The Bureau of Public Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

DAILY NEWS SUMMARY FOR FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2018

Today’s dominant stories highlighted in our summary of the local dailies include the hosting of a One-Day forum aimed at promoting the Government’s Pro-Poor Agenda by the Ministries of Commerce and Industry and Finance and Development Planning simultaneously; the meeting between Animal and Human health experts in Margibi County geared towards developing  a national Strategic Action Plan for the prevention and control of rabies in Liberia as well as  the arrest of twenty persons in connection with drug trafficking in Bong and Nimba counties.

DOMINANT STORIES  

Commerce Organizes Session On Mapping & Reviewing Of Import Processes 

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), National Port Authority (NPA), APM Terminal and BIVAC, has held a one-day working session on the Mapping & Reviewing of import Processes of Liberia aimed at recommending the way forward. Making remarks at the start of the event, Commerce Minister Prof. Wilson Tarpeh reminded his colleagues that their presence at the event was to review a process that will bring relief to the country and its citizens at large. Ministry Tarpeh noted that since the CDC-led government is a Pro-poor Government, its intent is to make life easy for its people without creating problems for the importers and consumers, stressing that it is the reason for which they decided to host the workshop to brainstorm on the way forward, according to the In Profile Daily. 

According to the Daily Observer reading under the caption “MFDP Holds Consultative Forum with Stakeholders”authorities of the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) also on Thursday concluded a one-day consultative forum with stakeholders drawn from diverse sectors of the country’s economy that discussed means to achieve government’s “Pro-poor” Agenda. The forum brought together members of the disabled and business communities, academia, civil society and representatives of youth organizations. MFDP’s Assistant Director for non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Raymond B. Ziama, said the meeting was aimed at getting everyone involved in the country’s development process. According to him, the “Pro-poor” agenda is not different from the previous development agenda the previous government crafted under the theme, “Agenda for Transformation (AfT),” but a follow-up as a medium-term agenda for Vision 2030 that was adopted in 2012.

Related Caption: In Achievement Of “Pro-Poor” Agenda: MFDP, Stakeholders Brainstorm(Heritage)

One Health Approach: Gov’t, FAO Adopt Plans To Prevent & Control Rabies In Liberia

The FrontPage Africa newspaper reads that Animal and Human health experts are brainstorming in Margibi County to develop a national strategic action plan for rabies prevention and control in Liberia. The five-day roundtable discussion is in the framework of the One Health Approach and will last from 28 May-1st June 2018. According to the daily, the initiative is organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) through its Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) Program with funding from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with the Government of Liberia and other stakeholders. The forum is also gear at developing a multi-sectoral national strategic action plan for stakeholders to support rabies control capacities. According to a communication from FAO, when developed, the national strategic action plan will support the Global Health Security Agenda against four action packages including zoonotic disease, biosecurity and biosafety, laboratory system, and workforce and capacity development.

Police Arrest 20 for Illicit Drugs in Bong, Nimba

The Police Support Unit (PSU) in alliance with the Emergency Respond Unit (ERU) has arrested twenty persons for their alleged involvement in drug trafficking in Bong and Nimba counties. The estimated cost of the drugs is over L$400,000. They were arrested with huge quantities of drugs that included Italian white, tramadol, and marijuana, among others. According to the Daily Observer, the arrest of the twenty individuals came as a result of an operation launched by the police, as part of efforts in battling criminal activities in Bong and Nimba counties. The Commissioner for Operations of the Liberia National Police (LNP) Micky Gray stated that the arrest was important, in order to save the two counties from criminal activities and harmful substances.

A Liberian Red Cross Clinic Reopens in Monrovia

The Liberia National Red Cross Society (LNRCS) has reopened its health clinic facilities on 107 Lynch Street in Monrovia. The clinic resumed operation on May 24, 2018 following general renovation and construction of additional screening facilities, and recruitment of health practitioners including nurses and laboratory technicians. The revamped Red Cross Clinic has begun both curative and preventive health care services to clients in and outside Monrovia. It runs Maternal Newborn Child Health (MNCH) service including immunization, and outpatients’ department/OPD and family planning along with diagnostic laboratory and ambulance service for timely referral of critical cases. The FrontPage Africa newspaper asserts that the Clinic which was very successful in the past was shut down in 2014 during the Ebola virus outbreak to prevent cross-contamination

USAID Wants Gov’t Place Strong Emphasis on Health

United States Aid for International Development’s (USAID) Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP) Director Dr. Koki Agarwal has urged the Liberian government to maintain a strong emphasis on capital investment focused on all areas of the health system, if the country must achieve universal access to safe quality services through improved capacity of the health network. Dr. Agarwal spoke at the close-out ceremony of MCSP/Restoration of Health Services on Tuesday, May 29, in Monrovia. She said government must maintain emphasis on health infrastructure, health workforce, medicines and supplies, leadership and governance, information systems and service delivery, according to the Daily Observer.

A.M. Dogliotti Medical School Formulates New Plan Of Action

Faculty members of the A.M. Dogliotti College of Medicine of the University of Liberia (UL) have held an acquaintance meeting with United States Ambassador Christine Elder and USAID (United States Aid for International Development) Mission Director Anthony Chan, disclosing a number of strategies they have formulated to improve the college. Dr. Bernice Dahn, former Health Minister and now Vice President of the College of Health Sciences informed the two senior US officials who visited the campus that the faculty has drafted a new curriculum to include sciences, to help students graduating from high school to become acquainted with what they will learn when they shall have enrolled at the college. The guests also toured the eLearning facility. Dr. Dahn said the intent is to increase students’ enrollment in the college and also to prepare those wishing to specialize, so that they can begin planning their career before they are enrolled, reads the Daily Observer.

MOA Boss Wants Agriculture Courses Practicalized

The New Dawnnewspaper reads that The Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Mogana Flomo, Jr., has discloses plan to partner with agriculture colleges across the country to practicalize  courses being taught to students. He made the disclosure in a meeting with the President of the William V.S. Tubman University Dr. Elliott Wreh Wilson, in Harper City, Maryland County as part of a one-day visit to the county this week. He says his administration is working on a four-year plan, which if followed properly, could see Liberians grow what they eat. Minister Flomo says the essence of his trip to the county was to tour agriculture structures, farmers and farming groups, and the Smallholder Agriculture Farmers Enhancement Commercialization Projects or SAFEC sites.