The Bureau of Public Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

NEWS SUMMARY FOR MONDAY, JUNE 16, 2014

Liberia assumption of Chairmanship at the 12^th EBID session in Monrovia and the discovery of amissing Liberian oil tanker in Nigeria are among stories dominating our selected local dailies for today, Monday, June 916, 2014 summary.    

DOMINANT STORIES

Liberia Assumes EBID Chairmanship

Liberia will for the first time assume the Chairmanship of the Board of Governors of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development as the country prepares to host the 12 ordinary assembly of the Bank. It would be the first time since the Bank’s its inception in 1999 for Liberia to hold such meeting. The convening which takes place today, Monday June 16 2014, at the Royal Grand Hotel in Monrovia is expected to bring together 15 Finance Ministers or their proxies from the regional bloc. The EBID is convening for the first time in Liberia and it is anticipated that the EBID’s activities over the last four years will be reviewed.
According to a dispatch, the Bank’s Governors, Finance Ministers from all Fifteen ECOWAS countries will meet to chart a new strategic direction for coming years as regards the Bank’s activities, New Dawn reports.

Related Captions: ECOWAS Finance Ministers In Monrovia For 12th Ordinary Meeting (FrontPageAfrica), ECOWAS Confab Opens Today(New Democrat), Liberia To Chair ECOWAS Bank-Bank’s Board Of Governors Meet here Today(Daily Observer), ECOWAS  Finance Minister Converge In Monrovia(FOCUS), ECOWAS Finance Ministers In Town –Liberia Assumes EBID Chairmanship (Inquirer), EBID Convenes 12^th Ordinary Meeting of its Board of Governors (INSIGHT), Liberia Hosts 12^th EBID Ordinary Session…Konneh Takes Chairmanship(The New Republic), EBID Convenes One Day Summit in Monrovia Today(In Profile Daily), EBID Convenes For The 12^th Ordinary Meeting of Its Board of Governors(National Chronicle), ECOWAS Bank Executives Converge--On Monrovia To Plot New Strategic Direction(The News)

Hijacked Liberia-Flagged Oil Tanker Found In Nigeria

A Liberian flagged oil tanker which was allegedly hijacked in Ghana's territorial waters has been found in Nigeria.  Three thousand five hundred metric tons of diesel and personal belongings of the crew were stolen. Speaking to Radio Ghana, the Director of Public Affairs of the Ghana Armed Forces, Colonel Emmanuel Aggrey Quarshie said MT Fair Artemis will berth at the Tema Harbor on Friday.  A Liberia-flagged oil tanker has gone missing off the coast of Ghana and a senior port official told Reuters on Saturday the captain sent a distress call to say the vessel was attacked by pirates.  A senior official at the port in Tema, east of Ghana's capital, told Reuters: "We had a distress call from the master of the ship yesterday (Friday) saying he was 36 nautical miles away from our waters after he was hijacked and looted in Togolese waters early Wednesday," FrontPageAfrica reports.

Related Caption: Missing Liberian Oil Tanker Found(New Dawn), Missing Liberia Oil Tanker Found In Nigeria(New Democrat)

Liberia Requires 35,000 Blood Units

The FOCUS newspaper writes that as Liberia joined countries around the world in commemoration of World Blood Donors Day (WBDD), the Director of National Blood Safety Program at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOH/SW), Madam Lwopu M. Bruce has unearthed by calculation that Liberia requires 35,000 units of blood annually. She said it is due to the fact that blood in the hospital is inadequate because for every two seconds someone somewhere needs blood in Liberia. Madam Bruce stated that with the fact that Liberia does not have enough blood at the level of the hospital, the National Blood Safety Program decided to launch a great awareness of the activity through sports. She believes neutralizing time to make wider awareness amongst young people especially to encourage them to give blood voluntarily, it will be a great help for those in need most especially pregnant women. June 14 each year is celebrated as World Blood Donor Day and Liberia is of no exception to the worldwide celebration.  

Related Caption: HIV/AIDS hampering blood donation in Liberia(INSIGHT)

Quaqua Unveils Vision For WAJA

The President of the West African Journalists Association (WAJA) has disclosed plans and programs he intends to pursue in the next three years to address the issues of media development and freedom of expression in West Africa. In an interview with the Gambia Affairs, an online publication in The Gambia, Mr. Peter Quaqua said protection and empowerment of journalists, improvement in their welfare, and a strong solidarity among journalists’ unions in the region will top priorities of his tenure, INSIGHT reports.

Related Captions: Quaqua Discloses Plans For Waja(The Inquirer),Quaqua Discloses Plans For Waja(The News)

Firm Commits $44k To Gbehlay Geh District

The Superintendent of Gbehlay Geh Statutory District in Nimba County, D. Bartuah Bartuah, has disclosed that a concession in the district has commitment US$44,000 in its 2014 budget as Social Development Fund (SDF) for the district. Bartuah said based on the commitment, the district has earmarked several projects to be implemented when the fund is disbursed, INSIGHT writes.

Related Captions: Firm Commits $44K to Gbehlay Geh District(The New Dawn), Firm Commits $44K to Gbehlay Geh District(FOCUS)

Several Liberians Get Free Dental Care in Cape Mount

According to the Heritage newspaper, the Administrator of the St. Timothy Government Hospital in Robersport, Grand Cape County, Mr. Aaron Massaley has disclosed that about 75 Liberians have received free dental services in the area. Mr. Aaron Massaley, said the services were provided by an Indian medical practitioner, Dr. Vikas Aggarwal, under a program jointly sponsored by the Government of India and some medical institutions in Liberia. Mr. Massaley said a medical team from the NGO, Cross Culture Care based in the United States, provided similar services late last month which benefitted more than 1,000 Liberians in Grand Cape Mount, Bomi and Gbarpolu counties.

Related Caption: 75 Liberians Get Free Dental Care in Cape Mount(In Profile Daily)

OTHER STORIES

President Sirleaf Sends Birthday Greetings To British Queen; Hails 22nd Russia Day

The Heritage newspaper quotes a Foreign Ministry release as saying that the President of the Republic of Liberia, Her Excellency Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has sent a message of congratulations to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland and to His Excellency, Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation on the joyful occasions in observance of the British Queen’s 88^th Birth Anniversary and the 22^nd Russia Day respectively. On behalf of Liberia, President Johnson Sirleaf extended heartiest congratulations and best wishes to the British Queen and recalled Britain’s historic role in granting recognition to Liberia’s sovereignty in 1848, becoming the first nation to extend a hand of amity and support to Liberia. “In commemorating this important day, may I also express my deepest appreciation for the excellent and longstanding bilateral relations that cordially exist between the two countries and Peoples”, President Johnson Sirleaf declared, The Liberian Leader also acknowledged with deep appreciation the immense assistance the British Department for International Development is rendering to Liberia, particularly in the health sector and in developing Liberia’s infrastructure.

Liberia Makes Progress In Kimberly Process

The Liberian delegation attending the Kimberly intersession conference in Shanghai, China, has told delegates that the country has made tremendous process regarding compliance to Kimberly Process. Deputy Minister for Planning and Human Resource Development at the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy, Stephen Dorbor told the gathering that Liberia is doing everything to bring transparency in the diamond sector. He said unlike in the past, diamond miners are now licensed by the government to ensure that their activities are legal and monitored. He added that the processing of mining licenses have been reduced between 10 and15 days.  Over 50 countries attended the three-day Kimberly Process Intersession conference. According to the News newspaper, the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme is a regulatory mechanism that came into effect in 2003 as a follow-up to the United Nations mandated system initiated in 2000 to break the link between the trade in rough diamonds and armed conflicts.

UNMIL Graduates 22

The Public Information and Community Outreach section of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) on Friday, June 13, 2014 graduated 22 Traditional Communicators after 20 days of intensive training workshop. Giving the overview of the training workshop, Prof. James Wolo said the process will help the participants make peace in the society. The University of Liberia professor said when UNMIL first came to Liberia, the mandate was to help teach Liberians how to go about in the society to make peace whenever there was problem. Prof. Wolo urged the graduates to put into good use what they have learned. He reminded the graduates that what they have acquired from the 20 days training workshop can help transform the country, writes the FOCUS newspaper.

Pervocate Extends Diabetes Testing Awareness

The management of Pervocate, a diabetes testing and awareness center has extended its free diabetes testing and awareness community initiative to Buchanan, grand Bassa County. The community initiative, which took place over the weekend, brought together a cross section of residents of the county including Buchanan City Mayor Julia K Bono.  Speaking to participants, the Chief Executive Officer of Pervocate, Mr. James Momoh informed the residents of Buchanan about the importance of diabetes testing and awareness which he described as a key component to the fight and management of diabetes. He said the establishment of Pervocate in Liberia should be an opportunity for all Liberians, according to the News newspaper.

Liberia Celebrates World Refugee Day

Liberia joins refugees across the world to celebrate world refugee day this Friday, June 20, 2014. In Liberia, the event will be celebrated in Brewerville, Montserrado County; Bahn camp in Nimba county, and Wlebo camp in Maryland County, respectively. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees or UNHCR says the main event for this year’s World Refugee Day celebration will take place in Grand Gedeh County at the PTP Refugee camp, 15km from Zwedru City. UNHCR Country Representative, Mr. Khassim Diagne, said   the theme of this year’s celebration is “One family torn apart by war is too many.’’ According to him, World Refugee Day is also an opportunity for the UN to thank countries worldwide that have opened their doors and hearts by offering refuge to people in need of protection. Representative Diagne said the idea of the celebration is to bring into focus the plight of refugees around the world, New Dawn writes.

UL Graduation Ceremony To Take Different Trend – As President Seeks Students’ Suggestions On New Strategy

UL President Dr. Emmet A. Dennis has disclosed plan of a new strategy to make graduation ceremony of the state-fun university reflects equal gesture for all graduates. Making remarks at the first ever lecture series in honor of the late Prf. Victor E. Ward, Dr. Dennis stressed that inequality exists during graduation, given that those acquiring graduate degrees are preferentially treated with welcoming gesture characterized by lovely handshakes while undergraduate degree earners are left piled up and degree is conferred on them through announcement, Daily Observer reports.

MOE Fines 3 Schools In Margibi

The Ministry of Education through the office of the Margibi County Education Officer, Mrs. Gorma M. Minnie has fined three high schools in Margibi for allegedly parading students in the streets during their gala week, while investigations are pending for other schools that similarly acted contrarily. The affected schools include Frances Mitchell Memorial Academy or FRAMA; John Joseph High School and George V. Gibson Memorial United Methodist High school, among others in Kakata. FRAMA was fined 50,000 Liberian dollars, which was immediately paid by the school’s administration. As for the John Joseph School, CEO Minnie said it faces a fine of over 50,000 Liberian dollars for deliberately disrespecting the Ministry of Education. The Margibi CEO explained that her office was written by the administration of John Joseph prior to its gala anniversary about plan to parade and she replied, telling the administration not to parade students in the streets of Kakata, but they ignored the instruction. Speaking about GVG, CEO Minnie said that school was being probed as well, New Dawn reports.

Six Locomotives Arrive In Buchanan Port – As Arcelor Mittal Liberia Ramps Up Operations

The new top-of-the-line General Electric trains landed at Buchanan port from the United States of America on Sunday, June 8, 2014. After assembling and testing, the new trains will join the fleet of three trains that currently travel on the rail line between Buchanan and Tokadeh Mines in Yekepa, Nimba County, bringing the total fleet to nine trains. Presently, trains leave both the mine and port every two and a half hours, INSIGHT writes.

UN Official Challenges Liberian UNMIL Staff

The Director for Mission Support at the United Nations Mission In Liberia (UNMIL), Hubert H. Price, has challenged Liberians to upgrade their capacities to compete for international jobs within the United Nations system. Director Price explained that UNMIL is drawing down its mission in Liberia and each year staff of the mission, both national and international, are being downsized as the mission folds up operations in Liberia, FOCUS reports.

Triplets Mother Gives Birth To 5 More-Father Cries For Help

A young lady who gave birth to five babies in Grand Cape Mount County last week is calling for assistance to enable her take care of her babies. Mama Dahsee, who lay very faint and could hardly say a word, was seen being assisted by family members and relatives who went to visit her for the safe delivery of her for the safe delivery of her babies. Meanwhile, her recent delivery of five babies, one of which did not survive, makes it eight in all the number of children born unto them. Smallah Dahsee is at the moment calling on all humanitarian organizations both Christian and Islamic Organizations and the Government of Liberia to come to her aid in order to enable her cater to her babies, Inquirer reports.