THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

NEWS SUMMARY FOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2016

News of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s Proclamation declaring full amnesty to people, who surrender small arms and light weapons and the Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia, Milton Weeks’ participation in the 8th Global Policy Forum of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion in Nadi, Fiji are stories highlighted in today’s edition of the summary of the local dailies.

DOMINANT STORIES

Ellen Grants ‘Full Amnesty’ For Surrender Of Small Arms

The Daily Observer reports that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has by proclamation declared unconditionally and without reservation, that all persons who, shall surrender small arms and light weapons under the ECOWAS-EU Weapons collection program in Grand Gedeh, Maryland and River Gee Counties within the stipulated project time frame, will be given full Amnesty for the offence of illegal possession, use and supply of fire arms and objects for lethal use against the Republic of Liberia with the restoration of all rights, privileges and immunities under the Constitution and the laws which have been made in pursuance thereof. According to a Foreign Ministry release, the Liberian leader recognizes that the proliferation and illegal possession of small arms and light weapons poses a grave threat to the peace and stability of Liberia and the sub-region, and constitutes a major tool of fueling armed conflicts and perpetrating crimes. President Sirleaf has formulated policies and laws, as well as established national structures by law to effectively control the illegitimate flow and possession of small arms and light weapons in Liberia, the sub-region, and the global community, including the transfer of arms by suppliers and arms brokers through Liberia.

Related Captions: Under The ECOWAS-EU Weapons Collection Program: Ellen Declares ‘Full Amnesty’ For All Persons Who Surrender Small Arms And Light Weapons (Heritage), President Declares Full Amnesty to All Who Surrender Small Arms (FrontPage Africa), Full Amnesty’ For All Persons Surrendering Small Arms, Light Weapons (The New Dawn), “Amnesty” For Surrendered Weapons…Ellen Issues Proclamation (In Profile Daily)

The Executive Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) is in Nadi, Fiji to participate in the 8th Global Policy Forum (GPF) of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI). The theme for this year’s GPF is: “Building the Pillars of Sustainable Inclusion”. This Year’s GPF highlights the global efforts in promoting financial inclusion as a cardinal pillar of inclusive economic growth and development. During a meeting with Mr. Alfred Hannig, the Executive Director of AFI, the Executive Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia, Mr. Milton Weeks highlighted financial inclusion as one of the key pillars of the new Strategic Plan of the Central Bank of Liberia and assured AFI of the strong commitment of the Central Bank of Liberia to the objective and goal of AFI. Mr. Hannig praised the active role that the Central Bank of Liberia continues to play in AFI since it became a member of the Alliance in 2010. Both leaders agreed to strengthen the partnership between the Central Bank of Liberia and AFI which will enable the CBL to benefit from the immense resources of AFI, including capacity building, knowledge-sharing and funding support for the financial inclusion program of the CBL. Executive Governor Weeks assured Mr. Hannig of the continuous active role of the CBL in AFI and expressed the CBL’s interest in taking membership in the Small and Medium Enterprise Finance Working Group (SMEFWG) of AFI. The New Dawn

Related Captions: CBL Will Continue To Support Financial Inclusion…Says Governor Week (Heritage),CBL Will Continue To Promote Financial Inclusion–Gov. Weeks (Frontage Africa)

OTHER STORIES  

Media Veteran, Prof. James Wolo Is Dead 

The Daily Observer reports that Professor James Wolo died on Saturday, September 10^th at the John F. Kennedy Medical Hospital in Sinkor. According to the daily, the Late Professor slid into a coma for a week and did not recover. Mr. K. Abdullah Kamara, President of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), has extended deep sympathy on behalf of the Union for the irreparable loss to the bereaved family. “Professor Wolo was a very resourceful person to media development in Liberia. He was always around the PUL whenever we needed him. He didn’t stop one day giving us good advice on how to run the affairs of the Union,” Mr. Kamara said. Before his passing, Prof. Wolo, who was in his early 70s, served in many media capacities including Former Deputy Minister for Administration, Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism; Former Director-General, Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS); and Former Executive Producer at LBS.

Related Caption: Another Top Liberian Journalist is Dead  (Heritage)

EPS Recruits Warned

According to the New Dawn newspaper, the Justice Minister and Attorney General of Liberia, Cllr. Frederick D. Cherue, has warned graduating officers of the elite presidential guard — Executive Protection Service — against giving out classified information about their offices to the outside world. “You are not an Information Minister- you are not Information Minister passing information from your office to the outside world,” Minister Cherue said. Delivering the keynote address at the Liberia National Police Training Academy (LNPTA) in Paynesville, outside Monrovia of the first 100 newly recruited EPS officers in Liberia’s post-UN Peacekeeping operations, the Justice Minister warned that EPS officers are to only give out information when required by those in authority, reminding the graduates about their responsibility to keep the President of Liberia and family safe at all times, and that such task “requires love for humanity, patriotism, loyalty to the country and people and above all the fear of God.”

GOL, FAO, Partners Endorse VGGT Secretariat

The Daily Observer says members of the steering committee of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT) of land, fisheries and forests in the context of national food security have recently endorsed the VGGT Secretariat in Monrovia. The Secretariat comprises representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Civil Society Organizations and food sector partners. The project, funded by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture of the Federal Republic of Germany, is aimed at helping governments safeguard the rights of people to own or access land, forests and fisheries. In his opening remarks, Marc Abdala, FAO Country Representative, pledged his organization’s support to ensure the success of the VGGT.

Agribusiness Expo To Highlight FED’s 5 Years of Work

USAID’s Food and Enterprise Development (FED), has announced that it will conclude its five-year operation with an Agribusiness Expo. The theme of the event is, “Building a Food Secure Future in Liberia.” The Expo will take place on September 13 and 14 at the Monrovia City Hall. Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai will deliver the opening remarks, the organization said in a press release. FED is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under ‘Feed the Future,’ the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative active in 19 countries around the world, including 12 in Africa. FED operates in Liberia in close collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture. USAID-FED has worked with the Ministries of Agriculture, Commerce and Industry, and Education; civil society and the private sector in providing communities with access to agricultural inputs, extension services, nutrition messages, processing services, market information, transportation, credit, agro-business education, training, and business development services writes the In Profile Daily.

Related Caption: Agribusiness Expo To Highlight 5-Year FED Activity (Daily Observer)

PCC Concludes 3^rd Health Fair China Medical Team, Others Perform Free Medical

The Paynesville City Corporation (PCC) on Saturday, September 10, 2016 concluded is third annual health fair, with the 9^th China Medical Team and other health service providers offering free medical services to the needy. Other health service providers that performed free medical care at the heath fair included: Hope for Women Health Center, Fredai Medical and Eye Clinic, JFK/ES Grant Mental Health, National Blood Safety Program and Ma Watta Clinic. The others were: Montserrado Health Team, One Source Pharmacy, Family Health Center, Mother Ester Rufus Clinic and James Davis Jr. Hospital. Speaking to reporters at the health fair, the Director of Communications at the PCC, Madam Jani K. Jallah, explained that the initiative was intended to offer free healthcare services to residents of Paynesville and nearby communities, writes the Heritage newspaper.

MIA Donates to Disaster Management Team

The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has presented fifteen desktop computers and fifteen printers to Disaster Management Teams in the 15 counties. Presenting the items on the sidelines of the just-end weeklong Coordination Conference of the ministry in Gbarnga, Deputy Internal Affairs Minister Gbemie Horace Kollie said the items were provided by the World Bank through the Global Fund for Disaster Risk Reduction. Minister Kollie said the initiative is part of the emergency prepared news and response project being managed by the World Food Program and implemented by the Internal Affairs Ministry. Meanwhile, the Deputy Internal Affairs Minister has appealed to Superintendents of the various counties to create office space for disaster management committees in their respective counties, the In Profile Daily reports.  

EPA Official: Liberia has Renewable Energy Potential 

An inside story of the Heritage newspaper reads that Liberia has the potential for renewable energy and to change from the 20 megawatts Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) from which it is operating currently, Deputy Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Director Urias Goll has indicated. Speaking at the 30^th meeting of the Least Developed Countries Experts Group in Monrovia recently, Goll noted that there are rivers or sufficient amounts of water in Liberia to ensure conversion to renewable energy. He explained that the Rural and Renewable Energy Agency (RREA) has been able to provide a mini renewable energy hydro facility in Nimba and Bong counties, while feasibility study for 16 megawatts hydro in the Southeast is ongoing. Goll stressed that relying on the Least Developed Counties Expert Group technical guidelines for the National Adaption Program Action will help to address the need for urgent and immediate actions in Liberia.

LNRCS Ends Conference In Nimba

The Liberia National Red Cross Society (LNRCS) has ended a three-day camp conference and media campaign on human rights and gender equality in rural Liberia. The conference brought together 100 volunteers from Lofa, Bong and Nimba Counties respectively. Addressing the closing ceremony in Sanniquellie, Nimba County, the Focus Person for the LNRCS Ambullai Perry said the exercise was funded by the European Union and co-funded by the Danish Red Cross with the objective to promote human rights in rural communities by strengthening gender equality and reducing discrimination, gender-based violence, and vulnerability. For his part, the European Union Program Manager for Governance, Mr. Eric Kristensen pledged EU’s support to activities of the LNRCS. He disclosed that about 200 European countries come together to raise fund to support the project, asserts the New Dawn newspaper.