THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia.

NEWS SUMMARY FOR WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2016

Today’s edition of the summary of the local dailies highlights news of a South African delegation’s desire to partner with the National Port Authority and  the Supreme Court’s decision to reinstate the stay order placed on the House of Representative on the holding of legislative sessions and other activities among others.

DOMINANT STORIES  

South African Investors Hold Talks With NPA MD 

According to the Daily Observer, a high-powered investment delegation from Johannesburg, South Africa has expressed keen interest in partnering with the National Port Authority to further enhance the Ports operations through marine training, infrastructure development and inter-modal means of transporting goods throughout Liberia. Mr. Robert Wellinton Gumede, a prominent South African Businessman and head of the delegation, said the Ports of Liberia have huge investment potential to revive the country’s economy. He made the remarks following his delegation’s visit to the Port of Greenville. In remarks, NPA Managing Director David Williams said the port looks forward to partnership investment in the areas of infrastructure development, capacity building, and marine services.

Related Captions: South African Businessman Eyes Liberia’s Sea Port Sector(The New Dawn), Investment Delegation Meets NPA Management(The NEWS), South African Investors Eye Liberian Sea Port(The WOMEN VOICES), South African Investors To Enhance Liberia’s Ports Operations(FOCUS)

Stay Order On House Session, Budget Hearings

The Daily Observer reports that the Supreme Court has again put a ‘stay order’ on the legislative sessions and other activities of the House of Representatives, including the budget hearings on the revenue component of the fiscal year 2016/2017 Draft National Budget. The Supreme Court in its March term mandated the House of Representatives to return to the ‘status quo ante’; that is, before the motion of June 2, suspending roll calls and allowing the number and members present at the June 2 session of the House of Representatives to constitute a quorum for one month, June 2 to July 2. According to the daily, Tuesday’s session was adjourned after a prayer was recited by the Chairman on the House’s Executive Committee, Grand Kru Representative George Wesseh Blamoh, who served as the presiding officer. “We received two communications (writs) from the Supreme Court and the Speaker has gone there to get clarity so today there’s no session,” presiding officer Blamoh said and adjourned the session.

Related Captions: House In Disarray AsTyler Continues To Battle His Sins(The New Dawn),Stop Proceeding-Supreme Court Issues Prohibition on Legislature(FrontPage Africa), Supreme Court Halts Legislative Session…Orders Plenary to Return to Status Quo(The NEWS),S/Court Steps On House Again…Reinstates Stay Order(FOCUS), Stay Order Reinstated(In Profile Daily)

UNDP Out-going Resident Representative in Liberia Underscores Decentralization Policy

UNDP Outgoing Resident Representative Antonio Vigilante has underscored the importance of government’s decentralization policy and urged the Ministry of Internal Affairs to continue efforts aimed at capturing citizens’ attention by giving them access to services. He made the comments on June 7, at a dinner tended in his honor by the UNDP management and staff as he ends his tour of duty in Liberia. Mr. Vigilante expressed the hope that the Government of Liberia will remain on the path of growth and development. For his part, UNDP Country Director Kamil Kamaluddeen lauded the many efforts and contributions of the UNDP Resident Representative describing him as “a person who is development-oriented’, reports the FrontPage Africa newspaper.

Related Captions: UNDP Out-Going Boss Underscores Importance Of Decentralization(Daily Observer), Out-going UNDP Official Decentralization Policy Crucial(FOCUS), UNDP Out-Going Official Decentralization(In Profile Daily)

DEA Arrests 50 Kgs Marijuana, 11 Suspects

The Drugs Enforcement Agency (DEA)in conjunction with officers of the Liberia National Policehas seized 50kgs of marijuana following a raid of criminal hid-outs in Saclepea, Nimba County. DEA commander for Nimba Col. Julius Karnubah said 11 suspected drugs users who were arrested during the raid have been charged and transferred to Sanniquellie Central Prison, awaiting trial, writes the New Dawn newspaper.

Related Captions: DEA, LNP Raid ‘Criminal’ Hideouts In Saclepea(The WOMEN VOICES), DEA Confiscates Huge Quantity Of Drugs In Lofa(FOCUS)

OTHER STORIES

Liberia Celebrates ‘African Public Service Day’

The WOMEN VOICESnewspaper writes that Liberia will join other African countries to celebrate African Public Service Day on Thursday, June 23, 2016 under the theme “the role of Public service in stimulating economic development and growth”. The Director General of the Civil Service Agency, Dr. Puchu L. Bernard said the purpose of the celebration of Africa Public Service Day in Liberia is to appreciate the achievements in governance and public administration reform taking place in public/ civil service of Africa and the introduction of the performance management system, among others.

Amb. Brown To Present “Letters of Credence”

According to the In Profile Daily, Liberia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Cuba, Lewis G. Brown, will on June 30, 2016 present his Letters of Credence to Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon.

Promoting Community Health-PMU Liberia Ends Post Ebola Project With Success

The Pentecostal Mission Unlimited (PMU-Liberia) has ended an eight month Ebola community action platform (E-cap 2) project, calling on community members to promote good health.  The Program Manager of PMU-Liberia, Mr. Davestus James explained that the two hundred fifty thousand United States dollars USAID through Mercy Corps Liberia funded project was intended to promote community health and ensure community resilience to diseases in Liberia. He said among other thing, during the E-cap project, the PMU reactivated the Community Health Committees (CHC) which is a major component of the health sector, according to the FrontPage Africa newspaper.

Peace, Reconciliation Crucial To Liberia’s Development - Deputy Internal Affairs Minister Sirleaf, as 36 Complete NCME

Deputy Internal Affairs Minister Varney A. Sirleaf says peace and reconciliation are crucial to Liberia’s development after the departure of the United National Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). Minister Sirleaf made the statement recently at the end of a two-week workshop organized by the Peace Building Office (PBO) to train participants who will be carrying out the National Conflict Mapping Exercise (NCME) in the 15 counties. NCME Executive Director of the Peace Building Office at the Internal Affairs Ministry, Edward Mulbah said the national conflict mapping exercise will produce conflict analysis report containing county-specific conflict drivers and triggers, looming conflicts with the potential to undermine national peace and stability and underlying root causes of civil war not yet addressed. Mr. Mulbah said the 36 trained researchers will be deployed simultaneously to work in the 15 counties at county, district and community or village levels, saying the entire mapping project will take three months, reports the Daily Observer.

Internews Trains Journalists In Health Reporting

Over 20 journalists from several media houses in Monrovia and the 15 counties Tuesday started a three-day “Health Reporting Journalism” training organized by Internews Liberia, under its “Information Save Lives project. The training is aimed at building the skills of the specialized in reporting on health and health-related issues. The journalists, upon completion of the training, will form part of Internews 2016 Journalism Health Reporting Fellowship, reports the FOCUS newspaper.