitments under the Intra African Fiber Connectivity Initiative, “we recently completed the physical interconnection of our Fibre Optical Cable with that of our sister Republic of Guinea under the auspices of SMART AFRICA. This will provide fiber optic connectivity redundancy for International Voice and Data traffic routing. The activation of this important circuit will support cheaper traffic routing between the two countries”.
He concluded his statement by underscoring the steady, but important progress Sierra Leone is making in developing a resilient and safer cyber space in order to promote the safe use of digital technologies, including fighting cybercrime. “We have developed our first National Cybercrime Bill that will create a comprehensive and harmonised legal framework and build capacity for law enforcement and the judiciary to efficiently combat cybercrimes and protect critical communication infrastructure,” VP Juldeh Jalloh asserted.
The Smart Africa Alliance is a bold and innovative commitment from African Heads of State and Governments to accelerate sustainable socio-economic development on the continent, ushering Africa into a knowledge economy through affordable access to Broadband and usage of Information and Communications Technologies. This year’s meeting considered and adopted 5 strategic initiatives with focus on creating an all inclusive, sustainable and transformative digital highway in accordance with the AUC’s digital Transformation Strategy for Africa.
- Reduce the cost of broadband service by at least 50% through the bulk capacity purchase project
- Promote the digital literacy of decision makers and mainstream ICT education through the Smart Africa Digital Academy
- Promote implementation of theGiGa Africa initiative and create the enabling environment to make smart devices for education affordable and accessible for Generation X
- Establish a robust network of interconnected Africa through the Intra-Africa Connectivity Program
- Establish a baseline of broadband penetration in Africa through the Smart Africa Ambassadorial Program