Chairman of the Association of Journalists on Mining and Extractives, Mr. Theophilus Gbenda, has called on the Government of Sierra Leone to do more to improve the living conditions of people in mining communities across the country to avert the looming threats of violent conflicts.

Gbenda made this appeal at the launching of the second edition of the newsletter, Mining Watch, at the Atlantic Hall of the National Stadium in Freetown on Wednesday 13 October 2010. Acting Secretary-General of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists, Mr. Ishmail Koroma, who deputized SLAJ President, Mr. Umaru Fofana, launched the newsletter.

Mining Watch is published by the Association of Journalists on Mining and Extractives (AJME) in collaboration with the Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD). AJME is the media wing of the Campaign for Just Mining, an advocacy platform of civil society organizations working around mining and the environment to ensure responsible and responsive mining activities throughout Sierra Leone.

“The continued dissatisfaction of mining communities over the operations and performance of mining companies has the potentials to plunge these communities into conflicts.

“We should not lose sight so soon of the peaceful protest of the affected people of Tankoro against the operations of Koidu Holdings Limited in December 2007, which eventually resulted in the gunning down to death of two youths by officers of the Sierra Leone Police and wounding several others.

“And just recently, land owners in the Sierra Rutile operational areas in Moyamba district barricaded roads in their communities to prevent company workers from accessing their mining sites. This action was prompted by the persistent failure of the company to pay them adequate compensation for their properties.

“These are all indications that these communities, and indeed the entire country, are a powder keg, waiting to explode. This is why we’re calling on the Government to take action now in order to prevent this situation from further degenerating,” Gbenda said. Read more

NMJD COMMISSIONS YOUTH CENTRE IN KENEMA

The multi-purpose youth centre, constructed by the Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD) with support from the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (Cafod) in Kenema, eastern Sierra Leone, was on Thursday 23 September 2010 formally commissioned and handed over to the Kenema District Youth Coalition.

The event, which attracted cabinet ministers, councilors, City and District Council leaders, senior civil servants, women and youth group leaders, people with disability, the business community, NGOs and CBOs, took place in an atmosphere of peace, pomp and pageantry.

Constructed at a cost of Le187,286,248, the centre is sited at the Government Reservation Area, a safe and pleasant environment that is very close to the venerable Capitol Cinema in the central business district of Kenema.Read more

"THE CHALLENGES ARE ENORMOUS….BUT LET US DON'T ALLOW CORPORATE ENTITIES WITH DUBIOUS CHARACTERS TO CAPTURE THE STATE" - ABU BRIMA

The Executive Director of the Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD), Mr. Abu A. Brima, has pleaded with the people of Sierra Leone not to allow corporate entities with questionable characters to capture the state, as that would spell doom with devastating consequences.

He made this plea at the launching of two research reports on livelihood options of youth miners and the operations of the African Minerals Limited at the British Council Hall, Tower Hill, Freetown, on Tuesday 7 September 2010.

The two reports launched were titled: One day I will do something else-Realizing the Potential of Sierra Leonean Youth and Dancing with the Chameleon-Mining Communities in Sierra Leone and the many faces of Frank Timis. Read more

MAKENI HOSTS INTER-PROGRAMMING TEAM MEETING

The Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD) held this year's first Inter-Programming Team (IPT) meeting at the Sierra Leone Regional Library Board on Azzolini Highway in Makeni, northern region of Sierra Leone, on 8-9 July 2010. The meeting brought together both Administrative and Programme staff of the organization to reflect, share, learn and further plan.

Explaining the purpose and importance of the meeting, which is held every six months, the Deputy Executive Director, Mrs Josephine Koroma, said it was a moment for programme and administrative staff to share their successes and challenges, as well as to explore new ways of working in order to further improve programme performance. Read more

NMJD PROGRAMME OFFICER RETURNS HOME FROM MALI

The Programme Officer of the Mining and Extractives Programme of the Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD), Mohamed Sheik Turay, has returned home from Bamako, Mali, after attending the 12th Annual Strategy Meeting of the African Initiative on Mining, Environment and Society (AIMES). This year's Annual Strategy Meeting, held in Bamako on 6-8 July 2010, was organized by the Third World Network (TWN-Africa) in collaboration with the Bamako-based Institute for Research and Promotion of Alternatives in Africa (IRAD)

The AIMES Annual Strategy and Planning Meetings have been held annually since 1999. The main purpose of these meetings is to create a platform for members of the network and its partners to share information and experiences and using same to plan and map out strategies for influencing policy-makers, duty-bearers and officials of mining companies. Read more

NMJD LAUNCHES REPORT ON KOIDU HOLDINGS OPERATIONS

The Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD) and its local partners has launched the first of a series of reports on the operations of corporate mining companies working in Sierra Leone. The report titled: “Diamonds, Blood and Tears: The Relationship Between Koidu Holdings Limited and the Affected Property Owners of Kono” was launched on Tuesday 22 June 2010 at the Atlantic Hall of the National Stadium in Freetown by Commissioner Edward Sam, Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone.
 
The report focuses on the general operations of Koidu Holdings Ltd (KHL) and its relationship with the affected people of Kono. The relationship between KHL and the residents of Tankoro chiefdom, where the company operates, has always been a thorny issue for the company, the government and civil society campaigners, as well as a potential source of conflicts. Read more

NMJD ENDS TRAINING FOR RURAL FARMERS

The Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD) has completed an almost two-week long training for 26 farmers associations in five districts in the south and eastern regions of Sierra Leone. The training was geared towards improving the knowledge and skills of farmers in the use of modern agricultural techniques and new crop varieties to increase food productivity. It started in Kenema on Wednesday 9 June 2010 and ended in Bo and Kono on Thursday 17 June 2010.

The training, which is the first phase, benefited 170 farmers drawn from the executives of the 26 farmers associations in Bo, Pujehun, Kono, Kailahun and Kenema districts that are supported by NMJD with a grant from the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (D&P).
 
It was designed in a way that critical issues, apart from farming, that have potential impact on the lives and livelihoods of farmers such as human rights, gender, leadership, group formation and management were discussed. The whole training was packaged and delivered within the context of making farming attractive and a vehicle for rural development and economic prosperity. Read more

KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION CENTRE

1.0 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Bo and Kenema cities are very strategic in the socio-economic, cultural and political life of Sierra Leone. Both cities serve as the headquarter towns of Bo and Kenema districts that share borders with the Republics of Liberia and Guinea. With a population of over 150,000 and 130,000 respectively, Bo and Kenema are the second and third largest cities in the country. They host a significant number of schools (primary and secondary), tertiary and other institutions of higher learning, as well as NGOs (national and international), government Ministries, Departments and Agencies and civic groups. The operations of these institutions are most times highly hampered by the poor or absence of basic infrastructure such as poor road networks, communication systems and effective and reliable electricity supply. Because of the growing advancement in Internet Communications Technology (ICT), a lot of things bordering particularly on educational programmes and information sharing are done through the internet. But where these facilities are absent or in a very poor state, there is bound to be a huge deficit in citizens' efforts to meet their communication needs. Read more