The Bureau of Public Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

 Monrovia, Liberia

DAILY NEWS SUMMARY FOR MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 2017

Dominating today’s media summary are stories on the visit of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the arrival of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to attend the 28th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of AU.

ECOWAS Court President Meets Ellen

The Insight newspaper reports that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has received the President of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, Justice Jerome Traore at her Foreign Ministry Office in Monrovia. “Let me welcome you and say how pleased I am for your visit,” President Sirleaf said. According to an Executive Mansion release, President Sirleaf received Justice Jerome Traore and members of his delegation during a courtesy call on Friday, January 27, 2017 where he briefed her on the Court’s activities and the purpose of his visit to Liberia. President Sirleaf thanked Justice Traore and his delegation for the visit to Liberia and commended the Court through Justice Traore for the sincere welcome and hospitable reception accorded her during her visit to the Court in December of 2016.  She assured Justice Traore that she had noted suggestions expressed and would initiate the necessary consultations in order to inform a collective decision on suggestions made. She told the head of delegation that her government and that of ECOWAS will welcome the Court - come February 2017 for awareness on the activities among other things.

Related Captions: ECOWAS Court Conform To Standard, Int’l Law – As Pres. Sirleaf Assures Of Support (FOCUS), ECOWAS Court Officials Pay Working Visit To Sensitize Liberians(FrontPage Africa) and  ‘ECOWAS Court Of Justice For Everybody(Daily Observer)

Ellen Arrives In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Attend Events With UN Secretary And AU Heads of State

The In Profile Daily reports that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and delegation on Saturday arrived in the Ethiopian Capital, Addis Ababa to attend the 28th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government. The Summit is held under the theme “Harnessing the Demographic Dividends through Investing in Youths”. According to a dispatch from Addis Ababa, the ECOWAS Chairperson was received at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport by ranking officials of the African Union Commission and the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia at about 8:35 Addis Ababa time. On Sunday, the Liberia leader joined fellow Heads of State at a Working Breakfast with the new Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres at the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa.

Related Caption: President Sirleaf In Ethiopia For 28^th AU Summit(Daily Observer)

Other Stories  

US$30K Healthcare Center Dedicated To Johnsonville Residents 

A 21-bedroom healthcare center has been dedicated to the residents of the Township of Johnsonville by a United States based family. The Township of Johnsonville is located in part of Montserrado County, District #2, outside Monrovia. Named as the Robert Y. Moore Memorial Healthcare Center, the center will be a place for medication for many communities in the area. Speaking at the dedicatory ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer of the center, Madam Mary Moore-Kieh, said that the healthcare center was built and named in memory of the her late brother who she said was physically challenged and died due to an undiagnosed  condition at a health facility. Madam Kieh stated that healthcare delivery service in the country remains serious challenge something she noted needs the intervention of not just national government but private citizens as well, reports theHeritage newspaper.

POLICE INTERCEPT PROTEST

According to the New Dawnnewspaper, the Liberia National Police or LNP on Sunday, 29 January intercepted a planned protest organized by the Patriotic Entrepreneurs of Liberia or PATEL, ordering businesses to shut down today, Monday, 30 January and join a three -day protest against high tariffs, inflation among other things. Considering national security implications over the planned rally, Police Inspector General Col. Gregory Coleman and his deputy for administration Col. Abraham Kromah suddenly held a dialogue with PATEL leaders Presley Tenwah, Prince P.S. Howard and Saah F. Kpengba at the LNP Headquarters on Capitol Hill in an effort to call off the protest. Col. Coleman was clear that the swift dialogue with protest organizers did not in any way border on fears, but it was important to take all necessary precautions as law enforcers to ensure peace and stability, noting that if anything contrary to the law were to spark out, even the end users who may be facing some forms of constraints would not benefit from the rally planned by PATEL. He argued that if PATEL even put 10,000 protesters in the streets, at the end of the day it would still have to sit for dialogue, thus saying the police want the dialogue now since the protest has not taken place.

CARTER CENTER HOLDS FORUM WITH YOUTH LEADERS

Carter Center Liberia has ended a two-day forum with youth leaders from the fifteen counties across the country. The gathering, which was intended to discuss amongst other issues how young people could promote peaceful elections this year, was facilitated by several key officials. Speaking to our Bong County correspondent about the gathering, Carter Center Chief of Party Pewu Flomoku described the forum as very important to promoting peaceful elections and highlighting issues of concern to young people in the country. He said young people have an essential role to play in the impending elections and as such, should be given a fair chance to be heard. Mr. Flomoku added that often people attribute violence to young people, debunking that young people are not violent, but only want to be heard. According to him when the chance for young people to express themselves on certain issues is not provided, they tend to ensure they are heard by any means possible. The exercise which started on Friday, 27 January was successfully concluded on Saturday, 28 January, reports the New Dawn newspaper.

West Point Women End 3-Day All-Men Wo’shop…On Gender-Based Violence

The West Point Women for Health and Development Organization (WPWHD) has ended a three-day all-male workshop in the Township of West Point. The capacity-building workshop was held to bring together men and young boys to discuss the issue of sexual based violence. It was held under the theme: Engaging Men and Young Boys in the fight Against Gender-Based Violence in West Point. Prior to the workshop, the West Point Women for Health and Development Organization held the workshop from 16th January to develop a policy document for a 10-year Strategy Planning held in the City of Paynesville, Monrovia, reports the Inquirer newspaper.  

You Must Have The Capacity To Lead A Country Or Else…Youth & Sports Ministry Official Talks Tough 

According to the Heritage newspaper, the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports for Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Mr. Rufus Neufville, has asserted that the claim of loving Liberia as made by many people is not enough to make them national leaders. Deputy Minister Neufville further asserted that the mere claim of loving a country is inadequate for sustainable development, something he said, must be backed by capacity building.  The Deputy Youth and Sports Minister for TVET was speaking at the weekend when he served as proxy for the Youth and Sports Minister Saah Charles N’Tow who was invited to serve as the keynote speaker at the 2016 Third Cycle Graduation of the Liberia Institute of Public Administration (LIPA).

Over 7,000 Farmers Benefit From Food Items – As ELSRF, WFP end agriculture project in Montserrado

Over seven thousand farmers including households in Montserrado County have benefited from over 243.6 metro tons of food from the Emma Smith Life Recovery Foundation. The farmers also got a hug consignment of farming materials from the foundation as part of the program to enhance their activities. According to the project technician of the foundation, Koboi Lamine, the program is a Japanese founded Supplementary food project, sponsored by the World Food Program (WFP) aimed at empowering local farmers in the country. Mr. Lamine disclosed that the project target  the development of both lowland and upland vegetable productions, lowland showcase and traditional, tuba lowland upland production, rehabilitation of some 50 kilometer of roads within Todee and Careysbury, including community structures rehabilitation among others Montserrado, writes theInsight newspaper.