Fritong Post Newspaper

07/08/2026

A mobile app helping patients find medicines without visiting multiple pharmacies has won Orange's biggest innovation prize.

Dr. Abdulai Osman Koroma's MobiCare claimed the NLe200,000 grand prize at the Orange Social Venture Prize 2026, beating 137 other entries.

Here's how young innovators are using technology to solve real problems and shape Sierra Leone's future.

Read more: https://fritongpost.com/mobicare-earns-top-innovation-award-for-helping-patients-find-medicines/

A mobile app designed to help patients quickly locate life-saving medicines has emerged as the winner of the 2026 Orange Social Venture Prize (OSVP), beating seven other finalists selected from 138 entries nationwide. As Orange Sierra Leone celebrated seven years of investing in homegrown innovation...

07/08/2026

Where did the money go?

Since the reintroduction of a 5% import duty on rice, the government has collected NLe365.2 million between FY2024/25, but just 9% was transferred to the Agricultural Development Fund as promised.

This raises questions about accountability, food security and support for women farmers.
Read the full report below 👇.



Read here:

The government collected NLe365.2 million from the 5% rice import duty between 2024 and 2025, but only NLe31.9 million was transferred to the Agricultural Development Fund. This raises questions about the management of public funds ring-fenced for specific programmes, as funding shortfall reportedly...

07/08/2026

📰 Fritong Post | Friday 7th August 2026

Here’s what’s making headlines today 👇

1. POLITICS: APC Claims Stats SL Favours SLPP

The opposition says Stats Sierra Leone excluded them from 2026 Census preparations and gave SLPP special access to info.

2. GOVERNANCE: Where Did Over NLe300M in Rice Import Tax Go?

Govt. in 2024 reintroduced a 5% import duty on rice. Two years down the road, NLe365m was raised but just 9% of that actually reached the Agricultural Development Fund. Where did the NLe333m go?

3. MINING: JM Mining Repeatedly Fails Legal Requirements – Mines Ministry
Ministry + NMA clarify that JM Mining never held a large-scale licence as it never fulfilled the legal requirements to be awarded same.

4. TECH/DISASTER: How Africell’s Free 1199 Line Is Helping To Prevent Disasters Before They Happen

Get the full stories in today’s _Fritong Post_ - “Obligation to the Truth; Loyalty to the Citizens”

07/08/2026

Orange Sierra Leone’s CEO, Aïcha Touré, has concluded her first provincial tour, engaging customers, partners and communities across seven locations.

The tour focused on strengthening customer relationships, assessing operations and improving service delivery nationwide.




https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1988jd4z5P/?mibextid=wwXIfr

06/08/2026

Scam Alert🚨

If someone claims they sent money to you by mistake, don’t rush to send it back. Always verify the transaction and check your Orange Money balance first.

- Verify the transaction.

- Check your balance.

- Never act in a hurry.

- Call 111 if you are unsure.

- Report any suspicious fraud activity by calling 505 or using the USSD service.

Stay alert. Stay protected.

05/08/2026

A five-year-old girl, her mother and grandmother were killed after a wall collapsed at Metchem on Monday, while more than 300 homes were flooded in Juba. Two children remain missing as search and rescue efforts continue.

The tragedy has once again exposed Freetown's vulnerability to flooding, poor drainage and unsafe construction, nearly a decade after the deadly Regent mudslide claimed over 1,000 lives.

The NDMA is warning that heavier rains are expected between August and September and is urging residents to remain vigilant and follow official safety advisories.

Read the full story on Fritong Post.

Three members of the same family have died after torrential rains triggered a deadly wall collapse and widespread flooding across Freetown. Two children are reported missing.

03/08/2026

In the second of two episodes, Ed Butler tracks the whereabouts and connections of one of Europe's most wanted drug criminals. Despite denials from the President's family, law enforcement agencies say Jos Leijdekkers is enjoying privileged status in Sierra Leone. The country's Justice Minister responds.

Click on the link below 👇 to listen the full podcast.

The search for one of Europe's most wanted drug criminals, Jos Leijdekkers

03/08/2026

*Freetown Mayor Aki-Sawyerr Speaks On The Constitutional Amendment Bill Ahead Of Today’s Vote*

The Constitutional Amendment Bill was last week committed to the Committee Stage after lengthy debates that lasted for several hours.

Today, MPs will be voting on the Bill. Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr shares her views on two critical elements of the Bill: Proportional Representation System and Presidential Threshold.

Her views are captured below 👇

As I have previously written, the significance of this vote cannot be overstated. In my opinion, the two most important clauses in the Bill are in respect of the electoral system and the threshold for winning presidential elections.

Public opinion, through the positions of civil society, the Labour Congress, religious leaders and traditional rulers, clearly favors the First Past The Post (FPTP) electoral system which will ensure that all communities (at both ward and constituency levels) are able to choose, engage and hold accountable their own representatives in Local Councils and in Parliament.

Contrary to the argument made for the Proportional Representation (PR) electoral system, its use in the 2023 general elections resulted in a reduction in the representation of political parties and independent Members of Parliament (MPs) in Parliament; dropping from 4 political parties and 3 independent MPs under the FPTP 2018 general elections to just 2 political parties and no independent MPs under the 2023 PR electoral system.

Furthermore, with regards female political participation, a 30% quota for female MPs and Councillors can be achieved under the FPTP electoral system, the PR electoral system is not required to achieve this. As a female politician, I can attest to the fact that female political participation will also increase with a reduction in the political intimidation, harassment and targeting of female politicians.

In respect to the threshold for winning presidential elections, the introduction in the Bill of a minimum percentage of district votes risks creating negative incentives for expelling minority voters from certain districts, thus fueling violence before and during elections. A district specific element should not be added to the presidential threshold.

The passing of the Constitutional Amendment Bill will significantly impact the future of democracy in our nation. I urge all MPs to vote for Sierra Leone; reject the Proportional Representation (PR) electoral system and retain the existing presidential threshold at 55% nationwide.

31/07/2026

Unlike his Sierra Leonean counterpart, Liberian President Joseph Boakai is taking sweeping actions against government and security officials implicated in major co***ne trafficking investigations.

In a recent crackdown, Boakai dismissed 11 senior officials, suspended another without pay, and ordered full-scale investigation and prosecution of all those involved in the drug trafficking trade following two massive co***ne seizures.

The move comes as neighbouring Sierra Leone continues to face international calls to surrender convicted Dutch drug trafficker Jos Leijdekkers, whom reports say has revamped his criminal network from within the country.

Is Liberia setting the benchmark for political accountability in West Africa's fight against drug trafficking?

Read the full story here:

Liberian President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has dismissed 12 senior security and government officials connected to co***ne trafficking cases and ordered prosecution of all those involved in recent co***ne seizures of over $300 million, signalling a strong political will to dismantle narcotics networks an...

30/07/2026

*Drug Kingpin Jos Leijdekkers Now Has 10 Convictions, 103 Years in Prison Sentences*

Fugitive Dutch drug trafficker Jos Leijdekkers, widely known as "Bolle Jos/Umar Sheriff,” has now amassed 10 criminal convictions and a combined 103 years in prison sentences after a Belgian court handed him another lengthy jail term today.

A court in Belgium sentenced the 35-year-old to 14 years imprisonment in the sprawling Costa mega-trial, where prosecutors accused him of leading one of four criminal organisations involved in a multibillion-euro co***ne trafficking network.

Belgian authorities said Leijdekkers' group was linked to the trafficking of at least 1,600 kilograms of co***ne, making him one of the principal figures in the case. His latest conviction pushes his cumulative prison sentences across courts in the Netherlands and Belgium to 103 years, earned through 10 separate convictions.

One of the cases attracting particular attention involved the seizure of 11,203 kilograms of co***ne hidden inside a shipment of soy flour from Sierra Leone at the Port of Antwerp in October 2023. Belgian investigators say that Leijdekkers later directed an armed team to recover the confiscated drugs, but the operation failed after police intercepted the group.

He was subsequently convicted in Belgium for both the co***ne importation and directing the attempted recovery operation.

Leijdekkers remains one of Europe's most wanted fugitives. Dutch authorities say all efforts to extradite Jos Leijdekkers from Sierra Leone has so far proved unsuccessful, accusing the Sierra Leonean government of harbouring a known drug criminal.

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