BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

CAPITOL HILL, MONROVIA

NEWS SUMMARY, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2020

Stories on the appointment of Former US Ambassador to Liberia Linda Thomas-Greenfield as head of the Biden-Harris Transition team for the State Department, launch of circle 3 by Just a Girl initiative, probing of the Liberian Banknotes shortage by the House of Representative as well as strategizing communication approach by the Government of Liberia.

‘Friend of Liberia’ and Former United States Ambassador to Liberia Linda Thomas-Greenfield To.. Propel Biden’s Transition

According to FrontPage Africa newspaper, the United States President-elect Joe Biden has appointed former U.S. Ambassador to Liberia, Linda Thomas Greenfield to head the Biden-Harris transition team for the State Department. On Tuesday, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield was among hundreds of experts and former officials named by Mr. Biden to lay the groundwork for the eventual transfer of power at various federal agencies despite President Donald Trump’s ongoing refusal to accept Biden’s election win. The Agency review teams are responsible for understanding the operations of each agency, ensuring a smooth transfer of power, and preparing for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and their cabinet to hit the ground running on day one. The teams consist of groups of experts assigned to different agencies—including the State and Defense departments, foreign aid agencies, and the intelligence community to do the groundwork for the transition. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield, the team lead for the State Department, is a former career diplomat who served in the State Department for decades and held senior posts including Director-general of the Foreign Service and Assistant Secretary of State for African affairs. Currently, she works as a Senior Vice President at Albright Stonebridge Group, a premier global strategic advisory and commercial diplomacy firm where she leads the firm’s Africa practice.

Consumer’s Rights Protection Local Advocacy Wants The Rights Of Consumers Protected By Ensuring Value For Mone

yA local civil society organization has launched a new project under the banner the ‘Consumer Rights Protection’. The new project would ensure the protection of consumer’s rights through litigation against people who tend to defraud them of their money. Mr. Gbenimah Slopadoe, a former lawmaker from Grand Krue County, is the crafter of the new initiative. In an interview with FrontPage Africa newspaper he said, the launch of the advocacy group would ensure that consumers’ rights are protected. “As an advocacy group of consumers, we are against any thing that has the tendency to impede the will of consumers. We are doing it in a form of litigation, community engagement and other means that tend to stop the progress of the consumers. People take money belonging to consumers who are in this context the citizens for contracts that would benefit the communities but they don’t implement and there is no one to go after them; we will be going after these people through litigation to recover these monies. We are there to seek the interest of people and make sure their interests are protected in terms of economics”, quotes FrontPage Africa.  

Just a Girl Initiatives launches circles 3, Over 130 beneficiaries to get vocational skills

Just a Girl Initiatives, a local non for profit organization has launched circle 3 of its Inclusive Vocational Empowerment Program. With the launch of the program, Just a Girl vocational Program is now benefiting one hundred and fifteen girls and women and has also provided boys and men who basically have no skills or any form of empowerment to acquire marketable skills.  The Inclusive Vocational Empowerment Program Launch according to the organization’s Founder and Executive Director, Evelyn Kpadeh Seagbeh is an art of the organization’s expansion to increase girl and women access to opportunities in order to bring about economic reliance and financial independence to fight off their vulnerability.  The launching program took place over the weekend on November 7, 2020 in Duazon Lower Margibi County. Giving the overview of the program, Madam Seagbeh informed the audience that the need to expand the vocational program being offered at the organization became increasingly necessary by the willingness and desires of most girls and women wanting a acquire skills to empower themselves and to help boy and men get gainful skills rather than gathering at betting centers, or watching football games, but to become empowered, writes FrontPage Africa newspaper.

CRS Distributes Hands Washing Stations In Rural Montserrado, Bong, And Margibi Counties

With support from the United States Aid International Development (USAID), the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has embarked on the implementation of the COVID-19 response in rural Montserrado, Bong, and Margibi Counties. Speaking at the launch of the project in Bong County, the Senior Program Officer of CRS Theophilus Davis said the project aims to have hand washing stations installed in public places in the three countries. According to the FrontPage Africa newspaper, the CRS official, 2020 handwashing stations will be distributed in each of the three countries. It is good for people who are accessing public facilities to have an increased practice and behaviors of hands washing across the three countries, added Mr. Davis. CRS with funding from the USAID and collaboration with the WASH Commission are going to be installing these hand washing stations so that our people can increase their practices and behaviors in handwashing. According to Davis, the essence of the project is to reduce the spread of COVID-19. He added that one of the ways people can reduce the spread of COVID-19 is by practicing constant hands washing.

House To Probe Shortage Of Liberian Banknotes Establishes Specialized Committee                                                                                                                       

As an immediate action in solving the Liquidity problem on the Liberian market, the Speaker of the House of Representatives Bhofal Chambers has set up a specialized committee to work with the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) and the financial sector to find an immediate solution before December of 2020. According to Montserrado    County district. #17 Rep. Hassan Kiazolu, it has been established that the shortage of Liberian dollars on the market is not the fault of the government as perceived by many in some quarters. Rep. Kiazolu said government cannot hold the Liberian dollars from the market just so suffer the ordinary people, that means, government will be sabotaging her very self. Government is an institution that caters to the needs of the citizenry; and as such, it cannot be the government to create such a situation to bring hardship on its citizens, the News newspaper writes.”

Rennie On Strategic Communication Approach                                                                            

Minister of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism Ledgerhood Julius Rennie has called for a strategic communication approach if the government must effectively inform the citizens on its working and policies. It has been widely speculated that the government has not been speaking with one voice on national issues. According to the News newspaper, Minister Rennie said it was not about when the information is given out, but how the information is sent out, stating that it was necessary that the government uses a strategic communication approach. “I do agree that too many cooks are in the kitchen for the government especially when it comes to public information, we need to work at the cabinet level to get a concerted approach to how we put out our information. I came from a BBC background that says it is not when you put it, it is how you put out the message that matters.

CRCA & Partners dedicate Hand Pumps  

Following the drilling of hundreds of wells in rural and urban Liberia, Christian Revival church Association (CRCA) water of Life and the Last Well have dedicated several hand pumps drilled by the three institutions. Speaking at the dedication ceremony held in Careysburg on November 11, 2020, the Presiding Bishop of CRCA Dennis Aggrey said, the drilling of wells in various communities is their commitment to addressing the issue of clean drinking water for the Liberian people. Bishop Aggrey said they believe in sharing the gospel through meeting the needs of people. He used the dedication ceremony to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who attended the occasion. For his part, the President of Last Well Dr. Todd Philips said they are excited for providing hand pumps in each community of the 15 counties in the country, pens the News newspaper.  

MOH Donates Two Ambulances To bong County Health Team     

The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has donated two new ambulances to the Bong county Health Team on November 6, 2020 in the county, the Head of the Transport division of the Ministry of health said the Ambulances were donated by the World Bank. He said, the Ministry of Health decided to donate the two Ambulances to the Bong County Health Team, on ground that over past Months the Bong County Health Team has been out of Ambulances in the County, which have been obstructing the operation of the healthcare delivery system of the County. He called on the Bong County Health Team Administration to take care of the ambulances in the County. “you should please advise the divers of these ambulances, since they are new, and when they are over speeding they may cause accidents for the patients they maybe carrying to the hospital,” the Head of transport division stressed. Taking delivery of the ambulances in the county, Bong county Health Officer, Dr. Jonathan Flomo lauded the Ministry of Health for the donation, pens the New Democrat newspaper.

Storm Damages A.M. Dogliotti college of Health Sciences Facilities    

Some buildings of the campus of A.M. Dogliotti College of Health Sciences at the University of Liberia (UL) have been damaged as a result of a heavy storm that hit part of Monrovia on November 6. Some areas damaged by the storm are offices on the executive side of the campus, including the conference room, where essential documents and computers were kept. Speaking during an assessment tour following the destruction, Madam Fati Walters Zeaglor, Executive Assistant of the College of Health Sciences, said that the college’s operation is going to be at a standstill for now because of the Damage. “Our fear is, if the documents are not found, or if they were damaged, we hope we can retrieve them, but it’s just going to delay the process, “she noted. She expressed hope that the UL administration can make a quick intervention for immediate repair of appliances so that there cannot be a long delay in case they do not retrieve documents affected by the rain and the storm, the Daily Observer newspaper relates.