BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

CAPITOL HILL, MONROVIA

NEWS SUMMARY, WEDNESDAY,  DECEMBER 9, 2020

Today’s edition of our regular media summary captures stories on Foreign Minister urging Liberia’s Diplomats to deliver maximum representation, President Weah hailing peaceful process after casting ballot, the call for proper probing into distribution of public health facilities, the donation of several buckets and the dedication of high school in Butaw among other stories.

Amb. Kemayah Urges Liberia’s Diplomats to Deliver Maximum Representation concludes  Four Days Virtual Retreat For Ambassadors

                                                                                                                          Liberia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Amb Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr., has encourage Liberian Ambassadors, Consul Generals, Chargé d’Affaires and other diplomatic staff across the globe to ensure that they deliver maximum representation for the Liberian People through their respective services abroad. Speaking at the start of a four-day virtual retreat for Ambassadors and Heads of Mission, Amb. Kemayah reiterated his commitment to working towards the much needed support that his colleagues desire in the field to complement their efforts. “This retreat is intended, as one of the objectives, to ensure that through your respective service abroad our emphasis which is on economic and development diplomacy can be realized not only to the benefit of the Liberian people, but to the actualization of the vision and agenda of His Excellency President Weah”, Amb. Kemayah noted.  The Virtual retreat, which was held from Tuesday-Friday, December 1-4, 2020, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Monrovia, brought together both participants at the home office who made in-person contributions, as well as the twenty-five ambassadorial missions and two consulates which participated virtually, The Analyst newspaper write.

Related Captions:Amb. Kemayah Urges Liberia’s Diplomats To Deliver Maximum Representation Concludes Four Days Virtual Retreat for Ambassadors(In Profile newspaper), Amb. Kemayah Urges Liberia’s Diplomats to Deliver Maximum Representation (Heritage Newspaper)  and MOFAClimaxes 4-Day Ambassadorial Retreat (The Inquirer newspaper)

LAS Wants Proper Probe Into Distribution of Public Health Facilities

The Executive Director of the Liberia Albino Society, Madam Patricia Logan, said it is troubling the manner and form in which drugs were distributed recently to public health facilities across the Country. Making specific reference to the Albinism Clinic located in Logan Town, outside Monrovia, Madam Logan disclosed that unlike before they received inadequate supplies contrary to what was disclosed to the public. “We used to received drugs cartoons but now, we are receiving them in dozens”, the LAS boss added. She alleged that their December supplies were short of the family planning component, quoting one Ousman from the Central Medical Stores former the National Drugs Service (NDS) that is left in the system, this she stressed, requires proper investigation. She wondered why will the Head of Central Medical Store only identified as one Boakia informed the Liberian people on the local media that they have sufficient drugs to serve to all public health facilities but in actuality, it is a complete different story, asserting that it is very unfair. She also disclosed that statistical documents for the drugs distribution in their possession appears to be fake with written pen marks instead of the usual computer prints, this should also be investigated, Patricia added, attests the Heritage newspaper.

Related Caption:LAS Calls for Proper Investigation into Drugs Distribution to Public Health Facilities (In Profile newspaper)

Pres. Weah Hails “Peaceful, Smooth Voting Process”After Casting His Ballot

“I just voted. It is very smooth. People are calm. I came to the polling center to exercise my franchise ,” President George Weah told journalists at the Kendija Public School in the Rehab Community where he cast his vote on Tuesday, December 8, 2020. The President, on the eve of Election Day, had cautioned Liberians to go about voting calmly. And having participated, he said his assessment was that the voting process at his precinct was underway in a “peaceful” manner, calling on other centers around the country to remain peaceful as well. “At the end of the day the result will come out and those that will be elected will win … the country needs peace,” said President Weah. Liberians in the 15 counties eligible to vote are casting their ballots to choose new senators for the Legislature. Inclusive of the elections are the two  by - elections for Montserrado’s District #9 and Sinoe’s District #2 caused by the deaths of two Representatives (Munah Pelham-Youngblood and Jay Nagbe Sloh). Another important component of the election is a national constitution referendum to possibly amend articles 28, 45 47, 48, 49, 50 and 83 (a) and (b) of the 1986 constitution of Liberia, reports Inprofile Daily newspaper

GVL Dedicates High School in Butaw

More than 350 children in Butaw Community and its surroundings are enjoying a new High School and a teacher’s residence with a full sanitation facility valued at USD$128,000.00 constructed and dedicated recently by Southeastern Liberia’s oil palm company, Golden Veroleum (Liberia) Inc. (‘GVL’). The projects are in fulfillment of many project commitments made to the people of Butaw in the Memorandum of Understanding Incorporating Social Agreement (MOUSA) signed between GVL and Butaw District Communities on February 10, 2017. The construction of the High School in the area which is the first of its kind, now avoid students from travelling long distances to acquire high school education. Prio to the school dedication, the company provided 350 pieces of arm chairs and learning materials to support the school and rescue students from sitting on concrete blocks, and baboon plated chairs. According to the Inquirer newspaper, speaking at the dedicatory ceremony held on the school campus, GVL Vice President for Sustainability, Strategy, and Stakeholder’s engagement, Elvis G. Morris, lauded his team and the people of Butaw for the collaboration and said that the company is faced with many challenges but remains committed to fulfilling the promises made in the Memorandum of Understanding and Social Agreements signed between the Butaw Community and Golden Veroleum (Liberia) Inc.

Medica Liberia Donates

Medica Liberia has donated several office supplies and stationaries to the national call center through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) in Monrovia. The items donated to the national call center include 2 dell computers, 4 cartoons of A4 papers, 30 box folders, 8 boxes of pen, cartridge ink, flip charts, among other things intended to support the national call center. The national call center is a free hotline that offers psychosocial services to women and girls who report cases of sexual and gender based violence, maternal health as well as protection issues for children. Presenting the items on behalf of medica Liberia, Montserrado County Coordinator, Madam Evelyn Cassell acknowledged the work done by the MoGCSP for women and girls in the counties but added that medica Liberia also understands the constraints involved and has offered its support to enhance the effectiveness of the national call center. Upon receiving the items, Deputy Minister Alice Johnson Howard appreciated medica Liberia for the level of support it continues to render to the Ministry in all its work especially during the COVID 19, ML stood by the gender ministry and created awareness on the Domestic Violence Law and Sexual Gender Based Violence in the countries, says the Inquirer newspaper.

Cities Alliance Donates Several Buckets, Others

As the second wave of coronavirus is swearing once again, Cities Alliance has begun the distribution of several hand washing buckets anti covid-19 materials to residents of informal settlement. The organization began the distribution of the materials on Monday, December 7, 2020 in the slum communities of Clara Town, Doe Community and other areas. “We are working in the informal settlement across greater Monrovia and so when we learned about the outbreak of the COVID-19 some months ago, we donated some hands washing materials to the Monrovia City Cooperation (MCC) and the Ministry of internal Affairs. But we have realized that it will also be good for us to go down to the grassroots to make some donations to people who are living in the informal settlement,” the Cities Alliance head stated. “Today we are here in Clara Town with funding from the Foreign Commonwealth Development office (FCDO) to donate hands washing buckets, soap, chloride and hand sanitizers to the most vulnerable people. This is for people who cannot afford, it is not polities please, and we are not giving this in a politics arena,” he continued, read the Heritage newspaper.

EJS Leads ECOWAS Observer Mission To Ghana Calls on Ghanaians to Uphold Democracy                                                                                                              

   As she lead the ECOWAS Observer Mission in Ghana for National elections in that country, Liberia’s former president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has urged all Ghanaian citizens to uphold Ghana’s status as a beacon of democracy and turn out in record number and vote peacefully. The former Liberian leader made the comments on her Twitter feed on Monday, in homage to her role as a key transformer of democracy on a continent whose member states worked exceedingly overtime to maintain peace in her own homeland during its own internal strife. Madam Sirleaf serves as ECOWAS observer boss for elections in which Ghanaians headed to the polls on Monday in a highly contested vote between President Nana Akufa-Addo and John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress party (NDC). John Mahama, the younger of the two rivals, is running for the third time, while Nana Akufo Addo of the New Patriotic Party is running for the fourth time. As in Liberia, the Ghana electoral body has come under intense criticism for overhauling the voter register on the cusp of the elections. The consolation with Ghana’s elections, though, is that their own Commission has promised to announce results within 24 hours, The Analyst newspaper notes.