THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia.

NEWS SUMMARY FOR THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014

Today’s dominant stories in our daily media summary include President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s meeting with Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair as well as her acceptance of Amb. George Weah resignation as Liberia’s Peace Ambassador, the holding of special media coverage workshop for the December,  2014 Special Senatorial Election by Press Union of Liberia and National Elections Commission and the Youth and Sports Ministry’s deployment of 203 volunteers to assist in  the Ebola awareness.

Dominant Stories

Ellen Thanks Ex-British PM, Agi For Liberia Stay During Ebola

The FrontPage Africa newspaperreports that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has thanked the patron and founder of the African Governance Initiative (AGI), Tony Blair and his team for remaining with Liberia during the Ebola crisis. According to an Executive Mansion release, the Liberian leader made the assertion Wednesday, November 12, during a brief press stakeout following a breakfast meeting with Mr. Blair at her residence. Mr. Blair is on the second leg of a two-day West African tour of the three countries worst affected by the Ebola virus disease. President Sirleaf thanked the former British Prime Minister for the visit and his support to Liberia through the AGI, his own personal encouragement and advocacy, especially in assisting in planning the country’s long term vision, Liberia Rising 2030, and the shorter five-year vision, Agenda for Transformation. The former British Prime Minister thanked President Sirleaf for her leadership role in steering the affairs of State during this Ebola crisis. Though he noted the resilience of the Liberian people in the face of the crisis and the significant progress the country is making, he warned that the crisis is not over. “Slowing Ebola is not enough, we need to eradicate it,” he added, noting that the number of new cases each week is still higher than the total for any previous outbreak in history.

Related Caption: Ellen Meets Former British PM Tony Blair (The News),Pres. Sirleaf Upbeat Over Blair’s Ebola Efforts (Focus),Ellen Meets With Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair (In Profile Daily)and Pres. Sirleaf Meets Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair (West Africa INFO Post)

Ellen Receives Weah’s Resignation

The News newspaper reports that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has received the resignation letter of Ambassador George Manneh Weah as Liberia’s Peace Ambassador.  According to an Executive Mansion release, Ambassador Weah presented his resignation letter following a lengthy meeting with the Liberian President at her Foreign Ministry office on Tuesday, November 11, 2014. He has been qualified by the NEC to participate in the forthcoming Special Senatorial Elections scheduled later this year. During the meeting, Ambassador Weah thanked the Liberian leader for allowing him to serve as Peace Ambassador which enabled him to contribute to the promotion of peace and stability in the country.

Related Caption:Pres. Sirleaf Receives Weah’s Resignation (Focus),Ellen Receives Weah’s Resignation (The New Dawn), Ellen Accepts Weah’s Resignation (In Profile Daily) andEllen Accepts Weah’s Resignation (The Reporter)

PUL, NEC to hold workshop on election coverage

According to the INSIGHT newspaper, the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) and the National Elections Commission (NEC) will on Friday, November 14, 2014 hold a one-day workshop with media managers to review the code of conduct for media coverage for the 2014 Special Senatorial Election. The session which is funded by USAID through the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) will bring together stakeholders to review the existing PUL Election Code of Conduct that was developed to guide the media in providing professional coverage of the special election. The Chairperson of the Mass Communications Department of the University of Liberia Professor Weade Kobbah Wureh and the head the Press Union’s Grievance and Ethics Committee Frank B. Sainworla, among others, will facilitate the session. The workshop will evaluate lessons learnt from the media coverage of the 2011 elections, review general ethical issues in the media and consider precautions of the Ebola epidemic in the coverage of the pending senatorial election. Participants of the workshop are drawn from the mainstream media from Monrovia and rural community radios. 

Related Caption:PUL, NEC Hold Media Managers’s Workshop For Special Election(The Inquirer), PUL, NEC Review Media Guidelines Tomorrow(Heritage),and PUL, NEC Hold Workshop On Code Of Conduct(In Profile Daily)

MYS Deploys 203 Volunteers To Fight Ebola

The Ministry of Youth and Sports on Wednesday deployed 203 National Volunteers (NVs) in communities across the country to help sensitize the people on the danger and prevention of the Ebola virus.  Speaking at the official launch of the Youth and Sports Ministry’s National Youth Service Program Ebola Response Initiative, Minister Eugene Lenn Nagbe challenged the volunteers to remain dedicated, steadfast and mindful as they join the fight against the Ebola virus. In remarks, the UNICEF Country Representative to Liberia, Sheldon Yett, urged Liberians to serve as ambassadors in the Ebola fight by sensitizing each other, pens INSIGHT newspaper.

Related Caption:National Youth Volunteer Ebola Response Launched (Heritage),MYS, UNICEF Launch National Youth Volunteer Ebola Initiative (In Profile Daily), andGov’t Deploys Volunteers To Fight Ebola (The Reporter)

Other Stories

Liberia Gets Wood Village Soon

Despite the expected shackle on logging activities following the grant provided by Norwegian Government to preserve the Liberia national forest, the Liberian Government in collaboration with the Liberia Furniture & Carpentry Development Union (LIFCADU) is expected to build one of Africa’s largest wood industries. Making the disclosure, the President of the LIFCADU, Mr. Mohammed Turay said the construction of the wood industry which will be attached to a wood village is intended to wisely use Liberian wood for the improvement of the country’s economy. He said when constructed, the  wood industry will portray all wood products including timber, planks, plywood, wood for burning coal, carpenter shops, firewood, and all other wood products., reports the FOCUS newspaper.

House Passes Conservation Bill

The House of Representatives has passed a bill titled: "National Wildlife Conservation and Protection Area Management Law of Liberia”. Thirty-five lawmakers voted for its passage with four abstentions and none against, after the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries as well as Judiciary submitted a report to plenary on the bill on Tuesday, November 11. According to the Liberia News Agency, the committee in the report stressed that the passage of the bill will help create more habitats for wildlife protection and livelihood support for adjacent communities. Meanwhile, the lower House has sent the Bill to the Senate for concurrence, pens Heritage newspaper.

Related Caption:House Passes Conservation Bill(In Profile Daily and The Reporter)

US$25,000 Market Project Earmarked…For 20th Street

The Chairperson of the 20th Street community says a US$25,000 market project has been earmarked for the community. Mrs. Kou Johnson said the construction of the market would serve the community and its inhabitants. She indicated that her leadership is presently focused on strengthening the community Ebola task force in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the NEWSnewspaper reports.

ADB Approves $20M

The New Democrat newspaper reports that the African Development Bank has approved US$20 Million Grant to support women and children affected by the Ebola Epidemic in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the Minister of Gender and Development, Julia Duncan Cassell, announced in Kakata yesterday. The first ladies of the three Manor River Basin countries will spearhead the project, which is codenamed “First Ladies Project”, she said.

GOL Appeals To Construction Companies To Return

The Liberian government has appealed to construction companies that left the country at the height of the Ebola crisis to return owing to the “huge decline in the Ebola epidemic”. The Government spokesman, Information Minister Lewis Brown said the companies include Dai Nippon of Japan and Cico of China, all of which applied “force majeure” in early August due to the Ebola epidemic, the Newsnewspaper reports.