THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia.

NEWS SUMMARY FOR THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2015

The news of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission’s Chairman, Cllr. James N. Verdier, Jr. as the Vice Chairman of the Bureau of Executives of the Network of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa is our dominant story in our summary of today’s local dailies.

DOMINANT STORY

LACC Boss Elected Vice Chair Of NACIWA Executive Bureau

The Executive Chairperson of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) Cllr. James N. Verdier, Jr., has been elected Vice Chairman of the Bureau of Executives of the Network of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA). Cllr. Verdier was elected during the Roundtable Meeting on “Whistle-Blowing” for member institutions of NACIWA and the Annual General Assembly of NACIWA held in Abuja, Nigeria, from March 10-13, 2015. The Assembly also elected Mr. Issoufou Bouraimah of Niger as Chairman, Mrs. Nafy Ngom Keita of Senegal as Administrative Secretary and Mr. Shollay Davies of Sierra Leone, Financial Secretary, the News newspaper reports.

Related Captions: LACC Boss Elected Vice Chair Of NACIWA Executive Bureau(The Inquirer), Regional Policy To Protect, Promote, Pay Whistle-Blowers Proposed(Daily Observer)

OTHER STORIES

Prez. Sirleaf To Speak At Ebola Conference Today

According to the Daily Observer, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf will today deliver The Keynote Address at the First National Ebola Conference focusing on the perspectives of community leaders. The event will take place in the Bella Casa Conference Hall in Sinkor.   The two-day conference, planned for March 19-20, is organized by IREX and NAYMOTE, with funding from USAID. About 100 participants from across various communities in Liberia are expected to attend. Representatives from the U.S. Embassy, the Centers for Disease Control, USAID, traditional leaders, government officials, international NGOs among others will grace the conference.   Community members will share their experiences with officials of government, local and international organization actors under the theme “Ebola’s Impact on Communities:  Learning from Their Experiences to Plan for the Future”. Participants will reflect on the Ebola crisis, analyze its impacts, and highlight the mistakes, challenges and success stories. The conference is a result of 60 Community Leaders’ Forums organized by eight national NGOs through IREX/USAID grants. At the end of the first national Ebola Conference, the organizers will document lessons learned, best practices of community engagements  and recommendations by publishing a report to begin the process of national healing and planning the next steps toward post-Ebola recovery.

Related Caption: Ellen Addresses First Nat’l Ebola Confab, Today(The Inquirer)

Ebola Death Benefits Payment Begins Today

The Government of Liberia says modalities have been completed for the disbursement of death benefit payment to beneficiaries of Liberian medical personnel who lost their lives in the fight against the deadly Ebola virus. According to a release from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), the payment will commence with a single payment of  Five Thousand United States Dollars (US$5,000.00) for each of the deceased medical personnel. The payment will be based on the presentation of death certificates and letters of administration by the beneficiaries through authorities of the Ministry of Health. The funds are provided by the World Bank and approved by the Government of Liberia under the Ebola Emergency Response  Project (EERP), and are intended for death benefit payment to beneficiaries of the Liberia Medical personnel, who died on account of Ebola scourge, the News writes.

Related Caption: Death Benefits For Ebola Workers(New Democrat)

GOL Mission To Beirut Successful 10 Liberian Girls Trapped In Lebanon Returned

The Daily Observer reports that the Government of Liberia has secured the release of ten Liberian female migrant workers that had been trapped for more than two years in Lebanon and have brought them home. The young girls allegedly faced a life of servitude and humiliation including sexual molestation by some Lebanese agents that “sponsored” their travel to Lebanon. According to Labor Minister Neto Z. Lighe Sr., head of the delegation to Beirut, the girls recently touched down at the Roberts International Airport (RIA) and are being kept under security protection away from the public in order to “protect the image and identity of the alleged rape victims”.   “For now we have not reunited them with their families because we want to get statements from them to begin prosecuting the alleged perpetrators. “We are preparing indictments against the accused and can only make a case if we gather testimonies from the victims. We are closely working with the Lebanese Ministries of Justice and Labor to enable us to move further with legal action” said Atty. Lighe. “Initially we prepared for seven girls, but when we got to Beirut, the number exceeded what was expected. “Actually, we should have returned with twelve girls but due to their late arrival, we managed to secure ten. The travel documents of the other two had not been processed so their return was not possible at this time, but we hope to bring them back to Liberia soon,” Lighe explained. He disclosed that two of the Lebanese nationals accused of involvement in trafficking the girls to Lebanon have been banned from leaving Liberia and their passports and other travel documents are in the possession of the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization (BIN) and will only be released pending a government to government interaction with Beirut regarding their prosecution.

Liberia Gets First Agric Vocational Program

The problem of food insecurity in Liberia may be on the verge of being seriously tackled as the government, in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development’s Food and Enterprise Development (USAID/FED), over the weekend launched the National Diploma in Agriculture (NDA) program. The vocational program seeks to prepare high school graduates to go directly into agricultural employment. It is also aimed at synchronizing instructional contents at various technical and vocational institutions across the country. Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, speaking at the occasion held at the Booker Washington Institute in Kakata last Friday, said people are paying a lot of lip service to agriculture.  He lamented that not much is being done by the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) to meet the needs of farmers in the country.  He had received 175 documented communications from farmers across the country, especially Lofa County, complaining about some difficulties they are facing to get their farms supported by the Ministry, he revealed. Assistant MOE Minister, Charles K. Gaye, said that the NDA program is an outcome of the fulfillment of the Agenda for Transformation which also recognizes the importance of poverty reduction in the socio-economic development sector. He said to achieve the goal MOE, in collaboration with line Ministries, UNESCO and ECOWAS through a series of consultations, embarked on the NDA process, reports the Daily Observer.

Premier Estate Dedicates New Housing Units Today

One of Liberia’s post war developers, JV Company, will today officially open its newly constructed housing units in Monrovia, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Floyd Thomas, has disclosed.  According to Mr. Thomas, the Premier Estate, a wholly Liberian-owned enterprise, will afford Liberians and residents the opportunity to make a choice between owning a home and renting one. With the motto: “Buying offers freedom from rising rents; affordability is a key factor,” the Premier Estate has amenities such as a gated community, perimeter and individual home fence, guard house with security, paved streets and landscaping.   As middle to upper income homes, the Premier Estate is located in Gbengbar Town, outside Monrovia along the Atlantic Ocean front and strategically positioned along the ELWA/Robertsfield Highway.  It is a premium residential subdivision that offers middle to high income homes for sale, equipped with first class amenities and facilities in a peaceful and growing vibrant community setting.  “We have several simply beautiful and truly well designed home models to choose from,” Mr. Thomas said.  “Some of our estate plans are Ready to Buy and these homes have been cleverly designed and well-constructed in accordance with high standards of construction,” he said.  High level individuals including President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and several of her government officials as well as those from the private-sector are expected to attend today’s opening, according to the Daily Observer.

Save The Children Gives Cash To 10,000 Ebola Survivors

The Liberia office of Save the Children International has begun a cash distribution of over one million United States Dollars to survivors and relatives of those affected by the deadly Ebola virus disease. Save the Children’s intervention, which is made possible with funding from the Norwegtian and Swedish governments, has been praised by the more than 120 beneficiaries who came from towns in the Mamba Kaba Statutory District of Margibi County and met in Dolo Town also in the district, to receive their direct cash benefits from the aid agency. Under the Save the children’s Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) grant, each of the beneficiaries will receive US$200 for two months. Mr. Augustine Fayiah, Coordinator of Save the Children’s Food Security and Livelihood program said the 4-month project will benefit at least 800, 410 and 211 house hold heads in Montserrado, Margibi and Bong Counties respectively, reports the Daily Observer.

Chinese Medical Team On Ebola Awareness

A Chinese Medical Team has embarked on Ebola awareness across the country. The move is aimed at preparing Liberians for post Ebola challenges. Speaking to reporters in Paynesville City, Zhang Xiao Xu, Head of the Chinese ETU said his team is in the country due to the infectious disease. Mr. Xu told a gathering of community dwellers to desist from eating food that wild animals have eaten. “Don’t eat food that wild animals such as ape, monkeys and bats have eaten, because they are carriers of the infectious disease”, Xu said.  However, he said China Medical Team will carry on Ebola awareness to various schools and communities so that students can be informed about the disease prevention, the News reports.