BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

CAPITOL HILL, MONROVIA

NEWS SUMMARY, Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Today’s edition of our daily summary captures stories about Liberia, India Signing  US$2M Grant to Finance 14 Military Hospital Project; the Executive Mansion Clarifying  Weah’s Comment;  ECC Backing President Weah’s on Constitutional Amendments and the LACC’s  decision to update the public on assets declaration. 

Other stories include news concerning the donation by “We Remnant Donates” to YPEP, ELWA Hospital; Save the Children’s position outlining its achievements in Learn Project as well as Liberia’s willing to embark on IHR Self-Assessment among other stories. 

DOMINANT STORIES:

Liberia, India Sign US$2M Grant Pact…To Finance 14 Military Hospital Project

In an effort to complete the construction of the 14 Military Hospital, the Governments of Liberia and India have signed a US$2 million grant agreement for the completion of the 14 Military Hospital. Speaking at the signing ceremony held Tuesday, August 13, 2019 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Indian Ambassador Sailas THANGAL emphasized his government’s commitment to working with Liberia to enhance the ties between the two countries and continue to support its developmental drive. Ambassador THANGAL said he remains particularly excited to see the completion of the 14 Military Hospitals. He stated that when completed, the hospital will serve the serviceable men and women in arm to improve their health status. The Indian envoy has also disclosed plans by his government to donate 50 vehicles to Liberia, including 45 new public transport buses and 5 trucks for the military. He said the Government of India has committed itself to the construction of the proposed Mahatma Gandhi Conference Hall on the Mahatma Gandhi Island, previously known as the Bali Island. For his part, Foreign Minister Gbehzohngar Findley extended government’s appreciation to the Indian Government for the grant and the continuous support to Liberia. Minister Findley said the US$2 million grant for the completion of the military hospital was a clear manifestation of the Indian government’s commitment to improve the lives of the ordinary Liberians, The News newspaper writes.

Related Caption: India Gives Funds To Complete Military Hosp. …Donates 50 Vehicles (The Inquirer), Liberia, India Sign US$2m grant( New Dawn newspaper), As Indian Gov’t Gives US$2M Grant big Boost for 14 Military Hospital construction (Heritage newspaper)

ECC Backs President Weah’s Intent, Ideas For Constitutional Amendments  

The Elections Coordinating Committee (ECC) has said it supports and commends President George Manneh Weah’s intent and ideas for constitutional amendments. The ECC is a civil society platform, comprising six (6) organizations that observe elections in Liberi, works in partnership with th Liberia Accountability Voice Initiative (LAVI) with support from USAID. According to the ECC, this is necessary for the consolidation of Liberia’s fragile and emerging democracy.  In an interview with Heritage newspaper, it can be recalled that last week, the media reported that the president is contemplating on constitutional amendments to reduce the tenures of the presidency  from six to five years, the senate from nine to seven years and the House Of Representative  from six to five. Addressing a press conference in Monrovia on Tuesday, August 13, 2019, the chairman of the ECC, MR. Oscar Bloh, describe these initial proposals from the president as welcoming. At the same time the ECC has called on the president to recommend to the Legislature a comprehensive amendment to the Constitution in order to avoid a constant change to provisions within the Constitution. This will also minimize financial cost on the government.

Related Caption: ECC Calls for Constitutional Amendment ( Daily Observer)

LACC Gives Updates On Assets Declaration

According to the Inquirer newspaper, the Liberia Ani-Corruption Commission, in keeping with its statutory mandate, wishes to publish listing of Senior Government Officials who have declared their Assets and Liabilities, along with those who have NOT declared effective Friday, August 9^th 2019. The Commission’s attention has also been drawn to constant requests for cop (ies) of Public Officials Declaration; with contain assets, liabilities, net worth, financial and family interest declaration; and constant condemnation form the public against officials for NOT publishing their assets. The Commission wishes to remind individuals or entities desirous of accessing copies of Public officials’ declarations that they should do so through the court as required by Law. The National Code of Legislature, states in 10.2 that “All such declaration shall be accessible to both the public employer and the general public upon a court order, as well as to the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) and the General Auditing Commission (GAC) for investigative purposes. However, the Commission welcomes voluntary publication by any public officials who sees it fit to do so.

We Remnant Donates to YPEP, ELWA Hospital

The Inquirer says the We Remnant organization has donated several items, including medical supplies, to the Young Parents Empowering Program and the ELWA Hospital in Liberia. Organizations for their respective target clients.   The organization, which is based in the United States, donated sever baby clothing items to the YPEP and medical supplies, including crutches, clinical tooth brushes and hospital blankets, to be ELWA Hospital to be used by the both organizations for their respective target clients.  The donations were made possible through a Heartbeat, a sponsor organization of the YPEP. The donations were presented yesterday(Tuesday, August 13), during a ceremony marking the One Year Anniversary of the YPEP, which is being operated by the Social Work Department of the ELWA Hospital.  The YPEP comprises teens mothers and pregnant teens who are recruited by the Department, while they are patients at the Hospital, Participants of the YPEP undergo a one-year training program, covering several reproductive health, family planning, health, family planning, healing relationship, trauma healing, domestic violence and community reintegration, including vocational and formal education training.

Air Cote D’ivoire Receives CSO Award

Air Cote D’Ivoire, Ivorian airlines, and one of the best and oldest airlines operating in Liberia, over the weekend, was honored by the Society for the Promotion of Peace, National Reconciliation and Reunification. According to the organization, Air Cote D’Lvoire was among companies, institutions and prominent personalities that were selected through a vetting process. The organization highly praised the management of Air Cote D’Ivoire for its outstanding, reliable and excellent being rendered over the years which according to the organization, deserves the highest esteemed of commendation and appreciation.  Receiving the Award on behalf of the airlines, the country manager, Madam Mieheline Yahot, thanked the organization for the recognition and honor and said that the airlines is here for the people of Liberia.  Madam Yahot in a brief press interview, further narrated that since the airlines commenced its operations in Liberia in 2013, it has been here rendering air transport services to the public and even during the time of the Ebola crisis,  pens The Inquirer.

Save The Children Outlines Achievements in Learn Project 

Save the Children International Liberia Office (SCI) has outlined achievements generated from one of its projects, the Liberia Empowerment through Attendance, Reading, and Nutrition (LEARN) following the first year of implementation.  LEARN is a five-year project being funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, and implemented by SCI in 220 public primary schools in four counties in southeastern Liberia.  They include: Grand Gedeh (42 schools), River Gee (39 schools), Grand Bassa (95 schools) and Rivercess (44 schools). LEARN has the program-level goal of improving literacy and nutrition of school-age children, which is supported by improving student attendance, quality of literacy instruction, and improving student attentiveness. To achieve these goals, Save the Children, the lead implementer of the project, and Mercy Corps are working in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MoE), the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoH), The News newspaper writes.

Liberia Begins IHR Self-Assessment  

A four-day International Health Regulation (IHR) and National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) self-assessment and implementation review has begun in Liberia. Speaking Tuesday, August 13, 2019, at the opening program in Paynesville, near Monrovia, Senator Peter S. Coleman, Chairman, Senate Committee on Health underscored the need for Liberia not to be complacent about achievements made thus far in the health sector. He said though Liberia has made significant gains since the period of the Ebola outbreak, authorities in the health sector must not get complacent considering that other countries in the region have not made such progress or gain. The Senator recalled that the Ebola outbreak did not come from Liberia but Guinea, which requires the country to be more vigilant to enable it detect and prevent any imported disease. He lauded the administration at the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) for the level of work done so far that has enabled the country to detect any possible outbreak. Dr. Coleman vowed to ensure that NPHIL is giving the needed budgetary support to effectively carry out its duty.For her part, Health Minister Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah said the purpose and scope of the IHR are to prevent, protect against, control and provide a public health response to the international spread of disease in ways that commensurate with and restricted to public health risks, which avoid unnecessary interference with international traffic and trade, The News newspaper reports.

Executive Mansion Clarifies Weah’s Comment 

 The Executive Mansion has clarified recent statement attributed to President Dr. George Manneh Weah about Liberia’s 172nd national orator, Leymah Gbowee. It has been reported that the president recently termed as fallacies oration delivered by Madam Gbowee during this year’s Independence Day celebration. But addressing the Executive Mansion regular press briefing Tuesday, August 13, 2019, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Monrovia, Deputy Presidential Press Secretary Smith Toby said at no time did the President termed the entire speech delivered by the Noble Laureate as fallacies. He explained that the president only had two issues with the speech especially the ones that have to do with him publishing his assets and having only two females in his government. These two issues, Toby said, were the ones that the president termed as fallacies and not the entire speech as being speculated in some quarters. On the issue of the president publishing his assets, Toby said Madam Gbowee is fully aware that there is no law that requires him to do so, adding “apparently Madam Gbowee did not research well. If an orator comes to a national platform and says something that is not right, he (president) has the right to checkmate her…he’s not forced to publish it…he’s guided by the law.” Commenting on the issue of having only two females in his government, Toby said this statement by Madam Gbowee is not true, The News newspaper explains.

Gov’t Strengthen Bilateral Relations With India 

The Government of Liberia (GoL) has elevated its bilateral relations with India to a new level with the release of a Mahatma Gandhi commemorative postage stamps to celebrate his upcoming 150^th Birthday, a release has said. A commemorative stamp is a postage stamp, often issued on a significant date such as an anniversary, to honor or commemorate a place, event, person, or object. It can also be used alongside ordinary stamps. According to the release, the moves by the GoL, which is reportedly the first of its kind in decades long relationship with India, was witnessed by India Ambassador to Liberia, Y.K. Sailas Thangal, who is based in Abidjan, La Côte d’ Ivoire, Liberia’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Henry Fahnbulleh, and Post and Telecommunication Minister Cooper Kruah, as well as other government officials, pens the Daily Observernewspaper.

Pathologist: “Odell’s Autopsy Result Expected Early Next Week” 

Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr., the Chief Medical Examiner for the City of Washington, DC, on Tuesday, August 13, 2019, conducted an autopsy on the remains of the late Odell Sherman at the St. Moses Funeral Parlor along the Somalia Drive, in Monrovia. Following the close of the exercise, Dr. Mitchell disclosed that he is going to examine the specimens taken from Odell’s body and the autopsy results will be made known to both the family members and government early next week. The autopsy was conducted in the presence of family members of the deceased, a representative of the women group, two representatives from the Liberia Council of churches and the government lead investigator on the Odell Sherman homicide case. The autopsy showed deep fractures on the skull, something that is believed to be the major cause of death but the pathologist, Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr., told the family that he cannot give full account about what happened to her until the body parts are carefully examined and findings are arranged before giving family and government his report, the Daily Observer newspaper reports.