The Bureau of Public Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

DAILY NEWS SUMMARY FOR FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2017

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s expression of gratitude to partners, the plead for ECOWAS intervention in Liberia’s electoral process by the Defense Ministry’s Officials, and the retiring of 8 employees from Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company, are among stories selected for today’s media summary.

President Johnson-Sirleaf Expresses Gratitude to Partners

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has expressed gratitude to partners for their support to Liberia's post-war recovery that has impacted the lives of the Liberian people through the restoration of electricity to Liberia. The rehabilitation of the Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant was initiated by the Liberian government through partnership with friendly governments and institutions including the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) of the United States of America, the European Investment Bank, the Germen and Norwegian governments. 

According to an Executive Mansion release, President Sirleaf was speaking on Tuesday, December 12, 2017 at Funders Meeting of Mount Coffee Hydropower rehabilitation project held at the Mamba Point Hotel in Monrovia.  She said successive governments will build upon development programs initiated by her administration, reports the FrontPage Africa newspaper.

Related Caption: President Sirleaf Expresses Gratitude To Partners (In Profile Daily)

Liberia Defense Official Pleads ECOWAS’ Intervention In Electoral Process…As Statutory Meetings Heat Up In Abuja Ahead of Annual Summit

The Deputy Minister of Defense for Operations, Honorable Jerome Larbelle, has urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to continue its support towards the electoral process in Liberia. According to a release from the Liberian Embassy in Abuja, the Liberian Embassy in Abuja, the Liberian Deputy Defense Minister made the assertion during the 39^th Ordinary Meeting of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council (MSC) at the Ministerial Level that had on December 12, 2017. The MSC is part of series of that annual end-of-year Statutory Meetings of ECOWAS that are taking place in Abuja, Nigeria, pens the Inquirer newspaper.

Related Captions: Liberian Defense Official Pleads ECOWAS’ Intervention In Electoral Process (Heritage) and ECOWAS’ Intervention Sought In Electoral Process (In Profile Daily)

Education Wants Schools Remain Open Until Holiday

According to the Inquirer newspaper, the Ministry of Education has directed all principals, District Education Officers and County Education Officers to ensure that all schools remain in session until the beginning of the Christmas vacation, December 22. After years of civil war, Liberia’s education system has in the state of crisis that was later made worse by the Ebola epidemic. Overage enrollment remains a significant challenge at all levels of education. Approximately 40 percent of primary school students are more than three years older than the appropriate age for their grade.

Related Caption: All Schools Ordered To Remain In Session Until… (Insight)

Security Officers Warned…INCHR Vows To Go After Any Security Officers Who Will Violate The Rights Of Civilians

The issue of security officers continuous violation the rights of civilians in Liberia has grasped the attention the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR). The Acting Chairperson of the INCHR, Rev. Bartholomew Colley, Thursday warned security officers to stop brutalizing and violating the rights of citizens, noting that they ought to be protecting rights of civilians instead. “You need to stop the violation of human rights as national security officers bearing the flag, everyone needs to be protected under our laws and the security officers are responsible for that and not to violate,” he said. The INCHR boss at a one-day conference on the Protection of Civilians (POC) threatened to go after state security officers who are in the constant habit of using state uniform to intimidate civilians, reports the FrontPage Africa newspaper.

LPRC Retires 8 Employees For Long Service

According to the Inquirer newspaper, the Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company (LPRC) retires eight employees for long service at its 11st annual retirement and employees’ appreciation program last Wednesday. The 2017 annual retirement and employees’ appreciation program took place at the Paynesville City Hall in the City of Paynesville with eight of its long service employees honored and presented checks, certificates and souvenir rings. Giving the overview of the annual retirement program at the LPRC, Mr. Charles K. Kolee said the program is intended to appreciate employees and contractors who have gone beyond the call of duty in keeping the institutions running. The eight retirees are Mrs. Alice M. Ketter, Al-Josephus Taybior, John Y. Miller, Mark T. Joe, Nyeah A. Tarpeh, Joseph B. Quionah, Patrick Flomo and J. Momolu Dukuly for serving the entity for 25 unbroken years.

EPA Offers Training on Climate Change

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is holding a five-day National Capacity Building workshop from December 11 to 15, 2017 at the Golden Key Hotel in Paynesville. It is geared towards the preparation of Liberia’s first Bi-annual Update Report – 1 (Bur -1). Participants are drawn from University of Liberia (UL), United Methodist University (UMU), Ministry of Health, TOTAL, Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy and EPA. Dr. Charles Asumana, Sr. National Project Coordinator, said the objective of this project is to prepare and submit the BUR – 1 to fulfill its obligations to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) of which Liberia is a part. Dr. Asumana  addressed participants on CGE Handbook on Building Sustainable National Green House Gases Inventory Management Systems; Methods and Date documentation; Descriptions of assurance and quality control procedures; Description of archiving system and key category analysis, reports the Inquirer newspaper.

LRA Welcomes Nigerian Tax Expert To Strengthen Audit Capacity

According to the FrontPage Africa newspaper, the Commissioner General of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) Elfrieda Stewart Tamba has welcomed to Liberia a Nigerian international tax expert, from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) of Nigeria. Mr. Matthew Gbonjubola, the Head of International Tax at FIRS, is on a week-long assessment visit to Liberia under the auspices of Tax Inspectors Without Borders. This visit is also in pursuance of implementation of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between FIRS and the LRA in fostering South-South Cooperation and knowledge-sharing to help attain target 17.1 of the Sustainable Development Goal. This target seeks to strengthen Domestic Resources Mobilization (DRM) and promote partnership in achieving the SDGs. The partnership with the Nigeria FIRS was possible under the framework of the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) and the West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF).

Related Captions: LRA CG Welcome Nigerian Tax Expert To Strengthen Specialized Audit Capacity (Insight) and LRA CG Welcomes Nigerian Tax Expert To Strengthen Specialized Audit Capacity (In Profile Daily)