The Bureau of Public Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

NEWS SUMMARY FOR THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 2017

Today’s edition of our summary of the local dailies carries news of the one-day “Special Presidential-Legislative Retreat Agenda convened by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the Liberian leader’s visit to the fire rag premise of the National Drug Service and the deportation of a national of Niger, Yakouba Ide, for alleged murder.

DOMINANT STORIES

President Sirleaf Convenes Special Presidential Cum Legislative Retreat

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Wednesday, June 7 convened a one-day “Special Presidential-Legislative Retreat Agenda at the Farmington Hotel in Margibi County. President Sirleaf admonished members of the National Legislature to facilitate the work and agenda of the Liberian people. President Sirleaf said the retreat was essential for the leadership of the National Legislature to exchange views on how they can get the work of the Liberian people done in one accord. President Sirleaf said the retreat was meant to see how they can clarify some issues relating to their own legislative work, reads the FrontPage Africa newspaper.

Related Captions: Ellen, Lawmakers Hold Closed-Door Retreat(The New Dawn), President Sirleaf Opens Special Presidential Cum Legislative Retreat(In Profile Daily)

President Sirleaf Visits National Drug Service; Identifies With ECOWAS Women

The INSIGHT newspaper reads that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has paid a working visit to the recently burnt warehouses and laboratory of the National Drug Service (NDS). President Sirleaf on Tuesday visited the John F. Kennedy Medical Center currently housing the NDS to assess the level of damage sustained by the entity as the result of the fire incident that occurred on May 31, 2017.  According to an Executive Mansion release, President Sirleaf made the visit on Tuesday, June 6, 2017. President Sirleaf was briefed by J.F.K. Chief Administrator, Dr. Winnie-Scott McDonald, upon arrival, on the level of damage done to the entity. Responding briefly to questions from journalists, President Sirleaf said it was a big set back to the country at this time. The affected warehouse was used to stockpile important medical supplies that are used for service delivery while the laboratory is the only testing center used by the Liberia Medicines and Health Product Regulatory Authority (LMHRA) to test the value of drugs coming into the country. Although the cause of the fire is yet to be established but the management has launched an investigation to establish the cause of the fire.  Meanwhile, President Sirleaf also met with a group of ECOWAS women in Liberia in the Fish Market Community to identify with their endeavor.

Related Captions: President Sirleaf Visits National Drug Service(In Profile Daily), President Sirleaf Inspects Fire Damage at NDS(Daily Observer)

Murder Suspect Deported to Face Trial in Ghana

A national of Niger accused of killing his fellow countryman, identified only as Hassan, was yesterday deported from Liberia to Ghana, where he is expected to stand trial for murder. Suspect Yakouba Ide, 27, was said to have stabbed Hassan in the neck with an object believed to be a cutlass, causing his death on April 30 this year, in Takoradi, a port city in the Western Region of Ghana. He subsequently fled to Liberia, but he was arrested on May 2, in Harper, Maryland County, reports the Daily Observer.

Related Captions: Murder Suspect Arrested-Niger Man Nabbed In Liberia After Killing Friend In Ghana(FrontPage Africa), LNP, Interpol Arrest, Hand Over ‘Murder” Suspect To Ghana (FOCUS)

OTHER STORIES

‘We Must Integrate The Diaspora In Our Policies On Migration’

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf says Liberia’s experience throughout the long-protracted conflict, when the state could not meet the basic needs of the Liberian people, provided the opportunity for Liberians in the Diaspora to send millions of the United States dollars as remittances to sustain their families. Therefore, she said, “We must integrate the Diaspora in our policies on migration.” She was speaking on Tuesday at the formal launch of the High-Level Panel on International Migration in the C. Cecil Dennis Jr. Auditorium at the Foreign Ministry in Monrovia. With Liberia’s example, President Sirleaf said remittances from Liberians in the Diaspora, which sustained families, allowed the state to somehow function without being able to provide services. She said there are aspects of the movement of people across countries and borders that can be looked at from various perspectives. She said migrants bring with them experience, knowledge, and talents that benefit the host country; while refuting an unverifiable theory that states that migrants take jobs from locals on such a scale that it undermines their prosperity. Earlier, Dr. Abdalla Hamdok, Interim Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, said the panel would like to see African countries make significant contributions to addressing the problems of migration. He said in many countries, there are problems associated with migrants that are concerns of states that often host them, the Daily Observer reports.

LEC Introduces GPRS Meter System

The Daily Observer says the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), has introduced the GPRS meter, claimed to be a sophisticated system that will prevent power theft. Mr. Foday S. Sackor, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director of LEC revealed that the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a mobile data service on the 2G and 3G cellular communication’s global system for mobile communications (GSM). The daily reads that Director Sackor made the disclosure yesterday during a campaign to replace rotten poles and check customers’ lines, which he said will continue throughout the rainy season. He said the campaign is intended to get more communities and homes connected.

Related Caption: Strengthening Liberia Electricity Corporation Networks Amid Rainfall(FrontPage Africa)

EU Launches Reproduced ‘Legends of Liberia’ Book

The European Union Delegation to Liberia will officially launch the re-edition of the book ‘Legends of Liberia’ on Thursday in Monrovia. The book has been reproduced with illustrations by Liberia-born Italian Graphic artist, Luca Bai Varaschini, with financial support from the European Union. According to the INSIGHT newspaper, the publication is a gem of folklore, arts and culture featuring oral stories from the tribes in the 15 counties of Liberia, stories traditionally passed from parents to children in unwritten forms. The book was first produced by Australian explorer, Peter Pinney, after President William V.S. Tubman requested him to compile and put into written form the oral stories of Liberia in order of preserve the rich cultural heritage of the country.

Mercy Corps Holds Energy Fair In Nimba

Mercy Corps, an international NGO, has held an Energy Fair in Ganta, Nimba County. The official launch of the fair brought together scores of citizens under the theme: “Awakening the Market for Renewable Energy.” According to the FOCUS newspaper, the Mercy Corps Energy Fair is part of a project the organization is currently implementing in the country called ‘Light Up Liberia’. Light Up Liberia focuses on the extension of energy sources through the sale and distribution of solar energy devices that are more affordable, safe and easy to use.

MoA To Recruit 100 Youths To Assist Farmers

The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) in partnership with the Liberia Agribusiness Development Activity (LADA) has disclosed that 100 youths with BSC degree in Agriculture will be recruited as volunteers to provide short-term extension related services to smallholder farmers across the country. The qualified youths when recruited will work with assigned County Agriculture Coordinators (CAC) in the various counties, local authorities and other stakeholders in the agriculture sector for a period of six months and will be duly paid. The Daily Observer quotes a MOA release as saying that the assignment focusses mainly on identifying and training smallholder farmer organizations and micro-processors in business management skills and cassava aggregation and processing. The daily says the program is part of the Liberian government’s ‘150 Days Deliverables’ initiative that seeks to further enhance food security in the country.

16 Trained In Data Collection For Four Concession Counties

The Daily Observer reads that at least 16 enumerators have been trained to carry out data collection in four concession areas in Grand Cape Mount, Nimba, Maryland and Sinoe counties. The training was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, and was recently held in Suakoko, Bong County. The enumerators are now being deployed to collect data that will be used by stakeholders as a driver to resolve conflicts in the four concession counties. It can be recalled that FAO, the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in January 2017, signed the “Strengthening National Reconciliation through improved understanding of Conflict Drivers in Concession Areas and Establishment of Stakeholder Platforms” project. In this project, the FAO is responsible for conducting a study on the impact of concession operations on the traditional use of forest resources. The objective of the study, according to the FAO facilitator, is to identify the main drivers of conflicts in concessions, especially in communities that are natural-resource-reliant.