THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia.

NEWS SUMMARY FOR MONDAY, November 10, 2014

News of top African business leaders’ US28.5 million dollars emergency fund to help countries hit by the Ebola outbreak, the China Development Bank US 150,000 dollars cash donation to the Government of Liberia to assist in the fight against the deadly Ebola Virus and the guilty verdict against five Armed Forces of Liberia soldiers in the West Point shooting incident are stories dominating today’s summary of the local dailies.

DOMINANT STORIES

Africa Sets Up $28.5m Ebola Crisis Fund

Top African business leaders have established an emergency fund to help countries hit by the Ebola outbreak. A pledging meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, raised $28.5m to deploy at least 1,000 health workers to Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Speaking at the end of the Addis Ababa meeting, African Union Chairman Dlamini Zuma said the resources mobilized would be part of a longer term programme to deal with such outbreaks in the future, INSIGHT reports.

Related Captions: Africa Sets Up $28 Million Ebola Crises Fund(FrontPage Africa), Ebola Outbreak: Africa Sets Up$28.5m Crisis Fund(Daily Observer), African Ebola Crisis Fund Is Set Up(The New Dawn), Ebola Outbreak: Africa Sets Up$28.5m Crisis Fund(Heritage), Africa Ebola Crises Fund Is Sets Up(The News), Ebola Outbreak: Africa Sets Up$28.5m Crisis Fund(The Reporter)

China Development Bank Donates Us$150,000 to Liberia's Ebola Fight

Africa Development Fund through its parent company the China Development Bank has made a cash donation of One Hundred Fifty Thousand United States Dollars ($150,000.00) to the Government of Liberia (GoL) to assist the West African Nation in the fight against the deadly Ebola Virus. The donation was made through a symbolic check presented to Liberia's Ambassador accredited near the Chinese capital, Beijin McKinley Thomas at a well-attended ceremony held at the head office of the China Development Bank on Tuesday, November 4, 2014. The Heritage newspaper quotes a dispatch from the Liberian Embassy in Beijin, as saying that the President of the China Development Bank, Mr.Hu Huaibang disclosed that the decision by his entity to donate to Liberia's Ebola fight is to send a clear message that "China cares about African countries and wants to identify with them in every possible way". The bank made similar donations to Sierra Leone and Guinea. Speaking on behalf of the Ambassadors from Sierra Leone and Guinea, Liberia's Ambassador to China, Dudley McKinley Thomas, on behalf of President Ellen Johnson- Sirleaf and the Government and People of Liberia accepted and commended the China Development Bank for their direct cash donation to Liberia's Ebola fight. "Your donation will save lives! It will enhance trust and will inspire more confidence; it will set the stage for increased cooperation and it will draw the people of Liberia, the other Mano-River countries and, I dare to say, the people of the entire West Africa region, closer to the People's Republic of China", the Liberian Envoy to China told the gathering, reports Heritage newspaper.

Related Captions: Chinese Bank Provides US$150K to Liberia's Ebola Fight(The New Republic), China Development Bank Donates US$150K(In Profile Daily), Liberia Gets China Development Bank’s Donation To Fight Ebola(The Reporter), China Development Bank Donates US$150,000 to Ebola Fight(INSIGHT), China Development Bank Donates US$150,000To Liberia’s Ebola Fight(Heritage), China Dev't Bank Donates to Liberia(The New Dawn)

Five AFL Soldiers Found Guilty, Liberia Set To Act On Report

Five soldiers of the Armed Forces of Liberia have been found guilty in connection with the fatal shooting in the township of West Point that led to one death and wounding of several others. Findings from the Disciplinary Board of the AFL concluded that a Platoon Commander and four enlisted men were guilty of indiscretion and exhibited indiscipline in relations to the shooting and have been sanctioned for their actions. According to a statement from the Government of Liberia, Lieutenant Aloysius Quaye, Platoon Commander was held responsible for poorly assessing the situation and acting contrary to the behavior expected of a military leader in the reformed AFL. The report notes that Lieutenant Quaye is Guilty of violating Article 133 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) regarding the unbecoming conduct of an officer or gentleman; guilty of Article 92-C of the UCMJ regarding dereliction in the performance of duty.  Four other soldiers of the AFL were found guilty along with Lieutenant Quaye including; Corporal Mulbah Timothy, Corporal Flomo Anthony, Corporal Toure Patrick and Private First Class Salebia Moses. The four were found guilty for committing different offenses ranging from assault and arbitrary use of force, threat in communicating, making false statements, amongst others, the Board of Inquiry stated, FrontPage Africa newspaper reports.

Related Captions: West Point Shooting Report Out Govt. Concedes Several Recommendations(The Analyst), Five AFL Soldiers Booked For West Point Incident(The Inquirer), Chinese Donates US150 For Ebola Fight(New Democrat), West Point Shootout: 5 Soldiers Guilty, Township Commissioner To Be Reassigned(Daily Observer)

OTHER STORIES

Bomi Gets New ETU Today – From 12 to 100 Be Capacity

According to the In Profile Daily, the newly constructed Bomi County Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU) with a 100-bed capacity will be dedicated today Monday and turned over to the Government of Liberia. The ETU was constructed by US troops over a month ago, after President Obama made a commitment to support Liberia and ordered the deployment of three thousand troops to West Africa to help fight the Ebola virus.

Related Captions: From Twelve-Bed Unit To 100 Beds Capacity ETU New Ebola Treatment Unit To Be Dedicated On Monday In Bomi County(FrontPage Africa)

U.S. Group Seeks 28-Acres To Build Orphanage

A United States-based humanitarian group is seeking 28 acres of land to purchase to construct an orphanage for children whose parents are victims of the Ebola virus. The founder of the group, “More Than Me”, Katie Meyler said the orphanage is intended to care for the increased number of orphans from Ebola Treatment Units and communities across the country. Meyler made the disclosure when she donated a consignment of anti-Ebola materials and assorted food items to orphans at the Heart of Giving Ministries in Congo Town Thursday. The items include five cartons of Clorox, five cartons of chloring, two cartons of power soap, three cartons of sardines, two cartons of luncheon meat and five bags of rice. Receiving the items, the Founder and Administrator of Heart of Giving Ministries, Justing Obel Tay, thanked the organization for the donation and appealed to other humanitarian groups and individuals to help cater for the orphans, Heritage reports.

Related Caption: U.S. Group Seeks 28-Acres To Build Orphanage(INSIGHT)

Buchanan City Gets US$31k Cleaning Equipment

The UMARCO Shipping Lines has provided US$31,000 to purchase one new JAC Dump Truck and three Hangqvena lawn mowers for use by the Buchanan City Corporation (BCC). Presenting the keys to City Mayor Julia Bono In Buchanan Friday, City Council Chairman Johnson D. Payegar lauded Bono and her team “for bringing sanity to the city since her ascendency to the position,” Accepting the keys, Mayor Bono expressed happiness for the gesture from the from UMARCO and the City Council and promised that more work will be done in making sure that Buchannan remains clean at all times, INSIGHT reports.

U.S. Forces Train Health Workers

The Joint Forces Command of the United Assistance being operated by the United States Army in the  fight against the Ebola Virus in Liberia has begun training healthcare workers at various Ebola Treatment Units (ETUs) across the country. The training, which is taking place at the newly established training center for healthcare providers at the Police Training Academy in Paynesville, is capable of training approximately 200 healthcare workers per week. Briefing journalists during a tour at the Training facilities, the Chief Trainer of the Program, Laura Favand said upon completion of phase one, healthcare providers will work in an active ETU under close supervision of the ETU staff, the News reports.

Ebola Aid Plan Needs To Go Beyond Medical Care: ECOWAS

Accra; West Africa’s regional bloc on Friday called for international help to go beyond immediate medical care for Ebola-hit nations, warning that lives had been blighted by the epidemic. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said among issues that needed to be addressed were the needs of children orphaned by the disease and the economic impact of the crisis. Regional and international responses to Ebola should “extend beyond the obvious and tangible needs”, said Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama who is the current ECOWAS Chairman, The New Republic reports.

MSF Confirms Decline Of New Ebola Cases Here

Liberia has witnessed a large drop in the number of new cases of the deadly Ebola virus, Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF, has confirmed. MSF employs thousands of staff in West Africa and is leading the fight against the disease, which has reportedly killed almost 5, 000 people during the current outbreak, mostly in West Africa. Chris Stokes, head of MSF’s Ebola response, told the BBC in an interview that, despite the decrease, the virus could “flare up” in the country at any moment, in similar fashion to Guinea, where two periods of calm have been followed by an increase in cases, The Reporter writes.

CBL, BCEAO Sign MOU

The Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the West African Monetary Union for the sharing of supervisory information and enhancing cooperation between the two institutions in the area of banking supervision. The MOU, which was signed by the Executive Governor of the CBL, Dr. J. Mills Jones, and the Governor of the Central Bank of the West African Monetary Union (BCEAO),Mr. Tiemoko MeylietKone, among other things, calls for mutual assistance, exchange of  information and collaboration in the monitoring and supervision of banking groups operating in both jurisdictions, Inquirer reports.

US Soldiers Will Treat Patients

President Obama has assured Americans that none of the nearly 4,000 U.S. troops heading to Liberia will treat Ebola patients, but 70 uniformed officers of the U.S. Public Health Servic3 Commissioned Corps will.  The corps, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, will open a clinic outside the Liberian capital, Monrovia, this weekend and is tasked with treating Liberian doctors and nurses who contract the deadly disease. It is the first time U.S. government personnel have been given that assignment, although all volunteered. For those local medical personnel willing to treat Ebola patients among the most dangerous of jobs – the new clinic is a means of support, Rear Adm. Scott Giberson, Acting U.S. Deputy surgeon general, said Wednesday in a phone interview from Liberia. “We’re here to bring safety and security to those courageous responders”, Giberson says. “They have to feel secure that there will be a high level of care provided if they do fall ill of Ebola,, New Democrat reports.

Labor Registers 1,297 Complaints…In Seven Months

The Ministry of Labor says it has registered at least 1,297 complaints as of March this year. Labor Minister Neto Zarzar Lighe said of the 1,297 cases, a total of 1,174 cases are still undergoing different proceedings at the Ministry. Speaking at the Ministry of Information regular press briefing in Monrovia Friday, Minister Lighe said the reason for the recording of such high number was due to the government’s compulsory none-essential staff leave. He said due to the leave, nearly all of its hearing officers were sent home and the cases could not be heard over the months,  the NEWS reports.

Aureus & Monu Rent Mining Companies Donate Nine-Motorbikes To Liberian Red Cross

The two Mining Companies have donated nine Yamaha motorbikes to enhance the work of the Liberian Red Cross. Aureus and Monu Rent Mining Companies Friday presented nine YAMAHA Motorbikes to the Liberia National Red Cross Society (LNRCS) to enable its reach out people in the lead wards counties. Presenting the bikes Friday at the Headquarters of the LNRCS on Lynch Street in Monrovia, the Managing Directors of the two companies Debor W. Allen and Chris Goodwin said the intend of the donation was to aid the Liberian Red Cross reached the unreachable population of the Country. Receiving the keys to the motorbikes the President of the Liberia Red Cross Emmanuel O. Kparh said the donation will contribute significantly to the fight against the Ebola virus disease and restore routine health services, INSIGHT reports.

World Bank Funded Project Highlights Environment And Social Issues

The Smallholder Tree Crop Revitalization Support Project (STCRSP) is a Government of Liberia World Bank-funded project with a budget of about $24 million US dollars, implemented by the Programme Management Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture. The four tree crops which are the main focus of this project include Cocoa, Coffee, Rubber and Oil Palm. The support to smallholder farmers for these four tree crops is in the form of technical and financial assistance for better crop husbandry through their farmer organizations/cooperative. The report released about assessments conducted in Grand Gedeh, Nimba, Grand and Bassa county in recent months, highlighted several cardinal environmental and social issues which the team has indicated cannot be ignored, In Profile Daily reports.