BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

CAPITOL HILL, MONROVIA

NEWS SUMMARY, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020

Today’s summary includes stories on December 8 Special Senatorial Election, USAID’s reaffirmation to development in Liberia, celebration of one health day, arrival of ballot papers for the Special Senatorial Election, Referendum and by-elections, and the dedication of the first Universal Access Tower in Grand Kru among others

President Weah Takes Referendum Campaign To Voters Encourages ALL To Vote Yes

As December 8, 2020 special senatorial and by-elections as well as National Referendum draw near the ruling establishment and architect of the change of special provisions within the Liberian Constitution appears to be leaving no stone unturned in a move to ensure that massive awareness and education is given to the Liberian people in order for them to achieve their desired objective. A testimony to show seriousness on awareness creation about the National Referendum to the general populace, though at a limited time frame, President George Weah on Saturday, November 28, 2020, led what is now known as the “YES Campaign” during a political gathering in Tubmanburg City, Bomi county encouraging all Liberians to see the need to join the campaign in their own interest. Speaking on some of the propositions, President Weah told the huge gathering that the years for elected officials in Liberia are too long and there is a need to reduce them. “Long years do not make a difference rather tangible and positives as such; I encourage you to vote yes in favor of reducing the years of the Presidency from six to five years and for Senators from nine to seven year sand Representatives from six to five respectively,” the President said, The Newsnewspaper discloses. 

Related Caption:  Gov’t. Wants A “YES” Vote To All Referendum Propositions(DailyObserver)

President Weah Storm Buchanan Campaigns For Findley

As the date of the special senatorial and by-elections draw nearer, President Dr. George Manneh Weah has begun to crisscross from one county to another to add more vigor and energy to campaign activities of candidates of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC).  Last Friday, the President stormed the port city of Buchanan, Grand Bassa Country, to vigorously campaign for CDC candidate Gbehzohngar Findley during the ex-foreign minister official campaign launch. Speaking at the jammed packed campaign rally, the Liberian leader said Findley is the face of CDC in the Grand Bassa senatorial race who he said has all the necessary connections to drive development to the county through the ruling party led government. He said that the people of Grand Bassa should elect someone with integrity that will put development first for the county. Weah: ‘’During the 2017 elections, I stood here and said if you vote for Matthew and  Me the Fairgrounds will get a paved road and today through your Representative the road is here. I have come again to say vote Gbehzohngar Findley for a better health care delivery, better education and other needed development as well, assert The Newsnewspaper.

USAID Reaffirms Commitment In Liberia’s Development

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has reaffirmed its commitment to the development drive of Liberia. Madam Sara Walter, Mission Director of USAID said her entity is proud to be working hand-in-hand with the Government of Liberia to ensure that its development programs remain aligned with government policies. She said USAID is committed to strengthening its collaboration and coordination with the government, saying “just six month ago, I had the pleasure of joining Minister Samuel Tweh to sign the Development Objective Grant Agreement (DOGA) between the United States and Liberia that provides the framework for our five years development assistance programming in Liberia.” The USAID boss maintained that the development strategy USAID is implementing under said agreement reflects its strong commitment to effective collaboration with all stakeholders in Liberia’s development drive, adding that in performance with their Liberian partners, they purposefully designed strategy so that its key objectives are aligned with and support of the board pillars of Liberia’s strategic development initiative, the Pro Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD), The Newsnewspaper pens.

Liberia Celebrates One Health Day

Liberia through the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and partners last Friday celebrated One Health Day. Delivering a keynote address, the Minister of Agriculture Jennie Cooper in a statement read by Robert K. Fagans, Deputy Agriculture Minister said her Ministry, in collaboration with other One Health stakeholders through the On Health Platform, has recognized rabies as one of the top five priority zoonotic diseases in Liberia. She disclosed that in this year alone, a total of 1,274 cases of human exposure to rabies through animal bites were reported by NPHIL. However, she said more complete data on the animal aside and a better strategy for prevention and control of disease is needed to enables her Ministry align with the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) for the common age data for the eradication of dog-transmitted human rabies deaths by 2030. Minister Cooper said for too, long link between animal and human health diseases have been ignored, saying “the lost of over 400 innocent lives to the deadly Ebola Virus Disease outbreak and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that had crippled the World’s economy and restrict free movement should serve as a lesson for us to animal diseases spillover more seriously, The Newsnewspaper writes.

Related Caption: Liberia Records 1,274 Rabies Cases MOA Boss Discloses At One Health Day Celebration(Heritage)

“Pres. Weah Has Zero Interest in 3rd Term” -Minister McGill Explains Referendum Real Intent -Quashes Rumors 

As the clock ticks closer to conduct of the December 8, 2020, Midterm Senatorial Elections and National Referendum, the Government of Liberia is leaving no stone unturned to convince the electorate to vote ‘YES’ to all eight propositions of the referendum. Appearing Monday, November 30, 2020 in studio at the State Broadcaster, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Nathaniel Fallo McGill disclosed that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has already been mandated to coordinate with local government authorities around the country, including superintendents, commissioners, chiefs, among others, to lead the charge in educating the citizenry about the referendum, assuring that there is nothing sinister about the referendum and that the rumor of President Weah trying to reduce his tenure just to allow him run for third term is misleading and disingenuous. “Nobody will ever go for third term in this country; not even president Weah. The president himself said he doesn’t want to hear any third term issue. President Weah has zero interest in a third term. Our democracy is developing so well that nobody will ever think about a third term in this country. The President said he wants to set a record for being the first Liberian President to go for five years. He said after his second five-year term, he won’t run again,” Minister Nathaniel McGill said Monday when he appeared on ELBS morning show. President Weah’s Chief of Office staff particularly stressed the importance of voting for all propositions of the referendum, emphasizing the need to enfranchise Liberians who took up citizenship in other countries to support their families back home. Dual citizenship, Minister McGill said, is very important. “When I was Secretary General for the CDC, I was very opposed to dual citizenship. I think I was being very selfish and greedy. I was just thinking about myself. I wasn’t thinking about the future of other people. But then I had the opportunity to travel to America, The Analystnewspaper asserts.

BIL, International Bodies Forge Partnership

The Banking Institute of Liberia (BIL) and some international financial institutions have formed a partnership for the growth and development of the sector. Those partners are the Chartered Institute of Bankers Nigeria (CIBN), and the Alliance of African Institutes of Bankers in Abuja, Nigeria. It will engender the administration of Professional Banking Certification Examination for the first time in Liberia. CIBN Certificate ascribe to holders sub-regional, continental and international recognition. BIL’s Director General, Richard Saywah Panton, made the disclosure during the formal graduation exercises of level 2 first training cycle of 2020 of the Institute held Friday, 27 November in Monrovia. He said their attempt is to institutionalize banking education in Liberia and enhance networking and collaboration internationally. In 2019, the first batch of 4 candidates from the Liberian Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI) wrote the exam for Professional Banking Diploma Level I. Panton paid tribute to LBDI for being the first Liberian participant to brave the storm and to have attempted the International Certification Examination. He indicated that CIBN examinations are administered in April and October every year. “In this connection, the Banking Institute of Liberia conducts a tutorial for the examination and in country tutorial will commence in January 2021.”Panton told the 65 participants who got certificated in various segments of the refresher programme that the financial sector is grossly challenged and Liberia is no exception. Therefore, admonished the graduates to use the skills acquired in mitigating the anomalies and thereby bringing sanity in the sector to regain the confidence and trust of clients, investors and the public, The Analystnewspaper writes.

Young Liberian Grows Food Crops From Organic Wastes 

An innovative young Liberian named Isaac Dapye has embarked on producing food crops from turning wastes into fertile soil which in return germinate and produce crops for human consumption. According to Depaye, more than 300 nostril plants, which include pepper, onion, eggplant, tomatoes amongst others, he has grown from the dirt. In a weekend interview the Heritage, the young Liberian innovator pointed out that this was his own way of contributing to national development by complimenting the Government of Liberia of Liberia (GoL) effort in collecting wastes from the community in order to reduce the widespread of diseases as the result of huge pad of wastes in various communities and to provide sufficient food crops for consumption. “The idea came up a month ago after seeing pad up wastes all in the community and realizing that these wastes breed rats and cockroaches that lead to illnesses such as malaria, typhoid and etc. We want to help and put to an end or curtail the spread of diseases of wasters in communities,” he said. The Ducor Wastes Group CEO added that the exposure of wastes in the communities poses serious health hazard for community dwellers, something he said is unsafe for all, especially for children and pregnant women, says the Heritage newspaper. 

For Special Senatorial Election, Referendum and By-Elections NEC Announces Arrival of Ballot Papers

The National Elections Commission (NEC) has announced the arrival of ballot paper for the Special Senatorial Elections, Constitutional Referendum and two Representative by-Elections in District #2, Sinoe County and District #9, Montserrado County.  According to the Heritagenewspaper, the statement by the Chairperson of the NEC, Madam Davidetta Browne Lansanah, the first batch of ballots arrived on Saturday November 28, 2020, on board Kenya Airways. Because of the quantity expected, the ballots will arrive in several batches until Wednesday December 2, 2020. The breakdown of the total number of ballots printed are as follows: 1. Special Senatorial Elections ballots: Three Million, Two Hundred Seventy-Nine Thousand, One Hundred (3,279,100); 2. Constitutional Referendum: Three Million, Two Hundred Sixty-Seven Thousand (3,267,000); 3. District #9, Montserrado County by-election ballots: Sixty-Six Thousand, Five Hundred Fifty (66,550); 4. District #2, Sinoe County ballots: Thirty Thousand, Two Hundred Fifty (30,250). Of the total numbers of ballots printed, the following have arrived. 1. For the Special Senatorial Elections: All of the ballots have arrived except for the record count for Sinoe County which is expected to arrive Monday, 30 November 2020. 2. For the Constitutional Referendum: 2,450,250 ballots are in the country. 

In Forpoh-Paluken, Grand Kru County First Phone Call Made For the First time in 36 years 

On Monday, November 30, 2020, a wave of joy burst in Forpoh-Paluken when President George Manneh Weah through the Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Affairs, Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah, Sr. formally dedicated the Universal Access Tower inn Forpoh-Paluken, and the first call was made on Lonestar Cell MTN for the first time in 36 years. With wide laughter and some in tears of joy, made calls to their families and loved ones. About 7,000 people of Forpoh-Paluken and in other towns are benefiting from the Universal Access Tower without walking miles to get signal. The construction installation of the tower (Bas station) is the first ever tower for the people to have access to communication and internet since the creation of Grand Kru County in 1984. Speaking at the dedication ceremony, Minister Kruah said President Weah hasn’t forgotten about Grand Kru, and this is one of the many developments underway. He said Lonestar Cell MTN was consulted to be the first network on the access tower, and other networks are expected soon. Commissioner Israel Akinsanyya of the Liberia Telecommunication Authority (LTA) said the project was funded by the Universal Access Fund, a program set up by the telecommunications to provide services into areas where service providers have failed to provide services due to economic reasons, writes the Heritagenewspaper.