Julius Maada Bio was elected President of Sierra Leone in April 2018 on a platform to fight corruption and introduce fiscal discipline in government. A governance transition committee Bio established to investigate his predecessor, Ernest Bai Koroma, reported that the Koroma administration left Sierra Leone in serious economic difficulty, citing a large external and domestic debt burden driven mostly by an “expanded payroll” of US$263 million, or 14.4% of GDP.

Bio’s multiple audits into the Koroma regime's past activities uncovered egregious political and financial corruption, nepotism, and widespread economic graft that permeated governance during the ten years of the All Peoples Congress (APC). Bio imposed travel bans on Koroma and several of his former ministers.

Then in late November 2023, shortly after the disputed June 2023 elections, Bio accused Koroma of plotting to overthrow the controversial government created by a tripartite agreement between the APC and Bio’s SLPP. Koroma was then exiled to Nigeria, where he stayed for two consecutive years before returning to Sierra Leone in early September 2026. Yet, in a two-day conference held in Freetown last week, Koroma and Bio publicly announced they had reconciled their differences, calling for peace and national cohesion across the country.

In this episode, we ask what became of Maada Bio’s anti-corruption campaign and the findings of the commissions of inquiry against Koroma and his APC ministers. We examine how Koroma and Bio’s reconciliation and peace efforts affect accountability for human rights violations, transparency in governance, and Sierra Leone’s fight against corruption.

In recent years, Sierra Leonean politicians have amended key provisions of the country's constitution and public-election laws to consolidate a de facto one-party state and entrench the SLPP and APC’s power-rotation politics.

This chain of anti-democratic laws and regulations began with the 2021 cybersecurity legislation, followed by the 2022 Public Elections Act and the 2025 counter-terrorism law, and has now culminated in the current Constitutional Amendment Bill at the center of a so-called litigation in the Freetown courts.

In this episode, we examine the implications of the constitutional and judicial crisis created by these disingenuous and illegitimate amendments to the country's multiparty constitution and public election laws, highlighting that the current tripartite regime, which resulted from the rigged elections of June 2023, lacks the legal and constitutional mandate to pursue any legal reform in Sierra Leone.

In this special episode, Africanist Press editor-in-chief, Dr. Chernoh Alpha M. Bah, briefly reviews the Africanist Press Podcast since its launch in December 2023, announces the return of the weekly Voice From Exile audio series, and outlines plans to introduce a new investigative journalism project on Sierra Leone as the country prepares for the 2028 elections.

In this episode, we feature Masauko Chipembere discussing his music, his family’s role in the decolonization movement in Malawi, and how his parents’ exile shaped his current work in Africa and around the world.

This episode features a discussion with Bloom Afrique’s Toni Blackman and Kennedy Rance about how they use art and emerging technologies to mobilize Africa’s diaspora capital and foster entrepreneurship across the continent.

The ART27 Group is a Gambian-based non-profit initiative that offers financial assistance for essential expenses such as materials, transportation, and exhibitions. ART27 was founded in December 2024 by Ferenc Donderer, an arts promoter and advocate, to support and advance contemporary visual artists in the Gambia.

Originally from Cologne, Germany, Donderer has resided in the Gambia since 2016. He manages one of the largest art studios in Sanyang, where he produces his own artwork and provides residency opportunities for artists engaged in training, workshops, and exhibitions.

With over 40 years of experience as a visual artist exhibiting in cities across Europe and the Americas, including Cologne, Berlin, Antwerp, Salvador de Bahia, New York, and the Canary Islands, Donderer aims to establish a lasting legacy for West African art through the construction of a modern art gallery in the Gambia. The proposed gallery is designed to serve as a dedicated venue for local and African artists to exhibit their work and engage with international audiences.

In this episode, Osman Kargbo interviews Ferenc Donderer regarding ART27 and his vision for advancing Gambian and African artists.

Politicians and policymakers in Africa are increasingly incorporating historical tourism into national development agendas. They are renewing efforts to make museums and archives central to preserving collective memory, fostering cultural identity, and promoting social cohesion, while also seeking to boost economic growth through heritage tourism.

Yet, museums and heritage institutions in Africa face hurdles, including underfunding, inadequate climate control, and postcolonial identity crises. These challenges are compounded by urbanization, community disputes over ownership of artifacts, and the struggle to repatriate historical treasures from Europe and elsewhere.

However, the main challenges limiting the growth and sustainability of African heritage institutions include reduced government funding, low visitor numbers, and a lack of both public and private patronage.

In the Gambia, the National Center for Arts and Culture (NCAC) is leading efforts to advance the country’s history and cultural heritage as part of the national development agenda.

Established by an Act of Parliament in 1989, the NCAC serves as the primary government body responsible for the preservation, promotion, and development of Gambian arts and culture. Its strategic role involves protecting cultural assets, bridging cultural heritage with national development, and fostering economic growth through tourism.

In this episode, our colleague in The Gambia, Osman Kargo, speaks with Hassoum Ceesay, historian and Director General of the NCAC, about the institution's significance and the role of history and culture in The Gambia’s national development agenda.