THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia.

NEWS SUMMARY FOR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2016

Today’s Summary of the local dailies includes Head of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s Special Envoy to Nigeria meeting with the President of the ECOWAS Commission; a high-powered American congressional delegation’s 3-day visit to Liberia; and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s pronouncement of a reduction in pump prices of gasoline and diesel  on the Liberian market.

DOMINANT STORIES

Pres. Sirleaf’s Special Envoy Confers with ECOWAS President

An inside story of the Focus newspaper writes that a special envoy of the Chairperson of ECOWAS Authority has held discussions with the President of the ECOWAS Commission. A dispatch from the Liberian Embassy in Abuja says Dr. Abdoulaye Dukule, heading President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s special envoy, met and began the discussions as part of a two-day working visit. The discussions, aimed at harmonizing and attaining the priorities of the Chairperson and those of the ECOWAS Commission as well as other institutions for the years 2016 and 2017, were held on Monday and Tuesday, the 8^th and 9^th of August 2016 respectively at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, the daily says.

Related Captions: President Sirleaf’s Special Envoy Confers With ECOWAS President(The INQUIRER), Ellen’s Envoy Meets ECOWAS President(In Profile Daily)

Liberia, US hold talks on Security Cooperation, Others

A high-powered American congressional delegation is due to arrive in the country today. While in the country, the delegation will hold discussions with Liberian government officials on a range of issues, which include bilateral development assistance to Liberia and security cooperation between the two countries. According to a release from the US Embassy near Monrovia, the visit will also provide members of the delegation an opportunity to examine the United States Government’s broad efforts to help Liberia peacefully manage its first post-war transition of presidential power, the INSIGHT newspaper reports.

Related Captions: United States Congressional Delegation Arrives For 3-Day Visit(The INQUIRER), US Congressional Delegation Visits Liberia(New Dawn),US Congressional Delegation In Liberia(New DEMOCRAT)

Petroleum Prices Reduce On The Market

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in close consultation with the management of the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC), has announced a reduction in pump prices of gasoline and diesel (fuel oil) on the Liberian market. In a price circular signed by Commerce Minister Axel M. Addy and LPRC Managing Director Sumo Kupee, the price of gasoline has been reduced from US$3.06 to US$2.91 or its Liberian dollar equivalent of L$275 (which represents a US$0.15 cent reduction) while the retail pump price for a gallon of diesel has also decreased from US$3.08 to U$2.98 or its Liberian dollar equivalent of L$280. The prices in Liberian dollars were calculated using the Central Banks’ approved exchange rate of US$1 to L$94. The decision to reduce the prices of petroleum products on the market, according to them, is a result of a downward shift in the perimeter that is usually used to determine the prices of products in the country, writes the Daily Observer.

Related Captions: Petroleum Products Prices Reduce(New DEMOCRAT), Petroleum Products Prices Reduced(In Profile Daily)

OTHER STORIES

NEC Seeks Electoral Threshold For 2017 General Elections

The National Elections Commission (NEC) has written the Senate seeking an electoral threshold on which it will conduct the 2017 General Elections. In a letter dated July 19, 2016 addressed to the Senate through Pro Temp Armah Jallah, NEC Chairman Jerome Korkoya recalled that in 2010, the Legislature passed a Joint Resolution LEG-002 (2010) which set a special electoral threshold for the 2011 General Elections. According to Chairman Korkoya, that threshold maintained the sixty-four electoral districts used by NEC for the conduct of the 2005 General Elections; added nine more electoral districts, thereby establishing a total of seventy-three (73) electoral districts; and mandated NEC to reapportion the districts accordingly. As the special threshold of Joint Resolution LEG-002 was limited to the 2011 General Elections, the NEC letter informed the Legislature that it will need a new threshold from that body for the 2017 General Elections, scheduled to be held on October 10, 2017. The letter has been sent to the Senate Committee on Autonomous Commissions & Agencies chaired by Grand Bassa County Senator Jonathan Kaipay., according to theDaily Observer.

Obama Introduces New Program For YALI Fellows

President Barack Obama has announced that beginning in the summer of 2017, fellows of the Mandela Washington Fellowship (Young African Leaders Initiative) will commence their internship program under the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in MCC’s host countries. The internship program, Africa’s Promise, seeks to empower young Africans who have benefited from the YALI fellowship to practically demonstrate their talents in their respective areas of studies in MCC’s host countries. The host countries include Liberia, Morocco, Malawi, Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia. The new program is also expected to provide opportunities for African youth between the ages of 18 and 35 to gain technical skills to prepare them for the job market; writes the Daily Observer.

Pres. Sirleaf Holds Special Session of the Liberia Development Alliance

 President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Tuesday held a Special Session of the Liberia Development Alliance (LDA) in Monrovia. The Liberia Development Alliance brings together stakeholders from the Government of Liberia, partners/donors, private and civil society. The FOCUS newspaper quotes an Executive Mansion release as saying that the LDA received updates from the National Elections Commission on the pending 2017 elections; governance reform and political transition; reform in peace, security, justice and rule of law as well as updates on the 2016/2017 Draft National Budget.

W/Bank To Rescue Ailing Economy

According to the New Democrat, the World Bank is poised to help in resuscitating Liberia’s economy following the effects of the meltdown in the global economy and the deadly Ebola Virus Disease. The impacts of both Ebola outbreak and dwindling global commodity prices saw the country’s economy plummet to as low a rate as zero percent. World Bank Executive Director for Liberia Louis Rene Peter Larose said while he is in Liberia, he will see how best the World Bank can move the country’s development agenda forward focusing on the plight of the Liberian people and would personally present Liberia’s case to the bank upon his return to Washington. “We need the World Bank fast track its assistance to Liberia,” Larose said when met with the Minister of Finance and Development, Boima Kamara yesterday.

China’s Support Hailed

According to the New Democrat, Acting Minister of State, Sylvester M. Grisby, has hailed the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for its increasing support to his country and Africa, People’s Daily Online reported. Representing President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at the recent coordinator’s meeting on the implementation of the 2015 Johannesburg FOCAC Summit outcomes in Beijing, Grisby said since the FOCAC project was launched in 2000, Chinese-funded landmark projects have sprouted in Liberia and the entire African landscape. “We remain grateful to the government and people of China for the enormous support given us in combating the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the region two years ago,” he said.

Education Releases 2016-2017 Calendar – Says No Promotion For 9^th Graders Who Failed WAEC

The Ministry of Education has released its calendar for the 2016-2017 academic year, which is expected to begin September 5, 2016 – July 5, 2017. The Ministry in its calendar stressed that placement tests should not be prerequisite for children’s admission to Grade one, noting that this policy is to be respected by all public private and mission or faith based schools. According to MOE, students completing ninth grade in a senior high school must not be given new admission in another school and only students from exclusively junior high schools would be exempted, reports the INQUIRER newspaper.

China Increases Training for African Journalists, Another Batch Arrives in Beijing

China is intensifying training and exchange visits program for African journalists as part of efforts in strengthening her economic and development cooperation with Africa. Thirty-three journalists and information officers from 13 English-speaking African countries arrived in Beijing last week on a two-week seminar sponsored by the government of China, the In Profile Daily reports.

OCL to Host Two-Day Empowerment Summit

Orphans Concern Liberia (OCL), a local non-governmental organization, has announced the hosting of a two-day empowerment summit for about 30 adult orphans from seven orphanage homes in Montserrado County. According to an OCL release, from the Executive Director of the organization, Amos Sawboh, the summit is intended to bring adults who are on the orphanages for the summit to discuss the challenges of orphans as well as prospect of adult orphans, the In Profile Daily reports.