BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA

NEWS SUMMARY, MONDAY, AUGUST 5, 2019

The Bureau of Public Affairs today, August 5, 2019 subscribed to several local dailies including the Heritage,Observer, the New Dawn,Inquirer, and the News newspaper etc. We captured Headlines from the back, front and the inside of these papers to prepare its today’s edition of the regular news summary.   

 TheNews Summary highlights news about President George Manneh Weah suspending two Deputies Managing Directors at the National Bureau of Concession; the departure of 325 Liberian Muslims for Mecca as well as the signing of a “Multi-Year Well Data Management Agreement” by the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) with Core Laboratories Sales BV, an oil industry service giant.

Othernews include stories concerning a Chinese Medical Doctor  and the Director of the Angel Medical Care Clinic pledging their support to buttress GOL’s  health delivery efforts as well as story about a Joint Research on Malaria conducted by the LMHRA, and the St. Joseph Catholic Hospital among other news.  

Dominant Stories

President Weah Suspends NBC Two Deputies

President Dr. George Manneh Weah has suspended with immediate effect two deputies at the National Bureau of Concession (NBC) for time indefinite. Daddy Gibson, Deputy Director General for Administration and Nathaniel Bracewell, Deputy Director General for Concession at the National Bureau of Concession are suspended for Administrative misconduct. Their suspension was announced early Friday, August 2, 2019. Coleman had complained Daddy Gibson, Deputy Director-General for Administration and Nathaniel Bracewell, Deputy Director-General for Concession at the National Bureau of Concession to the President, alleging that they physically assaulted, insulted and displayed gross insubordination against him, The News newspaper pens.

Related Caption: As President Weah Suspends 2 Officials (Heritage)MoPres. Weah Suspends NBC Deputy Directors (Daily Observer) Related Weah Suspends NBC Deputies (The New Dawn)President Weah Suspends Concession Bureau 2 Deputies (Inquirer newspaper)

325 Liberian Muslims Leave for Mecca

About 325 Liberian Muslims have departed the country for the Islamic Holy City of Mecca, Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj Pilgrimage, aimed at fulfilling one of their greatest religious obligations. The Daily Observer newspaper says the annual pilgrimage brings millions of Muslims from across the world to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Hajj is observed for five days in the last month of the Islamic lunar calendar, and is one of the five pillars of Islam. Varney Sirleaf, Minister of Internal Affairs and a member of the steering committee of this year’s Hajj, said the Liberian delegation departed the country on Thursday, August 1, 2019 via the Roberts International Airport (RIA) in Margibi County. “The departure for the Hajj means a lot to the Muslim community, especially sending 325 people from Liberia, who will pray for the country, its leadership’s prosperity, peace and reconciliation, [as well as for] themselves and their families,” Mr. Sirleaf said. 

Related Caption: Liberian Pilgrims Arrive In Saudi Arabia( Inquirer newspaper),Liberians Pilgrims Arrive In Saudi Arabia…For 2019 Hajj (The News)

NOCAL, Core Laboratories Sign Accord On Oil Well Date Management

The National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) has signed a multi-year Well Data management agreement with Core Laboratories Sales BV, an oil industry service giant. The Agreement is the first major initiative by a major sector player in the three years, said a NOCAL statement issued in Monrovia recently. It said the venture will see the management value addition and re-organization of Oil Well Data collected by oil companies that operated in Liberia since the 1970s .Speaking at the signing ceremony, NOCAL Chief Executive officer, Atty. Saifuah-Mai Gra, noted that this agreement ushers in a new era in the sector that has been dormant for the past three years. She said: “A key mandate of the NOCAL Act involves the management of data which   presents a major income stream for NOCAL. When I took over the company, Well Data Sales was poor and close to non-existence; coupled with the absence of operators in the basin. The need to be innovative with what we have available is very paramount”, Pens the Heritage. 

Related Caption: NOCAL Signs Multi-Year Well Data Management Deal (The News)

Chinese Doctor Promise Better Health Delivery

The Director of the Angel Medical Care Clinic has vowed to provide a more and effienct health delivery system in the country. The Angel Medical Care Clinic is situated in Congo Town on outskirt of the nation’s capital, Monrovia. Doctor Sun Lijuan said as she years, she is committed to providing better healthcare service for the people of Liberia. Doctor Sun was speaking recently when she was awarded the prestigious Golden image Award (GIA) for her invaluable services in the health sector of the country. I have been in Liberia for nearly five year ago in countless thrilling recuse scenes: going through the Ebola time; large scale typhoid outbreak, malaria and so on the Inquirer newspaperwrites. 

Related Caption:Chinese Doctor Promises Better Health Delivery ( Heritage)

Other Stories  

LMHRA, St. Joseph Catholic Hosp. Conduct Research on Malaria 

The Daily Observer newspaper is reporting that the Liberian partners of the IGORCADIA Project (Improved Governance and Research Capacities in Diagnostics for Infectious Diseases) of the Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA) started a research about the Diagnostic Performance of Malaria (DiagLib) at the St. Joseph Catholic Hospital in Monrovia. The purpose of this study is to describe the performance of malaria diagnosis (microscopy and Rapid diagnostic tests) at the hospital by applying laboratory-based approaches to sensitively detect the presence of Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) in clinical samples. Plasmodium falciparum, according to research, is a unicellular protozoan parasite of humans, and the deadliest species of Plasmodium that cause malaria in humans. It is transmitted through the bite of a female Anopheles mosquito. It is responsible for roughly 50 percent of all malaria cases.

Bomi, Cape Mount Farmers Adopt SRI

Several farmers in five communities in Bomi and Grand Cape Mount counties have adopted the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) practice to improve their yields. SRI is a methodology aimed at increasing the yield of rice produced in farming. It is a low water, labor-intensive, method that uses younger seedlings, small spaced and typically hand weeded with special tools. This technology is being practiced in 13 countries in the West African sub-region as part of a strategy to increase rice production. In Liberia, the Community of Hope Agriculture Project (CHAP) is working with smallholder rice farmers in eight of the 15 counties to promote the SRI practice in order to improve the productivity of farmers in rice cultivation. 64 year-old farmer, Madam Bowolo Sumo, informed the Daily Observer on Thursday, August 1, 2019, during a tour of their project in Tubmanburg, that they are impressed about the new method learnt in growing rice, Daily Observer newspaper asserts.

“Agriculture Is the Lifeblood for Every Economy”

Former Vice President of Liberia, Joseph N. Boakai, has described agriculture as the lifeblood of every economy and, as such, he encourages every Liberian to invest more in the sector. Boakai spoke recently at a program marking the harvest of a 30-hectare of lowland rice owned and operated by a local farmer in the Kissi Karma community in Johnsonville, outside Monrovia.He told local farmers at the symbolic harvest ceremony of the rice that agriculture in developing countries, like Liberia encourages everyone to take farming as their top priority to reduce hunger. The former Vice President said that over the years, the Liberian government has spent close to US$200 million annually on rice importation, something, he said takes away the country’s foreign exchange earnings. He added that it is important for the citizens to understand that Liberia can only reduce food importation by investing in the soil, the Daily Observer newspaper writes.

LISGIS secures US$1M for Census

The Government of Liberia (GOL) has provided approximately US$1M dollars for the conduct of the National Population and Housing Census (NPHS) and has also committed additional US$6M dollars to the exercise. In a press statement read by LISGIS Public Affairs Director Varfee Holmes over the weekend in Monrovia, he said that the Government of Sweden has committed US$7.8M to the census and provided US$4M initially; while the World Bank has also committed US$6M dollars and has provided US$1M dollars initially. The statement discloses that other partners of Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo – Information Services (LISGIS) like Irish Aid, UNDP, and USAID are gearing up to commit to the census. According to LISGIS, in preparation for the census, LISGIS and UNFPA have also conducted a joint nationwide preparedness assessment, The News Dawn newspaper writes. 

Indian Community Donates Medicines, Testing Equipment To MOH

Association of Indian Community in Liberia (AICL) under the guidance of its President Rohiet SUji has voluntarily donated medicines and testing equipment to the Liberian Government through the Ministry Health (MOH) in Congo Town. AICL led by Acting President Mr. Pradee Babani along with Mr. Laxman Bojwani( Pioneer Member and Former Vice President of AICL), Mr. Skankar Jhamnani (Pioneer Member and Former vice President of AICL)  Mr. Pradeep Sachdev(Excecutive Member) Mr. Manoj Dadlani (Executive Member) and Mr. Baiju Sanchari( Active Member)  met Dr, Francis Kateh ( Deputy Minister), Madam Norwu Howard (ADM Deputy Minister), Dep Mini. PHAR. A Vaifee Tulay( Planning) and other delegates from Health Ministry.  The AICL Activities of  community service in Liberia are inspired by one of the  ancient Indian sayings “Vasudev Kutumbakam’’ which means the world is one family it implies that  each one should care for others the Inquirer newspaper relates.

Liberia host African Women for Jesus 2020

Liberia has been chosen to host the African Women for Jesus Conference 2020 stated for the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville outside Monrovia. African Women for Jesus is Movement with a vision to keeping Liberia and the  entire Africa on fire for Jesus, transforming lives and  winning souls for Christ. The five days spirit filled event is bringing about 120 Christian women or more from Christian Countries in Africa to Liberia, the first ever in the country’s history. Liberian Clergy Bishop Dr. Matilda G. Tarr is chief planner of this gathering of African  women on fire for Jesus Christ, which is being planned under the theme, “Enter His Kingdom’’ from the text John 18:36. According to Bishop Tarr Christian women leaders from Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Kenya , Rwanda , Zambia, Malawi and Cameroon have signed up for the conference , including those from Togo, Benin, Guinea, Ivory Coast, as well as the United States , Canada, Australia, Europe and Asia are vigorously gearing up to come the New Dawn newspaper imply.

Eight Undergo GIZ ToT in Road Building, Upkeep

According to the Heritage, Eight persons have undergone training at the Booker Washington Institute in Kakata, Margibi County, to provide training for the others in road construction and maintenance. Thanks to the support of the Liberian Government’s partners, German Cooperation (GIZ), and the Swedish Embassy near the capital, Monrovia, the training of trainers (ToT) was successfully completed. The graduate included one woman and seven men who will now help to move forward the project on Capacity Development in the Transport Sector in Liberia. The keynote speaker at the event recently, Assistant Education Minister for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, Saku Dukuly, said that the graduates of the ToT program can be considered the “trail blazers” who will usher in a new wave of skilled worker in the transport sector.  According to him, the government of Liberia is moving towards massive infrastructural development with particular emphasis on the construction of major highways across the country to create huge potentials for employment of the people with the relevant skills.