THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia.

NEWS SUMMARY FOR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015

News of the Qatari Government’s donation of seven Ambulances to the Government and People of Liberia, the signing of three bilateral agreements between Liberia and China, the US$257 million grant to Liberia for electricity and other projects by the US Government and President Johnson Sirleaf’s proclamation declaring Thursday, November 5 as National Thanksgiving Day are stories dominating  today’s edition of the summary of the local dailies

DOMINANT STORIES

President Sirleaf and Chinese President Xi Jinping Hold Bilateral Talks in Beijing; Massive Commitments Made, Three Bilateral Agreements Signed

President Ellen Johnson has held bilateral talks with the President of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), His Excellency Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People.  According to a dispatch from Beijing, China, at the close of the discussions, three major agreements were signed between the two countries. They included an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement between Liberia and China for Bilateral Aid worth ¥300,000,000 (Chinese Yuan Renminbi) or approximately $47.35 million (United States dollars); Agreement on Mutual Visa Exemption for holders of Diplomatic Passports from both countries; and an Agreement between the two countries on Maritime Program and Ship Registry. Liberia’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, H.E. Dudley McKinley Thomas and China's Foreign Minister, H.E. Wang Yi signed the three agreements on behalf of their respective countries as Presidents Sirleaf and Xi Jinping looked on. In her introductory remarks, President Sirleaf reflected on Liberia’s progress since her ascendency to the country’s highest office and outlined the many efforts that have been made to rebuild the country after decades of war and conflict. She also pointed out that growth in the economy was very progressive and that Gross Domestic Product stood at 9.5 percent giving hope that Liberia would achieve its goal of becoming a middle income country by the year 2030. “The 2008 Global Financial Crisis,” she said, “slowed the process of investment operationalization and put pressure on Liberia’s main exports, iron ore and rubber resulting in a decline in growth to 5.9 percent.”  The Liberian leader also indicated that in early 2014, the devastating deadly unknown disease, Ebola, hit the country bringing all activities to a halt and driving growth down to little more than one percent.  President Sirleaf highlighted the poor state of the Roberts International Airport and asked for China’s support to the project. She also requested support to the Mano River Union to ensure regional integration through interconnectivity in infrastructure.  She assured China of counting on Liberia as a partner and friend in international relations and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to the “One China Policy” and reform of the United Nations, particularly the Security Council. Responding, PRC President Xi Jinping made a number of support commitments to Liberia, expressing the hope that both countries can see what he calls “early harvest” in meeting the commitments.  He expressed his satisfaction about the acquaintance with President Sirleaf and welcomed her to the Great Hall of the People. “You have vigorously promoted Liberia-China relations since you took office in 2006 and your visit at this time represents a new starting that must be taken to a new height; we are ready to work with you,” the Chinese President reiterated.  PRC President Xi Jinping acknowledged the Liberia leader’s great success as the first elected female President of Liberia and Africa and praised her for demonstrating great courage and leadership against the Ebola virus disease as the first country to be declared Ebola free.  He assured President Sirleaf that China will work with Liberia to extend political mutual trust and will work with the government for the benefit of the Chinese and Liberian people.  He informed President Sirleaf that China will elevate the FOCAC Ministerial Meeting in South Africa to a summit level and therefore requested the Liberian leader’s attendance; a request that was accepted by the Liberian leader.

Related Captions: China, Liberia Agree On Partnership(New Democrat), China, Liberia Agree On All-round Cooperative Partnership(The ANALYST), China, Liberia Agree On All-round Cooperative Partnership(The NEWS), China, Liberia Agree On All-round Cooperative Partnership(In Profile Daily), China, Liberia Agree On All-round Cooperative Partnership(Heritage),

GOL, MCC Sign US$257 Million Grant

The governments of Liberia and the United States of America have signed a landmark agreement through the Millennium Challenge Corporation to support key energy and road infrastructure projects, totaling 257 million US dollars. The New Dawn newspaper quotes a Ministry of Finance and Development Planning dispatch from Washington, D.C. as saying that the MCC grant constitutes the single largest bilateral infrastructural grant to the country over several years. Speaking at the Compact signing ceremony Monday at the US States Department in Washington DC, Liberia’s Vice President Joseph Boakai, praised the US government for the gesture, reflecting on the long traditional ties between both nations. VP Boakai said Liberia’s MCC success showed that the country was making progress in strengthening its governance system, further demonstrating the government’s commitment to deepening democracy and improving the living standard of its citizens. The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is an independent, bilateral U.S. Government foreign aid agency established by Congress that is based on the principle that aid is most effective when it reinforces good governance, economic prosperity, applying a set of innovative philosophy to foreign aid administration. According to the daily, the signing of the MCC grant would provide Liberia additional resources to fund its signature Mount Coffee Hydro project, delayed as a result of the Ebola outbreak. The grant would be used to also spend on other critical roads and energy infrastructure projects the duration of the program. Before the signing ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer of MCC, Dana J. Hyde said her institution was delighted to celebrate and open what she called “a new chapter” in the longstanding partnership that has existed between the United States and Liberia.  “We know and have known that Liberia is an emerging champion for development and trade and investment in West Africa, and the agreement that we are about to sign creates the funding that we can help take that to a new level,” she said whilst indicating that the MCC can help unlock the economic potential that exists in the West African nation. The compact will fund projects including the largest contribution to the rehabilitation of the Mt. Coffee Hydro Power Plant, rehabilitation of the water intake and pipeline from Mt. Coffee to Millsburg, construction of regional road maintenance centers in River Gee and Tubmanburg, and construction of a LEC Training Center. The Roads Project aims to improve the quality of Liberia’s road network by supporting the piloting of a new maintenance regime and building capacity within the sector. Improved management of the road sector is expected to decrease vehicle operating costs and provide time savings for road users.

Related Captions:  Liberia’s MCC Winfall-257 Million For Road And Energy In Liberia(FrontPage Africa), U.S., Liberia Sign New $257 Million Agreement To Fight Poverty(New Democrat), Gov’t Signs US$257 M Grant…For Electricity, Others (The INQUIRER), GOL Signs Landmark US$257 Million MCC Grant(The ANALYST), U.S., Liberia Signed  $257 M Deal… To Fight Poverty(The NEWS), US$257M MCC Grant Sealed (In Profile Daily), Liberia, US Ink US$257M Agreement(INSIGHT), To Fight Poverty: America, Liberia Sign US$257M Pact (FOCUS)

President Sirleaf Declares Thursday, November 5, National Thanksgiving Day

The WOMEN VOICES newspaper reports that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has by Proclamation declared Thursday, November 5, 2015 as National Thanksgiving Day, to be observed throughout the Republic as a National Holiday. The Proclamation calls on all Liberians and  foreign residents, Priests, Imams, Bishops, Pastors, Clergies and all religious organizations in Liberia to gather together in their various places of worship to give thanks and praises to the Almighty God that His blessings and mercies may continuously rest upon  the Nation and its people.  A Foreign Ministry release quotes the Proclamation as saying that the gratitude of the People of Liberia can be expressed in prayers and thanksgiving for His mercies showered upon Liberia for generations as a nation, and having successfully overwhelmed the deadly Ebola Virus Disease, which plagued the land in 2014, giving the Republic more reasons to glorify the great Arbiter of human existence, for His multitudinous blessings and grace. The Proclamation is in consonance with an Act of the National Legislature, which at its session in 1883 enacted a statute declaring the first Thursday in the month of November of each year as National Thanksgiving Day. The Proclamation further stated that it is befitting that a day be set aside for the Nation and its people to give thanks and adoration to the Lord for this dispensation of grace, mercy and providence for the preservation of the lives of the people of Liberia to overcome the spreading of the pathogenic disease. According to the release, the People of Liberia have always given thanks and praises to the Almighty God for His tender mercies and manifold blessings bestowed upon the nation especially for His continuous protection in times of peace, disaster and other natural phenomena, thereby  sustaining  the nation politically, socially and economically over the years.

Related Captions: Tomorrow Is National Thanksgiving Day(The Analyst). November 5 - National Thanksgiving Day By Proclamation(FrontPage Africa). At the same time, the New Dawn newspaper writes under the caption “National Thanksgiving Service Dedicated To Ebola” that Reverend Alphonso Dean of the Christian Mission Assembly says this year's Thanksgiving service will be dedicated to those who lost their lives during the Ebola crisis, as well as thanking God for sparing the lives of Liberians in general from Ebola. Speaking at the Information Ministry Tuesday, Rev Dean said Liberians need to look from where God took us and give him praises because he has been good to us all the time. He said at the Thanksgiving service, Liberians will remember Guinea and Sierra Leone in their prayers for God's speedy intervention in their Ebola crises like he did for Liberia, adding that God’s intervention safe Liberia from the Deadly Ebola virus. He noted that because of the intervention of God, the International partners were attracted to the call of Liberia during the heat of the deadly Ebola virus. He said that during the certification of Liberia as an Ebola free country, the Liberian Government did not mention the name of “God” who saved the country.

Related Captions: Christians To Celebrate Ebola Victory On Thanksgiving Day(WOMEN VOICES)

Qatar Donates Seven Ambulances To Liberian Government

The FrontPage Africa newspaper reports that   The Government and People of the State of Qatar have donated seven (7) ambulances to the Government and People of the Republic of Liberia. At the program marking the turning over of the ambulances, the Ambassador of the State of Qatar accredited to Liberia, His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Ismail Al Emadi, said the 2014 visit of Her Excellency Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia to the State of Qatar, solidified the bilateral relationship that has now reaped this dividend, which are the seven ambulances. According to a Foreign Ministry release, the Qatari Diplomat, who is resident near Monrovia, further stated that his country is keen to strengthening the relationship with Liberia and that the donation comes “as a sign of friendship, respect and confidence of the State of Qatar for the friendly People of the Republic of Liberia in boosting her fight against the Ebola virus disease and to rebuild the health care system after defeating the virus in Liberia.” He used the occasion to congratulate the Government and People of Liberia for defeating the Ebola virus in Liberia. Ambassador Al Emadi said his Government responded promptly to the emergency call of the WHO to help Liberia defeat the virus. “Donating the 7 ambulances to the People and Government of Liberia, just symbolizes the solidarity of the People of the State of Qatar with the People of the Republic of Liberia,” Ambassador Al Emadi stated. He also said that the Qatari-Liberia relationship has recently witnessed great improvement in all aspects of cooperation. He indicated that as the Ambassador for his country, he would do all to further improve and strengthen the relationship between both nations. Receiving the ambulances, Hon. B. Elias Shoniyin, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Liberia, thanked the People and Government of the State of Qatar for the ambulances. Acting Minister Shoniyin said he was very delighted for the show of support that Qatar has made and continues to make to Liberia. “During the peak of the Ebola crisis particularly in October of last year when President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf called on the world in her Letter to the World, basically presenting the scale and magnitude of the Ebola crisis in Liberia. Qatar was one of the many friends of Liberia that responded in very huge measures to the respond made to the crisis,” Mr. Shoniyin said. The Acting Foreign Minister believed that the huge response of Qatar would not have been made possible without the presence of its diplomatic mission in Liberia. He praised H. E. Al Emadi for working so hard with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to further strengthen and expand the relationship between the Governments of Liberia and the State of Qatar. “These seven ambulances that have been donated today come as a strong demonstration of the Government and People of the State of Qatar’s commitment to remaining with us in strengthening our health sector in the post-Ebola recovery process.” After the speeches from both dignitaries, Hon. Shoniyin led the Qatari Diplomat to where the seven ambulances are packed for the ribbon cutting and photo takings.

Related Captions: Liberia Gets More Ambulances…As Part Of Qatar’s Support To Rebuild Healthcare System(INSIGHT), Qatar Give Liberia 7 Ambulances(FOCUS)

OTHER STORIES

Gov’t Signs US$200K New Culture Center Agreement

The government of Liberia through the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, on Tuesday, November 2nd signed a US$200,000 contract with a local company to construct a state-of-the-art National Culture Center. Deputy Information Minister Isaac Jackson and the Assistant Minister for Culture, Louise McMillian, signed on behalf of the Ministry of Information, while Manyu Kamarah, Jr., General Manager of Link Architecture Contractor and Consultant Inc., signed for his company. According to the Ministry, Link’s first work will commence with the fencing of a 52 acre land procured for the National Culture Center in Ben Town, Margibi County. Under the agreement, it is expected that the contractor will pre-finance the purchase of all equipment and materials and coordinate the execution of the contract with the Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation Team of the Ministry in conjunction with the Ministry of Public Works and the General Services Agency (GSA). On the timetable for implementation, the Ministry said in a release that works are expected to commence following the signing of the agreement and would last for five months, pens the Daily Observer

Related Caption: US$200K National Culture Center Underway(FOCUS)

UNESCO 38th General Conference Opens In Paris

The 38th Session of the General Conference of United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) opened yesterday, November 3, in Paris, France with the organization’s outgoing President Hoa Ping, the Minister of Education of the People’s Republic of China and President of the 36th Session of the General Conference, announcing the commencement of the proceedings. The Crown Prince of Norway, Prince Haakon, said the relevance of the organization and its mandate at its 70th Anniversary is critical and important for global participation. The UNESCO Youth Forum was created in 1999 to provide young people with the opportunity to present their concerns and ideas to Member States and help shape the direction of UNESCO. Every two years, young people from 195 Member States come together at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris to discuss and debate thematic areas of concern, reports the Daily Observer.

Related Caption: 38^th UNESCO General Confab Opens In Paris(Heritage)

64% TRC Recommendations Executed Peace Building Office Sets Record Straight

Authorities at the Liberia Peace Building Office at the Ministry of Internal Affairs have indicated that 64 percent of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Reports have been executed. The clarity was provided by the Executive Director of the Liberia Peace Building Office, Mr. Wilfred Gray Johnson at the Ministry of Information. He was responding to claims from some quarters that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has failed to implement the TRC recommendations. But Johnson indicated that 64% of the 207 recommendations of the TRC recommendation have been implemented by the Liberia Peace Building Office at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to him, all of the recommendations that were made by Liberians during the TRC recommended that the security sector be strengthened, an informative education system, the issue of the national symbols, the review of the constitutional, the establishment of General Auditing Commission and others which according to him were part of the TRC road map have been implemented, says the WOMEN VOICES.

30 Health Practitioners Complete FETP Training

Thirty health workers drawn from across the 15 counties of Liberia have ended a three-week-long training in Basic Epidemiology Training Program (FETP). Ceremony marking the climax of the three-week training was held at the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) of the Ministry of Health in Congo Town on the outskirt of Monrovia. Speaking at the closing program, the Deputy Minister for Disease Prevention and Epidemic Control, Mr. Tolbert Nyeswah, said the training is part of a new beginning to the building of a robust health sector. Minister Nyeswah assured the health practitioners that the government through the Ministry of Health will galvanize the needed resources to continuously build their capacity. According to him, building the capacity of health is one of the prerequisite for the establishment of a robust health sector, the Heritage newspaper writes.

Law Reform Commission Certificates 36 ends Month-Long Legislative Drafting Training Seminar

The Law Reform Commission (LRC) at the weekend certificated 36 participants, who according to our reporter underwent a month-long intensive training in Legislative and Legal Drafting. The certification program, which took place on Friday, October 30, 2015 in the Rotunda of the Capitol Building, brought together legal luminaries and officials of the Legislative and Executive branches of government. Delivering his keynote address, the Director-General of the Liberia Institute of Public Administration (LIPA), Mr. Oblayon Nyemah, cautioned the graduates to make use of this rare opportunity to impact Liberia as this is the first time in the history of this country for such a course to be entirely organized and offered by Liberian lawyers and legislative professionals. “Pass on what you have learned here because knowledge shared is also knowledge gained”, Hon Nyemah noted. Also speaking at the program was a Retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia, Her Honor Gladys K. Johnson who is also Chairperson of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights. She encouraged the participants of the just ended seminar to apply what they have learned in the performance of their duties at their various institutions, the Heritage news daily reports.

5,893 Suspected Ebola Cases Declared Negative Heightened Surveillance Reveals

The Field Epidemiology Training Program-Liberia, established by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has revealed that 5,893 suspected cases of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) across the country have been tested negative. The Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) - the first of its kind in the country - was established in collaboration with Emory University (USA) and African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET). The suspected Ebola cases were recorded in the 15 counties during surveillance to report and control diseases and other health problems. The investigation was done at 91 health districts, 718 health centers as well as swabbing of dead bodies. Thirty Students were presented with certificates including 15 County Surveillance Officers (CSOs), 13 District Surveillance Officers (DSOs - 7 from Montserrado and 6 from Nimba counties) and two others, according to the Daily Observer.