BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

CAPITOL HILL, MONROVIA

NEWS SUMMARY, MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2020

Today’s edition of our daily summary captures stories on President Weah’s dedication of the Dolo Town bridge, President’s congratulatory message to Finland, a call for concerted efforts in the fight against corruption, Rep. Koffa’s call for peaceful election in Grand Kru County, training for technicians in energy sector by EPA, African Women Leadership Network’s donation to 18 female senatorial candidates, Transport Ministry’s launch of axel program as EU donates items and Turkish firm MNG  Gold gains confidence in more top Liberian staff among others.

President weah Dedicates Dolo’s Town Bridge                                                                             

A major Bridge linking Dolo’s Town to Unification Town in lower Margibi County has finally been constructed and dedicated by President George Weah on Friday December 4, 2020. The newly constructed solid concrete surrounded by coconut and plum trees with a deep river beneath and colored Red and Green, has over the Period been a major source of movement for the citizens of both Dolo’s Town and Unification town respectively. Due to its strategic position despite been a death trap then to the people who had no choice but are always coerced to cross over from one end to another at their own detriment also in the past led to the deaths of hundreds of citizens. However, the old age story is now over due to the invention of President George Weah through his government to finally alleviate the death trap from over our citizens, “we are extremely grateful, Mr. President”, said the Margibi District #2 Development Council Chairman Joseph Charley, In Profile Daily reports.

Pres. Weah Applauds Finland On Independence Day Observance

President George Manneh Weah has on behalf of the Government and People of Liberia, and in his own name, extended hearty congratulations to the Government and people of the Republic of Finland on the occasion commemorating the Independence Anniversary of that country. In the message to his Finnish counterpart Mr. Sauli Ninisto, President George Manneh Weah indicates that as Liberia joins Finland in celebrating its independence, Liberians will remember the invaluable contributions made by the Finnish Refugee Council in multiple areas of Liberia’s development agenda including vocational and entrepreneurship training and functional literacy and education. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a release dated 4 December says President Weah expresses hope that the friendly relations subsisting between the two countries and peoples will be further enhanced as both governments collaborate towards the stimulation of activities that will develop and enhance the skills of women and youth of Liberia,The New Dawn newspaper quotes a Foreign Ministry release. 

Unification Citizens Finally Get Land Ownership                                                                         

Over 70 years; squatters of Unification town in Margibi country have finally gotten land ownership. The latest relief to the people of Unification Town came as a result of constant and persistent advocacy from local leaders including Margibi County District #2 Representative Ivar Jones. The 97.4 acres Land to the people of Unification town, according to Rep. Jones, signifies the Slogan of the ruling party which states: ‘Power to the people, yes we must.’ “This is a clear indication for you to always elect people like President George Weah who will prioritize your interest”, Rep. Jones said. Historicizing the land situation, the lawmaker state former President William VS Tubman did for individuals and also former President William R. Tolbert did for just an institution, President Weah has done it under three years exclusively for the people of Unification City and not an individual or institution. Jones said he is not in any way carried away by opposition but will work to ensure that the dreams and aspirations of the government’s Pro-Poor agenda becomes a reality.  He encourages the people of Margibi County to support the Pro Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development for total development of their county and the county in general, The News newspaper writes.

 Wetlands Conservation Awareness Workshop Ends In Lake Piso                                                           

A one-day workshop basically designed to raise awareness and awaken the spirit of Wetlands promotion and conversation in nine West African countries including Liberia has ended in Lake Piso, Grand Cape Mount County, a release said. Jointly conducted by the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) and the Wetlands International Africa (WIA) on Saturday , December 5, 2020, a call for the submission of proposals from stakeholders was launched in the wake of a € 9,900,000 grant Provided by the European Union. The application for the grant begins December 20,2020 – January 20,2021, in line with the urgency attached. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) will implement the project entitled: “Managing Mangrove Forests from Senegal to Benin”, including the grand Mano landscape of sierra Leone and Liberia through Wetlands International Africa and the Collect if 5Delts who are co-applicants of the fund. The project will ensure the sustainability of regional governance of Protected Areas in West Africa, specifically it will link governance and production systems with mangrove conservation at the  territorial and is expected to achieve integrated protection of the diversity and fragile mangrove ecosystems and their greater resilience to climate change, The News newspaper discloses.

Catholic Secretariat Distributes Food To Teachers                                                                        

 As the Christmas season approaches, the National Catholic Education secretariat has begun the distribution of assorted food items to all catholic school teachers across the three archdiocese of Liberia. Speaking last Friday at the commencement of the food distribution exercise at St. Mary catholic School in Duala, the finance Officer of Catholic education Secretariat Archdiocese of Monrovia Jerry G Jallah said, the project is being funded by the German Embassy in Monrovia along with the catholic Relief services. Mr. Jallah said, the food is being distributed under the theme “Bridging an Emergency situation of Families Personnel of Catholic Schools of Liberia Through Food Assistance”. He said the food will be distributed in several counties including Nimba, Maryland, River Gee, Lofa, Bomi Gbarpolu, Sinoe, Bong, Margibi and Montserrado. According to The News newspaper, he disclosed that over 4000 bags of rice along with 2000 vegetable oil will be distributed among 2,000 teachers, putting the cost at US$99,000. Mr. Jallah indicated that every beneficiary will receive two bags of 25kg rice with one three-gallon vegetable oil. 

EPA, CI Conduct Training for Technicians In Energy Sector

With support from Conservation International (CI), the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia (EPA) over the weekend concluded a two-day technical training workshop in Monrovia for technicians in the energy sector on the methodologies and application of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines and software for data collection, analysis and reporting. The training was held under the auspices of the Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) Project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency or CBIT Project seeks to support, build and strengthen Liberia institutions’ capacity to implement the transparency elements of the Paris Climate Agreement. The training which attracted about 30 technicians representing the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Liberia Electricity Corporation, Rural and Renewable Energy Agency of Liberia, Liberia Petroleum Storage Company, Ministry of Transport and representatives of the private sector was based on the 2016 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventory including differences between the Revised 1996 and the 2006 IPCC Guidelines. The training also focused on exercises tailored towards enhancing understanding in the reporting guidelines, uncertainty analysis, key category analysis, approaches to data collection and reporting. It brought together three facilitators, who are technical expert reviewers of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and products of the prestigious Greenhouse Gas Management Institute (GHGMI) based in Seattle, Washington, USA, The New Dawnreports.

Churches, Mosques Embrace Campaign toEnd Violence Against Women

In an effort to enlighten the country on the need to stop all forms of violence against women, campaigners working in collaboration with Oxfam Liberia’s Enough Excuses project have visited churches and mosques, using few minutes of worshipers’ time to convey messages against violence against women. Speaking to this paper at the Philadelphia Central Church in Congo Town Sunday, 6 December, EU Project Coordinator at Oxfam Liberia Madam Comfort V. Somah – Dahn said her mission at the church is to raise awareness on the 16 days of activism. According to The New Dawnnewspaper, she explains that Oxfam wants the message to stop violence against women and girls to go out to more people; therefore it is using service time at the church and other worship centers to carry out the awareness. “This the time that we have to enlighten the country, we have to enlighten our citizens to eliminate violence against women. So it is an ideal time for us to use service time because we find that a lot of people are in service and the message is going to go across,” Madam Somah – Dahn said. 

Rep. Koffa Promotes Peaceful Election In Grand Kru

In an effort to promote peaceful election in Grand Kru County void of violence — mainly destruction of properties, as well as instigation of hates, invectives and divisions in the county during and after the electoral process, the campaign chairman of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) met two of the opposition frontrunners on Friday. Grand Kru County District #2 Representative Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, in a brief and separate meeting urged former District #2 Representative Numene T.H. Bartekwa and Dr. Alfred Toe Segbe to refrain from making any divisive and hate speeches and promote the values of peace and social cohesion during the electoral process. A staff to Rep. Koffa, who begged not to be named, said the campaign manager indicated that the county is the “common denominator” and everyone should uphold the peace. Former Representative Bartekwa and Dr. Segbe, accordingly, committed themselves against violence and hate speeches. The meetings were concluded with handshakes and group photos. The Friday meetings were held in the home of Rep. Koffa at Sasstown down beach. The CDC Grand Kru County Campaign manager furthered that the media should always lead in the promotion of peaceful electoral processes. Both rivals and opposition in the Grand Kru Senatorial race are running as independent while the main contender and incumbent, Dr. Coleman is on the CDC ticket, The New Dawn reports.

Turkish Firm Gains Confidence in More Top Liberian Staff

MNG Gold in Bong County is driving a new managerial strategy that seems to be gaining traction among Liberians working with the company. In two months, the company has promoted 14 staff in key junior and senior managerial positions – ranging from supervisor, to more senior managerial positions like superintendent and manager. From the engineering, mining, and information technology departments to the community relations section, three females and 11 males were promoted in late October this year. Samuel Darius Namaya, 34, was elevated to the position of Senior Accountant after working with the company for a little over two years. Namaya said getting the job was merit based but his promotion was due to his “ability to listen very well and learn new things”. In his time so far with the company, the Bong County native has been learning a lot from foreign accountants working with the company. “The company created the space and avenue for me to grow more professionally,” says Namaya, who was earlier promoted in 2019 as a Mine Accountant – a junior accountant position. “If MNG will still be around here, I will soon be one of the management accountants. Now that I am promoted, I feel more relaxed, but the challenge is more ahead of me just by hearing the General Manager congratulating me. “Namaya’s kinsman, Eugine J.M. Kollie was also promoted as the Government and Community Relations Superintendent, something he said did not come as a shock. Let me dispel the rumor that MNG Gold does not promote Liberians,” explains the 40-year-old native of Kokoya District, where the mining operation is taking place, the Heritage newspaper pens.

Transport Launches Axel Program As EU Donates Items

The Government of Liberia with funding support from the European Union (EU) under the auspices of the EU’s program Support for Governance in West Africa’s Transport Sector launched an Axle load control program on December 3, 2020, aimed at sustaining road investment by regulating overloading of vehicles by use of portable wheel load scales to help prevent early roads’ deterioration as well as sustain a harmonized integrated and sustainable transport network in Liberia. The event was in two segments; an in indoor  and outdoor programs which included Transport Minister Hon. Samuel A. Wlue, EU Ambassador H.E. Laurent Delahousse, and Deputy Finance Minister J. Augustus Flomo. The European Union handed over some items to the Ministry of Transport as its contribution towards the project, which includes 4WD - Nissan Pickups and 3 - wheel load scales by the EUD - Liberia for the implementation of the program. According to the EU Ambassador to Liberia H.E. Laurent Delahousse, he is very happy that the European projects could be done, and when he heard for the first time axle load control he thought it was something different and considered it to be an emblematic project. Also speaking, the Deputy National Authorizing Officer (DNAO) Atty. Martus Bangalu, Liberia like other West African countries was allotted funding from the European Union Regional Envelop through a financing agreement signed between the EU and ECOWAS/ West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), The Inquirer writes.

African Women Network Donates To 18 Female Candidates 

The Inquirer newspaper reports that the Liberia Chapter of the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) distributed $5,850 to 18 female candidates contesting in the December 8, 2020 senatorial election. Each candidate received $325 to support their campaign activities. The funding was secured from kind donors who are supportive of the cause of women’s participation in the political arena. Of the 116 candidates certified by the National Elections Commission (NEC) to participate in the election, 17 percent or 20 candidates are women. Ambassador Marjon Kamara, co-chair of the Liberia AWLN Chapter, said that the financial support is part of the organization’s commitment to increase and strengthen women’s political participation in Liberia. The Network, she said, is concerned about the low representation of women in the Legislature. Currently, Senator Nyonblee Karnga - Lawrence is the only female in the 30 - member senate. There are eight women in the 73 - member House of Representatives. “These statistics show that women’s representation in the Legislature, especially the Senate is very tenuous. Unless some of the female candidates succeed in their campaigns, Liberia may not have any women in its Senate. This would be shameful considering that Liberia produced the first democratically elected female president on the African Continent.”