The Bureau of Public Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

NEWS SUMMARY FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2014

World Bank’s commendation to Liberia for being Africa’s first nation to launch Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment and President Johnson Sirleaf’s appeal for the media to join the fight against Ebola  are stories highlighted in our summary of Wednesday, July 30, 2014 selected dailies.

DOMINANT STORIES

World Bank Lauds Liberia

According to New Democrat Newspaper, the World Bank Development Specialist who recently visited Monrovia has lauded efforts by Liberia to become one of Africa’s first nations to launch the Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA) component of Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REED+) on the continent. Speaking to journalists at the end of a two-day national validation gathering of SESA component of the REDD+ project in Monrovia, Mr. Nicholas Soikan said the presence of relevant stakeholders at the two-day event clearly indicated Liberia’s commitment to the REDD+ process.

Related Captions: Liberia Scores Big in REDD+Project in Africa(In Profile Daily), Liberia Scores Big in REDD+Project in Africa(The Inquirer), Liberia Scores Big in REDD+Project in Africa(Heritage)

Ellen Pleads With The Media

The Heritage Newspaper reports that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has made a passionate plead to media practitioners in Liberia to help join the fight against the deadly Ebola virus by discouraging the state of denial amongst some citizens. Ebola is the world deadliest disease that has no cure or vaccine. The virus has killed at least 129 people here, and claimed more that 670 lives across the region. According to the Liberian leader, a state of denial remains visible amongst Liberians, and therefore, the media must play a pivotal role in helping to combat the deadly virus.

Related Caption: Ellen Solicits Media Support in Ebola Fight(In Profile Daily)

OTHER STORIES

‘We Are Not Planning To Evacuate Our Citizens’-US Ambassador Dispels Speculations

United States Ambassador accredited near Monrovia, Deborah Malac, has said that the US Government does not intend to evacuate its citizens from the country as is being speculated in the media. Instead, she said, her government is rather navigating means through which it can help the Liberian government battle the Ebola epidemic that is killing people daily. Ambassador Malac gave this assurance Tuesday, July 29, during the second meeting of the National Ebola Task Force, chaired by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who was also in the meeting.  “I want to dispel the rumors that we preparing to evacuate our citizens from Liberia. It’s not true. We will continue to follow the reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC), on this matter,” she said. The Daily Observer writes that as the biggest outbreak ever of the Ebola virus ravages Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, there have been widespread fears and jitters in many quarters of the Liberian public that the United States might evacuate its citizens and embassy staff from the country after two of its citizens fell prey to the deadly virus.

‘I Am Far From Being Tired’Ellen Tells National Ebola Task Force Members

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has assured members of the National Ebola Task Force that she is very far from being tired in handling the affairs of the state. President Sirleaf, who chaired Tuesday’s National Ebola Task Force Meeting held at the C. Cecil Dennis, Jr. Auditorium at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, sternly responded to comments made by Mr. Natty B. Davis, former Chairman of the National Investment Commission of Liberia. During the meeting, Mr. Davis, who said his NGO, Feed The Future provides for surviving family members of Ebola victims, had commented among other things: “Madam President, I have one concern, if I may. I am wondering if you are getting tired. Outsiders have told us that the situation is an emergency. What are you doing, Madam President? It starts with you. According to the Daily Observer, President Sirleaf, who had been moderating the meeting in a very quiet and somber tone before this comment, replied sharply. “I am far from being tired. If you think I am tired, try me.” She contended that what a responsible leader does is not to make rush decisions.  She stated that her government was further observing the situation, not to be misconstrued as fatigue. The Liberian leader also disclosed that she is in constant communication with her colleagues Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone and Guinea’s Alpha Condé. Neighboring Sierra Leone and Guinea are also being ravished by the deadly Ebola virus, which has now claimed more than 600 lives in the Mano River Union Basin, including Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

US Advises on Ebola

The Daily Observer reports that the United States Embassy near Monrovia has again assured Liberians of its assistance on the fight against the deadly Ebola virus while stressing regional efforts to combat the deadly virus.  The United States Ambassador to Liberia, Deborah Malac told a joint news conference with President Ellen Johnson Silreaf, that “this is a time when we need to put aside our fears and trepidation and think about what we can do to achieve a greater good for everyone in the region”. Ambassador Malac has also said that her Country’s President sees Africa as a fundamental part of that country’s interconnected world and as such both parties should collectively ensure that the next generations of young people are given the kind of opportunities that they deserve to live better lives, the Daily Observer reports under the caption “US, Africa to Tighten Ties-As US Ambassador Describe Continent as a Fundamental Part of the US“. Speaking at a joint press conference with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the Foyer of the Foreign Affairs Ministry ahead of the African Leadership Summit (ALS) that is to be held in the US next week, the US Ambassador said she shares with the Liberian leader the desire to see that young people of  Africa have a better future.

Police To Fight Ebola-Deployment On The Way To Major Health Facilities

The INSIGHT newspaper reports that the Liberia National Police (LNP) have disclosed plans to deploy members of the force to all major health centers across the country to aid health authorities in the robust combat of the deadly Ebola virus in the country. Police Spokesman Sam Collins disclosed that the deployment is in line with the new measures instituted by the Liberian Government to contain the disease amid resistance by community members and families. According to the LNP Spokesman, police officers will also escort the burial team of the Health Ministry during instances of burial of Ebola victims, so as to avoid tussle and resistance by relatives.

DGHCS Boosts Ebola Fight –Brings Over US$5,000 in Protective Gear for Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone

According to the INSIGHT newspaper, an International Charity, Delivering Good Health Community Services, has embarked on an aggressive campaign to combat the deadly Ebola Virus in the Mano River Union region. The DGHCS imported a container full of medical equipment and supplies including personal Protective Equipment (PPE) worth over US$500,000. According to the founder of the DGHCS, Madam Nallie Brumskine Moore, the consignment of medical equipment to honor its annual medical mission to Liberia but was forced to divert its attention to join the ongoing fight against the deadly Ebola virus. “The outbreak and rapid spread of this deadly virus is unprecedented and consorted efforts are required to stop its further spread”, madam Brumskine Moore asserted.

Education Ministry Shut Down- As Senior Staff Dies Of ‘Ebola’

The Daily Observer reports that the death of an Education Ministry employee on Monday night has forced authorities there to close down the entire Ministry effective as of yesterday (Tuesday) for an indefinite period of time. The decision, taken by Education Minister, Etmonia David Tarpeh, came immediately after she discovered that one of the Ministry’s employees, who had been at work on Monday, had left the office vomiting and later died at home. In her abrupt pronouncement in the courtyard of the Ministry precisely at 8:10 a.m. yesterday morning,  Minister Tarpeh advised all employees of the Ministry to stay away from the entity’s 3rd street premises until the entire building has been sprayed or chlorinated by authorized personnel from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOH/SW).

In The Wake Of Ebola: Hospitals Closed In Bong

Major health facilities in Bong County, including Phebe and the C. B. Dunbar Maternity Hospitals, have closed down due to the absence of health workers. In an interview with the Daily Observer on Tuesday, July 29, in Gbarnga, the Chairman of the National Health Workers Association of Liberia Bong County Chapter, Madam Martha Morris, said health workers planned to stay away from work as the result of the lack of protective gears to work with. Ms. Morris told this paper that the workers had decided to institute the measure in order to claim the attention of health authorities and other relevant agencies to supply the needed equipment that would enable them (health workers) to return to duty. 

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