The Bureau of Public Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

DAILY NEWS SUMMARY FOR TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 2018

Today’s edition of our summary of the local dailies highlights among other stories news of President George Manneh Weah’s proclamations declaring March 14^th and 15^th as Decoration Day and J.J. Roberts Birthday respectively as national holidays and the release of preliminary reports by the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission and the Mano River Union secretariat on the March 7 general elections in Sierra Leone.

Double Holiday Ahead Tomorrow Is Decoration Day, Thursday J.J. Roberts’ Birthday

According to the Daily Observer, tomorrow, March 14 has been proclaimed by President George Manneh Weah as Decoration Day, to be observed throughout the Republic as a National Holiday. Quoting a Foreign Ministry release the daily says the observance is in recognition of the nation’s past heroes and heroine who have lived and died in the interest of their country. The Proclamation also indicated that it is befitting that a day be set aside to celebrate the memory of those blessed dead, who lived and died in the interest of the nation, thereby keeping ever alive their deeds and invaluable contributions made to society and the state, for onward march to progress. Meanwhile, the 209th birth anniversary of Liberia’s first President, Joseph Jenkins Roberts follows Decoration Day on Thursday, March 15 as a national holiday. According to a Foreign Ministry release, the observance is in recognition of the invaluable sacrifices rendered by President Roberts as the Founding Father of Liberia. The proclamation issued by President George Manneh Weah also recognizes the important role played by President Roberts in negotiating and concluding treaties with Foreign Powers, thus laying the foundation of the Liberian Nation.

ECOWAS Observer Mission Declares Sierra Leone Elections Credible

According to the Daily Observer, Sierra Leone’s March 7 general elections were generally peaceful and credible, the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission has said in its Preliminary Declaration. “The preparation for the 2018 elections, the conduct of the campaigns, as well as the processes on Election Day, up until the release of the results of the four elections at the polling stations, were free, fair, and credible,” the 65-member ECOWAS Mission, headed by Prof. Amos Sawyer, Liberia’s former Interim President said in the nine-page Declaration he read at a Press Conference in Freetown. According to a press release, the Mission noted some challenges including the “presence of heavily armed military men at one polling center”, the effects of the restriction on vehicular movement in the urban areas, and police presence at the collation center of the opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), which was eventually resolved. However, the Mission said the challenges observed, “do not diminish the transparency, fairness or the credibility of the electoral process at this point in time.” In a related development, the New Dawn newspaper reads under the caption “MRU Preliminary Statement On Sierra Leone Elections” that the Mano River Union (MRU) secretariat also issued its first preliminary report on the just ended Sierra Leone elections, requesting parties to stay committed to the process. In a statement issued, MRU Secretary General Mrs. Medina Wesseh said the Union would like to declare preliminarily that the presidential, parliamentary, mayoral and councilor elections held on 7 March were carried out in a free, fair, transparent, peaceful and credible manner. “Therefore the Mission congratulates the National Elections Commission (NEC) of the Republic of Sierra Leone for its leadership and the quality of the electoral operations …,” Madam Wesseh says. Madam Wesseh calls on all political parties, all candidates and their supporters to continue to adhere to and respect the election laws and await the official results.

Deplorable Court Conditions Impede Access To Justice In River Cess …Says Chief Justice Korkpor

Chief Justice Francis Korkpor at the opening of the March Term of the Supreme Court Monday informed a large gathering of legal practitioners about River Cess County’s court houses being in deplorable conditions, a situation which Korpor said is impeding access to justice in the County. At attended by President George Weah, Justice Korkpor said the only structure hosting the 14th Judicial Circuit Court in the County was also in a deplorable condition. Justice Korkpor said they would also seek funding to fix the unfinished structure in River-Gee County, which is intended to house the 15th Judicial Circuit Court. Justice Korkpor said despite the deplorable condition of some court houses in the country, government has done enough over the years by constructing several courts in most of the 15 counties, reports the Daily Observer. The Heritage newspaper reads ubder the caption “The Judiciary Avails Itself To Work With You…Chief Justice Korkpor Assures President Weah” that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia, Francis S. Korkpor Sr., has assured President George Manneh Weah of the Judiciary Branch’s willingness to working with the other two branches of government. Located at the Temple of Justice on Capitola Hill in Monrovia, the Supreme Court is the final arbiter of justice in the country.  According to Chief Justice Korkpor, the Judiciary has in the true spirit of coordination as enshrined in Article III of the Constitution availed itself to working with President Weah, his team of Executive official as well as the members of the 54th National Legislature.

UPF Hails Legislative Endorsement For IAPP Launch In Liberia

 The Universal Peace Federation (UPF), has applauded the leadership and members of the Liberian House of Representatives, who recently endorsed recommendations aimed at the launch of the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace in Liberia as well as a Partnership Assessment Visit aimed at enhancing a smooth working relationship among the leaderships of the Liberian Legislature, International Parliamentarians Association for Peace (IAPP) and the Universal Peace Federation (UPF). According to the INSIGHT newspaper, recently, UPF International consented to working in partnership and cooperation with the Liberian Legislature for implementation of a joint program dedicated to launching the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP) in Liberia. The joint peace building and development initiative which was proposed by the Speaker of the Liberian House of Representatives (Legislature), Dr. Bohfal Chambers, is in line with UPF’s support for peace consolidation and sustainability in Liberia as well as its outreach peace initiatives in Africa and the world.

EPA Launches National Plan To Tackle Climate Change

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in collaboration with some government line ministries and agencies with concerned with the environmental sector has launched the National Adaptation Plan (NAP). EPA is the principle authority for implementing the national environmental policy and sustainable management law for the protection of natural resources of Liberia. As a commitment to the environment, the Government of Liberia established the EPA in 2003 under the EPA Act. The Agency became a fully functioning entity in 2006 with a board of directors and Policy Council. As the lead government environment protection Agency, the EPA has been charged with the executive authority over all environmental activities and program relating to environment management in Liberia, writes the Heritage newspaper.

Bidding For Phase Two Of Somalia Drive Project Kicks Off

At long last, the bidding process for the selection of a reputable firm to construct the second phase of the Somalia Driver has gotten underway in Tokyo, Japan, a dispatch from Tokyo has disclosed. It can be recalled that on Wednesday, March 7, 2018, a three-man high powered delegation of the Government of Liberia (GoL) represented by Public Works Minister Mobutu Vlah Nyenpan, Deputy Minister for Technical Services Claude Langley and Project Engineer Deaena Morgan left Liberia to participate in the bidding process in the Japanese Capital of Tokyo. A dispatch from Tokyo quotes Public Work’s Minister Mobutu Nyenpan as saying that the commencement of phase two of the project is indicative of the cordial relations subsisting between the two countries, reports the Heritage newspaper.

Gender Minister Pledges Commitment To Social Protection Agenda

Liberia’s new Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Williametta Piso Saydee-Tarr has pledged the Liberian government’s commitment to fully implement the National Social Protection Strategy and Policy crafted under the administration of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. According to the FrontPage Africa newspaper, called the National Social Agenda, the policy is intended to address the needs of those that are extremely poor and vulnerable to economic shocks including orphans, persons with disabilities and persons living with HIV (PLWH). Speaking at the opening of a one-day Liberia’s HIV and Social Protection Planning workshop in Monrovia on Friday, March 9, Minister Saydee-Tarr noted that Liberia cannot realize its transformation and pro-poor agenda without scaling up its social protection strategies that restore dignity and foster social inclusion.

Modernization Tax Administration: LRA Launches E-Filling Platform In Liberia

The INSIGHT newspaper reports that the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), with support from USAID-Funded Revenue Generation (RG-3) has officially launched an Electronic Filing (e-filing) platform for the annual filing of business  Income Tax Returns. The e-filing platform is a system which enables taxpayers to easily file Business Income Tax Returns, and will initially target corporate entities and later extend to other tax kinds.

UBA Names First Female Regional CEO

One of Africa’s leading commercial banking institutions, the United Bank for Africa (UBA), has announced the appointment of its first female banker, Abiola Bawuah as new regional Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for six West African countries including Liberia. According to the Daily Observer, Mrs. Bawuah’s appointment, which takes effect from 1st March 2018, will see her overseeing the bank’s businesses in Ghana, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Prior to her appointment as regional CEO or West Africa 1, Mrs. Bawuah has managed the affairs of UBA Ghana as MD/CEO since 2013.

SOS Children’s Village Liberia, Gender Ministry Collaborate

The INSIGHT newspaper say the Monrovia Alternative Care facility of SOS Children’s Villages Liberia has received 19 more children, recommended by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection. In September, 2017, SOS Liberia together with the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection reunified children that were living in the Monrovia Children’s Village with their biological parents, following an assessment which proved that the children were ready to be reunified and reunited with their respective biological families. Presenting the 19 children to the SOS Children’s Village on behalf of Deputy Minister, Madam Lydia Mai Sherman, the Director of the Social Assistance Division, Mrs. Alfreda Jacobs said, the Ministry of Gender is pleased with the partnership with SOS Liberia. Speaking recently in Monrovia at the presentation ceremony, Madam Jacobs noted that protection of Liberian children is important for the progress of the country, adding that the children were taken mainly from the VOA Community in Brewerville, a community that was highly affected by the Ebola crisis, with several deaths reported. She noted that SOS has shouldered the responsibility for several of the kids whose parents lost their lives during the deadly Ebola crisis of 2014.

Graduate Program For Environmental Science, Studies Insight

According to the Heritage, the President of the state-run University of Liberia (UL), Dr. Ophelia Innez Weeks, has disclosed that the university is working out modalities for a graduate program for Environmental Science and Environmental Science Studies. Dr. Weeks said the program will train interested candidates in the areas of Environmental Science and Environmental Studies, who will sustain the environment. The UL President was speaking Monday, March 12, 2018 at the official launch of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) for Liberia.

COYPED, APYL To Launch County-Wide Feeding Program For Substance Users

The Consolidated Youth for Peace & Development (COYPED) in partnership with the Association of Progress Youth of Liberia (APYL) is expected to launch a county-wide feeding program for substance users in Montserrado County in late March 2018. Speaker during a mobilization and recruitment event, the Executive Director of APYL, Reuben Bobby Logan, called on substance users to be peaceful and cooperative in order to benefit from the initiative. The event was held at the Nathan E. Gibson High School Campus in Paynesville City, outside Monrovia. About 60 substance users benefited from the initiative by two youth related groups, pens the Heritage newspaper.