THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia.

NEWS SUMMARY FOR FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2015

Today’s summary of the local dailies highlight the Ministry of Transport official unveiling ofthe new improved motor vehicle license plates to be used from 2015 to 2020and the Government of Liberia dedication of the reconstructed building of the Salvation Army’s William Booth Junior & Senior High Schoolas well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ transfer of its archives to the Center for National Documents and Records Agency.

DOMINANT STORIES

MOT Unveils New License Plates

The Ministry of Transport has officially unveiled the new improved motor vehicle license plates to be used over the next five years, from 2015 to 2020. Addressing the Ministry of Information Regular Press Briefing on Thursday, May 28, 2015, Transport Minister, Angela Cassell Bush said the introduction of the new plates was consistent with Title 38 of the Liberian Code of laws Revised Chapter 3.6. According to Minister Bush, the new sets of plate are designed to address a number of issues with the existing plates including coding that did not meet standardized requirements for visibility and appearance and design specifications that lacked security features, rendering the plates exposed to duplication. She said for Liberia to have been on par with International Transport Best Practice, it was imperative for the Ministry of Transport to introduce the new improved license plates. Providing further details, Minster Bush disclosed that the new plates will use a new numbering system based on the vehicle categories thereby discontinuing the following categories of vehicle license plates: PC, BC, PB, BP, PP, and NG. These will all replaced by “A” categories of license plates. Because of the new changes, license plates such as TB, TP, TT and TX are being discontinued and replaced with one general category called Public Transport and another called TAXI, according to the New Dawn newspaper.

Related Captions : Transport Unveils New Vehicle License Plates(The News), New Vehicle License Plates Unveiled( New Democrat), Gov’t Issues New License Plates For Five Years(The Inquirer), Transport Ministry Unveils New Vehicle License Plates(Heritage), Transport Ministry Unveils New Vehicle License Plates(INSIGHT), New Vehicle License Plates Unveils(In Profile Daily)

GoL Dedicates Re-Constructed William Booth Junior & Sr. High School

The Daily Observer reports that the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning yesterday, dedicated the re-constructed building of the Salvation Army’s William Booth Junior & Senior High School. At the dedication Tanneh Brunson, Deputy Minister for Budget and Development Planning said the reopening of the new building will serve as a reminder to the perpetrators that the future of Liberian children will not continue to be compromised. “To you our future leaders, we have a responsibility to protect you and ensure that you have a bright future and as a Government, we will continue to seek your interest,’’ she said. In remarks, the Salvation Army General Secretary, Major Samuel Amponsah extended his inner gratitude to the Government of Liberia for its rapid intervention to solve the unexpected distraction that reduced the classrooms to warehouse, and library computer lab. The Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning presented a check for USD140, 155.00 to the administration in March for the reconstruction. The program was attended by representatives from the Ministries of Finance and Development Planning, Education, students and faculty of William Booth Junior and Senior High School. It may be recalled that the school was gutted by fire on March 4th 2015 by yet to be identified persons.

Related Captions: GoL Delicates Reconstructed William Booth Junior/ Senior High School(FOCUS), Re-Constructed William Booth Junior And Senior High School Dedicated(New Democrat), Reconstructed William Booth Dedicated(Heritage), Liberia Unveils US$140K School After Fire Disaster(FrontPage Africa)

OTHER STORIES

Foreign Ministry to Transfer Archives to CNDRA

The Daily Observer writes that: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it will today, May 29, begin the transfer of its archives to the Center for National Documents and Records Agency (CNDRA) in Monrovia. According to a Foreign Ministry release, the decision was taken consistent with an Act passed by the National Legislature in 1977, which gives the CNDRA the responsibility to manage all archives within the Republic of Liberia. Meeting at the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, May 26, officials of the Foreign Ministry and CNDRA including Minister Augustine Ngafuan, the Co-Chairperson of the Land Commission, Hon. Walter Y. Wisner and CNDRA Director General, P. Bloh Sayeh, agreed to effect the transfer of the archival records to satisfy the requirement of the law. Speaking during the meeting, Minister Ngafuan expressed joy over the exercise terming it as a history making event and noting that the last time documents were transferred from the Foreign Ministry archives was in 1977. He said he was pleased to see this happen again especially where the CNDRA has acquired modern and technical capacity to preserve Liberia’s historic records. For her part, Director Sayeh praised the Foreign Ministry for its decision to satisfy the requirement of the law. She assured that records from the Foreign Ministry will be preserved.

Related Caption: Foreign Ministry To Begin Transfer Of Documents To CNDRA(Heritage)

Envoy Nyenabo Extols EU, ACP Vast Support To Liberia

Liberia’s Ambassador to Belgium, Isaac W. Nyenabo, has commended the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of ‘states (ACP) and the European Union (EU) for their enormous support to Liberia’s fight in eradicating the Ebola virus. Ambassador Nyenabo at the ACP council Conference in Brussels, on behalf of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and people of Liberia, also highlighted the support towards Liberia’s economic growth, peace and security from the ACP and EU. According to a dispatch from Belgium, he said the support and solidarity receive were not just overwhelming, but helped greatly in adding to the fight that has today finally made Liberia a Ebola-free country, Heritage newspaper writes.

GoL Vows Return Of ‘Loots’ To GVL

The FOCUSnewspaper reports that in the wake of recent violent outbreak in Butaw, Sinoe County, leading to the pillaging of some facilities of the Indonesian oil palm company, Golden Veroleum Liberia, and the arrest of several citizens by the Liberia National Police (LNP), on suspicious of their involvement in the melee, the Liberian government has vowed to bring criminal charges against those responsible for the chaos. But addressing the regular press briefing of the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT) on Capitol Hill in Monrovia, Information Minister, Lewis g. Brown pointed out that the recent action does not only threaten the country’s peace and security but also undermine the collective livelihood of Liberians, and unfairly portrays the country as “an unsaved destination for foreign investment”.

Labour Minister Attends High Level Event Of UN General Assembly

Labour Minister, Atty. Neto Zarzar Lighe, Sr. will on Monday, June 1, 2015 represent the Government of Liberia(GOL) at a High Level Event of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the United States of America (USA). According to the invitation from the President of the General Assembly, Minister Lighe will participate in a High Level Panel Discussion on June 1, 2015, on the Demographic Dividend and Youth Employment, Heritage newspaper reports.

Commerce Stresses 25% Contract Compliance For Liberians

The Ministry of Commerce & Industry (MoCI) has called on all government ministries and agencies to adhere to the Ministry’s Act that secures 25 percent of all procurement contracts for Liberian-owned Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country. According to the Ministry’s Act, Sub-sections (a) and (b) states that “At least 25 percent of all public procurement contracts entered into by all government institutions including state owned enterprises shall be allocated and provided to Liberian-owned MSMEs, of which at least 5 percent shall be allocated and provided to women-owned MSMEs”, the Inquirernewspaper reports.

Women Group Launches 15-Acre Corn Farm, Training Project In Lofa

A women group under the banner of Young Liberian Women Organization for Improvement (WOFIM) has launched a 15-acre corn farm project and vocational skill training program in Lofa County. Speaking at the launch of the corn farm project and training program, the Executive and Founder of WOFIM, Madam Kona S. Kollie, said the initiative by the group is designed to provide skills, and produce agriculture products to empower youth and women of Lofa County, Heritagenewspaper writes.

Modern Resource Center For Pleebo Sodoken

In life there are people who hardly recognize where they come from or pay back in a positive way for whatever blessing they might have gained from their old roots. At the same time there are others who are always mindful of appreciating others who are always mindful of appreciating others who might have helped them down the line to reach to their current status in life. One of the organizations that is always ready and willing to identify with the people of Pleebo Sodoken District in the southeastern County of Maryland is the Pleebo and Gedetarbo Resident in Montserrado County. With acronym, PAGRIM, this organization, comprising predominately young talented men and men from Maryland who are now residing in Montserrado are cognizant of the concept of “good never lost”. By their gesture, Maryland County is to shortly benefit from a modern resource center with the capacity of hosting close to ten thousand people, Heritage newspaper reports.