The Bureau of Public Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

DAILY NEWS SUMMARY FOR THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018

Stories on the inauguration of President-elect, Ambassador George Manneh Weah and Vice President-elect, Senator Jewel Howard-Taylor, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s final address to the nation, and commendations from women association to President Ellen Johnson Sireaf are among other stories selection for today’s media summary.

The Making of President Weah – Calendar of Events 

The New Dawn newspaper quotes a Foreign Affairs release: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released the Calendar of Events leading up to the Inauguration of President-elect, Mr. George Manneh Weah and Vice President-elect, Mrs. Jewel Howard-Taylor, beginning January 19 through 22, 2018. According to a Foreign Ministry release, the Inaugural 2018 Calendar of Events begins on Friday, January 19, with what is dubbed: “Taste of Liberia”. This event takes place at the Nancy B. Doe Market, Jorkpen Town, Sinkor from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Muslim community will host an Inaugural Intercessory Prayers at the Benson Street Mosque from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.  On Saturday, January 20, there will be a Peace Football Match between Weah All Stars (WAS) and the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) at the Barclay Training Center from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Also on the same day, the Women of Liberia will have an honoring program at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium beginning at10:00 a.m. through 3:00 p.m. On Sunday, January 21, at 11:00 a.m., an Inaugural Intercessory Service takes place at the Centennial Memorial Pavilion that will be hosted by the Christian community. Later in the evening, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., a Musical, Arts, Culture and Fashion Show Showcasing Liberia takes place at the Monrovia City Hall. On Monday, January 22, 2018, the Official Inauguration Ceremony of President-elect, Mr. George Manneh Weah and Vice President-elect, Mrs. Jewel Howard Taylor, takes place at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville beginning at9:45 a.m. Immediately following the swearing-in ceremony, an Inaugural Luncheon takes at the same venue, the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, beginning 1:30 p.m. through 2:30 p.m. At 7:00 p.m., the Inaugural Ball, in honor of President George Manneh Weah and Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor takes place at the Executive Pavilion on Ashmun Street. Meanwhile, as directed by the Chief of Protocol, Republic of Liberia, all persons attending the Inauguration Ceremony at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex must observe the following: No cars will be allowed to enter the Complex; All guests, with the exception of those listed in the Special Protocol, will enter the premises through the Main Entrance; The ushering of guests to the Ceremony will commence at 7:00 a.m. and end at 9:45 a.m. No one will be permitted to enter after 9:45 a.m. except those mentioned below.  09:45 a.m.  The Speaker and Members of the 54^th Legislature and out- going Members of the 53^rdLegislature will enter the Stadium through the VIP Entrance and be escorted to seats reserved for them.  09:50 a.m.      Members of the Consular Corps will enter the Stadium through the VIP Entrance and be escorted to seats reserved for them. 09:55 a.m.       The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Heads of International Organizations will enter the Stadium through the VIP Entrance and be escorted to seats reserved for them. 10:00 a.m. His Excellency the Doyen and Members of the Diplomatic Corps will enter the Stadium through the VIP Entrance and be escorted to seats reserved for them. 10:05 a.m.The Dean and Members of the Cabinet will enter the Stadium through the VIP Entrance and be escorted to seats reserved for them. 10:10 a.m.  His Honor the Chief Justice and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Liberia will enter the Stadium through the VIP Entrance and be escorted to seats reserved for them. 10:15 a.m. The Honorable Vice President and Mrs. Boakai will enter the Stadium through the VIP Entrance and be escorted to seats reserved for them. 10:20 a.m. Her Excellency the President of the Republic of Liberia will enter the Stadium through the VIP Entrance and be escorted to the seat reserved for her. 10:25 a.m. The Vice President-elect will enter the Stadium through the VIP Entrance and be escorted to the seat reserved for her. 10: 30 a.m. Foreign Heads of State and Government will enter the Stadium through the VIP Entrance and be escorted to seats reserved for them. 10:55 a.m. The President-elect and Mrs. Weah will be met and escorted by the Joint Legislative Committee through the VIP Entrance, and escorted to seats reserved for them. At the close of the Ceremonies, the Chief of Protocol will announce the Order of Precedence for the departing procession; Guests will remain standing.

Ellen Solicits Support for Weah

Outgoing Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf says her parting wish is that Liberians will support the new government of President-elect George Manneh Weah whose opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) won the 26 December presidential runoff against Mrs. Sirleaf's ruling Unity Party's candidate Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai. “We had a contentious, highly-charged political year. I know that. But now, we must put the disunity behind us; Liberia has but one president, and one government. We must dedicate ourselves to ensuring its success. My parting wish is that you will support your new government," Mrs. Sirleaf said in Monrovia Wednesday, 17 January in her presidential farewell statement to Liberians at her Foreign Ministry Office. She urges that Liberians respond to the new administration's call for action and civility, and to hold it accountable, adding that her hope is that they cherish the nation's democracy, participate in it, respect and support its institutions, work together to address the challenges and take pride in the success. In concluding, she also thanks civil society, the judiciary, Liberia’s Fourth Estate, religious and traditional leaders, saying through their work and prayers, they have strengthened the democracy, pens the New Dawn newspaper.

President Johnson-Sirleaf Delivers Final Farewell Message to Nation

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has delivered her farewell message to the nation. She recounted: “12 years ago, on the 26th of January, 2006, I had the privilege to address you, the people of Liberia, for the first time as your President. “We were a nation exhausted from three decades of conflict. We were starting from zero, with the complete destruction of our national infrastructure, a collapsed economy, and a State incapable of providing services to its people. "Our collective faith and resolve were put to the test, as they have been many times over in our 170 years of independence.” According to an Executive Mansion release, the Liberian leader spoke on Wednesday, January 17, 2018 in the Cabinet room of her Foreign Ministry Office in Monrovia. She recalled the heavy burden her government inherited, and the painful past, which we carried together, were no match for her dear friends. President Sirleaf also thanked members of civil society, the judiciary, Liberia’s Fourth Estate, our religious and traditional leaders; through your work, and your prayers, you have strengthened our democracy, and always reminded us of our responsibility to live a life of purpose; and in service to others. Meanwhile, President Sirleaf prayed for President-elect, vice-President elect, as well as all elected leaders, reports the FrontPage Africanewspaper  

Newly Renovated LBS Facility Unveiled by Pres. Johnson-Sirleaf 

Workers at the Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS) Tuesday, January 16, witnessed a dedication of the state-run media institution’s refurbished main broadcast building. The dedication ceremony, performed by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, was done on the main compound of the state broadcaster. The partially refurbished main broadcast complex hosts the Liberia Broadcasting System and the National Broadcaster of Liberia. Giving the overview of the project, the Director General of LBS, Ledgerhood J. Rennie, said the two major projects came about after the workers have had a retreat. At that retreat, they considered how LBS could impact on the legacy projects of President Sirleaf’s administration. The LBS Director General said that carrying on the two projects was also due to the many requests and growing interest of citizens in the South-eastern region of the country to listen to the state-run media institution. Director General Rennie expressed thank and gratitude to the General Service and Supplies group of Liberian contractors for the work well done, totaling the cost of the project to US$435,000, according to the FrontPage Africa newspaper.

Ellen Appreciates EPS

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has appreciated the professional services rendered to her and the country by the elite Executive Protection Service (EPS) through her 12 years of service as President. During a brief farewell meeting with the elite EPS administration and agents at the C. Cecil Dennis Auditorium of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Monrovia Wednesday 17 January, five days to hand over power to her successor Mr. George Manneh Weah, Mrs. Sirleaf thanked the VIP Service men and women for carrying out their duties professionally during her tenure. President Sirleaf says many of them were there in 2006 when she started to work as president, noting that they carried out their work and duty after 12 years in accordance with their code of conduct and the laws of the Republic of Liberia. She says the 12 years have gone by very fast, and she now in keeping with the Constitution and the right thing to do, moves on and let her successor take over and carry on the work to the develop the country. She tells the officers that they were not just there to serve her or appointed to serve her, but they have been there to serve their country during her tenure and they will continue to serve in the next person's tenure. She urges the EPS to continue to do what they do, to continue to be good law - abiding citizens, and continue as professional security men and women for which they were trained. President Sirleaf assures the officers that she will continue to work for the development of Liberia, reports the New Dawn newspaper.  

252 Youth Recruited in Maryland 

According to the New Dawn newspaper, team from the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment or LACE and the Ministry of Youth and Sports is presently in Maryland County, southeast Liberia to recruit beneficiaries under the productive public work sub-component of the Youth Opportunity Project. Speaking in an interview with the New Dawn correspondent in Harper City, Maryland, the Ministry of Youth and Sports monitoring and evaluation officer Emmanuel Carto says the project will work with vulnerable youths in Harper, Karluway, and Barrobo districts, respectively in the area of agriculture. He says three communities have been selected in each of the districts with each community constituting 28 youths. He explains that they will undertake communal farming on 35 acres of land already provided by those communities. The Youth Opportunity Project is a government-run program aimed at improving income generating opportunities of vulnerable youths through agriculture and life skills training in all 15 counties of Liberia. The five years project, supported through a loan agreement from the World Bank, is expected to benefit 700 youths between ages 18 and 35 in Maryland County. Some of the targeted beneficiaries Patrick Neufville, Francis Weah, and Nymeday Collins laud the LACE, Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the World Bank for providing such opportunity that will enable them acquire status, but challenge the three institutions to do more, lamenting that many of their colleagues are vulnerable in the community. Unemployment among young people with limited or no skills at all is a serious challenge in Liberia that the country’s outgoing government was unable to surmount despite public promises, and is waiting to greet the incoming administration led by President-elect, George Weah, who heavily drew his support for the Presidency from youth from slum communities.  

Association of African Women Commends President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf 

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has been commended by the Association of African under the auspices of the Angie Brooks International Center in collaboration with Governance Commission, sponsored by African Development Bank, African Women Development Fund, UN women, African Leadership Legacy Project, Felix Houphouet Boigny and Eminent Women of the Women Situation Room of Africa for being the first female elected President on the Continent of Africa, which they said served as a motivation for women across Africa. According to an Executive Mansion release, the commendation was made on behalf of the Association of African Women by Cllr. Yvette Chesson-Wureh, Establishment Coordinator of Angie Brooks international Center (ABIC). Madam Olubanke King-Akerele, Chair, Board of Directors ABIC said it is time for celebration because according to them, Liberia has accomplished something that many countries around including the world greatest nation have not. They noted President Sirleaf, as the first democratically elected female President of Africa is indeed someone to be proud of and celebrate as a nation and continent describing her as a woman of substance. They congratulated President Sirleaf for lifting women issues and for being the voice of women in Africa, which according to them stimulated the rise for leadership at different levels, pens FrontPage Africa newspaper.

Related Caption:Pres. Sirleaf receives commendation from Association of African Women (New Dawn)

RHRAP Trains Jolice, Judges

Liberia’s Rural Human Right Activist Program in collaboration with the Association of Female Lawyers is promoting gender sensitive legal process. Executive Director Lorma Baysah says the programme is intended to promote the country’s criminal justice system thru training of police, court, prison officers as well as pre-trail detainees. Speaking on a local radio station in Monrovia, Baysah says the program is being supported by the European Union, and that the training of police, judges and other legal personnel have been taking place in Bong, Lofa and Nimba Counties, respectively. “This project started a year ago and we have provided a lot of training for police and judges”, he says, noting that the overall goal is to promote rule of law in the country. He discloses that his organization will host a stakeholders’ forum, including the Ministry of Justice and Civil Society Organizations, aimed at bringing the actors together to provide some recommendations and also show case works that have been done over the years. Director Baysah says the training of police, judges and other legal people are still ongoing in those counties. He explains that the Rural Human Rights Activists foresee Liberia as a place where there is rule of law and stability amongst its people, adding that the goal is to promote and advocate for peace and justice at community and national levels, writes the New Dawn newspaper.  

5-year-old Missing Child Found Dead in Logan Town 

A 5-year-old lad has been found dead in the Monrovia suburb of Logan Town community, Bushrod Island after he reportedly went missing last week. Community residents narrate to the New Dawn that the victim had accompanied his grandmother last week Thursday, 11 January to a church crusade in the community and that after the worship he was nowhere to be found Sources explain that the following day, immediate family members of the deceased and some residents took a formal complaint to the police about the missing child. They note that search for the child continued until Tuesday evening, 16 January when information came that the lad had been discovered dead in a compound owned by a family only identified as the Samson Family. This paper went on the scene where the body was discovered and met the police commander for the area, who confirmed that he had received a formal complaint about a missing child, and subsequently news broke Tuesday that the child’s body had been found in the compound occupied by tenants, so he immediately deployed his officers in the premises to stop people from going in and out, pending preliminary investigation. A team of investigators from the homicide session of the Liberia National Police deployed at the scene prevent journalists from photographing the boy’s body, Meanwhile, Police spokesman Sam Collins assures the public that thorough investigating is ongoing to establish facts surrounding the disappearance and mysterious death of the lad whose name was not immediately identified after which full detail of the incident will be released, reports the New Dawn newspaper.