Sewa News Stream

In the first six months of 2016, some 30,765 people flew into Sierra Leone's Lungi Airport, which is 23,267 more than in 2015 (7,498) over the same period, according to Awoko . Of these, 13,524 were in the west African country on business, while 5,638 said they were on holidays  (tourists), with an additional 6,319 who said they were visiting friends and family. More than 3,100 were there for conferences or meetings and a further 2,165 did not specify a reason. The 13,524 people on business are estimated to have spent at least $90 a day in hotel bills and stayed for at least a week. Therefore in the 6 month period,  hotels in Freetown and around the country are estimated to have made about $8.5 million. The group of business executives is estimated to have spent at least $200 on food, transportation, and souvenirs, the paper said, conservatively estimating a cumulative spend of another $2.7million over the 6 month period. In total, the 13,524 business executives w

Global positioning system (GPS) bracelets are not as popular as mobile phones. At least not yet. But some senior Sierra Leonean pilgrims in Mecca are already rolling with the high tech fashion. According to the Sierra Leone embassy in Saudi Arabia, small-town pilgrims from the west African country gave an A+ to the new smart wristbands. Haja Finda Bintu Kamanda, 65, from Tankoro in Sierra Leone's eastern diamond-rich Kono district, and Alhaji Ibrahim Conteh, 73, from Poturu in Pujehun, about 200 miles from the capital Freetown, had nothing but praise for the wearable technology. Speaking to the press officer at one of the holy sites in Mecca, the pilgrims thought the tracking and monitoring system was a brilliant idea, particularly for those who cannot read and write. “This is the first time some of us move (d) from our provincial towns to our capital, Freetown. But since we came we have never lost our way,” they said. According to the Saudi Press Agency, the bracelets ar