The Chief’s Diary: Sierra Leone Records 1,000% Increase in Orthotics and Prosthetics Specialists Through MIT Partnership Sierra Leone has recorded a remarkable 1,000% increase in trained and certified orthotics and prosthetics (O&P) caregivers, following an ongoing partnership between the Government of Sierra Leone and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). President Julius Maada Bio today met with Professor Hugh Herr of the MIT Media Lab to review the progress of Sierra Leone’s partnership with MIT and discuss the future of prosthetics and assistive technology care in the country. The progress marks a significant development in a sector that has long faced critical shortages of trained professionals. In the early 2000s, Sierra Leone’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended that the government invest in orthotics and prosthetics care and training. However, before the current partnership with MIT began, Sierra Leone had only one trained and certified O...
Why Musa Tarawalie May Be Facing Friction Within the SLPP Opinion Note: This article represents my personal opinion and interpretation of recent political developments. It should not be taken as established fact or as a definitive account of the reasons behind the situation involving Hon. Musa Tarawalie and the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP). The question of why Hon. Musa Tarawalie appears to be facing difficulties within the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) requires an understanding of the broader political calculations ahead of the 2028 general elections. In my view, the SLPP is determined to retain political power in 2028, and there have been indications of deliberate strategies aimed at achieving that objective through democratic and relatively smooth political processes. One of the arguments supporting this view is President Julius Maada Bio’s public assertion that, in Sierra Leone’s democratic political history, no political party has successfully won three...