THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia.

NEWS SUMMARY FOR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2014

The World Bank’s pledge to support Liberia’s recovery program, President Johnson Sirleaf’s  appointment of Government officials affecting the Ministries of State for Presidential Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Commerce and Industry, Labor and Internal Affairs and the plan arrival of  150 Nigerian Volunteer health-care professionals to assist Liberia in its Ebola fight are stories dominating today’s local dailies.

DOMINANT STORIES

Swift Economic Recovery In Sight World Bank Group Makes Enticing Promises, Outlines Post-Ebola Development Initiatives

The World Bank Group (WBG) has outlined several development initiatives that would assist Liberia in its post-Ebola recovery exercise. Through its President Jim Yong Kim, the WBG named five strategic areas that the bank is to prioritize in order to get the Liberian economy back on track. The World Bank has also pledged to help government manage the consequences of the Ebola epidemic on the public accounts. The bank, according to its President, is working closely with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) in preparing several tranches of budget support to the government. The WBG President, who was on a one day visit to Liberia, said he and President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and other government officials, during a closed-door meeting, discussed the importance of finishing the job on Ebola and beginning the work on economic recovery. He made the disclosure at a press stakeout with President Sirleaf in the foyer of the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday. Dr. Kim was heading a high level World Bank delegation to the country. He noted that the WBG is committed to help Liberian authorities in the coming 18 months in key areas that would help reawaken the economy as quickly as possible. He congratulated the government for its leadership in handling the emergency response to Ebola, further encouraging President Sirleaf to continue working with neighbors to strengthen the regional response and promote greater regional integration. President Sirleaf welcomed Dr. Kim and his delegation to Liberia and said that the Bank has been a long standing partner to Liberia beginning in the 1960s and has supported much of the country’s development efforts. She said Dr. Kim has been exceptional in his support to Liberia since the outbreak of the virus by bringing his personal knowledge of the health sector and organizing some of his colleagues in the sector, who in turn have become partners to the government, reports the Daily Observer.

Related Captions: World Bank Eyes Agro Sector, Others…To Help In Economic Recovery After Ebola(The Inquirer), It’s Time To Switch-World Bank Impressed With Ellen’s Performance(The New republic), World Bank Reaffirms Support To Liberia’s Economic Recovery, Others(Heritage), We Can’t Await Zero Ebola Tolerance To Start Work—World Bank President Jim Young Kim(The Analyst), World Bank President Visits Liberia(FrontPage Africa)

Pres. Sirleaf Makes Additional Appointments In Gov't

According to the FrontPage Africa newspaper, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has made additional appointments in Government affecting the Ministries of State for Presidential Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Commerce and Industry, Labor and Internal Affairs. Other government parastatals include the National Commission on Higher Education, Liberia Refining Company, Central Bank of Liberia and the University of Liberia. According to an Executive Mansion release, these appointments are subject to confirmation by the Honorable Liberian Senate, where applicable. Those appointed include: Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs : Mr. Jordan Solunteh, Director General of the Cabinet ; National Commission on Higher Education, Dr. Momo Rogers, Deputy Director General ; Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Elias Shoniyin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Thomas Kaydor;  Deputy Minister for International Cooperation; Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Mr. Franz Sawyer, Deputy Minister for Administration, Mr. Andrew G. Paygar-Flangiah, Sr., Deputy Minister for Small Business Administration, Mr. Pewee Reed, Assistant Minister for Bureau of Small Business Administration ; Ministry of Labor, Ms. Moriah Kou Yeakula, Assistant Minister for Administration, Mr. Emmett M. Crayton, Assistant Minister for Trade Union, Ms. Marion N. Wreh, Assistant Minister for Standards among others.

Related Captions: President Sirleaf Makes Additional Appointments In Government(Daily Observer), Pres. Sirleaf Makes Additional Appointments In Government(The Analyst)

Ebola Workers’ Payment Essential For Successful Response And Recovery – Says UNDP

To strengthen the battle against Ebola, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is working with the authorities in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to coordinate payments for thousands of treatment centre staff, lab technicians, contacts tracers and burial teams. “Success in the response, down to the district level, depends on these women and men who are risking their lives every day to fight the disease”, said Helen Colark, the Administrator of UNDP, In Profile Daily writes.

Related Captions: Payment of Ebola Workers Essential…Says UNDP(The New Republic), UNDP Weights Health Workers’ Salaries In Ebola Affected Countries(Daily Observer), Payment of Ebola Workers Essential For Successful Response And Recovery-Says UNDP(The Analyst), Payment of Ebola Workers Essential For Successful Response And Recovery…Says UNDP(The Inquirer)

Nigerian Medical Professionals Arrive Tomorrow

A group of 150 Nigerian Volunteer health-care professionals that will include medical Epidemiologists, Field Epidemiologists, Physicians, Nurses, Laboratory Scientists, Data Managers, Psycho-social Professionals etc. will be arriving tomorrow in Liberia. According to the Inquirer newspaper, the group will be coming under the aegis of the African Union Support to Ebola Outbreak in West Africa (ASEOWA) to be led by Dr.  Joshua Obasanya of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (CDC).  The daily quotes the Nigerian Embassy release as saying that the volunteers will be in Liberia for three months, during which time, it is believe that the disease will be contained, treated and eradicated in the country.

Related Captions: Nigerian Medical Professionals Join Fight Against EVD in Liberia(Heritage), 250 Nigerian Medics Coming(The New Dawn)

OTHER STORIES

Pres. Sirleaf Meets UN Special Envoy On Ebola

The Analyst newspaper reports that Pres.  Ellen Johnson Sirleaf received the United Nations Systems Coordinator for Ebola virus disease, David Naborro, at her Foreign Ministry office. He was accompanied by the Special Representative of the United Natyions secretary general to Liberia, Karen Landgren and the Representative of World Health Organization-Liberia, Peter Graff. The United Nations secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon on August 12, appointed Dr. David Nabarro as Senior UN Systems Coordinator for Ebola, prompting his first visit to the most affected countries of the outbreak. He is currently concluding visits to Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia to assess the Ebola response, receive updates and brief the leaders of the three worse affected countries. According to an Executive Mansion release, President Sirleaf briefed Dr. Nabarro on the current state of Liberia’s fight against the further spread of the disease and expressed satisfaction with the progress made so far. She also attributed the progress to the combined efforts of the government, the people of Liberia and the country’s many partners including the United Nations. “Our main concern is to transition from treatment to prevention, strengthen contact tracing, enhance community involvement, promote education and awareness about the disease and begin the process of strengthening the regular healthcare system to stop the spread of the virus. The existence of treatment centers must be integrated with more prevention initiatives” President Sirleaf stressed.

Growth Shrinking In Liberia, Others…World Bank

The World Bank has released a report indicating that the Ebola epidemic continues to cripple the economies of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, and is projected to result in negative or contracting growth in the three countries next your as they stagger to eradicate the virus The report comes as World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim held discussion with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Tuesday, December 2, on the second day of his visit to West Africa to assess the epidemic’s impact, The NEWS reports.

Related Caption: New World Bank Group Report Shows Growth Shrinking, Economic Impact Worsening in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone(In Profile Daily)

Liberia, Guinea On Track To Contain Ebola

The West African nations of Liberia and Guinea have achieved a goal of isolating at least 79 percent of people infected with Ebola, and safely burying at least 70 percent of the people who have died of the disease, according to the world Health Organization. If the efforts to contain the spread of Ebola in these countries continue at the same level, both could stomp out this current outbreak within the next few months, said Gerardo Chowell-Puente, a mathematical epidemiologist at Arizona State University in Phoenix, who has studied the outbreak’s dynamics, FOCUS reports.

US Official On Three Days Assessment

The NEWS newspaper says United States Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield at the head of a 10-member delegation is in Liberia for a three-day visit to assess the current state of Liberia’s fight against the Ebola Virus Disease, specifically US support to the fight. A Foreign Ministry release says the delegation that is on an assessment visit to Liberia will fly to Bong County to visit the US funded Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Laboratory and safe burial site as well as the Bong County Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU). Ambassador Greenfield and delegation will also observe an Ebola survivors’ seminar for healthcare workers at the National Police Training Academy.

World Bank Provides &70M

The World Bank Tuesday announced it would provide US$70million as direct budgetary support to the Liberian Government in order to help the country recover from its economy woes which came as a result of the Ebola outbreak, the Bank’s President Dr. Jim Young Kim, made the disclosure in Monrovia yesterday when he addressed the press at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) “The world Bank plans to provid US$70Million to the Government’s budget”, Dr. Jim announced at Tuesday’s press conference, following  his meeting with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. He praised President Sirleaf and her government for sustaining the fight against Ebola,  terming the current status of the epidemic as impressive, New Democrat reports

Southern Counties Petition Government…Want Reduction Of Cities, Districts, Others

Local administrative stakeholders in southeastern Liberia have called on central government to reduce the existing number of cities, townships, cleans, chiefdoms, and districts in the country. Currently, there are 141 Cities, 244 Townships, 129 districts, 240 Chiefdoms, 580 Clans and 1198 General Towns.  According to statistics, more than 82.3% of resources (money) allocated to the sub national structures are spent on personnel and related services; thus severely constraining expenditure on goods, services and developmental projects in the counties. The stakeholders believe the multiplicity of local structures without necessary economic, social, infrastructure and basic services creates a lot of problems for government, Heritage writes.

Ambassador Sulunteh Identifies With Victims In Bong

Liberia’s Ambassador to the United States, Canada and Mexico, Jeremiah C. Sulunteh, has donated 300 bags of 25kg rice to be distributed among Ebola-affected families and quarantined households in Bong County.. The friends of Sulunteh leader in Bong County, John O. Flomo, asked representatives of the towns to convey Ambassador Sulunteh’s heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost loved ones to the disease. He said, though Ambassador Sulunteh was far away and could not meet with the people on the ground, he however could hear their loud cry for support during this very difficult time, Daily Observer reports.

65% Of Aliens Exit Liberia…For Fear Of Ebola; BIN Confirms

The Commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization (BIN). Cllr. Lemuel Reeves, has revealed that the drastic departure of aliens from the country for fear of contracting the deadly Ebola virus disease amount to approximately 65%. Speaking to a team of reporters at his Broad Street office on Tuesday, Commissioner Reeves said the departure of the aliens as a result of the Ebola virus has caused the BIN income to drop speedily, The New Republic writes.