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It can be revealed now that the role played by President Donald Trump of the United States in the recent peace deal struck between Israel and the United Arab Emirates could have galvanized the nomination of President Donald Trump of the United States for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.

This is coming less than two months before the US election and the Republican flag-bearer obviously has something to celebrate, as he bagged his second nomination for a Nobel Prize.

A far-right Norwegian politician put Mr. Trump’s name forward for the 2021 prize, citing the president’s role in the recent peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Christian Tybring-Gjedde told Fox News on Wednesday: “For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other peace prize nominees.”

Adding that he was not a big Trump supporter, he added. “The committee should look at the facts and judge him on the facts – not on the way he behaves sometimes.”

Of course, a nomination is not the same as winning – we won’t know the winner for another 13 months – so what can we make of this news?

SO WHO GETS TO NOMINATE A PERSON?

For a nomination alone, the barrier to entry is low: all nominations from heads of state or politicians serving at a national level are accepted.

University professors, directors of foreign policy institutes, past recipients of a Nobel Prize, and members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee are also among those deemed qualified to submit a nomination for the prize. The nominations require no invitation and as long they are entered before 1 February of the qualifying year, they will be accepted.

For the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize – the winner of which has not yet been announced – there were 318 candidates. The Norwegian Nobel Committee doesn’t publicly comment on its nominees, which are kept secret for 50 years.

THIS IS TRUMP’S SECOND NOMINATION

And for the second time, he has Mr. Tybring-Gjedde to thank. In 2018, the right-wing politician was one of two Norwegian lawmakers to nominate Mr. Trump for the same prize, then for his efforts to bring reconciliation to North and South Korea.

Mr. Trump did not take home the prize that year, but Mr. Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the conservative Progress Party, insists the US president meets the criteria this time.

Last month, Israel and the UAE reached a deal to normalize relations, with Israel agreeing to suspend its controversial plans to annex part of the occupied West Bank – announced by Mr. Trump in a surprise statement.

In a bid to stop incessant crimes associated with individuals using vehicles to perpetrate such, the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) has launched a new number plate series.

At the ceremony to unveil the new number plates at their head office in Freetown on Monday, Ibrahim Sannoh, the executive director of SLRSA, said the innovation was aimed at curbing the increasing vehicle crimes in the country.

He said the new number plates would make it easier to manage data electronically.

He explained that the new number series launch was in line with President Julius Maada Bio’s digitalization agenda for all government agencies.

The new vehicle number plates Mr. Sannoh said will put an end to the production of fake vehicle number plates which for a very long time has posed serious national security risks.

The number of police investigations and court cases involving fake vehicle number plates in Sierra Leone is very high and rising.

With this newly designed number plate, the police and SLRSA will be able to effectively track and trace all vehicles that are registered in the country, the Executive Director said.

According to the administrator of the management information system of SLRSA – Adisa Dosunmu, the new vehicle number plates have three unique features – a QR bar code, the seal of the SLRSA, and the coat of arms of the Republic of Sierra Leone.

Adisa Dosunmu said that SLRSA has purchased android devices that will scan the QR bar code on the vehicle number plates to identify the vehicle and its registered owner.

This new technology he said would help the SLRSA to identify and eliminate fake motor-vehicle number plates, and prevent the transfer of vehicle number plates from one vehicle to another.

The SLRSA has three contractors that are producing motor-vehicle number plates – Bilhaq Trading and Construction System, Sara Trading Company, and the International Associated Services Ecowas License Plates (IAS).

Meanwhile speaking on behalf of the three number plate companies, Mr. Sheik A. Fofanah – the CEO of the Bilhaq Trading and Construction Company said that the new number plates are the first in the West African subregion and that vehicles from Sierra Leone could now travel within the subregion without hindrance.

The Bilhaq Boss said that other countries within the West African subregion have expressed admiration for Sierra Leone’s new motor-vehicle number plates, and are hoping to emulate this new standard set by Sierra Leone.

He also said that the new and innovative number plate design was created by local Sierra Leonean companies and commended the Executive Director of the SLRSA and his Deputy for implementation of the country’s local content policy.

Mr. Fofanah committed the support of the vehicle number plate production companies to the mission and vision of the SLRSA and said they will maintain the West African standard of producing secure vehicle number plates.

Launching the new motor vehicle number plates, the Executive Director of the SLRSA was quick to announce that vehicle owner will not incur additional costs, as the production cost remains the same.

The SLRSA is going through a rapid transformation under the leadership of the Executive Director – Mr. Ibrahim Sannoh. The launching of the new vehicle number plates is the second landmark event in less than a month for the SLRSA.

Recall that two weeks ago, SLRSA launched its new vehicles E-Fitness technology to improve the work of vehicle examiners, as the SLRSA prepares to launch its first biometric driver’s license in Sierra Leone.