THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

NEWS SUMMARY FOR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2014

Today’s dominant stories include the arrival of the experimental Ebola drugs in Liberia, and the appearing of NEC before the House of Representative.

Other stories are the arrival of Chinese in Liberia to help fight Ebola, the mounting of checkpoint between Nimba and Bong Counties, the endorsement of US$20M by the House of Representatives to enhance the fight against Ebola, Nigerian company donation to Liberia, the increment of European Union Aid to contain Ebola in West Africa and commencement of business inspection by Commerce Ministry.

DOMINANAT STORIES

Experimental Ebola Drugs Arrives Today

According to the New Dawn Newspaper, America’s experimental Ebola virus drugs are expected in Monrovia today on a Delta Flight, following President Barack Obama’s approval to send sample doses of an experimental serum to treat Ebola infected Liberian doctors. Two U.S. Aid workers infected by the tropical disease have shown some signs of improvements since being given the experimental drug. But a Spanish priest Miguel Pajares, 75, the first European infected with the virus, which has killed more than 1,000 people in the sub-region died in a hospital in Madrid after also being treated with the experimental drug. America’s immediate approval to sent the experimental drugs which had been described by President Obama as premature for Africa, is now being sent here just at a time China has officially delivered a US$1.63m worth of consignment to help Liberia contain the Ebola virus.

Related Caption:Experimental Drugs For Liberian Doctors (New Democrat),Government Receives Approval For Experimental Drug (FOCUS),Ebola Drug Ready For Liberia (The Analyst),Ethical To Use Experimental Ebola Drugs, Says WHO (The News)

House Summons NEC

The House of Representatives Tuesday, August 12, overwhelmingly voted to summon Authorities of the National Elections Commission (NEC) to explain “why NEC failed to alert the Legislature about recommendations to postpone the Special Senatorial Election.” In the wake of the outbreak of the Ebola Virus in Liberia, NEC recently recommended the postponement of the October 14, 2014 Special Senatorial Election. According to NEC Chairman, Cllr. Jerome George Korkoya, NEC may be unable to deploy staff in the field to conduct civic/voter education as well as recruit and deploy 25,000 polling staff at polling centers in Liberia, and as such, postponing the poll was the best option available. Chairman Korkoya said the Commission’s recommendation is also based on the fact that the Ebola outbreak would hinder the smooth conduct of campaign activities by candidates, who are desirous of contesting the election. He said the health emergency in Liberia may affect the conduct of free, fair, transparent, and credible election come October. Accordingly, NEC communicated said postponement to the appointing power, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, to inform the high court about the inability of the Commission to run the election but failed to officially inform the Legislature. In the wisdom of plenary, as the first branch of government, “NEC should have communicated with the Legislature any decision relative to changes in the pending election before the Executive or the Judiciary,” Daily Observer.

Related Caption:NEC Faces House August 14 (New Dawn),NEC Summoned (New Democrat), NEC Chairman Summoned Over Postponement Of Election (Heritage)

Other Stories

Chinese Experts Due Today For Ebola

Following the donation of medical supplies and equipment to Liberia to intensify the fight against the deadly Ebola virus that has killed hundreds of Liberians, it has been disclosed that three Chinese public health experts will arrive in the country today to join in containing the Ebola virus. Speaking yesterday when the People’s Republic of China handed over consignment of medical supplies and equipment to the Government of Liberia, Ambassador, Zhang Yue said the Chinese experts are coming to Liberia to help in the fight against the virus that has engulfed the Mano River Union Basin, Inquirer Newspaper reports.

Commerce Begins Inspection Of Business

In the wake of the outbreak of the deadly Ebola Virus in the country, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has begun massive inspection excise. The Deputy Minister and Inspector General Mr. Alphajour Ahmed Bah, III said business houses have taken advantage of the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in country to increase various prices, writes the FOCUS Newspaper.

At Catholic Hospital, Several Ebola Deaths Traced To Sawyer

When Patrick Sawyer took his sister, Princess who was bleeding profusely to the St. Joseph Catholic hospital, healthcare workers ran to the rescue, but this hospitality led to the trail of death from the deadly Ebola Virus that no one ever imagined could possibly happen, with up to six deaths now in Liberia and two in Nigeria including an ECOWAS Protocol officer.
Shocking news, trails of death, the St. Joseph Catholic hospital is now a ghost town with the entire staff evacuated and some still counting days at isolation centers hoping for a miracle to recover. Since last week there has been news of deaths emanating from the Hospital. The first was the Hospital’s Chief Administrator Patrick Nshamdze, 52, from Cameroon who died on August 2, 2014 after contracting the deadly Ebola virus then followed more deaths.
Six persons have now died from the hospital, including a Spanish priest who died on Tuesday after being airlifted to Spain for treatment, after contracting the deadly virus disease. Three women's health-workers, including a Congolese nun have died and one medical doctor from the hospital, pens FrontPage Africa Newspaper.

Checkpoint At Nimba-Bong Border – To Examine Travelers

According to the Daily Observer Newspaper, in order to curtail the spread of the deadly Ebola Virus in Nimba and other parts of Liberia, the Nimba County Ebola Response Task Force has erected a checkpoint at the St. John River before entering Nimba from Bong County. Nimba Superintendent Fong Zuagele told the Daily Observer that the newly erected checkpoint will strictly be for testing going in and out of Nimba County.

House Endorses US$20m For Ebola

The Plenary of the House of Representatives has granted authorization to the Executive Branch to expend US$20million to deal with the Ebola outbreak in Liberia. At a special session which lasted for nearly two hours, the House voted 49 in favor, while three voted against the approval. The House decision follows a communication from President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf requesting the 53^rd Legislature to grant ‘Emergency Spending Authority to begin dealing with the deadly Ebola Virus while the National Budget for the 2014/2015 fiscal year is under full consideration, INSIGHT Newspaper reports.

ArcelorMittal Offers 17 Liberians International Scholarships

ArcelorMittal has awarded scholarships to 17 Liberians to study different disciplines at several universities in Africa including Ghana and Kenya. Speaking at the ceremony at the Ministry of Education, the country Manager of the steel company, Ronnie Addy said his company is aware of the challenges the government is faced with in the education system and the initiative is intended to help fix the capacity problem and is also part of Mittal’s Corporate social responsibility. “As the way of identifying with the country and our own corporate responsibility we are glad to be supporting the initiative and by doing that they all will be contributing to the excellence everyone is looking for. The recipients will see this as an opportunity to go and come back and contribute to the country’s education system”, said Country Manager Addy. In remarks, Minister of Education Etmonia Tarpeh urged the students to make use of the opportunity and advised them to erase the notion that they have to be connected before benefiting from the scholarship. “Why each time the women are less, so you the men tell them I am not going to be with you because you are not to my standard, I am sure they will try to improve. They are just as smart as you are,” said the Minister. She advised the students to focus on their lessons in a strange land cautioning them not to be the sexiest boys in those Universities, challenging them to return home bringing pride to their family, friends and the government. Months back, the company accepted applications from 22 persons in which 17 were successful.  The company says based on past experience with some students refusing to return, the committee decided to limit the Scholarships to African countries including Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. As per the mineral development agreement (MDA), ArcelorMittal Liberia established an advanced academic scholarship program (AASP) in the amount of US$200,000 per year for the scholarship opportunities for Liberians to pursue graduate degrees at various Universities in Africa, Australia and China, FrontPage Africa reports.

Nigerian Company Donates Bleach Products To Liberia

A Nigerian company, Multipro Enterprises Limited (MEL), on Tuesday donated one thousand liters of bleach products to the Government of Liberia to help combat the deadly Ebola Virus Disease. MEL’s Marketing Manager, Mr. Joseph Ayemibo, ahead of a three-man delegation, announced the donation to Ambassador Al-Hassan Conteh at the Liberia Mission in Abuja. Mr. Ayemibo said his company saw it fit to offer a large consignment of its Hypo Super Bleach products to Liberia at the country’s time of critical need. He said Hypo Super Bleach is used as disinfectant in hospitals, hotels and other public places.   His company would also be responsible for air lifting the materials to   Liberia before August ending. Ambassador Conteh thanked Manager Joseph Ayemibo, and briefed him about the robust measures the Government of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has put in place under a National State of Emergency, including a budgetary allocation of $20 million to stem the Ebola Virus Disease in Liberia. The Liberian envoy then appealed to other Nigerian companies and humanitarians to follow the good example of MEL in helping to eradicate Ebola Virus Disease in Liberia and the sub-region, New Dawn reports.

Related Caption:Nigerian Company Donates Bleach Products To Liberia(IN PROFILE DAILY)

EU Increases Aid To Contain Ebola

The European Union has increased its support from €8 million Euros to €11.9 million in its efforts to contain the spread of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. This is the fourth increment in EU assistance for the Ebola crisis. It is the Commission's aid in 2014 to fight the Ebola epidemic. A release issued in Monrovia, said in addition, a second "European mobile laboratory" is expected to be deployed in the coming days, most likely in Sierra Leone, to provide essential support to diagnostics and testing from Brussels and Dakar. "We are determined to help prevent the further spread of the deadly epidemic. Many lives depend on our immediate assistance. Our support will ensure urgently-needed health care and the strengthening of preventive measures through our partner organizations that are helping around the clock to provide life-saving assistance to the victims," said Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. The EU Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, stated: "Saving lives and providing further support to West Africa is now more than ever an urgent priority. We have, therefore, decided to mobilize today’s additional assistance from the European Development Fund. New medical supplies and the mobile laboratory will help to meet the pressing needs in the region and improve capacities to detect the virus", writes the New Dawn Newspaper.

Related Caption:EU Boosts Aid To Contain Ebola Outbreak (The  News)

Media Gets Boost For Ebola Fight

As government tackles the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, a coalition of local organizations has donated 1,440 gallons of gasoline to the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) in a bid to buttress efforts by the media to provide awareness and sensitization messages across the country. The Grand Coalition of Liberian Organizations (GRANDCOALIO), comprising over one million business organizations operating in the country made the donation here yesterday.  The President of the Liberian Business Association, Mr. Dee Maxwell Kemayah said it was their own way of helping buttress government’s efforts in the fight against Ebola, New Democrat reports.

UNFPA wants capacity-building for youths

The United Nation Funds for Population Activities or UNFPA, has emphasized the need for the Government of Liberia to provide more  capacity-building for untrained youths. The UNFPA said, though the government has capacitated many institutions to empower young people in the country, there was still a need for more to be done, noting that without the capacity of the empowerment of the young,  the peace building process may not hold. Speaking yesterday, August 12, 2014, at the UNFPA head office in Monrovia at a program marking the symbolic celebration of International Youth Day, the Assistant Country Representative of UNFPA, Dr. Philderaid E. Pratt, said the UNFPA has a significant role to play in developing the minds of young people traumatized in the society. Speaking on the theme: “Mental Health Matters”, Dr. Pratt said every child has the right to a safe and healthy passage from adolescence, adding being a healthy person means not merely the absence of illness, but it requires the complete physical, mental and social well being of every young person- because the mental health of every young person is largely ignored, and as a result, depression was the largest cause of disability, while suicide was one of the leading causes of death among young people, pens the New Dawn Newspaper.

100 Inmates Set Free

Concerned about inmates at the overcrowded Monrovia Central Prison during Ebola epidemic the Ministry of Justice has restored freedom to 100 pretrial detainees there. Court documents say the action was taken in line with Section18.2 of the  criminal laws of Liberia which states; “Anyone that is accused of an indictable offense must be indicted and trial within two terms of court”. Court documents stated that the Ministry released inmates with minor offenses ranging from misapplication of entrusted property and criminal misconduct to disorderly conduct and theft of property, New Democrat reports.

Related Caption:Govt. Releases Over 100 Prisoners(The New Republic)