THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

NEWS SUMMARY FOR THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

News of President Johnson-Sirleaf warning against the rise in ritualistic killings and armed robbery across Liberia and the Cabinet endorsement of plan that seeks to address the country’s multifaceted health challenges exposed by the Ebola outbreak are the dominant stories in today’s dailies.

Dominant Stories

We’re Coming After Them

The New Dawn newspaper reports that President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf says a rise in what appears to be ritualistic killings and armed robbery across Liberia is threatening national security, as she points hands at “some elements” that are beginning to test government’s resolve in the wake of UN Peacekeepers’ draw-down. “We are witnessing a rise in what appears to be ritualistic killings and armed robbery across the country – thus threatening our security,” President Sirleaf said in a nationwide address Thursday, 19 November at the C. Cecil Dennis Auditorium of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Monrovia. But she says government is mindful of 2017 and how crucial it is in the country’s democratic transition, as she particularly underscored different acts of lawlessness and criminality being executed by some elements in the country. Mrs. Sirleaf assured the public that government is fully aware of what is taking place and is currently taking steps to contain these wanton acts of violence.  “I am instructing the security forces to rigorously enforce the law to the letter and bring this ugly situation under immediate control,” she declared yesterday, with further warning to those who have chosen the path to commit murder and armed robberies that government is coming after them. President Sirleaf however pleaded with Liberians to refrain from violent protests and destruction of properties in the expression of rights to land, community benefits, and other things, saying “This will not be tolerated.” She says Liberia is now faced with the prospects of a weakened economy due to the worsening global decline in the prices of two of its most important commodities – iron ore and rubber. In the mining and agriculture sectors, Mrs. Sirleaf says Liberia is beginning to see layoffs, reduced income and taxes, scaling back in current activities, bankruptcy, and delayed investment outlays in various projects. “It is against this backdrop, fellow Liberians, that I felt it important to address you on these critical developments. It is not that the situation cannot be contained. We can and must do so. It is just that we have a lot to do together to ensure that we remain afloat and don’t lose the momentum we have built coming out of the Ebola crisis,” she cautioned yesterday. She says given Liberia’s natural endowment, the private sector here will continue to be the engine of sustainable growth, adding that government has started negotiations with investors who require changes in investment plans given current global conditions. She has notwithstanding said government is concluding arrangements with other investors to keep the economy more diversified.

Related Captions:  Prez Sirleaf Wants Rigorous Action Against Violence Ahead of UNMIL Drawdown, 2017 Elections (Daily Observer), Liberia To Get 220 New Paved Roads In 2017-President Sirleaf Discloses (WOMEN VOICES), Ellen Detects Economic Crisis (The NEWS), Pres. Sirleaf: Security Sector Key To Economic Advancement (FOCUS)

Cabinet Endorses Investment Plan For Building a Resilient Health System

According to the FOCUS newspaper, after a careful review and analysis of an all-encompassing ‘Investment Plan for Building a Resilient Health System’, the Cabinet has endorsed an ambitious plan that seeks to holistically address the country’s multifaceted health challenges and vulnerabilities virtually exposed by the Ebola outbreak.  The daily quotes an Executive Mansion release as saying that the following strategic implementation plans were unanimously endorsed to revive, strengthen and ensure that health care delivery services are accessible and within the reach of the population: Implementation of an effective, coordinated and efficient supply chain and ‘National Drug Service’ delivery;  Upgrade, train and improve quality healthcare workforce to respond professionally and spontaneously to unfolding challenges by fit-for-purpose; productive and motivated healthcare workforce to implement an emergency hiring plan; implement healthcare workforce program; develop community-based workforce and strengthen management; regulation and performance of healthcare workforce;  Develop, equip and re-engineer infrastructure; decommission ETUs and CCCs and reposition existing resources to health facilities; extend and remodel existing infrastructure for EPR standards; accelerate the completion of 17 unfinished health facilities; upgrade three county hospitals to regional hospitals (J.J. Dossen, Phebe and Redemption); renovate J.F.K. Hospital and strengthen blood bank facilities and regional laboratories;  Strengthen epidemic preparedness and response systems aimed at establishing a National Public Health Institute; strengthen the integrated Disease Surveillance, Response, Early Warning and Alert Response systems; improve capacity for public health laboratories; establish a bio-bank center; and  the J.K. Memorial Center Improvement Strategic Plan – 2016 – 2010, which highlight rationale of strategic plan, vision/mission, planning process situational analysis, improvement of strategic plan, strategic objectives to be climaxed by a validation workshop. 

Related Captions: Cabinet Endorses Investment Plan For Building Resilient Health System (FrontPage Africa), Cabinet Approves Economic Stimulus Decisions (West Africa INFO POST)

OTHER STORIES

DEA Sacks 5 Officers -Arrests L$19M Home-grown Illicit Drugs

The Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) yesterday announced the immediate dismissal of five of its senior officers for allegedly engaging in “acts incompatible with the code of conduct of the Agency and Criminal Law of Liberia.” DEA Director-General, Anthony K. Souh, who made the disclosure yesterday at a press conference in Monrovia, said the Agency will forward the dismissed officers to the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) for court prosecution. “While we are trying diligently to bring sanity to the country in the wake of United Nations Mission of Liberia (UNMIL) drawdown from the country, there are some bad apples among us undermining our security sector and, therefore, we have with immediate effect dismissed the five so far caught in the act of extortions,” Director Souh said. He identified the dismissed officers as Prince Harris, chief of intelligence, Sebastine Gibson, deputy chief of training, Darius Davies, secretary to the Board of Internal Investigations and Professional Standards, Albert Hare, deputy chief investigator, and Eugene Quiah, chief of operations assigned in Bong County. “The affected officers,” Director Souh said, “were allegedly involved in extortions and receiving bribes,” from illicit drug peddlers. In a related development, the DEA has made several arrests in Monrovia and Grand Bassa counties, respectively. According to Director Souh, on November 13, the DEA detachment in Grand Bassa County, under the command of Major Joseph Tageddine arrested one Edward Gyasi, a Ghanaian National, with seven large-size rice bags (referred to as ‘Balawala Bags’) of home-grown marijuana that amounted to 198 kilograms. “The drugs,” he said, are valued at L$891,000 or US$10,360, and that “during our preliminary investigation, Edward Gyasi admitted to being in possession and sale of the illicit drugs.” Suspect Gyasi reportedly told the DEA upon his arrest that, “he started this business since 2014 until present, admitting further that he gets his supplies from an unnamed neighboring country via motorbike to Buchanan through Nimba and Bong counties” , writes the Daily Observer.

Ellen Reassures Liberian Businesses Of 25% GOL Procurement

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has re-assured Liberian entrepreneurs of 25 percent allocation in the national budget for the Government’s procurement goods and services from Liberian own-businesses. She indicated that the Macro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country are the driving force for inclusive development to ensure that the citizens get access to job opportunities and incomes are distributed equally in the country. President Sirleaf made the assertions on Tuesday, November 17 at the start of the two-day National MSME Conference that featured over 50 Small Business Enterprises, held at the Monrovia City Hall. She observed that it is critical to empower Liberian businesses through that process, and called on Liberian businesses to register with the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) that will enable them to be identified officially by government, reports the Daily Observer.

Passport Division Gets New Annex

The WOMEN VOICES newspaper reports that the General Services Agency (GSA) has turned over a newly constructed annex to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Division of Passports and Visas. Presenting the keys to the annex, GSA Deputy Director-General for Operations, Boakai Sirleaf, thanked President Sirleaf for the support and hoped that the new facility will be used to the benefit of the Liberian people. He said the new facility is the GSA’s way of improving on the quality of the infrastructure, which by extension, is a measure to improving the quality of service being rendered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Passport Division. Receiving the keys to the annex, the coordinator of President Sirleaf’s Special Projects, Mr. Toe Wesseh lauded the Ministry of State through the GSA for constructing the annex. The annex leaves the Division of Passport with a well-furnished waiting room which will subsequently avoid them from having to loiter around the Foreign Ministry’s premises or the division’s corridors. The annex, valued at US$14,570, is one of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s Special Projects and a contribution to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where her temporary office is currently located. The extension includes a sitting place for applicants, an entrance – ramp for physically challenged persons, rest rooms for male and female, amongst others. Speaking earlier, the Director of Passports and Visas, Mrs. Nyanda  Finda Davis, thanked the Liberian President for all the support given the Division of Passport. “We are very grateful for this facility,” she said. Mrs. Davis indicated that on a daily basis, the Passport Division processes about 150 passport applicants; but with the newly constructed facility, the number of applicants will now increase to about 250 persons a day.

Farmer Union Network Holds 1^st National Assembly today

The National Coordinator of the Farmer Union Network of Liberia (FUNL), Mr. Julius Bass, has disclosed that the institution will hold its first national assembly today. According to him, several member states and partners have arrived in the country to converge at the Bentol City Hall for the first national convention to discuss issues affecting farmers as well as the growth of the industry. Mr. Bass disclosed this in an interview with the FOCUS newspaper at his Wood Camp Office Paynesville outside Monrovia.

Gov’t Withdraws Duty-Free Privileges

The Government of Liberia has announced the withdrawal of duty-free privileges from all beneficiaries to ensure the collection of taxes due the government. In a nationwide radio and television broadcast from the C. Cecil Denis Auditorium at the Foreign Ministry Thursday, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said exception will only be given to those identified by law, under legal or special arrangement or for humanitarian purposes, FOCUS newspaper writes.

US Farmer To Invest US$500,000…In Rice Cultivation

The Proprietor of Herring Farms in lawo, United States of America, Mike Herring, has told a gathering of local farmers in Bong and Nimba counties that he would make an initial investment of US$500,000 to improve the way crops, especially rice, are cultivated David Renfro of Trinity Lutheran Church and School based in Lawo, the NEWS reports.

Related Caption: US Farmer To Invest US$500.00 In Rice Cultivation (FOCUS)

FAO Provides Over US$300,000… To Control PPR Animal Disease

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has provided US$318,000 to control the Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) outbreak in the country. The project is being funded as a Technical Cooperation agreement between the FAO’s emergency intervention for the control of the disease. FAO representative to Liberia Marc Abdala and Agriculture Minister Dr. Moses, will today, November 20^th launch the project on behalf of FAO and Government of Liberia respectively, the NEWS writes.

HOPE For Visually Impaired World Bank Takes Liberia School Of Blind To Digital Age

The first step to changing education for visually impaired people in Liberia was initiated by the World Bank Group. On Thursday the World Bank Group visited the School for the Blind in Virginia to identify with the plight of students by providing the school with a computer lad that has software to enable the blind to use it. Making remarks at the formal presentation of computers and furniture to the school for the Blind, World Bank Liberia Country Manager, Inguna Dobraja appreciated the desire of the blind for the education, FrontPage Africa newspaper reports.

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