Network Movement for Justice and Development

26/11/2025

NMJD's board members, alongside the Regional Director for Vibrant Village Foundation(VVF), visited the Kargboray community in Karene District to interact with the project participants.

The visit focused on the Masidama participants and the Karene Women in Governance who shared interesting stories of how the project has impacted their lives and their communities.

21/11/2025

District-Level Consultations on Review of Mining Laws in Sierra Leone Held in Koidu

Stakeholders from Kenema and Kono districts today, 21st November 2025, converged at the Women’s Resource Centre in Koidu, Kono district, and reviewed the legal and regulatory framework on the governance of the mining sector in Sierra Leone. The stakeholders, who comprised chiefs, CDCs, mining companies, land owners, local councils, National Minerals Agency, PWDs, youth, women and civil society organizations, endorsed all the proposals for review (amendments) proffered in earlier engagements in Moriba Town and Lunsar. The Moriba Town consultations brought stakeholders from Bonthe and Moyamba districts, whilst the Port Loko and Tonkolili stakeholders converged in Lunsar.

Key areas of focus regarding the proposals the participants proffered for review are the ownership of minerals, which is vested in the state held in trust for the people of Sierra Leone (Section 4 of the MMDA 2023), other than the people who are the legal owners of the land; the exemption clause which gives the National Advisory Board and its members immunity from being held liable for actions and/or omissions done in “good faith” (Section 17 of the MMDA 2023); surface rights and surface rents (Sections 33 -36 of the MMDA 2023), which seems to distribute privately-owned money as if it is public money resulting in taking away landowners money and distribute it unfairly and unjustly; and mineral areas and excluded land (S23 (d), (e) and (f)) and its implications if the present clause remains as it is.

NMJD facilitated the consultations with funds from the European Union Delegation to Sierra Leone. Participants thanked NMJD and the EUD for this capacity strengthening consultation, which they described as timely, enriching in knowledge and an eye opener. All the participants openly admitted they have never seen or heard of the Mines and Minerals Development Regulations, a situation they said was “unfortunate”. Copies of the Mines and Minerals Development Act 2023, the version signed by the President, and the Mines and Minerals Development Regulations were shared to the participants through the Project District Leads.

21/11/2025

NMJD Conducts 2025 Pace Strategy Testing in Kono District

NMJD with support from Irish Aid through Christian Aid Sierra Leone (CA-SL), yesterday, 20th November, 2025 conducted the Annual Strategy Testing Session for the Promoting Accountability and Citizens Engagement (PACE) project. The event took place at the Women in Development Sierra Leone (WIND-SL) Resource Centre in Koidu City, Kono District. It brought together partners from other organizations in the district and project participants from Gbense, Fiama and Lei chiefdoms.

This reflective engagement is part of CA-SL’s adaptive programme management approach, which seeks to ensure that project strategies remain relevant, responsive, and effective within the emerging socio-political and environmental context in the project communities.
The sessions aimed at reflecting on contextual changes taking place in the project communities, reviewing the effectiveness of existing strategies against programme outcomes, Identifying and building consensus around necessary adaptations to strengthen delivery, validate and triangulate outcomes reported by partners.

Key areas covered included: Mid-term outcome review; Reflection on programme objectives; Adaptive plannings; and partner capacity assessment. The overarching objective of this activity is to enhance an inclusive, transparent, accountable, and peaceful communities where citizens claim and enjoy their rights infettered.

21/11/2025

NMJD’s Executive Director, Abu Brima, joined civil society voices calling on participants to refocus on the KP’s core mission: protecting communities from diamond fuelled violence.

Opening remarks by the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition in Dubai on November 17th. As we open the Kimberley Process plenary today, this is the moment for the Civil Society Coalition to recall…

21/11/2025

NMJD is excited to announce that DMCC has committed a $100,000 donation to support development in the Peace Diamond Village.

The cheque was presented by DMCC Executive Chairman & CEO Ahmed Bin Sulayem to NMJD Executive Director Abu Brima during a special side event with Martin Rapaport.

At the conclusion of our special side event with Martin Rapaport tonight, DMCC was proud to announce a $100,000 donation to the Peace Diamond Village in Sierra Leone, delivered through the Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD). This donation, presented by DMCC - Dubai Multi Commodities Centre's Executive Chairman and CEO, Ahmed Bin Sulayem, to NMJD's Executive Director, Abu Brima, will be directed entirely towards the development needs of the Peace Diamond Village, reinforcing DMCC's ongoing commitment to supporting sustainable community development in diamond-producing regions.
Rapaport

19/11/2025

NMJD Supports Women Farmers in Fiama Chiefdom

NMJD yesterday 18th November 2025 provided NLe 15,000) to three women’s agricultural groups in Fiama Chiefdom, Kono district, under the Climate Smart Agriculture Project.

The funds are intended to be used as a revolving loan scheme for project participants. This initiative aims to expand access to credit facilities to women farmers so as to strengthen group cohesion and cooperation, as well as to increase agricultural productivity, economic and social empowerment of woment, poverty reduction and sustainable development.

The three project communities that received the support include Bandasuma, Maakor and Kpakiyor villages in the Kooma Section, Fiama Chiefdom, Kono District.

17/11/2025

Mining Stakeholders Review Mining Laws at Moriba Town

40 stakeholders in the mining sector in Sierra Leone drawn from Bonthe and Moyamba districts today, Monday 17th November 2025, converged at Moriba Town to review the Mines and Minerals Development Act 2023, as well as other legal and regulatory framework of the country’s mineral sector governance. The purpose of this activity was to provide the platform where affected mining communities and other key stakeholders could sit together and dialogue, identify gaps and misalignment within the family of mining governance laws in Sierra Leone.

With funds from the European Union Delegation to Sierra Leone, NMJD facilitated this dialogue, whose objectives are specifically three-fold: first, to increase knowledge of communities of mining laws in the country; second, to identify legal gaps and misalignment within the family of mining laws; and third, to propose recommendations and build advocacy follow-up actions around those recommendations.

The stakeholders discussed several critical issues in the mineral sector governance in Sierra Leone, including the Regulations which operationalize the Mines and Minerals Development Act 2023, especially those provisions that directly affect them and their communities, together with their implications and proffered recommendations for prospective review. Among the issues discussed are: surface rent and how it is being distributed; the National Mineral’s Board, its composition and the contentious provision which exempt the Board and any of its members from being held liable for any decision they take in “good faith”; the CDCs and their composition as provided for in law vs what’s operating in practice; minerals ownership; and the Mining District Development Fund.

After a lengthy and engaging discussion with practical experience sharing, the stakeholders proffered several recommendations, among which are the following:

• The present land ownership right, which limits landowners to the ownership of land only and exclude them from owning the minerals, should be reviewed to extend the ownership to the minerals on or in the land as well.

• The surface rent should be reviewed and shared as follows: 80% should go to the landowners and 20% to the Chiefdom Development Fund and scrap the 10% each that is paid to both the Paramount Chief and Constituency Development Allowance. The reasons advanced for these recommendations are: under the District Proportional Representation System, there are no constituencies in the country, a fact the House of Parliament clearly acknowledged by stopping the payments of Constituency Development Allowances to MPs. It could be unfair and morally wrong for Parliament to make a law, which takes away land owners’ monies and gives them to an outfit, who by law, does not exist and thereby making it difficult for such monies to be accounted for. This is contrary to the SLEITI, which makes it mandatory that all subnational mining revenues must be properly accounted for. Additionally, the stakeholders agreed this recommendation is intended to prevent duplication and enhance accountability, as the PCs are heads of the Chiefdom Development Councils, which manage all resources provided to the chiefdoms for development.

• The National Minerals Board should be reviewed to include on its membership a representative of the landowners and the clause, which excludes them from being held liable for making a bad decision or a decision that turns out to be bad should be amended to ensure the Board or their members take responsibility for any bad decision they make or when the decision turns out to be bad. The stakeholders believed the mandate of the NAB is very important and critical and should therefore be held accountable for their actions or inactions.

Key highlights of the meeting were the introduction of the Regulations to operationalize the Mines and Minerals Development Act 2023, which all the stakeholders said they had never been informed of these regulations by the government and its agencies such the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources and the National Minerals Agency. As a result of the lack of knowledge of these Regulations, the membership of the Community Development Committees, which according to the Regulations, should not be more than nine people, has now been bloated to not less than 32 people in complete contradiction of the law. Also, Steering Committees have been created within the CDCs tasked with the responsibility to approve all proposals before they are funded by the CDC, though the Regulations do not make provision for Steering Committees.

15/11/2025

Medico International Ends Kono Visit on Sound Note of Satisfaction

Medico International yesterday concluded their visit to Kono with words of satisfaction on NMJD’s work in empowering local communities in Kono district and addressing their livelihoods challenges. The Medico International team, which comprises the Finance Manager, Philipp Henze, and the Project Manager, Hannah Kentouche, made very assuring statements after the visit.

“I am always in the office (in Germany) putting financial documents together throughout the year. So, I really appreciate coming to the field and personally interacted with the people we are working with,” Philipp Henze said”. On her part, Hannah Kentouche said: “I am very pleased with the warm welcome, love and appreciation shown to us since our arrival. The gratitude and happiness expressed by the participants mean a lot to us at Medico International. It demonstrates the impact NMJD is making in these communities. We feel satisfied after coming to the field, interacting with the people we work with and seeing the positive impacts of our partnership with NMJD, especially on local communities in Kono district. Medico International are happy to be a part of this success story.”

The Medico International’s visit to Kono kicked off at NMJD’s 2 Suku Tamba Street office in Koidu with PowerPoint presentations by the different project staff and a gallery tour specifically designed to showcase NMJD’s work in the district. This was followed by courtesy calls on key stakeholders in the district and conducted field visits to NMJD’s project sites across the district. The field visits covered the three chiefdoms of Gbense, Nimiyama and Gorama and the team reached out to several communities, including Sewafeh, Walehun, Peya, Kamadu, Boroma, Bunabu and Tekonkoh/Sawola and interacted with the different project partners there.

NMJD’s support to promoting sustainable livelihoods in Kono district includes organizing women engaged in stone crushing to undertake savings initiatives, organizing farmers into groups and supporting these groups to undertake agro-business through large-scale vegetable gardening, economic tree planting, and revolving loan schemes.

13/11/2025

Mosenessie Holds Local-Level Accountability Forum

With funds from the European Union Delegation to Sierra Leone, NMJD today, Thursday 13th November 2025, held a successful local-level accountability forum at Mosenessie Junction in Moyamba District for the Sierra Mineral Holdings Limited (SMHL) operational communities. The local-level accountability forums will be held for all mining companies in the six project districts who have signed the Community Development Agreement (CDA) with the host mining communities and have a functioning Community Development Committee (CDC). This activity aims at delivering on one of the three strands of the Civil Society Engagement for Enhancing Transparency and Participation in the Governance of the Mining Sector project, which is the promotion of accountable management of mining sector revenues and incentives through social accountability mechanisms to enhance community development and investment stability in mining communities.

The Community Affairs Manager of SMHL, Mr Joseph Amadu, presented details of the company’s contributions towards the development of the communities that are affected by their operations, which comprise five chiefdoms. He threw light at the agreement the company signed with the CDC leading to a special arrangement, which saw the establishment of a Special Account where the company deposits monies, meant for the CDC operations and for settling the arrears accrued during the eight months the company was not in operation. In line with this special agreement, the SMHL has paid into the CDF the total amount of US$530,416.55 for 2025. He responded to several questions and concerns raised with regards how the minimum 1% is calculated and he assured the forum of his company’s willingness to involve the CDC in the process of calculating the 1% going forward; public disclosures in which he said his company has already developed a plan for regular community engagements in 2026 starting in February and these engagements he said would be held in all of the five chiefdoms within their operations; Corporate Social Responsibility; deplorable conditions of the roads; dust pollution and health and environmental compliance; and compliance with their obligations generally. He concluded by highlighting the challenges faced by his company, including the non-compliance of road safety by other companies, encroachment on the mine operational facilities, assault and attacks on their security guards and community road blocks.

The representative of the CDC Chairman, Madam Stella B. Nicol, corroborated Mr Amadu on the amount of money the company deposited into the CDF for 2025. She explained how these monies have been utilized by the CDC, including maintenance of the scholarship scheme and how much of it is still in the account. Several questions and concerns were raised around the scholarship scheme, some with unpleasant experiences. After a critical analysis, it was realized that the Paramount Chiefs are apparently using their influence and authority and creating more problems for the CDC in the management of the scholarship scheme. Other key speakers included the Councilor in charge of mining in Moyamba district, Mr Isaac A. Wilson, landowner Mr Mohamed B. Sillah, Mr Sylvester Bob Carter, Madam Lucy Wright and youth leaders of Mosenessie and Mokanji.

As an outcome, a five-person committee was set up and tasked with the responsibility to follow-up on all the issues raised and further investigate them and report to the forum.

The forum unanimously agreed that the meeting was relevant and very important as it was very educative and interactive. In fact, the Councilor in charge of mining in the Moyamba district said this was the very first time he was hearing about the 20% contribution from the Surface Rent to the District Development Fund.

12/11/2025

NMJD Supports VDCs in Karene District

As part of the ICSP-WALD project, NMJD with funds from Irish Aid through Trócaire supported the Village Development Committees (VDCs) to conduct community-level evidence-based monitoring across 15 operational communities in Karene district. The assessment focused specifically on the quality of public service provision, with specific preference on healthcare and the inclusion of women in healthcare governance structures.

It is against this background that NMJD Karene in collaboration with the VDCs, hosted a day-long Chiefdom-level interface meeting in Kamakwie, Sella Limba Chiefdom, to receive the findings of the social audit and evidence-based monitoring from the VDCs. The event brought together key district stakeholders, service providers, and community representatives, including the Ministry of Gender and Children Affairs, Ministry of Social Welfare, Karene District Council chairman, and the CSOs, among others.

In the ensuing interactive session, a joint action plan was developed aimed at strengthening the commitments of district stakeholders and community members to address existing gaps and ultimately promote gender-sensitive and community-centred service delivery.

Also, this initiative aims to enhance collaboration, build stronger relationships between duty bearers and right holders, and ensure community needs are effectively addressed.
NMJD remains committed towards empowering communities and holding service providers accountable for better healthcare outcomes in Karene district.

12/11/2025

NMJD Kono Welcomes Medico International in Kono

NMJD Kono yesterday heartily welcomed in Kono Madam Hannah, the Medico International Project Coordinator, and her colleague Phillip from Germany in an interactive session in which all levels of staff participated. This was followed by a sumptuous working lunch of rice and vegetable soup of potato leaves.

NMJD will today do a detail presentation to the Medico International visiting team
of all NMJD’s projects in Kono district, particularly those funded by Medico International. The team will then make courtesy visits on a cross-section of strategic Kono District stakeholders who NMJD works with closely in the implementation of its projects, including the District Council Chairman, Office of National Security, Senior District Officer, Paramount Chiefs, local authorities, and the project participants in their respective communities.

11/11/2025

Local-Level Accountability Forums Underway in Lunsar

NMJD kicked off the local-level accountability forums on the subnational mining revenue transfers this morning, Tuesday 11th November 2025, at the Chiefdom Court Barray on Kanneh Drive in Lunsar. Except the Marampa Mines Limited who were conspicuously absent, the other community stakeholders availed themselves and participated actively. This activity is funded by the European Union Delegation to Sierra Leone under the “Civil Society Engagement for Enhancing Transparency and Participation in the Governance of the Mining Sector” project.

The objective of this activity is to promote transparency and accountability, as well as to enhance community development, increase community voice and space in decision-making and guarantee peaceful communities. Whilst addressing the meeting, a member of the Marampa CDC said the Marampa Mines Limited (MML) since 2022 paid the total amount of US$3.7 Million into the Community Development Fund. Of this, US$2Million has been used by the MML to support different community projects such as water wells and toilets in schools. However, he noted that the money paid into the CDF is solely managed by the company themselves who he said are the principal signatory to the account. This claim was corroborated by almost all the attendees, who added there was zero consultations on the part of the MML “who’re more concerned about what’s right for them and not what’s right for the community”.

Also, the MML was accused by participants of making themselves inaccessible by the community people and persistently refusing to attend community activities even where their presence is not only needed, but also relevant for them to be there.
On the Chiefdom Development Committee, the Marampa Chiefdom Speaker said he has been in office for five months now, and throughout this period he was not aware of any payment made by the MML in respect of the Chiefdom Development Fund. He made a strong commitment to raise the issue with the Paramount Chief and other chiefdom stakeholders.
The discussions were very engaging and most of the experiences of sufferings and neglect shared by participants were passionate and emotional. Participants did not mince their words when explaining their frustrations, confusion and lack of knowledge of how subnational mining revenues meant for community development are utilized by those entrusted with these resources. Specifically, they were concerned about the Constituency Development Fund in the absence of constituencies, Agricultural Development Fund, which they said they never benefitted anything from, and the District Development Fund.

Following the recommendation of the meeting, a three-person committee was formed to follow-up on and investigate some of the issues raised during the meeting and share the findings at the next forum meeting. The committee is headed by Mr Alusine B. Conteh. Other members of the committee include Mr Ibrahim Musa Kamara and Madam Rugie Conteh. The Port Loko District Project Lead and the Programmes Coordinator of NMJD are to develop a ToR to guide the work of the committee, together with a timeframe.