The Bureau of Public Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

 Monrovia, Liberia

DAILY NEWS SUMMARY FOR MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2017

News of United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield’s assurance of the US’ continued support to Liberia, the memorial of eight prelates and an imam and the Deputy Minister for Administration of the Ministry of National Defense, Joseph F. Johnson’s commendation to the Armed Forces of the Republic of Ghana for its contributions towards peace and stability in Liberia are among stories dominating today’s edition of our summary of the local dailies.

DOMINANT STORIES  

Assistant Secretary Greenfield on Liberia-US Relations 

United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, says the relationship between the United States and Liberia will continue to be further strengthened, irrespective of change in the U.S. Government or the Government of Liberia. According to a dispatch from the Embassy of Liberia in the United States, Assistant Secretary Thomas-Greenfield was speaking on January 10, 2017, at the closing of the third round of the U.S. Liberia Partnership Dialogue at the State Department in Washington, the INQUIRER newspaper reads.

Related Captions: Greenfield Assures Of US-Liberia Strengthened Relations Despite Change In Governments(In Profile Daily), U.S.-Liberia Relationship-U.S. Assistant Secretary For Africa Assures Liberia of Continued U.S. Support (FrontPage Africa)

Religious Leaders Pressed To Speak Out Against Wrongs - 8 Prelates, Imam Memorialized

Eight of Liberia’s outstanding clergymen and women, including an imam, who spoke out against societal vices during the 70s, 80s and 90s, were memorialized over the weekend at the Monrovia City Hall. Those memorialized included United Methodist Church Bishop Stephen Trowen Nagbe, Rev. Mother Wilhelmina Dukuly of the Faith Healing Temple of Jesus Christ; the Most Rev. George Daniel Browne, Episcopal Church of Liberia; Rev. Dr. Roland Jigi Payne, Lutheran Church of Liberia and the Most Rev. Michael Kpakala Francis, Catholic Church of Liberia.
Others included Rev. Walter D. Richards, Liberia Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention; Rev. Dr. William Nah Dixon, Don Stewart Christ Pentecostal Church; and Sheik Kafumba Konneh, National Muslim Council of Liberia. These religious icons, who put their lives on the line as the voices of the voiceless and the consciences of the nation, were eulogized last Saturday at a well-attended event organized by the National Religious Advocates Memorial Program (NRAM). The organizers said the religious advocates were chosen for the recognition because of their outstanding roles at great personal risk during the country’s 14 year civil crisis and also during the dictatorial regimes of the True Wig Party and People’s Redemption Council.
The renowned women’s rights advocate Mary Brownell and the Daily Observer’s founder and publisher, Mr. Kenneth Y. Best, served as guest panelists at the memorial ceremony.
Mother Brownell provided a synopsis on religious advocacy in Liberia and the overall impact it has had on the Liberian society, while Mr. Best gave a comprehensive critique on religious advocacy in Liberia from the angle of the Liberian media and the political development of the nation. Both panelists, according to the Daily Observer questioned the roles of the current religious leaders in the country and noted that their silence is quietly promoting the suffering and condoning the killing of many Liberian people.

Related Captions: Top Advocate Blasts Religious Leaders(Heritage), Bishop Francis, Others Remembered…Mary Brownell, Kenneth Best Frown On “Silence” Of The Church, Mosques (The INQUIRER)

Liberia’s Defense Ministry Praises Ghanaian Armed Forces

The Deputy Minister for Administration at Liberia’s Ministry of National Defense, Joseph F. Johnson, has extolled the Armed Forces of the Republic of Ghana for its numerous contributions towards the peace and stability that Liberians are now enjoying. According to Minister Johnson, the Armed Forces and the people of Ghana have played and continue to play a meaningful role in bringing peace and tranquility to Liberia, especially during the heat of the civil crisis, dating back to 1990, the In Profile Daily newspaper says.

Related Captions: Minister Johnson Praises The Ghanaian Armed Forces(Heritage), Minister Johnson Praises Ghanaian Armed Forces(INSIGHT)

Firestone Hosts Children’s Surgery Int’l

The Children’s Surgery International (CSI) medical team has arrived in the county for a one-week operation. CSI, along with members of the Firestone Liberia medical team, will perform the operations, including facial and urological surgeries on children completely free of charge.
Lora Stege Koppel, CSI Board Member and Mission Lead, said she and her team were happy to return to Liberia and Firestone after being out of the country for three years due to the outbreak of the Ebola virus disease. She said a primary focus of the 2017 medical mission will be to provide teaching and education to its Liberian health care partners. The Daly Observer says since its first mission to Firestone in 2010, the CSI medical team in partnership with Firestone has performed nearly 600 free surgical operations on Liberian children and those from neighboring countries.

Related Captions: Firestone Liberia Hosts Children Surgery International(The INQUIRER), Firestone Liberia Hosts Children's Surgery International(The New Dawn)

OTHER STORIES

Ellen’s Final Annual Message On Jan. 23

According to the Daily Observer, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf will deliver her final annual message on Monday, January 23, to the members of the 53rd Legislature in a joint Session at the William R. Tolbert Jr. Assembly Hall in the Capitol Building. President Sirleaf’s appearance before the Lawmakers is in adherence to Article 58 of the Liberian Constitution which among other things mandates the Chief Executive to present her legislative agendas (programs), and inform the Legislature on the current state of affairs. Article 58 of the Constitution states: ‘The President shall, on the fourth working Monday in January of each year, present the administration’s legislative program for the ensuing session, and shall once a year report to the Legislature on the state of the Republic. In presenting the economic condition of the Republic the report shall cover expenditure as well as income.’ Next Monday’s State of the Nation Address will mark the 12th and the last annual message of Madam Sirleaf to the joint session of the Legislature, since her ascendency to the Presidency on January 16, 2006.

TRANSCO CLSG Signs Milestone EPC Contracts To Start Transmission Line And Sub-Stations Construction

The Management of TRANSCO CLSG has started awarding contracts to qualified international firms to kick off the construction of the 1,303km of transmission line and multiple sub stations in Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. According to the FrontPage Africa newspaper, TRANSCO CLSG announced that the commencement of the multi-million energy project that would expand energy integration in the sub region, began Friday, January 13, 2017 when the General Manager, Mohammed M. Sherif affixed his signature to multiple EPC Contracts for the design, supply, installation and commissioning of 225 kV overhead transmission line in Liberia and Sierra Leone respectively. The daily says in a few weeks, TRANSCO CLSG management will finalize and award EPC Contracts for the Transmission Line and Substations in Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea. 

President Sirleaf Attends France-Africa Summit in Mali

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has attended the France–Africa Summit 2017 in Bamako, the Malian capital. The Summit among others - is aimed at strengthening ties between France and African countries. The Summit was held under the theme: “Partnership, Peace and Emergence” began Friday with Foreign Affairs Ministers meeting to adopt resolutions for onward presentation to the Heads of State and Government. The opening ceremony held at the Bamako Conference Center and hosted by President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, saw French President Francois Hollande and Idriss Derby, President of the Republic of Chad and Chairperson of the African Union delivered opening statements. The Summit agenda was center on peace and security, terrorism, migration, cyber-crime, human and drug trafficking, among other issues affecting France and the African continent. The FrontPage Africa newspaper says the Summit, brought together representatives from the European Union, African Union, United Nations, African Development Bank, World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and African First Ladies.

Liberia To Observe ECOWAS Human Rights Day Monday

The FrontPage Africa newspaper reports that the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will on Monday, January 16, celebrate ECOWAS Human Rights Day at the Monrovia City Hall. The Day was declared on December 17, 2016 during the 50^th Ordinary Session of ECOWAS in Abuja, Nigeria under the chairmanship of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, during which a unanimous decision was reached that the day be celebrated annually in all ECOWAS countries. Speaking on the UNMIL Radio “Coffee Break” show Friday, the acting Chairperson of the INCHR, Bartholomew Colley, said the goal of the Day is to focus on women and youth. Colley noted that the essence of the celebration is to call the attention of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government to the looming human rights issues in the sub-region. He stated that during the event, collaborative efforts will be made with civil society organizations, national human rights institutions and the INCHR of Liberia to protect and promote human rights. The celebration will also feature a discussion on ECOWAS Human Rights System, women’s rights in political governance and participation, economic empowerment and development, mediation and peace, among others, Colley added.

MRU Delegation Ends Visit To Grants’ Beneficiaries Here

A three-man delegation from the Mano River Union (MRU) has ended its visit to Liberia to further give guidance and verification of beneficiaries of a $66,000 USD grant meant for post Ebola resilience project in Liberia from the MRU. The MRU is an intergovernmental institution comprising of Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Ivory Coast. The organization aims to strengthen the capacity of Member States to integrate their economies and coordinate development programs in the areas of Peace building, as a prerequisite to any development, trade promotion, development of industry energy, agriculture, natural resources, transport and telecommunications, monetary and financial affairs in short, reports the Heritagenewspaper.

MOE Sets Registration Deadline For WAEC

The Ministry of Education (MoE) has said the registration deadline for the 2017 West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams is January 14. According to an MOE release issued Thursday during the Ministry of Information regular press briefing in Monrovia, all County and District Education Officers who did not submit their candidates’ names are asked to do so before Tuesday, January 17. The release signed by MOE Director of Communications Maxim Bleetan indicated that county and district education officers, who fail to meet the deadline “should have themselves to blame.”The release noted that the announcement should also claim the attention of all junior and senior high schools in the country. The WAEC exams are administered annually to 12^th and ninth graders to determine their eligibility for promotion to higher levels. Twelfth graders who fail the exams are not allowed to matriculate to universities in the country, according to FOCUS newspaper.

PUL's Headquarters Construction Gets Greenlight

According to the FOCUS newspaper, at long last, the construction of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) headquarters is finally in sight as the new leadership of the body has resolved to do the official ground breading to the project this year. Addressing a news conference at the Union’s headquarters in Monrovia over the weekend, PUL President Charles Coffey disclosed that his resolved those controversies that over the years hindered the leadership has finally construction’s project. It can be recalled that the PUL seven years ago, was given US$100,000 by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as her contribution towards the Union towards the Union’s headquarters but the money could not be accounted for the past PUL’s administrations.

China Medical Team Offers Free Health Services In Paynesville

According to the Daily Observer, the China Medical Team over the weekend rendered free health services to 80 persons in Paynesville, outside Monrovia. In her welcome statement, Paynesville City Mayor Cyvette M. Gibson said she was very excited by the number of doctors, including an Ophthalmologist, Gynecologist, and China Traditional Medicine practitioner and others rendering these free health services to our people.  Mayor Gibson said, “We look forward to seeing our residents healthy and coming to see a doctor annually,” urging Paynesville residents to take advantage of the free healthcare services by the China Medical Team. David Zhang, Director of the Political Section at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Liberia, said the medical team was delighted to support Liberia’s healthcare delivery through the provision of free health services. “We are providing these free health services in response to the request from the local people. This is a part of activities that consolidates Liberia’s relation with the People’s Republic of China,” Zhang said. He expressed the commitment of the medical team to continue the free health service with other communities, adding, “We want to interact with the local people and also provide free healthcare services, especially to those suffering from complicated diseases.”

LNP Holds Memorial Service for Fallen Officers

The Liberia National Police (LNP) on Friday held a memorial and honoring serviced for its fallen officers who served their country with diligence. Speaking at the memorial service held at the Tubman United Methodist Church in Paynesville, Inspector General of Police, Gregory O.W. Coleman, assured the bereaved families that the Liberia National Police will always stand by them. He told the audience that it is impossible to perform any job without the backing of the family because the job is difficult but it is an honorable one, the INQUIRER newspaper says.

Related Caption: Over 700 Police Officers Dead(The New Dawn)

Church Begins Women, Students Conference

The Faith in Christ Church Liberia in collaboration with the ‘Will Go’ Mission-Canada/USA will begin a two-day women/students conference this week in Monrovia. The Conference will be held under the Theme: “Stay Concerned”.  Rev. Larry and Mrs. Jean Johnson and team of the Will Go Mission Canada, the United States of America will arrive in Liberia on Wednesday January 18, 2017 as guests of Bishop Stephen D. Lewis and the Faith in Christ Church, writes the INQUIRER newspaper says.