THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia.

NEWS SUMMARY FOR FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2015

Japanese Government’s donation to Liberia, the rescheduling of the National Constitution Confab and the Government of Liberia allotment of US$1.9 Million for public schools are the dominant stories in today’s dailies.

Dominant Stories

Japanese Government Donates Food Aid To Liberia

The Government of Japan says it remains committed in rebuilding Liberia’s agriculture and food industry. In a release from the Ministry of Commerce, the Japan Government statement followed an expected donation of food aid to the Ministry of commerce and people of Liberia.  The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said the donation expected will be the fifth (5th) round of the Japanese donated Food Aid and weighs 8,060.13 metric tons of assorted rice to the Government and People of Liberia. “The vessel, M/V Tao Ace V-36701, conveying the rice consignment is expected to disembark at the Free Port of Monrovia on Sunday, 21 March 2015”, the release states. According to the Commerce Ministry, since 2008, the Government of Japan has been providing Food Aid Assistance to the Government and People of Liberia under the Japanese Oversea Development Assistance (ODA) Program to support Liberia’s social economic development. The Ministry said the donation has resulted to several developmental projects, namely: The US$4m support to the Ministry of Agriculture phase one (1) Paddy and Seed Rice Project in Bong, Nimba, Lofa, Grand Gedeh and Gbarpolu Counties; The US$3.2m support to the Ministry of Agriculture phase two (2) of the Paddy and Seed Rice Project; The US$1.4m support for the construction of five (5) storage facilities in Bong, Nimba, Lofa, Grand Gedeh and Gbarpolu- the five (5) major rice producing belt zones in Liberia; The US$665,000 support to the Liberia’s Innovative Fund for Entrepreneurs (LIFE); and The US$731,412 support to the Bureau of International Economic Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs among others, writes the FrontPage Africa newspaper.

Related Captions: Gol Receives 5^th Round Of Japanese Food Aid (The Inquirer), Japan Donates Rice (The News), andGol Receives Fifth Round Of Japanese Food Aid (Heritage)

Nat’l Constitution Confab Rescheduled

The Constitution Review Committee or CRC has announced in Monrovia, a shift in the dates for the holding of the National Constitution Conference earlier scheduled from March 22 to March 26, 2015 in the Central Liberian town of Gbarnga.  A CRC release, expressing regrets about the decision, informed all Liberians and those invited to the National Constitution Conference that the new dates for the Conference will now be March 29 to April 2, 2015. According to the CRC, arrival date for all participants and invited guests in Gbarnga City, Bong County is March 29, 2015. The Committee said the changes in the dates are due to technical adjustments necessary and crucial to ensure that the national Conference objectives are fully achieved. The release quoted the Chairperson of the CRC, Cllr. Gloria Scotti as assuring Liberians and partners that the change in dates neither alters the commitment of the Committee towards a people-oriented process nor change the overall objectives of the Conference. Cllr. Scott intimated that the change became necessary to ensure that all delegates, observers and invitees from the fifteen counties and seventy three electoral districts of Liberia, as well as Liberians in the Diaspora are fully prepared and have received their invitations. The Committee apologized for any inconvenience adjustment in the dates may have caused the general public and those who have already received their invitations, pens the New Dawn newspaper.

Related Captions: National Constitution Confab Rescheduled (New Democrat), and CRC Postpones Constitutional Confab (In Profile Daily)

US$1.9 Million For Public Schools

According to the New Dawn newspaper, the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Education has announced the disbursement of US$1.9 Million to public schools nationwide to help improve the education sector, which was affected during outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease. The Project Coordinator at the Ministry of Education, Davies Woods Baysah, said there are also plan to embark on distribution of school materials to public schools across the country, beginning April, 2015. He said 41 schools are currently under construction, 16 of them already completed in seven counties, including Bomi, Grand Cape Mount, Montserrado, Bong, Grand Bassa, Rivercess and Margibi. Mr. Davis said about 1million textbooks will be distributed for grades 5 to 9; 1.3 million readers for grades 1to 4 and over 1.5 million instructional materials for grades 1 to 9, respectively. He said the distribution will target public schools to enable students acquire quality education. He also said 2, 560 school principals have been trained and school management teams set up as well as accounts opened for disbursement of direct school grants. He said 10 schools are going through extensive completion routine, while the rest are expected to be completed by June 2016 in the remaining counties.

Related Captions: GOL Announces Disbursement Of US$1.9M (The News), and MoE Gives Public Schools US$1.9m (INSIGHT)

Liberia Breaks Ground For Fisheries Headquarters Ahead Of Booming Sector

The INSIGHT newspaper reports that the Ministry of Agriculture on Thursday broke ground for the construction of the headquarters of its Bureau of National Fisheries (BNF), a major step towards a vibrant fisheries sector. The fisheries bureau has been occupying a building located on the Bushrod Island since the 1950s and has in recent years pressured by the National Port Authority, the owner of the premises. And the space at this current headquarters has been inadequate, not enough to host the West African Regional Fisheries Project (WARFP), an ongoing program aimed at prospering sub-regional fishery sector. A temporary structure worth US$300,000 will first be constructed and  thereafter the actual structure, estimated to cost some US$20 million, which was previously planned to be constructed in 2014 but was stalled due to the deadly Ebola outbreak.  According to the Coordinator of BNF, William Boeh, the prefabricated office will house the Bureau and the WARFP for close coordination of fisheries management activities, including monitoring, control and surveillance of fishing activities and among other things, a work station for technicians and consultants. At the groundbreaking ceremony at the site in the Paynesville community of Omega, Representative Fofi Sahr Baimba of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Agriculture said the future of Liberia lied in agriculture, and that the groundbreaking for the construction of the Bureau’s headquarters was a symbol of the flowering of the fishery sector.  “We have always believed that the only way to drive Liberia’s economy is to go back to the agriculture sector—all the sectors and players in the agriculture industry,” Rep Baimba told the brief ceremony next to the spot while the United States navigation tower—Omega—once stood.

Related Captions: MOA Breaks Grounds For Fisheries Office (The News), and Liberia Breaks Ground For Fisheries Headquarters-Ahead Of Booming Sector (The New Republic)

Other Stories

President Sirleaf Hails Tunisia On Independence

The New Democrat quotes a Foreign Ministry release: The President of the Republic of Liberia, Her Excellency Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has congratulated the Government and People of Tunisia on the occasion commemorating the 59th Independence Anniversary of that country on March 20, 2015. In her message to His Excellency Mr. Beji Caid Essebsi, President of the Republic of Tunisia, President Johnson Sirleaf extended heartfelt felicitations and best wishes to the Government and People of Tunisia, on behalf of the Government and People of the Republic of Liberia and in her own name. The Liberian leader expressed the hope that the cordial ties of friendship and cooperation which subsist between both countries and peoples will be strengthened in the spirit of peace and African solidarity, as the People of Tunisia commemorate this joyous occasion. President Johnson Sirleaf then prayed that the Almighty Allah will endow President Essesbsi with abundant wisdom and strength as he leads his compatriots to greater prosperity.

Related Caption: Ellen Hails Tunisia’s 59^th Independence Anniversary (Heritage)

AMBASSADOR WALLACE HEADS Liberia Delegation To Egypt’s Economic Development Conference

According to the In Profile Daily, the Ambassador of the Republic of Liberia accredited to the Arab Republic of Egypt, Alexander H N Wallace III Represented the Government of the Republic of Liberia, at Egypt’s Economic Development   Conference which took place from March 13-15, 2015 in Egypt resort city Sharm  Elsheikh. The conference by over 2000 delegates from 112 countries was aimed at presenting Egypt’s economic development visions, strategies and reform designs to attract foreign investments, encourage private sectors investments and improve social services for the citizens. The event thus generated political and economic support for Egypt, with investment deals and memoranda of understanding worth over $100 billion, for energy, construction and other developmental projects initiated by local and International companies as well as others governments.

GVL TO START PRODUCTION IN 2016

Golden Veroleum Liberia or GVL has expressed optimism of commencing oil palm production here by 2016, company’s spokesman Stephen Binda, announced Thursday in Monrovia. Speaking at a media luncheon, the company said despite the Ebola virus slowing activities during the course of the year, it is hopeful of reaching its 2016 goal. Mr. Binda said besides the scheduled production, it would also increase employment to 4,000. Currently, the company has over 3,500 employees. Beginning operation here in 2010, GVL seeks to develop a vibrant oil palm sector in Sinoe and Grand Kru counties, southeast Liberia. The company, with an investment portfolio of over 1 billion dollars, continues to contribute to the country’s economy, particularly in its concession areas through several corporate interventions some of which range from construction of schools, clinics to feeder roads. Mr. Binda, accompanied by Head of Corporate Communication, Virgil Magee, commended the Liberian media for its positive role during the height of the Ebola crisis. “We are very pleased with the level of work done by the media over the years for GVL,” said Mr.  Magee, and added, “We look forward to more of this collaboration in the coming months and year”. The company further announced that as part of the production plan for 2016, it would shortly resume construction work on its oil palm mill in Tarjouwon, Sinoe County with call for citizens’ support. Although actual cost for the construction of the oil palm mill has not been disclosed, but it is said to be in thousands of United States dollars with employment opportunities for citizens in the counties. Yesterday’s engagement brought together several media editors and senior reporters, including the President of the Press Union of Liberia, Mr. Abudullia Kamara.  Speaking on behalf of the media, Mr. Kamara thanked GVL for selecting one of Liberia’s best brains in the media (Mr. Binda) to work in its communication sector. “We applaud GVL for hiring Mr. Binda,” he said, adding, reports the New Dawn newspaper.

State Department Donates 15 Kva Generator To Justice

The New Dawn newspaper says that the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), has donated a new 15 KVA, 220-volt, diesel-powered generator to the Sexual & Gender-Based Violence Crime Unit of the Liberian Ministry of Justice. According to a press release, the generator, valued at US$6,000, was donated through INL’s Criminal Justice Program Support initiative, and replaces the Crime Unit’s portable 5.5 KVA generator, which has worked intermittently, and frequently interfered with the unit’s productivity.  The Crime Unit has budgeted and committed sufficient annual funds to cover the fuel and maintenance costs necessary to keep the generator functioning without significant interruption. Uninterrupted power will likely enhance the Crime Unit’s productivity and the prosecution of those charged with sexual and gender-based offenses.

10,000 Ebola Survivors Receive Cash From SC International

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. The international aid agency is targeting at least 10,000 Liberians, some of whom are survivors of the disease. Others are relatives of those who died and left behind families, including widows and children. Thousands of Liberians were directly and indirectly affected by the virus. The country is now trying to revive its economy which shrank (decreased) severely as a result of the virus' impact. Many concessions scaled down their operations, pulled out their expatriate staff and even laid off most of their local staff. The Liberian government had to also send on leave 90 percent of its workforce, who it termed "non-essential staff" to decongest offices and prevent the virus spread, reports the  Daily Observer newspaper.

THINK, UNFPA, Partners To Document Female Ebola Survivors Experience

According to the Daily Observer newspaper, a documentation that is expected to highlight challenges facing female Ebola survivors and how to resolve those constraints  will shortly be launched in the country by United  Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), donor partners and several government Ministries in the country.  Making the disclosure at a daylong forum in Tubmanburg, Bomi County recently, Mrs. Rosana Shaack, executive director of Touching Humanity in Need of Kindness (THINK), said her organization had already begun collating information from Ebola survivors, especially females who, she said, had gone through traumatic situations at different Ebola Treatment Units (ETU), and were experiencing stigmatization from community dwellers. “UNFPA, Swedish government, Ministries of Gender and Development, Health and other donor partners really want to document what you people are facing, after been discharged from your various ETUs and how best they can help to integrate you into the communities without experiencing stigmatization,” Madam Shaacks said.  “This forum is intended for our partners to know your situations and how they can help you find a way to solve them,” she added. “You have to share your experiences and what is affecting you most, after you left your ETU centers”. The THINK executive director   continued, “They want to know how you have been surviving and coping with your post-Ebola trauma as well as life in your communities”. Madam Shaack pointed out that “neighboring Guinea and Sierra Leone are still affected with the Ebola virus, and as such, Liberians need to practice still the preventive measures prescribed by the health authorities. She then lauded government and the Bomi County Health Team for their efforts to help contain the deadly virus in the county. According to her, she would extend the exercise to several other counties, naming Grand Cape Mount, Margibi, Bong, Nimba and Montserrado as initial ones. These activities, she said, which run from March 9-21 are being funded by the Swedish Development Agency (SIDA).

UNAIDS Calls On HIV And Ebola Survivors To Scale Up Efforts At Ending Stigma And Discrimination

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) has concluded a two-day training workshop targeting people living with HIV and Ebola Survivors to scale up efforts of ending stigma and discrimination. The workshop was organized with support from UNAIDS from 17thto 18th March, 2015 at the Corina Hotel in Sinkor, Monrovia. The total of 30 members of the national Liberia Network of PLHIV (LIBNEP+) and Ebola Survivors Association in Liberia (ESAL) attended the workshop. The workshop was focus on addressing stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV and Ebola survivors in Liberia, using the Positive Health, Dignity and Prevention (PHDP) strategy, and to develop a work plan for inclusion in the Global Fund HIV Concept Note. The primary goals of Positive Health, Dignity and Prevention are to improve the dignity, quality, and length of life of people living with HIV and others in similar category of people. Speaking during the opening of the workshop, UNAIDS Country Director-Dr. Betru Woldesemayat - disclosed that UNAIDS is developing a new global Strategy 2016-2021 that focuses on ensuring that 90 percent of people infected with HIV know their status, of which 90 percent them will receive treatment and 90 percent of those on treatment will have suppressed HIV viral load (90, 90, 90 strategy). According to him, it is about time that Liberia ends all forms of stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV and Ebola survivors pens the INSIGHT newspaper.

Rebuilding health system cardinal to post-Ebola recovery - Min. Cassel

Liberia's Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Julia Duncan-Cassel, has said that the post -Ebola recovery agenda must seek to rebuild and strengthen the health system of the affected countries. She said building the capacity of nurses, doctors and specialists, working in improved health facilities, were key to preventing such epidemic in future. Minister Cassel made the remarks at an event organized by the three Ebola-affected Mano River Union countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, on the sidelines of the Commission on the Status of Women Conference currently being held in New York. Minister Cassel said an assessment by the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the U.S. Center for Disease Control, revealed that the lack of adequate training in core Ebola response strategies aided the rapid spread of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). According to a dispatch from the Liberian Permanent Mission at the UN, Cassel underscored the importance of the National Ebola response strategy which, according to her, ensured the timely delivery of essential supplies, including personal protective equipment to the county health teams, asserts the INSIGHT newspaper.

Families Of Ebola Health Get $5K

The Liberian government has begun making payments to the families of health workers who died of Ebola in the country. Tolbert Nyenswah, who leads the government’s Ebola response system, said Thursday that 11 families have received payments of US $5,000 each so far. The World Health Organization affirmed that Ebola killed 180 health workers in Liberia. Ebola, often called the caregivers’ disease, has decimated the ranks of doctors and nurses in the three counties-Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone-that were worst affected. It is transmitted through bodily fluids of people who are symptomatic. Many health workers succumbed to the killer disease because they lacked experience about the virus and had no protective gears while diagnosing patients, writes the New Democrat newspaper.

GVL Constructs Palm Mill

According to the New newspaper, at a media gathering Thursday, Mr. Magee said palms production will begin by 2016. He said GVL cherishes its investment in Liberia and will do all it can to ensure a good working environment. Mr. Magee told journalists that the company is not engaged in land grabbing noting that land occupied was based on invitational communication to the company for onward operations.

ECOWAS Parliament Meets In Banjul

A four-day joint session of the ECOWAS Parliament Committees on Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Development and the Committee on infrastructural and Industrial Development is under way at the Kairaba Beach Hotel. The Banjul meeting would assess the impact of the Regional Agricultural Investment Programme (RAIP) and the National   Agricultural investment on the Agricultural Productivity and Food Security of ECOWAS members states Bojang, Speaker of the National Assembly, said the delocalized meeting of the ECOWAS Parliament joint Committee on Agriculture, according to New Republic newspaper.