The Bureau of Public Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

NEWS SUMMARY FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2014

Today’s edition of our summary of the local dailies highlights news concerning the holding of aconference on post Ebola Virus Diseases in Liberiaby the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS. The summary also highlights story onForeign Minister Marjon V. Kamara’s call for the alumni of Girls Ebola Recovery Livelihood Support project to be agents of change, President Sirleaf’s Proclamation declaring the second Friday in April as Fast and Prayer Dayamong others. 

DOMINANT STORIES  

ECOWAS Hosts Post Ebola Virus Disease Meeting 

According to the New Dawnnewspaper, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has convened a conference on post-Ebola Virus Diseases in Liberia. The meeting, which started on Monday, 10 April, brought together health workers from various African countries to support member states in working together to enhance the quality and accessibility of biological diagnosis and to strengthen control of epidemic prone diseases. Speaking at the opening of the meeting, the Director General of WAHO, Dr. Xavier Crispin, said the main objective of the forum is to access where the regional body is in terms of implementing key decisions reached by the Heads of State. He said some key decisions made in the past three years include putting in place the ECOWAS original center for disease control and member countries want to know how far the region has gone on that, including training of staff. Also speaking, Liberia’s Minister of Health Dr. Bernice Dahn, said the meeting is organized against the background of stock taking on status implementation of the recommendations and lessons learned from the recent EVD outbreak.

Related Captions: WAHO, MOH Collaborate in 3-Day Regional Meeting on Post-Ebola(Daily Observer), WAHO Backs Common External Tariff(INSIGHT)

OTHER STORIES  

 ‘Be Agents Of Change’ – Foreign Minister Urges Young Women 

According to the In Profile Daily, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Madam Marjon V. Kamara, has urged alumni of the Girls Ebola Recovery Livelihood Support (GERLS) project to be agents of change and drivers of transformation within their families, communities and the country at large. Delivering the keynote address at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection main compound in Monrovia during the Ministry launching program of the GERLS, she said they must utilize the opportunities being afforded them under this project because the assistance assumes some accountability and responsibility for success. The project was launched under the theme: Eliminating the Culture of Dependency by Investing in Adolescent’s Girls through Livelihood Support and Business Skills, that is expected to hit three counties Montserrado, Margibi and Grand Bassa.  

Friday Is National Holiday 

The New Dawnnewspaper quotes a Foreign Ministry release, “President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as by Proclamation declared the second Friday in April as a “Fast and Prayer Day” to be observed throughout Liberia as a National Holiday. According to a Foreign Ministry release, the Proclamation is in consonance with an Act of the National Legislature passed into law in 1883 declaring the second Friday in April of each year as “National Fast and Prayer Day” for the safety and welfare of the Nation and its people with penitent reverence to God. The Day is observed as a Day of Supplication, Prayer, Fasting and Meditation so that our efforts as a people, may be crowned with great achievements to the common cause of the Nation, the State and our common humanity. The Proclamation, therefore, calls on all Prelates, Priests, Elders, Deacons, Evangelists, Imams and all residents, regardless of religious creed, to gather with one accord in their respective places of worship within the territorial confines of Liberia in simple and non-costly apparel to fast, pray and meditate commencing at 8:00 a.m.

Related Caption: Friday Declared Holiday(In Profile Daily)

Ellen Consoles Egypt

The New Dawnnewspaper quotes a Foreign Ministry release, “President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has extended heartfelt condolences to the Government and people of the Arab Republic of Egypt following two deadly bombings that targeted Coptic Christian churches on Palm Sunday, April 9, 2017.The two deadly bombings targeting Coptic Christian churches were aimed at a vulnerable religious minority on one of the most important days on the Christian calendar, Palm Sunday. The death toll rose to at least 49 Monday, state media reported. At least 27 people died in a blast inside a church in the northern city of Tanta, and 78 people were injured, Egypt's state-run news agency, Al-Ahram said. In Alexandria, 18 civilians and four police officers were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a Coptic church, Al-Ahram said. According to a Foreign Ministry release, in her message to His Excellency Mr. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Liberian President expressed profound sadness and shock over the news of a twin terrorist attack which took place on Sunday, April 9, 2017 at St. George’s Church in the northern city of Tanta and the St. Mark’s Cathedral in Alexandria, killing at least 49 persons and leaving more than 126 injured”.

Related Caption: President Sirleaf Consoles the Arab Republic of Egypt(INSIGHT)

Liberia Initiates APRM External Country Review Mission

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf yesterday officially launched the African Peer Review Mechanism’s (APRM) external review mission to Liberia, according to a press release. Launching the Mission in the Conference room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs President Sirleaf welcomed the external review team and expressed delight at having them in Liberia, saying, “It is important for me to be associated with the APRM for Liberia to be reviewed.” The lead panel member in charge of Liberia, Madam Brigitte Sylvia Mabandla, who is in Liberia at the head of a high power 14 member external review team, expressed happiness that Liberia is on the road to be reviewed and said she is confident that the process will be on time. The mission is in Liberia as part of a two week external review mission and is expected to shortly visit 10 of the 15 counties of Liberia to validate the report from the self-assessment study, reports the Daily Observer.

Related Caption: Liberia Launches APRM External Country Review Mission(In Profile Daily)

LNP Extends Peace Campaign to Bomi, Cape Mount Counties

Authorities of the Liberia National Police (LNP) recently extended the nationwide tour promoting a message of nonviolence ahead of the October presidential and representative elections to three counties in western Liberia. The campaign is part of the police community’s initiative to promote a peaceful transition which the LNP says is significant to Liberia’s peace and democracy. The LNP held two meetings in Grand Cape Mount, Bomi and Gbarpolu counties during which residents there expressed excitement over the initiative. The residents expressed gratitude to the LNP for being farsighted in promoting a non-violent approach as the country goes to polls in October. They therefore called on the police to increase its presence in the three counties since they share borders with Sierra Leone, reports Daily Observer.

Gender Ministry Targets 2,000 Girls

The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has launched a Girls’ Ebola Recovery Livelihood project, targeting about 2, 000 girls across the country. Making remarks at the official launch in Monrovia on Tuesday, April 11, Gender Minister Julia Duncan Cassell says the project is an important milestone for several reasons, adding that the project is one of the government’s response programs to reduce suffering caused by the deadly effects of the Ebola virus that badly affected the economy. “Research shows that almost any investment we make in women and girls will have multipliers effects, this is true but only to the extent that government provides an environment that is conductive to the empowerment of women and girls, and the creation of good jobs”, Minister Duncan-Cassell said. Madam Duncan-Cassell says the reason why the Ministry is strictly focusing on adolescent girls is because during the EVD crisis in Liberia, it conducted a telephone call campaign among 1, 080 girls across three counties, saying this was intended to assess girls’ well-being and let them know that the Ministry was highly concerned about their plight Giving an overview of program, the Project Manager, Madam Vivian Neejay Innis, says this is one of government and her partners’ response program to reduce suffering caused by the devastating effects Ebola on the Liberian economy. The ceremony was attended by government officials from line Ministries and Agencies, including members of the Diplomatic Corps, local and international partners, students, women and girls, among others, reports the New Dawn newspaper.  

Fire Destroys Medical Center 

Fire has completely destroyed a free medical center in Kakata, Margibi County, burning the facility down to ashes. The fire gutted the local charity, Health Women, Healthy Liberia on Saturday, April 8, 2017 around Miss Moore Community along Bong Mines Road in the provincial capital at about 5:00 A.M. The center has been providing free medical services to residents of Kakata and adjacent areas. Speaking to reporters over the weekend at the scene of the incident, a member of the board of directors of the institution narrated that he received news of the fire early Saturday morning while in Monrovia. According to him, it is not only that the individuals had gone with an arson attack, but they intentionally went to kill. Dr. Kollie disclosed that items destroyed in the fire include equipment worth US$5,000 and other materials besides the building itself. He expressed disappointment and frustration over the incident, but thanked God that no one was killed in the incident, reports the New Dawn newspaper.

GoL Creates National Quality Award

According to Daily Observer, the government through the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has introduced a National Quality Award program which aims to encourage businesses to prioritize the creation of quality products that will compete on the global market Commerce Minister Alex Addy said the introduction of the award is another clear indication that the Government is committed to intervening to address problems associated with the poor quality of products on the market. The National Quality Award will serve as a promotional tool to encourage business owners to prioritize quality in order to boost their market value and give them the advantage of exporting their products more easily to the international market, Minister Addy explained.

Rivercess Citizens Celebrate VPA’s Impact

According to Daily Observer, citizens of Rivercess County say they appreciate the establishment of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) between the Liberian government and the European Union (EU) that allows logs harvested from Liberian forests to be tracked and certificated before being exported to any country in the world. The citizens expressed the gratitude during a visit by EU Ambassador Tiina Intelmann, her entourage and representatives of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) to Yarkpah Town on April 4. Liberia, represented by the FDA, and the EU began negotiating the VPA between 2009 and 2011; the EU ratified it in 2012, Liberia in 2013. In addition to the framework that allows only legally certificated logs to be exported from Liberia to the EU market and other parts of the world, forest communities will get 30 percent of proceeds under a benefit sharing scheme. Under the National Benefit Sharing Trust in the National Forestry Reform Law, the first US$1 million has been paid into the trust fund, from which citizens of Yarkpah Town erected a vocational training center at a cost of US$46,000.

LCL Installs US$400K Solar Energy At Phebe Hospital

The Lutheran Church in Liberia (LCL) and partners have begun installing solar energy valued at US$400,000 at the Phebe Hospital in Suacoco District, Bong County. The hospital is operated, supervised and supported by the LCL, the government and partners. The installation of the solar energy system would reduce the US$500,000 the hospital spends yearly on diesel (fuel) for its generators. Lutheran Bishop Daniel Jensen Seyenkulo told the Daily Observer over the weekend that God is blessing Lutherans to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Bishop Seyenkulo added that the installation of a 100 kilowatt solar energy system at the hospital will not only reduce the expenditure on fuel for the generators, but would also enhance efficient medical services, reports the Daily Observer.