The Bureau of Public Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

 Monrovia, Liberia

DAILY NEWS SUMMARY FOR THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

Today’s edition of our Summary of the local dailies highlights the Security Expert Guard Agency of Liberia donation to US$21,000 worth of surveillance equipment to the Bureau of Passport and Visas at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the two day last mile retreat focusing President Sirleaf’s priorities for the next 298 days.

DOMINANT STORIES

SEGAL Donates US$21K Surveillance Equipment to Foreign Ministry

 The Daily Observer says the Security Expert Guard Agency of Liberia (SEGAL) has turned over US$21,000 worth of surveillance equipment, including an assortment of vital security gadgets and several pieces of closed-circuit television (CCTV) to the Bureau of Passport and Visas at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Monrovia. In November of last year, SEGAL Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and General Manager, Momo T. Cyrus, and his technical partner, Lionel Keller, II, donated similar equipment to the Ministry and offered to install them ‘free-of-charge.’ At the turning over ceremony on Tuesday, Mr. Cyrus said that his SEGAL team was making the donation in fulfillment of the promise they made on behalf of the entity to the ministry. The Passport Director, Ms. Marian F. Sandi, said the two 16-channel televisions SEGAL has donated were sufficient to record the day-to-day happenings within the bureau. She expressed gratitude to SEGAL management, and also promised to maintain the equipment to meet the purpose for which it was donated.

Related Caption: US$16M Surveillance Equipment Turned Over To Government (INSIGHT), Firm Turns Over Surveillance Equipment To Foreign (Heritage)

Cabinet Holds Two-Day Last Mile Retreat

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and her Cabinet including Deputy, Assistant Ministers,  Heads of State-owned Enterprises, Commissions, and Local Government officials will participate in a two-day mandatory retreat under the theme - Strong in The Last Mile in Julijuah, Bomi County from March 30-31, 2017.  The FrontPage Africa quotes an Executive Mansion release as saying that the two-day retreat will primarily focus on the President’s priorities for the next 298 days; The transition plan for Ministries, Agencies, and Commissions; Telling the Administration’s success story (The Legacy Narrative); and  Priority projects for the President’s 150-Day Plan.  The daily reads that by the end of the two-day, the retreat would have established a time-bound strategic road map that will drive the Administration’s 298 days; approved the transition plan for Ministries Agencies and Commissions (MAC’s); approved the execution plan for the President’s 150-Day Plan for priority projects; aligned Ministries Agencies and Commissions’ activities with the approved strategic road map; adopted a framework for telling the success story of the Administration; and inspired MACs to collectively reach the finish line strong. 

Related Caption: Cabinet Converges In Bomi For 2-Days Retreat (Heritage)

GVL Sponsored Surgical Outreach Completed In Grand Kru

According to the In Profile Daily, more than 120 citizens of Grand Kru County were treated during a week-long free surgical operations conducted by the Liberia Surgical Outreach Program (LISOP) with sponsorship from Golden Veroleum Liberia at the Rally Town Hospital in Grand Cess, Grand Kru County. During the operations, individuals with various illness including hernia, hydroceles, goiters, uterus, and fibroids were treated. The program, which exceeded its target of 100 persons included pre and post-surgical treatment, feeding of patients and transportation of targeted beneficiaries to and from their respective villages and towns by Golden Veroleum Liberia. Beneficiaries in separate remarks expressed heartfelt gratitude to LISOP for the free surgeries and lauded GVL for the cost sponsorship.

Related Caption: GVL Sponsors Surgical Outreach in Gd./Kru (The New Dawn)

According to the New Dawn newspaper, Civil Service Agency’s regulation requires each civil servant to serve for 25 years or attain the age 60 to qualify for retirement. Speaking at the Ministry in Sinkor, Monrovia on Wednesday, 29 March during the honoring program, Assistant Minister for Basic Education and Secretariat, Felicia Sackey Doe Sumah told the retirees not to look down on themselves as the ceremony was meant to recognize their contributions towards transformation of the educational sector. Madam Sumah encouraged the honorees that retirement should not mean an end to their lives, but a transition from one stage of life to another, saying “your leaving this Ministry is in recognition of the process that says once you served for certain length of time, it is against that mandate that you are being retired. The Deputy Director General of the Civil Service Agency or CSA Mrs. Wannie Clarke Reeves expressed gratitude to the retirees for serving the country diligently in various positions, and assured them that the CSA will work to ensure they receive lump sum retirement packages.

Related Caption: MOE Boasts of Achieving Six Top Priorities –Proud of “Getting to Best Strategy”; As She Honors, Retires And Recognizes over 250 Employees (FOCUS)

YMCA Begins 46^th General Assembly Tomorrow

The 46^th General Assembly of the Liberia YMCA officially begins tomorrow, Friday, March 31, 2017. A release from the National Headquarters of the Liberia YMCA says several delegates from local branches of the Liberia YMCA, local international partners, organizations, ministries, and invited guests are expected to attend the assembly, which will be held from March 31 – April 1, 2017, at the National Headquarters of the Liberia YMCA in Monrovia. This year’s assembly is held under the theme: “Empowering Young People for the Africa We Want.” The keynote speaker is the Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Liberia, The Most Reverend, Dr. Jonathan B.B. Hart, while the installing officer is Ambassador Charles Minor. The assembly will be held for 2 days and will begin with an official indoor program and presentation a new strategic plan of the YMCA on day 1, reports the Heritage newspaper.

Small Arms Commission Benefits From Financial Training

A ten-day financial training for employees at the Liberia National Commission on Small Arms comes to an end tomorrow, Friday, March 31, 2017. The training got underway on Tuesday, March 21 at the headquarters of the Commission. In welcoming participants and highlighting the purpose of the training, the coordinator of the Commission, Mr. Josiah Joekai, explained that the training was part of activities under the GOL/UNMIL Training Plan. He further explained that the training will cover more than the financial aspect and intimated that the financial training would be followed by training in website development, reports Heritage newspaper.

Related Caption: Small Arms Commission Benefits From Financial Training (FrontPage Africa)

CARI Ends 2-day Workshop On Research Review

According to the New Dawn newspaper, a two-day research review workshop has ended at the Central Agriculture Research Institute of CARI in Suakoko, Bong County, Liberia. Organized by the CARI Management, it was attended by several institutions, national and international NGOs, stakeholders and the Minister of Agriculture Dr. Moses Zinnah. Giving an overview of the program, the Deputy Director General for Research at the CARI, Dr. Dustan Spencer said, the forum is intended to train scientists and researchers assigned at the institute at the institute. Dr. Spencer said the workshop is also meant to afford researchers and scientists opportunities to begin the process of presenting their research results, including challenges to stakeholders.

Ellen Opens International Conference On Emergence Of Africa

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has opened the Second Edition of an international conference on the emergence of Africa in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, stressing that Africa is rising. President Sirleaf who chairs regional body ECOWAS says the future of the African Continent’s growth and prosperity is certain, saying the continent is on the move and its future is certain. An Executive Mansion release issued on Wednesday, 29 March says President Sirleaf made the statement on Tuesday, 28 March in the Ivorian Capital Abidjan when she opened the 2017 Second Edition of International Conference on the Emergence of Africa of ICEA, writes the New Dawn newspaper.

The Executive Chairperson of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), Cllr. James N. Verdier Jr., has stressed the need for a partnership between the LACC, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the media in the fight against corruption, a press release said. Speaking at the opening of a two-day workshop for civil society organizations, Cllr. Verdier said the LACC cannot fight corruption alone. He noted that CSOs and the media, as watchdogs of society, can help the LACC fight corruption by exposing and raising public awareness on the existence of and threats posed by corruption. According to the Daily Observer, the workshop seeks to enhance partnership between the LACC and CSOs to make them active participants in the fight against corruption. The two-day workshop, which runs from March 29-30, 2017, brings together over thirty (30) civil society organizations and is being sponsored by the LACC and the USAID/LPAC project.

PPCC Fights Waste Abuse

The Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC) Wednesday donated 21 computers to the Ministries of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) and Justice (MOJ) to help mitigate waste and abuse during national budget execution. PPCC’s donation was funded by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to enhance the works of the Accounting Services Unit and the Economic Department of the two institutions when they are implementing the budget. Accounting Services Unit is responsible to process payment, while the Economic Department at the Ministry of Justice reviews contracts. Before presenting the computers to the Accounting Services Unit at a brief ceremony was held at the MFDP, PPCC Executive Director, Dorbor Jallah, said that there have been a lot of problems associated with the execution of the budget and that the project seeks to mitigate those problems, reports the Daily Observer.

VP Boakai Receives Over 55,000 Books for Liberian Schools

Vice President Joseph N. Boakai has received over 55,000 books from the Ihezie Foundation Book Relief Africa for schools in Liberia. The books are part of the project by the Ihezie Foundation to provide books to African schools. Speaking at the  formal presentation n of the books in London Tuesday, the Managing Director of the Ihezie Foundation, Mr. Michael Bloedom, said the books donation is in fulfillment of requests made to the foundation that will cover schools from the primary to the university levels, and described the project as ‘amazing’, the INSIGHT newspaper reads. Receiving the books that have already been shipped to Monrovia, vice President Boakai said the value of books is timeless and noted that the books will enhance the reading program in Liberia because, according to the Vice President, not many students can afford to buy books.

Related Caption: VP Boakai Receives Over 55,000 Books For Liberian Schools (Heritage)

Pavement Of Ganta Streets Kicks Off

Nimba County administration and Ministry of Public Works through its FRAM project Tuesday launched a 4.5 kilometer street pavement project in Ganta, the county’s commercial city. The project targets the asphalt pavement of two major streets, including the one running from the LPMC Junction passing through the LPMC bye-pass and connecting the Monrovia highway and another starting from the Ganta main street passing through one of the largest communities, Deakehmein, and ending at the LPMC back road. The project started immediately following the formal loaunch with Nimba County earth moving equipment grading the two streets targeted under the project, according to the state owned Liberia News Agency, the INSIGHT newspaper

reads.

Related Caption: Pavement Of Ganta Streets Kicks Off (Heritage)

Carter Center Trains Youth, Women In Access To Justice

Carter Center, a non-governmental organization operating in Liberia, has ended a six-day training of citizens of Nimba County in access to justice. The training was divided into three phases and targeted women groups, youth and traditional leaders from the 17 administrative districts of the county. The training was held under Carter Center’s Access to Justice Program that is being implemented in eight of Liberia’s 15 counties. According to an official of Carter Center, the training was intended to broaden the minds of locals on their roles and responsibilities in maintaining peace and ensuring a violence free environm3ent during and after the October 10 elections, the FOCUS newspaper reads.

Related Caption: Carter Center Trains Youth, Women In Access To Justice (Heritage)

Money Laundering, Terrorist Finaqncing Highlighted As Govt. Prepares To Combat

The Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Alex Cuffy, has said the Government of Liberia is exerting efforts to combat money laundering and terrorist financing around the world. He made the statement Tuesday in an interview with reporters at the start of a three-day national workshop on law and procedure of international criminal assistance at a local hotel in Monrovia. The training, which is being funded by the United States Government and the United Nations office on Drugs and Crime, brought together Judges, Magistrates, Prosecutors, Law enforcement officers from the Ministry of Justice and the FIU. According to him, the measures include the call for international cooperation and mutual assistance in criminal matters and how countries around the world can cooperate to bring to justice criminals that cross borders, the FOCUS newspaper reads.

Related Caption: Gov’t Acts To Combat Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing (Heritage)

Jordaan Hails Bility, Others For Leading The Way For Change in CAF

SA Football Association President Dr. Danny Jordaan has hailed Liberia football Chief Musa H. Bility for leading the quiet revolution that saw the end of Issa Hayatou as President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Jordaan also gave credit to CDOSAFA President, Dr. Phillip Chiyangwa, who was vocal in the campaign to get Hayatou ousted as Ghana FA President Kwesi Appiah, the INSIGHT newspaper reads.