BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

CAPITOL HILL, MONROVIA

NEWS SUMMARY, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2020

Today’s edition of our regular media summary of the local dalies captures stories on Qatari government’s donation of Medical Equipment and supplies to boost the fight against the covid-19 Pandemic, the resumption of Air France to Liberia and the launch of sample collection for COVID-19 by MoH and WHO, among other stories    

DOMINANT STORIES  

Qatar Donates Medical Equipment To Boost The Fight The COVID-19 Pandemic     

The Government of the state of Qatar has donated several cartons of medical equipment and supplies to the Government and people of Liberia to boost Health care delivery and enhance the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic that is currently ravaging the world. The donated medical equipment and supplies included the Infrared Non-Contact Thermometer, Alcohol 70% 236 ml; Chlorine Powder; Ear Loop Surgical Face; Bleach Chloral liquid Nitrile Examination Gloves; Personal Air Sanitizers; Ventilator and Oxygen Concentrator amongst other. According to a Foreign Ministry release, the presentation ceremony took place on Thursday, October 19, 2020, in the Cecil Dennis, Jr. Auditorium at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Capitol Hill. Receiving the donation on behalf of Liberia, Madam Naomi Gray, Assistant Minister for Afro-Asian Affairs, thanked the Government and people of Qatar for this laudable humanitarian assistance to Liberia. Minister Gray stated that the donation is a clear manifestation of the cordial bilateral ties of friendship and cooperation subsisting between Liberia and Qatar, the Inquirer newspaper quotes the Foreign Ministry release.

Related Captions: State of Qatar Provides Medical Assistance to Liberia (Daily Observer), Qatar Delivers Medical Aid to Liberia (New Democrat), State of Qatar donates medical equipment to boost Liberia’s COVID-19 fight (The New Dawn) and States of Quarter Donates Medical Equipment and Supplies to Liberia (Heritage)

Air France Resumes Flight To Liberia; Gov’t Expresses Delight

The Government of Liberia has hailed the resumption of flight to Monrovia by Air France, an event which marks the end of a long hiatus since the airline halted its operations in the country. A statement from the Ministry of Information said President George Manneh Weah expressed the Government’s appreciation and delight last Friday, when Air France Senior Executives for Africa paid him a courtesy call. The Liberian leader said with his strong ties to France, bilateral relations between the two countries will only get better. “France has done a lot for me and with the commitment from Air France that it is here for the foreseeable future, says a lot of the goodness of the French People,” President Weah said. For his part, Air France Senior Vice President Henri Hourcade praised the Liberian Government’s efforts and commitment in getting the Airline to resume its operations in the country. “It is because of the very strong commitment of Liberia this time around engendering the right conditions that we are back here to resume operations with a full complement,” Henri Hourcade asserted.  Earlier in the day, at a formal ceremony meant to commemorate the arrival of the maiden fight, the Liberian Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Samuel D. Tweah said the recommencement of the airline’s operations in the country was a reflection of the confidence the airline has in Liberia’s economic future, writes the News newspaper.  

Related Caption:  Air France resumes flights to Monrovia (The New Dawn) and Air France Returns (Daily Observer)

‘Montserrado Belongs To Us’ The President Weah Declares As CDC Pulls Crowd

Montserrado County on Saturday, November 21, 2020, turned blue as tens of thousands of supporters and sympathizers of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change(CD) turned out for the official launch of the party campaign activities ahead of the December 8, 2020, special Senatorial and by-elections.

Normal business activities were stalled as thousands of marketers formed part of the campaign lunch named and styled “CDC Blue Tsunami Official Campaign Launch.  Speaking at the program, the Standard Bearer of CDC and President of Liberia Dr. George Manned Weah told the jubilant crowd that Montserrado County belongs to CDC, asserts The News.

Related Captions: CDC Shows Strength in Montserrado (The New Dawn) and President Weah ‘Montserrado Must Be Recaptured’ (Daily Observer newspaper)

OTHER STORIES  

Cassava Processors Deliver Processed Products to Gold                                                                                Six major cassava processors including global Agro. Bravo Sister, FALAMA INC. Liberia Business Incubator, Destiny Women , and Logan and Logan INC, have delivered a consignment of approximately 80 metric tons  of processed cassava products to the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) for distribution to Liberia’s venerable communities. It can be recalled that the MOA, through its Smallholder Transformation Agriculture Project (STAP-P) Project in August 28, 2020, awarded contracts to several potential agribusinesses from the cassava and rice sectors as part of the Ministry’s COVID-19 emergency response initiative that seeks to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on agriculture and food security with support from the World Bank. Considering that the virus could have adverse effects on the economy, particularly on the vulnerable population, the MOA in April of this year developed a COVID-19 food security livelihood and nutrition plan. The plan seeks to support farmers and to create food stocks. According to Joseph Morris, President of the National Cassava Sector Coordinating Committee (NCSCC) the recent delivery of cassava products represents the second phase of the exercise. He said according to the contract, they are to produce a total of 1,050 metric tons of various cassava products, the Daily observer newspaper writes.

Gov’t Brings In Devise To Spy Business Activities                                                                      The Government of Liberia (GOL) represented by members of the Inter Ministerial Concession Committee (IMCC) namely, the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), National Investment Commission (NIC) , Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) and Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) have signed a Framework Agreement for the development, installation and operations of an Electronic Fiscal Device System (EFDS) within Liberia. The electronic system will enable the Government install electronic fiscal devices to track the daily transactions and sales records of businesses in Liberia. The project was initiated in 2018 by the Ministry of Commerce as the Concession Entity followed by an International Competitive bidding, (ICB) process with TRACOM emerging as the most responsive bidder demonstrating a strong track record, sufficient financial capacity to deliver on the project and impressive technical expertise. The group under the agreements is expected to invest up to US$12.7  Million over the period of seven years.  The fiscal device system will compile sales data of supermarkets, stores, hotels and restaurants among others aimed at promoting accountability and transparency in the filing and payment of various taxes to include Corporate Income tax (CIT) and Goods and Service Tax (GST)  to boost revenue collection, New Democrat newspaper reports.

“Your Success Depends On Your Attitude AUWA New Pres. Advises                                                                      

The Adventist University of West Africa (AUWA) which comprises of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea over the weekend inaugurated their first President, Pastor, Director, Emmanuel G.M. Kollie, at the AUWA Advent Hill with other Presidents from Various institutions in attendance in Schiefflin Township on the Robert field highway. President Kollie, gave thanks to his people for electing him as the very first Liberian President of the institution and told them that attitude is the key to success, because Africans are not basically cursed as people suggest. “We are poor because we lack attitudes and the road to follow and teach these principles of working as it is to enrich in developed societies; we are too compensating ready to destroy those who are educated, as long as they are educated we do everything to make them not to succeed so that we remain on the same level of not progressing, “Dr. Kollie stated. “We are in the state because we see something wrong but we sit down and say let it be; some people will take pleasure  in causing  destruction, division, criticizing, falsehood and condemning one another and cherish selfishness and enmity”, he said , the Inquirer newspaper writes.  

MoH, WHO Launch Sample Collection For COVID-19 

The Government of Liberia through the Montserrado County Health Team (MCHT) and the World Health Organization (WHO), International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) have officially launched a five-day community voluntary testing for residents of the 12^th Street community in Sinkor. The launch of the volunteer testing and sample collection is in continuation of previously launched volunteer testing and sample collection exercise in other parts of Montserrado County by the health authorities, The event, funded by the German Government which was held at the Tubman High School on November 21, is said to be the sixth engagements in a series since the process was initiated. Communities that have benefitted earlier include the Thinkers Village, Paynesville, Du-Port Road, King Gray, West Point and the 12^th Street community in Sinkor, among others. Serving as official launcher, the Deputy Minister for Pillar Lead at the Ministry of Internal Affair (MIA), Olayee Collins said President George Weah is committed to ensure that his government and its partners succeed in the fight against the pandemic, stating that the resumption of the five days voluntary testing is a clear manifestation of the Liberian leader and Partner quest in defeating the virus. According to him, the issues of COVID-19 pandemic is everyone’s business and not the government alone; and as such, residents of the 12^th Street Community should ensure that the team achieves its target within the stipulated time, The News newspaper discloses.

LMC Ends One-Day Training Forum For Editors

As part of its many efforts aimed at enhancing the capacity of Liberian Journalists to diversify their reportage in the forest sector, the Liberia Media Center (LMC) in support with the Multi-stakeholders Forestry Governance Project (MFGAP) has concluded a one- trainer of trainers’ training with newsroom editors. The one-day media training, which brought together editors and senior reporters from various media outlets including the print, electronic and online media, was held at the Crown Hotel in Paynesville, outside Monrovia. Speaking at the occasion, the Program Officer at the LMC and lead facilitator at the forum, Mr. Francis Brewer, stressed the importance of media roles in society and urged Liberian journalists to diversify their reportage to other thematic areas as the forest sector. “The intention of this training is to bring media managers up to speed so that they are aware of what we are doing in the forest sector. This is to improve and increase media coverage in the forest sector. We have conducted series of training in different thematic areas including the Freedom of Information Act, investigative reporting and this time, we are having this editors’ training,” stated the LMC Program Officer, the Heritage newspaper reports. 

MFDP To Launch Key Programs

The Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning is to shortly roll out the Aid Management Tool (specifically referred to as the Liberia Project DashBoard), as well as, the National Aid and NGO Policy of Liberia (NAPL), Ministry of Finance and Development Planning release has disclosed. The “Roll Out,” the release said, will be part of a National Conference under the theme “Programming Aid for National Development” organized by the Ministry of Finance and Development scheduled for Wednesday, November, 25 at the Ministerial Complex in Congo Town. According to the organizers, the three main objectives of the National Conference are to roll out the National Aid and NGO Policy of Liberia which formally gives ownership of the policy instrument to Ministries, Agencies and Commissions. It is expected that at the conference, the roles and responsibility of MACs in the implantation of the NAPL, will be reemphasized. Secondly, during the occasion, a national donor coordination framework as per the NPAD and NAPL will be formally established. And thirdly, the Organizers will present and officially launch the Liberia Project Dashboard (LPD) as a repository of donor and GoL project information. It can be recalled that on September 28 to October 3, 2020, the Government of Liberia, with funding from the AfDA and USAID, conducted a roll out training and launched the National Aid Policy of Liberia (NAPL) to the public in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, The News newspaper says.