The Bureau of Public Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

 Monrovia, Liberia

DAILY NEWS SUMMARY FOR MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2017

Dominant Stories

Among stories dominating today’s Media Summary, Vice President Joseph N. Boakai says the Liberian Government Is focused on Strategic Investment at both Domestic and Foreign Levels; while an ECOWAS Joint Committee on Health and Social Services/Trade, Customs and Free Movement has Adopted a Draft Resolution. The Regional Director of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) for West and Central Africa, Mr. Abdou Dieng is in the Country for a Four-day Visit; while President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has Welcomed the Wife of Guinea's Major Opposition Leader Celliou Dalein Diallo.

Gov’t Focus Is Strategy Investment

Vice President Joseph N. Boakai says the Government of Liberia is focused on strategic investment, both domestic and foreign in value chain plus downstream processed goods and in manufacturing, seek to expand electricity distribution; link creative financing for Major Small Medium Enterprise and commercially viable businesses.He said Liberia, being such an investment friendly country, has aggressively created an atmosphere conducive to investment, and pointed out that Liberia’s Profit Tax Rate is 25% or 2% on turnover, with very limited capital controls and 100% of profit is available for repatriation. He went on to explain that 30% incentive deduction allowed on up to 100% of qualifying cost of equipment & machinery for investors over $1million US dollars. Vice President Boakai made the remarks Friday when he delivered the keynote address at the Liberian Business Forum at Greenberg Traurig in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the United States of America. Vice President Boakai informed United States investors that the Government of Liberia recently launched the Liberia Agricultural Transformation Agenda, LATA, a new policy framework and vision for developing agriculture and agribusiness directly supported by the highest leadership of our country with a focus to support value addition in agriculture through financing, public goods and market access, reports theNew Dawn newspaper.

Related Captions:We Must Consolidate And Expand The Gains Made Thus Far In Liberia... VP Boakai Tells Liberians And Investors In the USA(Heritage), andVP Boakai to Address Liberia Educational Forum In The U.S(Insight)

ECOWAS Joint Committee adopts draft resolution

According to the New Dawn newspaper, the ECOWAS joint committee on Health and Social Services/Trade, Customs and Free Movement has adopted a draft resolution in Monrovia to combat the proliferation of counterfeit and expired medical products in West Africa. The four-count resolution, which is subject to amendment, will be presented to the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja, Nigeria by the Join Committees, and debated upon as a means of parliamentary procedure. Following four days of deliberation in collaboration with the West African Health Organization intended to find a way forward in totally curbing the menace, the draft resolution mandates all member States to launch a large scale investigation into fake drugs trafficking, and sponsor a campaign against counterfeit medicines and or expired drugs as well as take all necessary measures to combat trafficking of counterfeit and expired medicines. The document encourages all ECOWAS member States to establish community legislation on the fight against counterfeit and expired medicines, and calls on the national parliaments of ECOWAS Members States to support this initiative by working towards the achievement of its objectives as well as directs its speaker to forward the resolution to the President of the ECOWAS Commission for onward transmission to the chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of States.

Related Captions:ECOWAS Resolves To Fight Counterfeit, Expired Medicines - Resolution to be submitted to Plenary in May for Approval, Implementation by Member States(Daily Observer), ECOWAS C’ttee Urges Probe Of Counterfeit Medical Products(Insight)and ECOWAS C'ttee Urges Probe Of Counterfeit Medical Products(Heritage)    

WFP Regional Director Visits Liberia  

The Regional Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) for West and Central Africa, Mr. Abdou Dieng, arrived in Liberia Sunday, 16 April 2017, on a four-day official visit.During his mission, Mr.Dieng is expected to meet with President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and an array of senior government officials including Finance and Development Minister BoimaKamara, Agriculture Minister Dr. Moses Zinnah, and Dr. Amos Sawyer who is the Convener of the ongoing Liberia Zero Hunger Strategic Review exercise, a Government’s initiative facilitated by the WFP, among other officials. The WFP Regional Director for West and Central Africa will also hold bilateral discussions with development partners including the European Union, USAID, the World Bank, Officials of the Embassies of Sweden and Germany, among others. In addition to interacting with the United Nations Country team at large, he will hold bilateral meetings with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Liberia, Farid Zarif, and the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Resident Coordinator in Liberia, Mr. Yacoub El Hillo., reports the New Dawnnewspaper.

Related Captions:WFP Regional Director Arrives in Liberia (Daily Observer), WFP Regional Director Visits Liberia (In Profile Daily), WFP Regional Director Arrived In Liberia Sunday(Insight) and WFP Regional Director On 4 – Day Visit Here (Heritage)  

President Sirleaf Commends Madame Diallo For Peace In MRU 

According to the Daily Observer, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has welcomed the wife of Guinea's major opposition leader Celliou Dalein Diallo as part of efforts to promote peace in the Mano River Region. Speaking on behalf of the President Sirleaf on Saturday, April 15, at a resort in Monrovia, Cllr. Yvette Chesson Wureh, head of the Angie Brooks International Center, thanked Madame Jadja Halimatou Diallo for stopping over as part of efforts to promote peace through sports. Cllr. Wureh encouraged Madame Diallo to send a representation from the Action Solidarity Prosperity (ASP) to the Women's Situation Room for experience sharing during the 2017 representatives and presidential elections in Liberia. She called on Madame Diallo to continue her hard work promoting peace and the empowerment of women in the region.

Related Captions:Guinean Opposition Leader's Wife Honored In Liberia For Promoting Peace(Frontpage Africa) and Honor For Guinean Opposition Leader Wife(Insight)

An Economic Case for Visa Waivers for Liberians Naturalized in Diaspora

“If you cannot get in through the front or back doors, try a window or a chimney,” the saying goes, suggesting that persistence in solutions-oriented engagement could yield to positive results.  Without jumping the gun, however, one wonders whether the Government of Liberia in the past decade of power ever considered an idea recently proffered recently by a United States-based rights group, that appears to make good business sense. Universal Human Rights International (UHRI), the group is called, has appealed to the Liberian government to grant visa waivers to its citizens who have acquired citizenship in other countries.  The group said though many Liberians sought greener pastures and safety during the civil war and naturalized abroad, their economic contributions to Liberia and Liberians at home have and continue to greatly support the Liberian economy. Therefore, Rev. Torli Krua, founder and executive director of UHRI, believes that if granted, a visa waiver will encourage Diaspora Liberians to contribute to the private sector and provide jobs for many people in the country, states the Daily Observer.

Related Captions:Grant Visa Waiver To Liberian Born – Rights Group Entreats Liberia(FrontPage Africa),and 'Grant Visa Waiver To Liberian – Born' (In Profile Daily)

Other Stories  

Add Value To Your LIfe – Gender Coordinator Urges Market Women 

Margibi County Gender Coordinator has challenged women, especially market women in the county and the Methodist High School in Kakata, the provincial city during the graduation ceremony of students of the Government of Liberia-UN Joint Program on Rural Women Economic Empowerment or other skills. The project targeted a total of 35 women in the Kakata Market, 27 of whom successful graduated with certificates. But speaking to reports following the Program, Gender Coordinator Madam Asilton called on the graduates to country at large to add value to their lives. She made the call on Saturday, April 8, at the George V, Gibson United WREE project. The project aims at enhancing market women's skills in business development and adult literacy, amongst engage in activities that would add value to their lives, reports the New Dawn newspaper.

NAYMOTE Completes Training for Women Leaders

According to the New Dawn newspaper, the National Youth Movement for Transparent Election (NAYMOTE) over the weekend completed a week-training training for 100 women aspirants and campaign managers from across the 73 electoral districts in Liberia. The training was held at the Development Education Network Liberia (DEN-L) Compound, based in Gbarnga, Bong County. The generic aim of the week long training was to increase women’s representation in the legislature and empower them to participate in competitive politics and governance in Liberia. The women’s leadership and political participation training was certainly to prepare females aspirants for the 2017 legislative election. Speaking during the closing of the program, the Head of Political Affairs at the National Election Commission (NEC), Joseph Yarsaihtook the women through how one can be eligible as a candidate and what are the steps require to meet all of the necessary qualifications. Executive Director of NAYMOTE, Eddier Jarwolo told participants that election is a complicated procedure that requires money skills and hard.

Related Caption:NAYMOTE Strengthens Women's Participation In Politics(In Profile Daily)

LMA, MOA Sign Communiqué to Monitor Fishing Vessels

The Liberia Maritime Authority (LMA) and the Bureau of National Fisheries (BNF) through the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) have signed a joint communiqué to inspect and monitor all registered fishing and fishing-related vessels plying the territorial waters of Liberia. The communiqué was signed on Thursday, April 13 in Monrovia. According to the document, the LMA and the BNF will jointly inspect and monitor all Liberian registered fishing and a fishing-related vessel through a long range identification and tracking system, which is meant to enhance better collaboration between the two institutions on how to tackle the inspection and monitoring challenges of fishing vessels, reports the Daily Observer.

Related Caption: Maritime, Agriculture Sign MOU For Inspection Of Vessels(Heritage)  

CHAP Trains Bomi Farmers in SRI Technology 

According to the Daily Observer, Sixty smallholder farmers in Bomi County have acquired intensive training in the system of rice intensification (SRI) technology. SRI is an improved farming methodology to increase the productivity of rice by changing the management practices of the seedlings (plants), water, soil and nutrients to get better yields. This improved technology to grow rice is being practiced by many West African countries and was launched in Liberia in 2013 with the goal of increasing rice production. The Community of Hope Agriculture Project (CHAP) in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) recently signed an agreement with the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) with finance from the Japanese Food Security Grant to promote SRI in the targeted counties.

Teachers In Gbarpolu to Receive Salary Via Mobile Money

Over two hundred teachers of the Ministry of Education (MoE) assigned in Gbarpolu County, will as of this April, receive their monthly salary allotment through mobile money, the Daily Observer has gathered. This decision was reached at the MoE agenda for mobile money enrollment event, recently in Bopolu City, the county’s capital. The event, which brought together staff from the ministry, representatives from the Civil Service Agency (CSA), Lonestar Cell MTN, and MStar, focused on the overview and purpose of mobile money salary payments, requirements for CSA enrollment, government contribution to cash-out fees, and the process of receiving salary via mobile money, writes Daily Observer.

Liberia Raises Concern Over Use Of Chemical Gas In Syria

The Insight newspaper quotes a Foreign Minister release, Following reports from multiple international sources confirming the use of chemical weapons during military attacks on Khan Shaykhun, Latamneh and Hama in Syria, late March and early April 2017, the Government of the Republic of Liberia joins other countries around the world in raising concerns of such heinous act, which is a flagrant violation of international laws. According to a Foreign Ministry release, Liberia is obliged, as a responsible member of the comity of nations, to call on the perpetrators to honor international commitments under the United Nations Convention on Chemical Weapons and related resolutions. As the United States has assumed leadership in responding to this heinous violation, future strikes could be averted if all parties in the Syrian crisis remain committed to international obligations, especially those pertaining to chemical warfare and refrain from actions which exacerbate the humanitarian situation in Syria.

Related Caption:'Honor International Commitments'(FrontPage Africa)

Grand Geded Service Center Opened

According to the In Profile Daily, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has arrived in Zwedru City, Grand Gedeh County on the final leg of her southwestern tour. The tour took her to several towns including Zleh City, Gwien Town, Carr Town, Gboleken and Kanweaken in River Gee County dedicating several development projects.   According to an Executive Mansion release, President Sirleaf was earlier welcomed and presented the traditional kola nuts by chiefs and elders as well as local leaders led by Superintendent Peter Solo including members of the County Legislative Caucus. The Liberian leader later opened the County Service Center and dedicated several development projects. Among projects dedicated were the Zwedru Water Supply and Sanitation facilities, a modern market in Suah Town Community  Zwedru, the Zwedru Recreation Center, a Junior High School in the Gboleken Community, Community, and Commissioner Compound in Carr Town and the Zleh Market Building in Zleh Town. At the opening of the County Service Center, President Sirleaf said the once unfortunate April 14 has been transformed into a peaceful period. She said such peaceful revolution became possible as a result of the full support and cooperation of the Liberian people. The Liberian leader commended the people of Grand Gedeh for their desire for peace as evidence of their partnership with the government. The Liberian Chief Executive emphasized that she did not only come to Grand Gedeh to dedicate projects but to also interact with citizens and thanked them for keeping the peace and their supporting to the government during the last 11 years. She said: “I want to thank you in a very special way for standing by the government and for the many developments I see taking place here in Zwedru City,” she emphasized. Presenting the keys of the County Service Center to Superintendent Peter Solo, President Sirleaf congratulated Grand Gedeansfor the level of development they are carrying on in the county and particularly for keeping the city clean.