BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

CAPITOL HILL, MONROVIA

NEWS SUMMARY MONDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2019

Today’s edition of our daily News Summary highlights news about President Weah appoints new FIU Director, High Level Norwegian Delegation Pays Courtesy Call On Acting Foreign Minister Promises to invest in Liberia, VP Howard-Taylor wants more on girls’ empowerment, Tweah Heads Liberia’s Delegation to IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings, Artisanal Fishers Welcome Japan and Liberia Fisheries Grant Agreement, as well as Liberia launches first Time Capsule late October among others.

DOMINANT STORIES

President Weah appoints new FIU Director

President George Manneh Weah has appointed Mr. Edwin Harris as Director General at the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). An Executive Mansion press release dated 11 October says Mr. Harris replaces Mr. Alex Cuffy whose tenure expired few months ago. According to the New Dawn newspaper, Harris’ appointment is subject to confirmation by the Liberian Senate where applicable. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts; and brings more than eight years of progressive work experience in the regulatory agency, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering consultancy. The Executive Mansion says Mr. Harris has skills and broad knowledge in policy formulation, research and other anti-corruption strategies from the public and private sectors. Related Caption: President Weah Appoints New Director At FIU (The Inquirer), FIU Gets New Director General (The News), President Weah Appoints New Director General at Financial Intelligence Unit (Heritage)

VP Howard-Taylor wants more on girls’ empowerment

Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor has emphasized the need for more efforts to be geared towards the empowerment of women and girls in the country. Speaking at a ceremony marking the observance of the International Day of the Girl Child, Vice President Howard-Taylor said empowerment of girls in the areas of education, health and agriculture are crucial to the overall sustainable national development. She explained that this will not only help to put women and girls on par with their male counterparts but will enable them to adequately support the national development processes, The New dawn newspaper pens. Related Caption: VP Taylor Pushes Sustained Empowerment For Girls (The Inquirer)

Liberia launches first Time Capsule late October

The University of Liberia (UL) is expected to launch Liberia’s first Time Capsule on 30 October this year that will be used to preserve important information concerning the University and its partner institutions both in public and private sector for 100 years. The Time Capsule is part of UL’s centennial projects which are being undertaken in celebration of its 100th commencement this December. Following the launch of the Time Capsule, it will then be buried at a geographically ideal site between December 12 to 18 2019 during a big program to be held by the University, The New Dawn newspaper asserts.
Related Caption: UL to Launch Time Capsule: “Liberia’s First” (Daily Observer), UL sets October 30 for Launch of Time Capsule (Heritage)

OTHER STORIES  

Tweah Heads Liberia’s Delegation to IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings 

Minister of Finance and Development Planning Samuel D. Tweah, Jr., will head a small Liberian delegation to Washington, D.C., to participate in the forthcoming annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which runs from October 14 to 20, 2019. While in Washington, D.C., the delegation is expected to hold bilateral and multilateral discussions with key partners on Liberia’s development agenda. These discussions are expected to be fruitful in terms of soliciting support from these partners, to finance existing infrastructure projects which are within the framework of the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD), the Daily Observer newspaper reports.  

Artisanal Fishers Welcome Japan and Liberia Fisheries Grant Agreement 

Japanese government has signed a fisheries grant with the Government of Liberia for the supply of 400 Yamaha outboard motors, a development that artisanal fishermen have hailed, citing great prospects for increasing their earning potential and for the nation’s food security. According to Emma Glassco, Director General of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), 2000 of 33,000 artisanal fishermen will directly enjoy the Japanese Government’s gesture. During the Agreement signing, held on Monday, October 7, 2019 at the Foreign Ministry of Liberia, she disclosed that NaFAA will deliver the motors to fishermen that have registered licenses, the Daily Observer newspapers says.  

SCNl-USAID Predict-2 Ebola Host Project Ends In Liberia Stakeholders grade project Successful 

The Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia (SCIN), in collaboration with partners, has concluded its PREDICT-2 project after four years of successful and spring research operations in the country. Predict-2 Liberia research project has been focused on the sampling of animals’ specimen for scientific purpose, mainly with the aim to understand the spillover of viruses from animal to animal and from animal to human, the Daily Observer newspaper writes.  

High Level Norwegian Delegation Pays Courtesy Call On Acting Foreign Minister Promises to invest in Liberia 

The Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Abraham Korvah has extolled the Norwegian Government for its humanitarian and development assistance to Liberia, since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Liberia and Norway. Acting Minister Korvah observed that the longstanding relations and cooperation between Liberia and Norway have been mutually fruitful and rewarding to the two governments and peoples. The Liberian Acting Foreign Minister was speaking on Thursday, October 10, 2019 when the visiting high level Norwegian Government delegation paid a courtesy call on him, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Acting Foreign Minister urged the Norwegian Government to continue its assistance to Liberia, especially in the areas of security, forestry, agriculture and infrastructure as well as the Energy sector. He also asked them to help provide scholarship opportunities to enhance the capacities of the Liberian youths, mainly in the areas of vocational and technical training, the Heritage newspaper says.