The Bureau of Public Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

DAILY NEWS SUMMARY FOR FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018

News about Internal Affairs Minister Frowning on Local Officials for deserting posts; the issuance of Proclamation by President Weah declaring Friday, September 21, 2018 as International Day of Peace to be celebrated throughout Liberia as a Working Holiday as well as two separate congratulatory messages from His Excellency to the Presidents of Mali and Guinea Bissau respectively on the official observance of their Independence Celebrations are among stories dominating today’s local dailies.  

Pres. Weah Congratulates Mali, Guinea Bissau on Independence Day

President George Manneh Weah has sent messages of congratulations to the Governments and Peoples of the Republics of Mali and Guinea Bissau on the occasion commemorating the 58th and 45th Independence Anniversaries of the two countries. In His message to his Milian counterpart, President Ibrahim Boubacar Kieta, President Weah extended heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to the Government and People of Mali as they commemorate such historic event. According to a Foreign Mimistry released the Liberian leader hope that the cordial and bilateral relations subsisting between the two countries would be further strengthen and cemented for the mutual benefits of the two countries and peoples.  In another development, President Weah has sent a message of congratulations to the Government and People of the Republic Guinea Bissau on the occasion commemorating the 45th independence Anniversary of that country. In his message to President Jose Mario Vaz, President Weah, on behalf of the Liberia, extended warmest congratulations and best wishes to the Government and People of Guinea Bissau as they celebrate their historic milestone. A foreign Ministry release said President Weah assures President Vaz of his Government’s determination to continue the cordial relations subsisting between the two countries, the In Profile newspaper says.

Related Captions: Weah Hails Guinea Bissau on 45^th Independence Observance (Heritage)

                            President Weah Declares Today

President George Weah has by Proclamation declared Friday, September 21, 2018 as International Day of Peace to be celebrated throughout Liberia as a Working Holiday. According to a Foreign Ministry release, the proclamation calls on all citizens and foreign residents, Government ministries and autonomous agencies, the civil society organizations, private schools and colleges as well as places of worship to ceased the moment and observe a “minute of silence” at 12:00 noon on that day. The In profile newspaper says the proclamation is in consonance with the United Nation Resolution 55/282 adopted by the 57th session of the General Assembly declaring the 21st day of September of each year as International Day of Peace and expanding the observance to include a call for global ceasefire in situation of conflict and nonviolence throughout the world.  According to a Foreign Ministry release, the observance of the event focuses on global ceasefire in situation of conflict and violence aimed at enhancing the culture of peace stability throughout the globe.

Liberia: Internal Affairs Minister Frowns on Local Officials for Deserting Posts

The Minister of Internal Affairs, Varney A. Sirleaf has expressed disappointment over what he termed as the constant desertion of post by local authorities including County Superintendents and their deputies. Minister Sirleaf said he has observed that local authorities are constantly in Monrovia, leaving their offices without the consent of the Ministry. He noted that County Superintendents are constantly seen traveling from counties to counties attending workshops, seminars and other private matters. He urged them to discontinue the act and remain in their respective areas of assignments, noting that if the need arises for them to travel; they should inform their immediate bosses. “We are asking you today that before you leave your post, you should inform the Ministry. Try to remain in your assigned areas because your absence may cause so many problems,” he urged, the FrontPage newspaper reads.  

GAC Seeks partnership with media 

The General Auditing Commission or GAC holds a one-day forum with the media to enhance relationship with media institutions here. The program, with theme, “enhancing GAC-Media Relations” was held Thursday at a local hotel in Monrovia in partnership with the European Union. Liberia’s Auditor General Yusador S. Gaye says the media has a major role in disseminating information from the GAC to the public, stressing a need for collaboration to help make Liberia a better place. She notes that the public will not get to know works of the GAC without the help of the media. However, she discloses the GAC works with six other auditing agencies from different countries on the sustainable Development Goals, noting that her institution was the first to finish its report. AG Gaye explains that whenever an audit is done, the report is accompanied by recommendations to enable Auditees knows what next to do, says the New Dawn newspaper.

Related Caption:GAC Calls For Media(In Profile)

AFELL Condemns Violence Against Women And Children

The Association Of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL) has applauded the Ministry of Justice for making arrest of perpetrators of violence in the Liberian Society. The President of AFELL in a statement released in Monrovia on Wednesday, applauded the Justice Minister for the arrests made so far made in those cases, but call for the speedy trial in other that Justice will be served. Making reference to cases of Sexual Gender Based Violence in Liberia, Atty. Neil said AFELL mourns with regrets death of the victims of SGBV. Pointing out some of the incidents, the AFELL boss said some of those incidents include: the lady who was beheaded in Zorzor, Lofa County; a wife who was shot by husband in Cow FARM Zota District, Bong County; a 13 year old girl who was gang raped in Borrobo Statutory District, Maryland County and the most recent of a 17 year old girl who was raped and brutally murdered in Gbatala, Bong County in this Month. Neal said AFELL also calls on the entire nation, especially women, girls and Civil Society Organizations to wear black this Thursday and on every Thursday to demonstrate solidarity and protest against sexual gender based violence, writes the In Profile newspapers.

Related Captions: AFELL Laments Increase in SGBV Cases(Heritage)

Lec Launches Loss Reduction Task Force

The management of the Liberia Electricity Cooperation (LEC) informs customers and the public that it has now constituted a large and effective Task Force with a mandate to commence an intensive program of commercial loss reduction on our network. The Task Force will  carry out a targeted campaign  of disconnecting all illegal  connections to the network and also those consumers  found to have illegally by-passed their meters.  According toThe Inquirer newspaper In addition all those customers whose meters are damaged and are currently on direct supply connections, will be given the option to have a new meter connected and to regularize their supply.  During the exercise, the Task Force will regularize all the Fate-Rate customers by issuing them new prepaid meters. Customers who  previously paid  for connections but have  not  been  connected, will  also  be connected.  The LEC considers electricity theft a serious challenge which is grossly undermining the inflow of revenue and LEC’s potential to expand our network and service to all Liberians.

Related Captions: LEC Launches Loss Reduction Taskforce(Heritage)

VP Taylor Challenges Liberian Women to Prioritize Agriculture

Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor has challenged Liberian women to prioritize agriculture to help ensure food security in the country. VP Taylor stated that Liberia has struggled over the years to grow her own food, noting that from one government to another, it has remained a serious challenge to address. Vice President Taylor made statement Wednesday at the Advocacy Forum on Women in Agriculture and Entrepreneurship for empowerment of women in agriculture held at a local hotel in Monrovia, Heritage reads.

Justice Ministry Starts Advanced Training for Correction Officer

The Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation at the Ministry of Justice is training its staff of the Specialized Investigation Unit in Advanced Investigation techniques in Monrovia. The Unit is responsible for internal investigation of its officers, jail breaks and other unwholesome activities within the prison system. It is headed by Moses Lavela, who was officially inducted into office on Monday, September 17. The unit, comprising eight officers-two females and six males was established in 2016 and has since been conducting investigations within the Bureau of Corrections. A Ministry of Justice release said Mr. Eddie S. Taliwali, Assistant Minister for Corrections and Rehabilitation, lauded the Swedish Government, Irish Aid, UNDP, and the UN Human Rights office for the support given the Government to enhance the work of the Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Heritage newspaper reads.

World Bank Boosts MCC’s Operations as Street Peddlers to be Relocated Soon

A back page story of the Heritage newspaper reads that the Mayor of the Monrovia City Corporation, MCC, Mr. Jefferson T. Koije, has lauded the World Bank for its continuing support to the function and operations of the city government. Speaking Thursday, September 20, 2018 at a news conference held at the Monrovia City Hall, Mayor Koijee disclosed that the city has received three double cabin Toyota pickups from the World Bank to enhance its MCC operation. In additional to the three vehicles, he also disclosed that MCC will by next month receive some equipment from the World Bank, the Heritage newspaper reads.  

SUNU Assures Bigger Financial Service 

The In Profile newspaper is reporting that the management of SUNU Assurances has finally taken over Equity Assurances following final documentation. SUNU Assurances is a subsidiary of SUN Assurances Group, a multimillion dollar insurance company worldwide including 14 African countries. It could be recalled that SUNU Assurances Group in the early part of this year secured a 63 percent ownership of Equity Assurance, which has allowed which accounts for US$566,540 worth of shares bought by the French based insurance giant. The official takeover of SUNU Group was held Wednesday, September 19, 2018 at the Monrovia City Hall.  With the official takeover, the company is now called SUNU Assurances-Liberia.  Speaking during the official turnover ceremony the chairman of SUNU Assurances Liberia, Mr. Steve S. Kolubah, Said the decision was aimed at creating a bigger financial service in the insurance industry.  

Liberia: Bridge Wants UN Assembly Focus on Girls Education 

Bridge International has embarked on an education project aims at empowering and promoting girl’s education at primary and other levels in Liberia. The project dubbed ‘Bridge Super Power Project’, according to firm, is geared towards drawing the attention of the world to push an agenda for girls’ education ahead of the UN General Assembly. At the start of the project, which was launched on Thursday 20 September, Bridge Deputy Country Director Joe Gbasakollie said “inequality education” is a social problem that is not only affecting girls in Liberia, but also other countries around the world. This educational discrimination, according to Mr. Gbasakollie, is due to the inability of underprivileged parents to provide quality education for their children. He noted that it is from this background that the partnership school firm is ensuring that quality education is provided through the use of technology to help make education possible for kids – especially girl children. “Bridge wants capable and affordable module of education [by] using technology. In those countries we are operating, including Liberia, it is proving that our module can lead to significant education,” Gbasakollie said, says the FrontPage news daily.  

 US Dep. Chief of Mission Pays Courtesy Calls on Postal Affairs Minister. 

The Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy near Monrovia, Wednesday, September 19, 2018 paid a courtesy call at the Ministry of Post & Telecommunications, Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah, Sr. Madam Alyson Grunder was accompanied by the Economic Officer of the US Embassy; Rick Merrin. According to the Deputy Chief of Mission, her visit was to acquaint herself with activities of the Ministry and a first step to meeting government official since taking assignment in the country. For his part, the Minister of Post & Telecommunications, Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah, Sr. welcomed the Deputy Chief of Mission and her delegate on behalf of the government and the postal family, the In Profile newspaper reports.

President Weah Signs Local Government, Land Rights Acts Into Law

The In Profile newspaper is says that President George Weah has signed into law The Local Government (LGA) and the Liberian Land Rights Acts (LLRA) respective; the two cardinal legal instruments that were considered germane to the government’s Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development. According to a release, recently, the 54th National Legislature passed the two Acts into Law following years of delay by the 53th Legislature apparently aimed at fine-tuning the two instruments to be in line with current national and international realities. The laws were introduced during the administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. President Weah signed the Acts into law on Wednesday, September 19, 2018 at his Foreign Affairs office in Monrovia. In remarks, President Weah said he was happy to signed the two instruments into Law, which according to him he work on during his tenure as at the Senate and noted that both instruments were also important for the development of the country and the wellbeing of its citizens.

EU, DEFID Transfer Assets to FDA, EPA, Others

The European Union (EU) and the UK aid Department for International Development (DEFID) have officially transferred assorted assets to a number of key stakeholders in the Liberian forest sector, including the Forestry Development Authority (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Liberia Timber Association, the NGO Coalition and the National Union of Community Forestry Development Committees (NUCFDC), an FDA release has said. The assets transferred, including office furniture (desks, chairs), office equipment (printers, scanners), desktop and laptop computers, communications devices, air conditioners, generators, motorcycles and technical forestry equipment (GPS, measuring devices), are worth several hundred thousand Euros. These institutions are involved with the execution of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) signed in December 2013 between the Liberian government and the EU in the frame of the Forestry Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) platform, reports the Daily Observer.

3-Day National Scientific Confab Ends in Monrovia

The first annual Emmett A. Dennis National Scientific Conference (EADNSC), held August 27-29, 2018, drew an array of foreign and Liberian medical professionals to brainstorm on public health practice and research in Liberia. The co-organizers were the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), Liberia Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) and the University of Liberia (UL). The conference was held at a resort in Congo Town, Monrovia. The research and brainstorming initiative expounded on the theme: “Fostering the Culture of Evidence-based Public Health Practice and Research in Liberia.” Delegates, who spoke to the Daily Observer at the end of the scientific conference, intimated that the conference was meant to encourage research and promote professional medical writing in the country. During the three-day conference held in honor of Dr. Emmett A. Dennis, former president of the University of Liberia, several researchers and public health officials made medical presentations. On Wednesday, August 29, the last day of the conference, participants were exposed to the sampling techniques used in the field when working with bats and developing research were carried out by the National Public Health Institute of Liberia and the University of Liberia, asserts Daily Observer.  

International SHEREOS Host 2018 Forum In Liberia 

According to the Daily Observer, Liberia has been selected to host this year’s International SHEROES Forum to engage young women in making a significant impact that would help propel them to taking up leadership roles across Africa. The decision to host this year’s forum in Liberia was through a request made by Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor during the 2017 event in Ghana. The four-day form will be held in Monrovia from October 17 – 19 under the theme, “Advancing women participation in leadership.” At a press conference yesterday, September 20, in Monrovia, Montserrado County District ­#9 Representative Munah Pelham Youngblood said the international forum was created for African women to enable them to make an impact in their communities to build them into political leaders.  

WOELEO Gives 80 Girls Back To School Package 

The Women in Entrepreneurship and Leadership Organization Inc (WOELEO) recently distributed back to school packages to over 80 girls whose parents are unable to afford regular tuition in the slum community of Soniwen, Monsterrado County. Mrs. Lovina Mercy Karnga, Executive Director of WOELEO, said as part of her organization’s activities in providing women, girls and children with equal access to education, it was an important way to buttress the government’s effort in the education section, reports the Daily Observer.

Corrections Officers Undergo One-Week SIU Training

The Ministry of Justice, Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation (BCR) on Monday, September 17, commenced a week-long Advanced Investigation Training for National Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation Specialized Investigation Unit in Monrovia. The BCR Specialized Investigation Unit is responsible for the internal investigation of its officers, jailbreaks and other unwholesome activities within the prison system. The Specialized Investigation Unit of the BCR, headed by Moses Lavela, was officially inducted into office on Monday, September 17, 2018. The unit is made up of eight officers, two females and six males. The investigative unit was established in 2016 and has since been conducting investigations within the Bureau of Corrections. According to a press release from the Ministry of Justice, Eddie S. Taliwali, Assistant Minister for Corrections and Rehabilitation, lauded the Swedish Government, Irish Aid, UNDP (United Nations Development Program), and the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the support given the Government and people of Liberia. Special thanks were also extended to the Sweden Corrections Services for two officers — Niklas Ljungblom and Niklas Bostedt to train Liberia Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation Specialized Investigation Unit officers. Minister Taliwali challenged BCR officers to make use of the knowledge provided by the Swedish trainers, who came to train them in basic investigative security training techniques. The Minister also cautioned them to effectively execute their duties as professionals — and without fear or favor. Taliwali said that the total cost of the training, including the two trainers’ expenses, amounted to US$25,000, pens the Daily Observer.

LEC Formulates Taskforce to Disconnect ‘Illegal’ Customers

Authorities of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) have constituted a new task force with the aim to reduce losses on the corporation’s network. “We want to inform our customers and the public that we have now constituted a large and effective task force mandated to commence an intensive program of commercial loss reduction on our network,” LEC’s management said in a statement issued yesterday, September 19 in Monrovia. According to the authorities, the task force will carry out a targeted campaign of disconnecting all illegal connections to the network, and also those consumers found to have illegally by-passed their meters. By the directive, the task force will focus on disconnection of “illegal customers,” while customers whose meters are damaged and are currently on direct supply connections will be given the option to have a new meter connected to regularize their supply. “Direct supply customers who refused to regularize their connection will be immediately disconnected from the network. The task force will be active in all areas of our network during the exercises. The task force will regularize all flat-rate customers by issuing them new prepaid meters,” the statement said. And because of that, “customers who previously paid for meters/connections, will also be connected by the task force,” the LEC statement said, according to the Daily Observer.

Mcc To Relocate Petty Traders Receive 3 PICK-Ups From World Bank

 The Monrovia City Cooperation (MCC) says it is trying to find a permanent solution to get petty traders off the streets of Monrovia. Addressing a major press conference yesterday at his City Hall office , Monrovia city Mayor, Jefferson T. Koijee said  the Mcc  Will  hold a mass  meeting with petty traders Monday, September 24, 2018 to conclude their relocation. Major Koijee told the gathering that the Mcc and petty   traders will sign a Memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the process of their relocation. Koijee said though petty traders have been one of the major challenges for the MCC, but he understands their conditions will most of the street vender being serious bread winners for their families, the Inquirer News Paper reports.

            Bollore Holds Marathon Day Donates Marvii Sonii Public School

 The Inquirer News Papersay The world’s leading transportation group , Bollore Transport & Logistics yesterday held a one day charity marathon and donate one hundred and one book bags, pencil and others to students of the  marvii sonii public school in clara Town, Bushrod Island. Bollore Transport & Logistics which is currently operating the  country has more than 36,000 employees  spread among 106 countries  throughout Europe, Asia,  the Americans  and Africa  where it carries  out its  business activities in ports, freight forwarding  and railways. According to the Human Resource and Administrative Manager, Georgia Brandy, the donation is part of activities marking the Bollore Marathon Day that is solely intended for charity and during this time every member of the team that wants to walk, jug , run the 5 km, donates 3 Euro each in order to participate. She said the funds generated will be donated to the SOS international which could have a trickle-down effect on the people of Liberia.