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Justice delayed is justice denied edition.

Tackling plastic pollution in Bo:
Advocate Plus (+) launches CassavaCycle-Smart Packaging

By Joseph Bawoh

Advocate Plus (+) Sierra Leone, a local non-governmental organization, has officially launched the CassavaCycle-Smart Packaging to Tackle Plastic Pollution Project in Bo, Kakua Chiefdom, Southern Province. The launch took place on last week, with support from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs-UNDESA and the United Nations Development Programme-UNDP, Sierra Leone.
Speaking at the event, Project Coordinator Mohamed Salia described the initiative as “a major milestone in the fight against plastic pollution, while simultaneously creating sustainable economic opportunities for youth and women at the community level.”

Speaker after speaker underscored that plastic pollution remains one of the most pressing environmental and public health challenges in Sierra Leone. They spoke on the widespread use of single-use plastics and how it has overwhelmed fragile waste management systems, resulting in clogged drainage channels, polluted rivers, and degraded ecosystems.
The challenges, they said pose serious threats to public health, marine life, food security, and livelihoods, particularly in communities dependent on fishing and agriculture.
Despite growing awareness, speakers noted that affordable and environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic remain largely inaccessible, especially in rural districts where plastic continues to be the cheapest option.

The CassavaCycle project directly responds to this gap through an innovative, youth-led circular economy model. The initiative focuses on producing biodegradable and compostable packaging made from industrial-grade cassava starch-leveraging one of Sierra Leone’s most abundant agricultural resources. By transforming cassava into eco-friendly packaging, the project reduces reliance on imported plastics, strengthens local value chains, and promotes sustainable farming practices.

Cassava starch for production will be sourced from selected farmer cooperatives, providing farmers with stable markets and improved incomes. The enterprise will manufacture a range of eco-friendly products, including biodegradable shopping bags, takeaway food containers, plates, bowls, coffee cups, and innovative edible cutlery infused with local flavors such as cocoa, ginger, and chili.
Additional renewable materials, including sugarcane fiber and corn starch, will be incorporated to enhance durability and functionality. All products are non-toxic and designed to decompose naturally within 180 days.

Beyond production, CassavaCycle places strong emphasis on youth empowerment, gender inclusion, and behavior change. At least 70 percent of the trained workforce will be girls and young women, who will acquire skills in green manufacturing, quality control, business management, and sustainable production techniques.

The project also includes community awareness and behavior-change campaigns targeting schools, markets, and households to promote plastic-free lifestyles, responsible consumption, composting, and recycling.
During the launch ceremony, key youth beneficiaries were pre-selected to participate in the production process, while cassava out-grower farmers were identified to supply raw materials—ensuring strong community participation and local ownership.

With the backing of UNDESA and UNDP Sierra Leone, the CassavaCycle project will also engage in policy advocacy and dialogue with municipal authorities and environmental agencies to promote plastic regulation reforms and support green innovation.
By combining community engagement, innovation, and sustainability, Advocate Plus (+) Sierra Leone aims to reduce plastic pollution, create green jobs, and contribute to a resilient circular economy.

The launch brought together local authorities, traditional leaders, community stakeholders, youth, and women from Kakua Chiefdom, providing a platform for dialogue, awareness, and collective action on environmental sustainability and green innovation.

Flag bearer aspirants: Just Rhetoric or Sincerity?

By Joseph Fomolu

As Sierra Leone approaches another crucial electoral season, familiar promises once again echo across podiums and airwaves: “I will transform the economy,” “I will improve the lives of all citizens,” “I will fight corruption and create opportunities.”

For the grassroots Sierra Leonean—the market woman in Wellington, the unemployed graduate in Bo, the farmer in Kabala, the struggling parent in Freetown—these words are met not with excitement, but with weary skepticism. We have heard them before.
The question burning in the hearts of many Sierra Leoneans is no longer what you promise, but how sincere you truly are.

The potential of Sierra Leone is not in doubt. Our country is blessed with abundant natural resources, fertile agricultural land, a resilient youth population, and a strategic coastal location. Yet decades of governance have delivered an economy that feels, for most citizens, like a constant uphill struggle.
Inflation relentlessly erodes meagre incomes. Youth unemployment remains a dangerous tinderbox. Electricity is unreliable, healthcare is under-resourced, and quality education remains a privilege rather than a right. The gap between the political elite and the everyday citizen has widened into a chasm.

Therefore, to every aspiring flag bearer, we ask not for another manifesto filled with grand visions, but for tangible, credible evidence of sincerity. Well-written manifestos—polished in elegant grammar and impressive layouts, have been presented at every election cycle. Yet too often, their promises prove true only on paper, not in practice.
Our people deserve more than poetry. They demand concrete, actionable plans matched by proven character.

First, prove your understanding. Do you genuinely grasp the daily realities of ordinary Sierra Leoneans? Transformation does not begin with mega-projects announced in Freetown; it begins with lowering the cost of living, stabilizing the Leone, ensuring food security, and making credit accessible to small businesses. Do your policies speak directly to these pains, or are they generic templates drafted by international consultants?

Second, prove your integrity. The greatest drain on our economy is not the absence of resources, but the absence of trust. Corruption has siphoned off the wealth of generations. Will you commit to unprecedented transparency—publishing government contracts, openly declaring assets, and empowering anti-corruption institutions without political interference? Will accountability apply equally to your allies and financiers, or only to your opponents?

Third, prove your commitment to inclusive growth. Economic transformation cannot be enjoyed solely by a connected few in the capital. How will you move agriculture beyond subsistence? What is your strategy for value addition to our minerals and crops? How will you harness the digital economy to create jobs in every district? And will you invest seriously in healthcare and education—not just buildings, but doctors, teachers, medicines, and systems that work?

Fourth, prove your political courage. Genuine transformation demands difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions. It requires breaking with patronage politics, saying “no” to powerful interests, reforming wasteful subsidies, and prioritizing long-term national gains over short-term political favors. Are you prepared to risk your political capital for the true good of Sierra Leone, or will corruption and kickbacks continue to masquerade as governance?

To the citizens, your skepticism is justified—but your engagement is essential. Demand specifics. Scrutinize records. Look beyond rallies and slogans. Examine past actions, associations, and consistency. Ask not only “What will you do?” but “What have you already done that proves your heart for service?”
To aspiring leaders, this moment demands more than ambition. It demands patriotic sincerity.

The people of Sierra Leone are not asking for miracles. They are asking for dignity—the dignity of decent jobs, stable incomes, reliable electricity, functioning hospitals, quality schools, water flowing consistently from Guma taps, and a future they can believe in.
The true test of sincerity will not be measured by the volume of speeches, but by the clarity of plans, the transparency of governance, and tangible improvements in the lives of the poorest among us.
We have endured enough promises. Now, we demand proof.

The future of Sierra Leone is not a campaign slogan—it is the collective dream of a people who have waited too long. It is time for leaders whose sincerity is as solid as the rocks of the Lion Mountains, and whose commitment flows as steadily as the Jong River.
Anything less is an insult to a nation that deserves far more.

BoDFA Kicks Off SLFA Federation Cup

By David Lebbie

The Bo District Football Association (BoDFA) on Wednesday, 28 January 2026, kicked off the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) Federation Cup at the Bo Coronation Field.
The competition features more than sixty teams nationwide, with matches being played across various districts. On Day One of the Bo District fixtures, Tucker FC defeated Rocky FC 2–0, while Vision Stars overwhelmed Rising Stars with a convincing 4–0 victory.

In Bo District, twelve teams, divided into three groups, are participating at the preliminary stage. Five teams will advance to the second round, where they will be joined by another five teams. From that stage, six teams will qualify for the third round.

At the third stage, the six qualified teams will be joined by four First Division teams from Bo District, competing for places in the round of 32, which features elite Premier League clubs.

Meanwhile, the Federation Cup remains one of the oldest football competitions in Sierra Leone, owned and organized by the Football Association of Sierra Leone (SLFA). The tournament continues to serve as a vital platform for lower-division teams to test their strength against the country’s top-flight sides.