THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

NEWS SUMMARY FOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2014

News of  Coca-Cola International reaffirmation of its commitment to further invest in Liberia, the quarantine of Liberia’s Chief Medical Officer and the lifting of the quarantine on the Police Barracks are stories dominating our summary of the local dailies for today, Monday, September 29, 2014.

DOMINANT STORIES

Coco-Cola International To Expand Its Production In Liberia

The INSIGHT newspaper reports that Coca-Cola International has reaffirmed its commitment to further invest in Liberia as its contribution to post-war reconstruction terming its partnership as not just “a fair weather”. According to an Executive Mansion release, the Vice President and Chief Administrator for Coca Cola International, Alexander B. Cummings, at the head of a high-level delegation informed President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf that his company, having worked in Liberia for over 50 years, was pleased to announce an expansion of its production by adding pure water and canned juice components to its product. “The expansion,” Mr. Cummings disclosed, “is drawn from the conducive investment climate and the long standing partnership between Coca-Cola and Liberia which will further provide additional job opportunities for the country”. The new products, particularly Bonaqua mineral water, Mr. Cummings indicated, is expected to come online by March 2015 and that the equipment for its expansion will begin coming to the country next month (October).

Related Captions: Coco-Cola to Expand its Production in Liberia (The Analyst), Coco-Cola International to Expand its Production in Liberia (INSIGHT), Coco-Cola Int’l to Expand its Production in Liberia (In Profile Daily),Coca-Cola Announces Expansion Plans (The New Dawn). In a related development under  the  caption “Coca-Cola Executive VP On Solidarity Visit..Leads High Power Delegation To Liberia”, the Inquirer newspaper  reports  that  as International efforts intensify, with calls from world leaders to galvanize support to sustain the anti-Ebola war, which has already claimed nearly 3,000 lives in the West African Region, Global Coca-Coca’s Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Mr. Alexander B. Cummings, Jr. Over the weekend led a high power delegation to Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone on a solidarity visit.

Related Caption: Coca-Cola Executives on Solidarity Visit…To Ebola Affected Countries (The News)

Chief Medical officer under Ebola Quarantine

A front page story of the Focus newspaper reports that Liberia’s Chief Medical Authority has placed herself in quarantine following the death of her Deputy, health officials and humanitarian sources said on Sunday. Dr. Bernice Dahn, who is also a Deputy Health Minister, opted to put herself in isolation after her assistant died of the infectious disease on Thursday. Dr. Dahn and her assistant’s staff, whom she also quarantined, will remain under observation for 21 days, the sources said, for the full incubation period of the tropical fever that has killed more than 3,000 people since the end of last year.

Related Captions: Chief Medical Doctor Quarantine (New Democrat), Chief Medical Offer Under Quarantine (The News),Chief Medical Officer Quarantined (Insight)

Police Barrack Officially De-quarantined

The Inspector General of the Liberia National Police (LNP), Col. C. Christopher Massaquoi, on Friday, September 26 officially declared the Police Barrack on Camp Johnson Road de-Quarantined. The police chief said the place was quarantined immediately after he was informed that one of the officers at the barrack died from the deadly Ebola Virus. He spoke Friday at an official program marking the de-quarantining of the LNP Barrack in Monrovia. he lauded the police officers living in the barrack for their level of cooperation and the courage they mustered during the quarantine period. Col. Massaquoi extended commendations to Madam Mai Urey, Mr. George Kailondo and other institutions that identified with the officers during this difficult time, the Heritage reports.

Related Captions: "Ministries will be liable for U$$4.7m Usage" (INSIGHT), Police Re-open Quarantined Barracks (FrontPage Africa), Police Barracks Quarantine Ends (New Democrat), Police Lifts Quarantine on Barracks, Inspector Massaquoi Stresses Unified Action against Ebola (The Analyst). At the same time, the In Profile Daily reports under the caption LNP Suspends Seven Officers that the Liberia National Police (LNP) has announced the indefinite suspension of seven of its officers pending investigation surrounding the death of an unidentified man at the ELWA Junction which resulted into pandemonium and road block interrupting the free flow of traffic while on assignment.

Related Captions: 7 Suspended (Daily Observer), Liberian Police Accused of Killing Unidentified Man (FrontPage Africa)

OTHER STORIES

Ivory Coast To Resume Air Traffic To Ebola-Hit Nations

The Ivorian Government has authorized the lifting of  air traffic  with countries affected by Ebola, after having suspended them in mid-August to stop the spread of contagion and will open its ports and airports to American contingents. “We envision starting air traffic with our neighbors as early as next week,” announced the Ivorian President Alhassane Outtarra at the UN, in a speech published by the government newspaper Fraternitematin on Friday.  Binyah Kesselly, Chair of the board of the Liberia Airport Authority greeted the news with cautious optimism and hoped that other West African nations will follow suit. “We welcome the news which is a true sign of African solidarity. We always believed that West Africans will stand together but we hope that our other West African brothers will follow suit, reports the FrontPage Africa newspaper.

Liberian Embassy In Us Receives Used Donated Ambulance

The Embassy of Liberia in the United States has received a used ambulance donated by two brothers in the American state of Virginia to assist the Government and people of Liberia in combating the deadly Ebola virus. On Friday, September 26, 2014, Messrs. Kenneth Nethken and Harry Nethken of Fishersville, VA drove the ambulance to the Embassy of Liberia in Washington, D.C. and presented its keys to Liberia’s Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Jeremiah C. Sulunteh. The Nethen brothers said they have been following reports about the devastation being caused by the Ebola virus in Liberia and other parts of West Africa and decided to contribute to the fight against the epidemic. The two American brothers said they recognize that Ebola is a threat to not just people in Africa, but that the disease represents a potential threat to the United States and other parts of the world if efforts are not intensified to contain the pandemic. Receiving the keys to the ambulance, Ambassador Sulunteh expressed profound gratitude to Messrs. Kenneth and Harry Nethken on behalf of the Government and people of Liberia for this very important donation, which come at a time of great need in Liberia. Ambassador Sulunteh indicated that one of the biggest challenges facing health care workers in Liberia is how to transport sick people and dead bodies. Ambassador assured that the ambulance would be used for the purposes intended. He added that the Government and people of Liberia would welcome all necessary support from our partners and people of goodwill intended to contain the Ebola epidemic, New Dawn Reports.

Related captioned: Liberian Embassy in US Receives Ambulance (In Profile)

Liberia Might Host Two Ebola Vaccines Trials

The Secretary-General of the Liberia College of Physicians and Surgeons (LCPS) has disclosed that there are two potential candidate vaccines that are being discussed for clinical trial that might be conducted in Liberia in the next few weeks or months. Dr. Stephen B. Kennedy explained that one of these vaccines was developed by the U.S. National Institute of Health which is part of the United States Department of health and Human Services in conjunction with a pharmaceutical company. He said the second vaccine was developed by the Public health Agency of Canada. Dr. Kennedy made the disclosure Thursday, at the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism Affairs (MICAT) regular Ebola press briefing on Capitol Hill. He indicated that the two vaccines have shown promising results, and that the World Health Organization (WHO) is expected to hold a meeting in Geneva next week and that Liberia might be considered as one of the sites for testing the vaccines, the Heritage reports.

USAID Donated 9,000 Household Kits Arrive In Liberia

According to the FrontPage Africa newspaper, the first batch of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) 50,000 household protection kits, has arrived in Liberia to be distributed in the most Ebola affected communities in Monrovia, Information Minister Lewis Brown disclosed Thursday. Mr. Brown said the Ebola virus transmission continues to be one of person to person and it has become difficult for families to watch their love ones vomit on themselves while they await the health team to arrive thus; the government has requested the provision of what he called medical basic kit. According to Minister Brown, the 9,000 protection kits were presented to the now quarantined Liberia’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bernice Dahn. He is warning Liberians to refrain from selling any of the kits and other protected materials. Minister Brown said the consignment will include gloves and other much needed items.

GDA Donates To Hospitals

The Gold and Diamond Dealers Association (GDA) in Liberia has pledged its commitment and support to eradicating the deadly Ebola virus from Liberia. The association gave the assurance when it donated several mattresses and several bags of rice to Ebola patients at the ELWA, John F. Kennedy Medical Center and the Island Clinic Hospital for health workers and suspected patients. The Vice President of the Association, Mohamed Kanneh put the cost of items at US$10,000. The three health centers received the over 200 bags of rice and 180 pieces of mattress. Speaking Thursday during the presentation, Mr. Kanneh said the association was concerned about the difficulties faced by patients at every treatment unit, describing their situation as appalling. Receiving the items, the Laboratory Director at the ELWA Hospital, Mr. Urais Gliaygbo expressed heartfelt gratitude to the group for the kind gesture. He reminded the group about the inability of the government and its foreign partners to handle this matter alone, noting that with the help of other concern groups, the Ebola crisis would surely be over, writes the New Dawn newspaper.

Ganta To Lockdown

The New Dawn newspaper reports that as part of efforts in the fight against the deadly Ebola virus, Nimba County in Central Liberia is concluding plans to shut down its commercial city, Ganta, for five days to allow health workers conduct intensive testing of residents. Nimba County health team headed by Medical Director Collins Boah, said during the five days, a robust house-to-house search will be conducted to locate people that are sick and in hiding. Dr. Boah said no one will be allowed to enter or leave Ganta during the lockdown.  Though he did not say when the lockdown will kickoff, he said people were still hiding sick relatives in various homes, and called on Nimbians to join the Ebola fight by taking infected relatives to the health centers for treatment.  Dr. Boah spoke over the weekend at program marking a fund raising dinner held at the Monrovia City Hall by the Nimba County anti Ebola resource mobilization committee.      

UBA, ATI Sign Partnership Agreement

The United Bank for Africa (UBA), one of  the largest financial services group in Africa, has entered into partnership with the Africa Trade Insurance Agency (ATI) to case the flow of credit to clients engaging in regional and international trade. The partnership was announced on Monday September 22, 2014 in Nairobi institutions, led by Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, CEO, UBA Africa and George Otienok ATI’s Chief Executive Officer signed the agreement to formalize the deal. A press release from the Bank said that under the agreement ATI will provide insurance cover for eligible UBA Group transactions with its unique range of political risk and trade credit insurance products. The risk mitigation services will provide an alternative to collateral for UBA’s corporate clients, who may otherwise face financial constraints in obtaining credit, while also protecting them against cross-border trade risks and a broad range of other investment risks, the Daily Observer reports

Obama Grants 18 Month Extension…To Liberians

U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RL) have applauded President Obama’s announcement last week extending Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) to Liberians for 18 months. Liberians living in the United States who received the temporary extension had fled a bloody civil war and many built new lives in Rhode Island, having children, starting businesses, buying homes, and paying U.S. taxes. Sen. Reed has worked for over a decade to pursue a fair pathway to citizenship for Liberians who came to the United States seeking humanitarian relief. “President Obama’s decision to allow Liberians living in the United States to

remain temporarily in this country for an additional 18 months is a big step in the right direction. This will surely come as a welcome relief to Rhode Island’s wonderful hardworking Liberian community, but we still must find a permanent solution,” said Whitehouse. “I’ll continue working with Senator Reed to create a clear opportunity for displaced Liberians to become American citizens,” the NEWS reports.