THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

NEWS SUMMARY FOR THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016

Today’s edition of the summary of the local dailies highlights stories including President Sirleaf’s message of congratulations to the Government and people of Angola on that country’s 41^st independence anniversary, her meeting with the Vice President of Kenya among others.

President Sirleaf Hails Angola on 41^st Independence Anniversary; Promises to Deepen Bilateral Ties

The FOCUS newspaper quotes a Foreign Ministry release, “President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has warmly congratulated the Government and people of the Republic of Angola on the occasion commemorating the 41^stIndependence Anniversary on Friday, November 11. Independence Day is celebrated on November 11, each year, to commemorate Angola’s independence from Portugal in 1975. The armed struggle for Angolan independence known as the Portuguese Colonial War or the War of Liberation (in the former Portuguese colonies) began in 1961. The main protagonists in this struggle were the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA), and National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). In 1974, a military coup known as the Carnation Revolution took place in Portugal. The new government put an end to war by agreeing to recognize the independence of its colonies. On November 11, 1975, the MPLA took control of the capital city of Luanda and declared the independence of Angola. The Liberian leader recalled the historic relations between both nations while at the same time assured her Angolan counterpart of Liberia’s determination to continue the strong bond of friendship and cordiality subsisting between the two countries as they endeavor to lead their respective peoples to a brighter future”.  

Kenya VP Meets Pres. Sirleaf

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Wednesday received Kenyan Deputy President - William Ruto and held bilateral talks on issues of mutual interest between Liberia and Kenya. Vice President Ruto said his visit to Liberia is centered on key areas that they want strengthen, including the bilateral relationship with Liberia, Liberia’s educational system, trade between Kenya and Liberia, among others. Vice President Ruto said this strive is Agenda 53 of the African Union, aimed at promoting trade and commerce in its Member States. According to an Executive Mansion release, Vice President Ruto made the statement at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when he addressed journalists following a brief meeting with President Sirleaf, reports the New Dawn newspaper.

Related Caption: Ellen Receives Kenya’s Deputy President Holds Bilateral talks on issues of Mutual Interest(Heritage)   

VP Boakai Meets High Powered Delegation Of The International Planned Parenthood Federation 

Vice President Joseph N. Boakai has commended the Planned Parenthood Association of Liberia, formerly the Family Planning Association of Liberia for the Association’s continuous meaningful contribution towards the sexual and reproductive health and rights program of the nation. Vice President Boakai said with such program in place, responsible parents would be made, there will be a minimization of unsafe abortion, sharing of best practices and well as enabling the youth stay in school. According to a release the Vice President Boakai was speaking Wednesday when he received a high power delegation of the Association of the International Planned Parenthood Federation Africa Region, the Heritage newspaper writes.

West African Electricity Regulators, Operators, Others to converge in Ouagadougou

Major Players in the electricity sector in ECOWAS member states, including regulators, operators and representatives of the Ministries of Energy and their counterparts from the Finance Ministry will meet in Ouagadougou the Burkinabe capital, to push forward the agenda of the soon –to- be launched regional Electricity Market. They will be meeting on the 16^th of November 2016 5^th Electricity Regulatory Forum organized by ERERA in collaboration with the national electricity regulator of Burkinafaso (ARSE) under the theme “Realizing the ECOWAS regional electricity market: Opportunities  and Challenges,” reports the FrontPage Africa newspaper.

MOA, FAO Agree to Revamp Information System

An inside story of the Heritage news daily reads that The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have signed an agreement to re-establish the statistics and information management system at the ministry. The project, which is funded under the Technical Cooperative Agreement between the government and FAO, will see the FAO providing a total of US$458,000 to revamp the information management system. A statement from the FAO said the signing ceremony to consummate the agreement was performed at the Ministry of Agriculture in Gardnersville, outside Monrovia, by Agriculture Minister Moses Zinnah and FAO Country Representative Marc Abdala on behalf of their respective institutions.

COP22 Celebrates Water Day, Launches Blue Book

The Conference of Parties (COP), currently convening in Marrakech, Morocco, has for the first time in the history of COP dedicated a day to celebrate water and climate issues. Dedication of the day is aimed at raising the awareness to support the implementation of the Paris Agreement that came into force at the start of the ongoing 22nds sitting of the COP. The conference organizers on Wednesday also launch the “Blue Book on Water and Climate.” It can be recalled that organizers at the COP21 sitting held in Paris last year dedicated only half-day to commemorate the issue of water, the Heritage writes.

Liberia Seeks Help From UK, US After Cyber-Attack

Liberian authorities are seeking the assistance of the U.S. and U.K. governments to help secure the country’s internet infrastructure following a crippling cyber-attack that brought down 60 percent of the country’s network, reports RFI of Netherlands. The size of the attack against Liberia is cause for concern, according to Eugene Nagbe, the Information Minister, who believes Liberia was targeted by hackers because its network was perceived as being weak. Nagbe told RFI they are actively pursuing the option of seeking assistance from friendly countries like the U.S. and U.K. He dismissed reports that the cyber-attack took down the entire network, saying that it did not affect the African Coast to Europe (ACE) submarine fiber cable that connects the country to the World Wide Web or the Libtelco and Cellcom service providers. However, the attack was successful in crippling service provider Lonestar MTN, which provides about 60 percent of internet connectivity in the country, according to Nagbe. The Daily Observer reports that the company has already deployed a cyber-security specialist to Liberia to investigate what happened.

West African Electricity Regulators, Operators, Others to converge in Ouagadougou

Major Players in the electricity sector in ECOWAS member states, including regulators, operators and representatives of the Ministries of Energy and their counterparts from the Finance Ministry will meet in Ouagadougou the Burkinabe capital, to push forward the agenda of the soon –to- be launched regional Electricity Market. They will be meeting on the 16^thof November 2016 5^th Electricity Regulatory Forum organized by ERERA in collaboration with the national electricity regulator of Burkinafaso (ARSE) under the theme “Realizing the ECOWAS regional electricity market: Opportunities  and Challenges.”Front Page Newspaper Reports

Rotary Club Of Monrovia Begins Rehabilitation Of Old Folks Home

The Rotary Club of Monrovia (RCM) has begun rehabilitation work on the old folk’s home on Snapper Hill in Monrovia.  According to the INQUIRER newspaper, the US$2,000 community service project is under the theme “RCM Fix It Day”. The RCM Publicity Chairman, Mr. Wilson Idahor said the rehabilitation work includes repair of a portion of the roof, painting, replacing ceiling tiles and clearing the surroundings.