THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

NEWS SUMMARY FOR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016

Stories highlighted in today’s edition of our summary of the local dailies include news of President Sirleaf’s Proclamation requesting a special legislative session from November 8 through December 8, 2016, the Cabinet’s austerity measures mandate following an assessment of the country's current economic outlook and the tour of an European Union delegation toEU supported projects in Liberia including the ongoing Mount Coffee Hydropower rehabilitation project.

DOMINANT STORIES

Pres. Sirleaf Calls Special Legislative Session

The New Dawn newspaper reports that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has issued a proclamation requesting members of the 53rd Liberian Legislature to return to their respective chambers for a special session, beginning November 8 through December 8, 2016. A Foreign Ministry release quotes the Proclamation as saying that members of the legislature are to assemble in their respective Chambers to discuss and act upon matters of national concern, requiring urgent legislative decisions and actions for a period of one month. Article 32(b) of the Liberian Constitution gives the President of Liberia the authority to extend a regular session of the Legislature or call a special or extraordinary session of the body to discuss and act upon matters of national emergency or concern by the issuance of Proclamation calling Members of that body to duty.

Related Captions: Legislature Requested For Special Session (In Profile Daily), President Sirleaf Issues Proclamation Requesting Legislature For Special Session (FrontPage Africa)

Cabinet Assesses Current Economic Outlook….Mandates Appropriate Austerity Measures

The Heritage newspaper says cabinet has carefully assessed and analyzed the country's current economic outlook while mandating austerity measures that seek to address emerging economic challenges. According to an Executive Mansion release, Finance and Development Planning Minister Boima Kamara provided Cabinet a holistic reflection of Liberia’s existing economic outlook based on the hindsight of the Economic Management Team, obtaining challenges and advance realistic recommendations aimed at economic diversification for value addition.
According to the daily, the Cabinet mandated concerted legislative engagement with a view to amending the country’s existing Revenue Code in order to creatively attract additional sources of revenue in the telecommunication sector as well as from alcohol and tobacco in furtherance of the national development agenda. Cabinet further mandated its Secretariat that in pursuit of the tactful tracking of all previous policies decisions geared toward stimulating economic and actionable outcomes in the process so as to use same as a basis for future considerations.

Related Captions: Cabinet Assesses Current Economic Outlook….Mandates Appropriate Austerity Measures (FOCUS),More Taxes Expected (The New Dawn)

EU Amb., Estonian Lawmakers Visit Mt. Coffee Hydro

European Union (EU) Ambassador to Liberia, Ms. Tiina Intelmann, along with two visiting members of Estonia’s parliament, on Tuesday toured EU supported projects in Liberia including the ongoing Mount Coffee Hydropower rehabilitation project. According to the Daily Observer, the fieldtrip gave the EU delegation the opportunity to speak directly to implementing partners. Among the projects the EU delegation visited to gauge impact were the Monrovia-Bo Waterside road, the support to Ebola affected communities in Bomi County, the site of Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture, Nutrition and Income project, and the ‘Cash Transfer Scheme’ to beneficiaries. The head of the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) at Mount Coffee, Emmanuel Lawrence, took the team on a tour of the project which is still under construction. “With the look of things and the speed of the construction it is mostly likely that the first phase of the dam will be switched on by December 16,” Lawrence told the delegation. Ambassador Intelmann emphasized the role the European Union has played in getting the dam to its current status, adding that the EU’s contribution is 57 percent collectively, which makes Europeans the biggest donors to the mount Coffee project. She said support for the dam comes from the governments of Norway (19 percent) and Germany (18 percent), and from the European Investment Bank (EIB) (20 percent), “which supports the European Union’s development policy by subsidizing public sector infrastructure projects that are vital to underpin private sector development.” She said US$1.8 million has been allocated for the rehabilitation and development of the Monrovia-Bo Waterside highway. “As part of the EU’s investment in the rehabilitation and development of Liberia’s road infrastructure, we are working with the Ministry of Public Works (MPW) to ensure long term maintenance of Liberia’s paved road network, including the road from Monrovia to Bo-Waterside,” she added.

Related Captions: EU Ambassador Tours Mount Coffee (FrontPage Africa), EU Gives US$1.8M To Upgrade Monrovia, Bo-Waterside Highway (Heritage), Estonian Parliamentarians Visit European Union Projects (FOCUS), EU Spends US$ 1.8M Road Maintenance Here (The New Dawn)

OTHER STORIES

Strengthening Trade Can Transform Africa’-Liberia’s Commerce Minister Says

According to the Daily Observer, Liberia’s Minister of Commerce and Industry (MOCI), Mr. Axel M. Addy, says strengthening trade among all West African nations can contribute to the transformation of the economy, adding that Liberia is ready for business. Speaking at the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) 8th Trade Ministers’ forum on Wednesday held at a resort in Sinkor, Minister Addy noted that the forum offers member states to opportunity to share country experiences on cross-border trade issues and peer review status of implementation of ECOWAS trade integration commitments with a view to achieve WAMZ trade integration goals. According Minister Addy, Liberia cannot improve trade without investing in trade facilitation, which is critical to unlocking the potential of the private sector and creating inclusive growth for the people. Over the last ten years, he said, “We have pursued our goals as prescribed in our Agenda For Transformation (AFT) for inclusive growth. We have focused on infrastructure, primarily energy, roads and ports as transformation is not possible without infrastructure.”

Related Caption: “Liberia Ready For Business” …Commerce Min. Tells WAMZ Forum (The INQUIRER)

Egypt, Liberia to Sign Agreements

Liberia and the Arab Republic of Egypt are set to sign several agreements aimed at strengthening relationship between both countries. In a brief chat with the Egyptian Ambassador accredited near Monrovia, Alaa Issa, who visited the offices of the INQUIRER Newspaper on Wednesday noted that the Special Presidential Envoy headed by Mr. Mohamed Edress  is due in the Country for three days to hold discussions and subsequently sign several agreements, the INQUIRER newspaper reads.

U.S. Deportees Under Surveillance

Liberian immigration authorities have placed deported US- based Liberians under family custody upon arriving in Liberia on Wednesday afternoon, 2 November, but with strict instruction to obey a three-month surveillance in which they must report to the immigration headquarters twice a week. The deportees were returned to Liberia for different crimes, some of which included burglary, aggravated assault, drug abuse, money laundering, theft and sexual assault, among others, according to the New Dawn newspaper.

Related Caption:  Massive Deportation! …First Batch of Liberians Arrives on Wednesday

(In Profile Daily)

International Monetary Fund Says Liberia’s Economy ‘Still Not Recovering’

According to the FrontPage Africa newspaper, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says despite its projection that Liberia’s GDP growth is poised to recover to about 3 percent in 2017, the post-war, Ebola virus-hit nation is yet to recover from effects of the outbreak that kills scores in 2014. According to an End-of-Mission news release by the monetary body’s team following a recent visit to Monrovia, performance on the economic program supported by an Extended Credit Facility (ECF) has been uneven. In a statement issued by the IMF team led by Mr. Carlo Sdralevich, who visited Monrovia from October 12-26, 2016 to conduct discussions on the combined fifth and sixth reviews of the authorities’ economic program supported by the IMF under an Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement; the team noted that among other things , said despite the successful elimination of the Ebola Virus Disease, the economy is still not recovering. GDP in 2016 is now projected to contract by 0.5 percent, mainly due to continued weakness of commodity exports, including lower-than-expected gold production, and the impact of United Nations Missions in Liberia (UNMIL) withdrawal. Inflation is also rising due mainly to the pace of depreciation of the Liberian dollar in the past months, and is expected to reach almost 9 percent on average this year.

Related Caption: IMF Mission To Liberia: ‘Inflation To Reach 9% This Year’--Due to depreciation of LRD in recent months; GDP may increase 3% in 2017 as agriculture, gold and electricity production improve (Daily Observer)

VP Boakai Raps on Liberia’s Health Delivery Gains

Vice President Joseph Boakai has observed that Liberia has made significant gains in healthcare delivery since 2008, ranging from reduction in child mortality, maternal deaths and an increase in life expectancy. He said the gains made in increasing life expectancy means that a child born today in Liberia would on an average live for over 61.4 years, adding, “The review of the nation’s life expectancy is intended to reflect the country’s health and the level of quality care received by people when sick.” A release issued here Monday said the Vice President made the statement at the 40^th Annual General Scientific Meeting is being held under the theme “Building a Resilient Health System in West Africa: Social, Economic and Political Implications,” the Heritage reads.

WACP Identifies Challenges In Health Sector

The West African College of Physicians (WACP) through a critical assessment of health systems in the sub-region has revealed that weak health infrastructures, coupled with limited financial accountability among member states, serve as a major challenge in the sector and region. Over 200 delegates from the WACP took part in a week-long meeting to develop measures that will build resilient health systems in the sub-region in order to arrest or curtail any current or future outbreaks. The assessment report of the region’s health systems was released in a communiqué at the end of the Annual General Scientific Meeting (AGSM) in Monrovia. The provision of the findings by governments to health sectors in the region and building human resource capacity, especially the training of specialists in infectious disease control and management, were among important recommendations put forth by participants at the AGSM. Dr. Sunday Malawo, who read the communiqué, said the “measures are aimed at promoting effective control of infectious diseases and combating future infectious disease outbreaks in the sub-region, reports the Daily Observer.  

Ngafuan Advances Image Building Strategies to Lawmakers 

A back-page story of the Heritage newspaper reports that Former Foreign Minister, Hon. Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan has called on members of the House of Representatives to take steps intended to heal the wounds of the ugly past. He enjoined on the Speaker and members of the new Leadership to include and not marginalize colleagues who are not in leadership. He spoke at the three-day retreat on lawmakers held from November 2-4, 2016 in Ganta, Nimba County. He reminded lawmakers that the National Legislature is separate and independent that should not appear as an obstructionist branch but cannot afford to appear like a spine less branch. “Do not say No to the Executive When you know Yes is the best Interest of the Country.” The Former Finance Minister said.

Related Caption: Ngafuah Provides Image Building Strategies (The New Dawn)

Chief Justice: Jurors Role Critical to Delivery of Justice

Chief Justice Francis Korkpor has told prospective jurors that their role is critical in the dispensation of justice to citizens, and vital in the promotion of national peace and development. Justice Korkpor said as a constitutional requirement, jurors’ role is a civic national duty that no one can escape, noting that anyone who tries to do so will face the full weight of the law. Justice Korkpor made the statement recently in his remarks at the orientation of prospective jurors in the Banquet Hall of the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill in Monrovia, the Heritage newspaper reads.

Miss Liberia 2016/17 Wednesday

The New Dawn newspaper reports that the Eleven Stripes Incorporated in partnership with Liberian Enterprise Incorporated announces the official launch of Liberia’s foremost national social event Miss Liberia 2016. According to a press statement, the event which will be held in Monrovia on Wednesday 9, November 2016, is under the auspices of the Government of Liberia (GOL) through the Ministry of Information, Culture Affairs and Tourism (MICAT) and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP). Eleven Stripes and partners say the official Miss Liberia pageant event will take place in Monrovia, Liberia on Friday 16, December 2016. A series of public activities, interactions and events will take place prior to the pageant itself.