Bureau of Public Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

DAILY NEWS SUMMARY FOR THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2018

News of the high-level tax policy dialogue held in Kigali, Rwanda by the African Tax Administration Forum and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s warning to businesses hiking the price of onion on the Liberian market are among stories highlighted in today’s edition of our summary of the local dailies.

African Finance Ministers Urged To Improve Tax Policies

The African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) has ended a high-level tax policy dialogue in Kigali, Rwanda, with a conclusion to improve tax policies that will enhance domestic resource mobilization.The African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) is an organisation which was established by African revenue authorities in 2009, in order to improve the performance of tax administrations in Africa. According to the Daily Observer, the tax policy dialogue hosted by the Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) is the second edition of ATAF’s High-level Tax Policy Dialogue that is aimed at harmonizing and strengthening Africa’s position in the international tax arena. Quoting a dispatch from the ATAF the daily reads that over 120 officials from Ministries of Finance and African tax administrations of 21 countries, parliamentarians, civil society, business and other top financial institutions, including the African Development Bank, were represented at the dialogue.Liberia, being a member country of ATAF, was represented at the dialogue in Kigali by Decontee King-Sackie, Acting Commissioner General of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA).

MOCI Warns Businesses Against Hoarding, Hiking Onion Price-US$6.00 For Onion Bag

The Daily Observer reports that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, (MOCI) said it has received information on an alleged shortage of onion on the Liberian market, a situation that is contributing to hoarding and hiking of onion price on the market.“We want to inform the general public and consumers that there is an adequate supply of onion on the Liberian market as it is being speculated,” the ministry said in a statement issued on Monday.“Those engaged in price hiking of onions must stop, as the price of onions is US$6.00 or its equivalent in Liberian dollars,” the Ministry said.The ministry has called on businesses involved in hoarding and hiking the price of onion to desist from such unscrupulous behavior as the act is a violation of the Competition law of Liberia, which provides penalty ranging from US$1.00 to US100,000.00 as a fine, the Ministry said.

CSO Platform Wants GoL Comply With UNHRC Reports On Human Rights Violation

The Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform of Liberia has intensified its call for the Government of Liberia to comply with the concluding observations adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as the full implementation of its recommendations. The Daily Observer reports that the CSOs’ call comes in the wake of the United Nations Human Rights Committee’s consideration of Liberia’s initial reports at its 305 and 3451 meetings held in July, 2018 in Swaziland.  The committee, according to the CSOs, adopted its concluding observations which highlighted recommendations made by the Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform of Liberia, CSO groups and other stakeholders.

SOS Liberia & Penn State University Empowers 30 Adolescent Girls From 15 Schools In Monrovia

The INSIGHT newspaper reads that the SOS Children’s Villages Liberia in collaboration with students from the University of Pennsylvania in the United States have concluded a one-month summer program. The summer program was a learning program that seeks to empower adolescent girls to be confident leader in their communities. The forum which was held at the SOS Children’s Villages Liberia National office in Matadi under the theme “promoting education and cultivating leadership” brought together over thirty students from various high schools in Monrovia and its environs. Addressing the participants, SOS Children’s Villages Liberia National Director, Mr. Augustine A. Allieu told the audience that some of the reasons why we must empower girl is as the result of the United Nations and Partners October 11, 2015 gathering which highlights the importance of girls to achieving the global goals for sustainable development. He noted “to reach our global goals, we have to reach girls.” He maintained that indeed, the summer program is very much in line with the SOS global theory of change for youth development, which has “life skills development” as a key component. Adding “It is also in line with the SOS Care promise framework, part of which is about child development.”

Related Captain: SOS Liberia & Penn State University empowers 30 Adolescent Girls from 15 schools in Monrovia(Daily Observer)

NaFAA, MOA Staff Complete AfDB Training On Enhanced Data Collection

Directors and managers of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) and the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) have completed a week-long International Training Course in Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) for Agricultural Surveys.The CAPI training, which was sponsored by the African Development Bank (AfDB), got underway on Monday, July 23, at NaFAAMesurado Pier on Bushrod Island. It was intended to secure real-time data submission, capture and collect data offline/off grid in remote areas, integrate synchronized data into database systems for drastic reduction in the cost of data collection and collation; timely reporting; receiving real-time reporting on web and user-friendly reporting dashboards.NaFAA Deputy Director General for Technical Services William Boah, said the support from AfDB is intended to build the capacity of the research and statistics arm of the entity and MoA’s statistics house in the development of CAPI as a tool for data collection, reports the Daily Observer.