Jamilah Conteh Speaks — Thursday, October 29, 2026. From Freetown, Sierra Leone: a Tanzanian elder’s words open day two of the Russia–Africa Summit in Moscow; President Assimi Goïta sets out the Confederation of Sahel States’ vision; Freetown hosts West Africa on jobs for young people; three channel sparks on building safety, a Black inventor and Africa’s ancient iron; screens, songs and signals; and two Write About It posts on skills and memory — ten minutes of SJOL News.
Today’s rundown
0:00 — News lead: Nyerere’s words in Moscow. Per the Kremlin’s transcript of the plenary session of the third Russia–Africa Summit on October 29, President Vladimir Putin said: “Allow me to recall the words of an outstanding leader of the anti-colonial movement and the first President of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere. He said that independence means relying on one’s own strength.” Per the same transcript, “Russia’s trade with African states exceeded $27 billion last year,” and the summit is expected to adopt a final declaration, the next Russia–Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan for 2027–2029 and a declaration on civilian uses of artificial intelligence. Per the African Union, Commission chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov signed an AU Commission–Russia Action Plan covering 19 areas of cooperation over 2027–2029. Per African Initiative, AU chair and Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye told the plenary that Russia “can offer expertise, technologies, industrial capacities and know-how that will allow us to ensure our development” (translated from French). Sahel desk: Per SeneNews, President Assimi Goïta said: “Our continent, rich in opportunities, cannot be reduced to an arena of competition, nor to a simple source of raw materials” (translated from French). Per Maliweb, he described three pillars of the Confederation of Sahel States: defence and security, diplomacy with a common voice, and development, including free movement, network interconnection and a confederal investment bank. Home desk: Per Sierraloaded, a three-day meeting of West African senior officials and experts opened in Freetown on Wednesday, October 28, under the theme “Unlocking the Potential of Young People in West Africa: Pathways to Employment, Economic Transformation and Resilience”; the planning minister said the government aims to create at least 500,000 jobs for young people by 2030.
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2:00 — Channel sparks (attributed, fair use — watch the originals).
- Zack Mwekassa (english channel) — “THE REAL REASON WHY A BUILDING COLLAPSED IN KENYA WILL SHOCK YOU!” (title as published; “the real reason” is the channel’s framing — per the BBC, police are investigating the cause). Per the BBC, the block in Nairobi’s Eastleigh, thought to have been 16 or 18 storeys, was under construction when it collapsed; 66 of the 67 construction workers inside got out unharmed, according to interior ministry official Kipchumba Murkomen; and Nairobi Governor Sakaja Johnson said the owners did not have the required paperwork for the building to be occupied, urging greater powers to penalise “developers who disregard approved building plans and safety standards”.
- Black Feelings — “Black to the Future, Episode 15: The Man Edison Couldn’t Beat | Matthew Henson & Granville T. Woods” (title as published). Per the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Woods was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1856 and invented the induction telegraph in 1887, letting moving trains communicate with each other and with stations; he faced patent suits filed by Thomas Edison and won, and when Edison offered him a partnership, Woods refused. The Lemelson-MIT Program notes he was often called “The Black Edison”.
- Anre John — “THEY SAID AFRICA HAD NO INDUSTRY… THE ARCHAEOLOGY SAYS OTHERWISE! #ancientcivilizations” (title as published). Per UNESCO, the Ancient Ferrous Metallurgy Sites of Burkina Faso bear witness to continuity of iron production over more than 2,700 years; Douroula, dated to the 8th century BCE, bears the most ancient testimony to iron production in the country, and the sites are directly associated with the living traditions of blacksmiths.
4:00 — Culture, tech & spirit. Per Viranova, FAME Week Africa 2026 opened on October 28 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre under the theme “Africa. Untold. Unstoppable.”, and singer-songwriter Amy Tjasink opened with Feels Like Mzansi, a song written at the FAME Week Africa x Pressure Cooker Studios Songwriting Camp in 2025; portfolio director Martin Hiller said: “A song conceived at FAME Week Africa is now being performed on our opening stage.” Per Infos Culture du Faso, the Ivorian zouglou duo Yodé et Siro will celebrate 30 years on stage with a concert in Ouagadougou on Saturday, December 12, under the theme “Yodé et Siro, j’agis pour la paix” (“I act for peace”), as a symbol of unity between Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire. Per Sierraloaded, Sierra Leone’s National Communications Authority demonstrated World Bank-funded spectrum monitoring and quality-of-service tools on October 28, including a mobile spectrum monitoring vehicle and drive-test equipment for measuring network coverage, internet speeds and call quality; per the report, mobile coverage reaches more than 90 percent of the population, but only about 42 percent actively use the internet, according to figures cited by Communications Minister Salima Bah. Spirit note (opinion): a signal is only as strong as the people who know how to use it — teach one person to get online this week.
5:30 — Marketplace & learning. Makers and teachers who serve our people: sell cloth, food, books, beauty and art, and teach language, farming or craft. Spend with your own, and let your money come home. Visit The Shoppes on Soul Journey of Life.
6:00 — Write About It + SJOL take. New on Write About It: Skills in Every Hand (per the post, 60 young people began the third cohort of Learn2Earn, a four-week digital freelancing programme run by Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation with UNICEF Sierra Leone and the International Trade Centre, and women make up more than half; 100 young Sierra Leoneans have begun an orientation to drive electric vehicles; citing the Daily Nation, the Kenyan platform OnLima uses a WhatsApp chat to list seedling suppliers within about 50 kilometres of a farmer; and Wayne State University’s Intergenerational Wisdom Exchange in Detroit pairs Black older adults with nearby students, first to record their life stories, then to build digital skills). Also new: Keep the Torch Lit (per the post, Mpumalanga’s premier quoted Oliver Tambo at Mbuzini — “They have passed on the torch to us. We dare not let it drop.” — as South Africa and Mozambique marked 40 years since the crash that killed Samora Machel and 34 others; President Daniel Chapo said: “Our generation must transform this freedom into prosperity for the people” (translated from Portuguese); fans in Kigali sang Lucky Dube; Ouagadougou’s REMA music meeting took the theme “from passive to active”; and Ardenne High School in Kingston won the Marcus Garvey Award for Excellence in the Performing Arts for the 14th year in a row). Jamilah’s take (opinion): one hand teaches, the other remembers — read both posts, then tell your own story on Write About It.
8:00 — Closing opinion. From Freetown: our own strength. To our leaders in Moscow: you heard Nyerere quoted in the Kremlin — now live it; every agreement should leave a factory, a skill or a patent at home. To the Confederation of Sahel States: per Maliweb, President Goïta spoke of a confederal investment bank — build it, fund it with our own savings, and let our people hold the shares. To Kenya and every African city: per the BBC, Nairobi’s governor wants greater powers to penalise developers who disregard approved plans — inspect, enforce, and protect the families who work on the ground floor. To Black America: per the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Granville Woods refused Edison’s partnership — own your ideas, and bring some of them home. To Salone: per Sierraloaded, the planning minister called for measurable commitments with clear targets, timelines and accountability, and for an action-oriented Freetown Declaration — we will be watching the targets. To the young ones in Freetown, Kigali, Cape Town and Detroit: learn the skill, then teach the next person. (Opinion.)
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Jamilah Conteh Speaks is SJOL News’ daily noon brief from Freetown, Sierra Leone. Every quote and factual claim is attributed on air; opinion segments are labelled. Full source list available on request.
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