THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

NEWS SUMMARY FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2016

News of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s meeting with a delegation from the World Bank, her humanitarian gesture to two ailing Liberian children at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center and the Special Presidential Taskforce investigating the Global Witness report pronouncement that it is now ready to prosecute those indicted in the report are stories dominating today’s edition of the summary of the local dailies.

The Summary also includes news of Muslims in Liberia observance of the end  of Ramadan today.

DOMINANT STORIES  

High-Level World Bank Delegation Meets President Sirleaf; Introduces New Country Manager For Liberia 

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Tuesday, July 5, received a high-level delegation from the World Bank (WB) headed by the Bank’s Country Director for Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Henry G.R. Kerali. The delegation included the outgoing Country Manager, Ms. Inguna Dobraja, and the incoming Country Manager, Ms. Larisa Leshchenko. According to an Executive Mansion release, the visit was aimed at introducing the new Country Manager of the World Bank to Liberia and to also share information on the current Country Program Portfolio, as well as the program plan for the future. According to the Daily Observer, President Sirleaf described the WB as a true family partner to Liberia and lauded it for the many positive contributions to Liberia’s recovery process.  She stressed the need for direct budget support from the WB during the current budget year considering the many challenges faced by Liberia.

 Related Caption: World Bank Delegation Meets Ellen(Heritage)

Ellen Visits 2 Kids at JFK Hospital

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has assessed health conditions of two kids admitted at the state-run John F. Kennedy Medical Center (JFKMC) on her request, and received doctors’ reports of “remarkable progress”. “My aim is to intervene; you know, when somebody is not able, they do not have parents who are able and something like that, I do the best I can, that is the job as a leader,” Mrs. Sirleaf told reporters at the JFK in Sinkor on Tuesday, 4^th July. The President’s intervention followed a local media publication in May surrounding some strange disease that had affected five-year-old Steven Patricks, while in a separate case, she also requested the hospital to admit Hawa Brown of the Hayes Mission in Bomi County, after seeing the patient almost paralyzed and sitting in wheelchair during her recent visit to that county, the New Dawn newspaper reports.

Related Captions: President Sirleaf Extends Humanitarian Aid To Ailing Children(WOMEN VOICES), Ellen Extends Humanitarian Aid To Ailing Children; Extols Inquirer Newspaper(Daily Observer)

Koffa Task Force ‘Ready To Prosecute’ -Cllr. Fonati Koffa Assures; Discloses Following Trips to UK, US

According to the Daily Observer, Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa, head of the Special Presidential Taskforce (SPTF) investigating the damning Global Witness (GW) Sable Mining bribery allegations against some senior Liberian government officials and others, has reported that, following their trips to the United Kingdom and United States, the taskforce is now ready to prosecute the indicted. Cllr. Koffa, who is also Minister of State without Portfolio, stated further that the SPTF will increase the number of existing charges on three of the indicted. At the regular Ministry of Information press briefing on Tuesday, July 5, Cllr. Koffa and the other two speakers—Cllrs. Daku Mulbah and Augustine Toe – however refused to disclose list of increased charges, and failed to name the three individuals whose burdens are going to be made heavier.

Related Caption: Zooming on Big Boy 1&2: Task Force Confident of Identities in GW Saga(FrontPage Africa),‘Big Boy One’ And ‘Big Boy Two’ To Be Identifies Soon…Presidential Taskforce Reveals(Heritage), Taskforce On ‘Big Boy 1&2 Heels(The New Dawn). The  New Dawn newspaper reports under the caption “Chiefs Seek Compromise”that traditional women from Liberia’s 15 counties accompanied by National Traditional Council of Chiefs Chairman Zanzan Kawah have appealed to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to have a compromise on the crisis between her and the House Speaker Alex Tyler that grew out of probe into the Global Witness report. According to the daily, Chief Kawah made the appeal on Tuesday during an honoring ceremony organized by the Traditional Women for President Sirleaf at the C. Cecil Dennis Auditorium at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Related Caption: End Global Witness Noise-Liberian Head Chief Appeals To President Sirleaf…(FrontPage Africa)

OTHER STORIES

Muslims End Ramadan

Muslims in Liberia will today end a month-long Ramadan during which practicing Muslims abstained from food for 30 days as one of the five pillars of Islam that all faithful Muslims observe every year. Millions of Muslims around the world are expected to congregate in their various Mosques to hear sermons on their services and obedience to the five pillars of Islam, as proclaimed by Prophet Muhammad, the INQUIRER newspaper writes.

House Rejects BHP Billiton’s Agreement

The House of Representatives has termed the BHP Billiton’s transfer agreement to Cavalla Resource Mining Company as illegal and that the entire agreement needs to be revoked. Plenary made the decision yesterday when the Minister of Lands, Mines and Energy, Patrick Sendolo, appeared before the House of Representatives to explain BHP Billiton’s activities from the time its agreement was approved and its activities on the corporate social responsibilities with respect to its operational budget, the INQUIRER reports.

More Investment in Agriculture - Vice President Renews Government Commitment

Vice President Joseph Boakai says government remains committed to investing   in the agriculture sector of the country with the Ministry of Agriculture leading the way. VP Boakai made the commitment at the Central Agriculture Research Institute CARI on Tuesday July 5, 2016 in Bong County at the official opening of the field office of the Liberia Agro- Business Development Activity. VP Boakai commended USAID, Feed the Future, and the Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture for the novel initiative. He said the co-investment fund program fully re-echoes government’s repeated reminders to stakeholders that investment in agriculture should not be considered an exclusive preserve of the government, reports the FrontPage Africa newspaper.

Yacoub El Hillo Of Sudan Appointed New UNMIL DSRSG New DSRSG Mr. El Hillo

The Daily Observer reports that United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Yacoub El Hillo of Sudan as the new Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General (DSRSG) of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). The Secretary General made the appointment on June 27th. According to the UN Secretary General, Yacoub will also serve as the United Nations Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) while carrying out his duties. He succeeds Antonio Vigilante of Italy, who concluded his assignment last month.

 Traditional Women Honor President Sirleaf

Liberia’s traditional women yesterday honored and certificated President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for maintaining peace and stability in country particularly for giving women ‘voice’ to speak and participate in issues of national interest while describing themselves as foundation to any society. The honoring cum certification ceremony was performed in the C. Cecil Dennis Auditorium of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for what the women termed making them to stand shoulder-to-shoulders with men as compared to the past when women were inferior to men in Liberia, the WOMEN VOICES newspaper reports.

House Calls For Urgent Probe Over Currency Depreciation

According to Heritage newspaper, the House of Representatives has expressed dismay over the growing rate at which the Liberian currency is depreciating and has resolved to launch an urgent probe aimed at helping to bring the situation under control. The House is expected to liaise with authorities of the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) and the Ministry of Finance in a bid to prevent the situation which, it says, is imposing strenuous economy conditions on the people.

Over 30 Children With Lips Deformities Get Better Smiles

Over 30 children, who suffered Palatoschisis or lip deformity, have been given hope as two surgeons from Smile Train International in collaboration with the Medical Director of ELWA Hospital conducted Craniofacial surgeries on them. Cleft palate is a birth abnormality of the mouth and lip which occurs when the roof of the mouth does not completely close, leaving an opening that can extend into the nasal cavity or nose. Ifeanyichukwu Onah, a Plastic Surgeon, from Enugu National Orthopaedic Hospital in Nigeria, Smile Train International Program Director for Western and Central Africa, Dr. Mrs. Nkeiruka Obi and ELWA Medical Director Dr. Jerry Brown carried out the surgeries at the ELWA Hospital in Paynesville on Monday, reports the Heritage newspaper.

Woman Charged for Burning Daughter’s Hand

According to a back-page story of the INQUIRER newspaper The Liberia National Police (LNP) has charged a 25-year-old woman, Grace Togbah, with aggravated assault for burning the hand of her 5-year-old child, Faith Baryogar in the Camp-Johnson Road Community in Monrovia. According to police charge sheet, on Wednesday, June 29, 2016, defendant Grace Togbah of Camp Johnson Road  was arrested by officers of the Women and Children Protection Section of the LNP based on a complaint filed by Naomi L. Tarwo of the same community.