• President Weah promises to be agent of positive change, Source: New The ANALYST
• Be hope givers, avoid parochial interest, Vice President Taylor tells Senators, Sources: New DEMOCRAT and The ANALYST
• Agent of Positive Change? Source: The New Dawn
• Senate: only Liberians will be confirmed, Sources: New DEMOCRAT and The ANALYST
• Representative Mensah Stresses Empowerment for Women, Source The New Dawn
• INCHR Urges President Weah to be Cautious about Human Rights, Source: The INQUIRER
• Trial Judges President Brags of Integrity, Denies Media Reports, Source: The INQUIRER
• “A Dream Come Thru” Amb. Browne hails President Weah’s vision for Liberian businesses, Source: The ANALYST
• Commercial Motorcycling Hampering Youths’ Pursuit of Higher Education, Source: Daily OBSERVER
• 50,000 West Point inhabitants benefit from purifying water, Source: New DEMOCRAT
• Liberians in Gambia celebrate President Weah’s inauguration, Source: The Point

President Weah promises to be agent of positive change, Source: New The ANALYST

The paper reported that President George Weah has promised Liberians that he will be an agent of positive change while thanking Liberians for the mandate given him as the 24th president of Liberia. The paper quoted an Executive Mansion release as saying the president made the comment Monday when he took the oath of office.

Be hope givers, avoid parochial interest, Vice President Taylor tells Senators, Sources: New DEMOCRAT and The ANALYST

Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor has implored the Senate to put aside personal interest, in her first-day address to her colleagues as President of the Senate. “We will put aside all actions and attitudes which engender perceptions, diversity, and rivalry among us,” Vice President Taylor said.  Mrs. Taylor told the Senators that President Weah’s agenda would be supported by the legislature.

Agent of Positive Change? Source: The New Dawn

Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor has formally taken office as President of the Liberian Senate, outlining the enormous challenges awaiting the new government headed by President George Weah. “Out there, we see an ocean of unemployed youth, the unquenched desire for the economic and political empowerment of women and an emaciated people wailing for emancipation and relief,” said Vice President Taylor. However, she urged members of the Senate, “We must convince them that in these chambers we are doing nothing chambers them that in these chambers we are doing nothing but our very best to address these inadequacies.”

Senate: only Liberians will be confirmed, Sources: New DEMOCRAT and The ANALYST

Reports say the Senate has set up guidelines at its Tuesday’s session which it will follow for the confirmation of nominees appointed by the president. The guidelines among other things state that only Liberian citizen will be confirmed while warning against nominees submitting fake credentials and lying under oath.  Under the guideline, falsification would be considered a perjury and prosecutable.

Representative Mensah Stresses Empowerment for Women, Source The New Dawn

Bong County Representative Moima Briggs Mensah says women’s empowerment is one of the priorities on her agenda, this paper reports. Speaking to reporters in Salala in Bong County recently, Representative Mensah she has been working with women in her district and other parts of Bong and Liberia, adding she looks forward to having some partners to bring relief to women through loans and skills programs.

INCHR Urges President Weah to be Cautious about Human Rights, Source: The INQUIRER

The Independent National Commission of Liberia (INCHR) is calling on President George Weah to be cautious about human rights issues and to do all in his reach to ensure the promotion and protection of the rights of all citizens and residents within Liberia. According to the rights commission, the right to free speech, political participation, and other civil and political rights which President Weah promised to protect during his inaugural address must be complemented by the fulfillment of economic, social, and cultural rights which include the right to basic quality education, health care, electricity, transportation among others.

Trial Judges President Brags of Integrity, Denies Media Reports, Source: The INQUIRER

The president of the Liberia Trial Judges Association has refuted media report of a leadership crisis and boast of integrity, saying he was concerned with the recent media report that there is a crisis in the association. Judge Roosevelt Willie said as president, he was sworn to uphold and protect the constitution of the association so they can go ahead with the elections. The Trial Judges Association president stated that the recent media report of a crisis in the association is coming from detractors, but they will not be deterred because the elections will go accordingly as planned. 

“A Dream Come Thru” Amb. Browne hails Pres. Weah’s vision for Liberian businesses, Source: The ANALYST

Liberia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Lewis Browne has hailed President George Weah for pinpointing what he calls major challenges faced by Liberians in his inaugural speech on Monday. In an interview with journalists following the induction event, Ambassador Browne said the president identification of the needs of local businesses should be followed by removing unnecessary regulatory hindrances and prosecution of corrupt officials.  He said if Liberian businesses are given priority under the new administration, it would create more job opportunities for Liberians.

Commercial Motorcycling Hampering Youths’ Pursuit of Higher Education, Source: Daily OBSERVER

A civil society organization has released what it referred to as ‘useful data’ to support the new government’s education and youth development programs. The data is contained in a report titled: A Decade Without Higher Education, which details findings from a study conducted in September and October 2017 that sought to understand the level of education attained by local commercial motorcycle and taxi drivers within the last decade. There are an estimated 40,000 commercial motorcyclists in the country. Open Liberia’s executive director, Samuka Konneh, warned that in another decade from now, and as attractive as the commercial motorcycle sector remains, more and more young people will fail to attain higher education – thereby increasing the number of illiterates and school-dropouts in the country.

50,000 West Point inhabitants benefit from purifying water, Source: New DEMOCRAT

According to the New Democrat, at least 50,000 inhabitants of the populated slum community of West Point in the suburb of Monrovia benefited from a standardized bio-sand filter for water purification. The facility was presented to the township by the Alternative to Violence Project-Liberia, Student Initiative, Rescue women, and Peaceful United Lutheran Church among other groups. Speaking Friday, the coordinator of the Alternative to Violence  Project-Liberia, Philip Quoqui said over  40 people have been trained to manage the filter. “We need to be on the alert because there are so many water-borne diseases,” Mr. Quoqui added.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ON LIBERIA

Liberians in Gambia celebrate President Weah’s inauguration, Source: The Point

Liberian community in The Gambia Monday celebrated the swearing-in and the inauguration of their country’s newly elected President George M. Weah at the Manjai mini-stadium. The former footballer replaces the West African state’s former president and the first African elected female President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf who also appeared at Monday’s ceremony at the fully-packed Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium in Paynesville, outside the country’s capital, Monrovia. Mr. Weah was the only African footballer to have won the prestigious Ballon d’Or. He led the first round of the December polls but ran short of the majority to win.

“This day is historic and every Liberian must learn to appreciate their little beginnings no matter how little they may be because appreciating your little beginnings is evidence that greater things are coming,” Thong Mikel Howard, guest speaker of the event said. He said President Weah’s life is a classic example that every individual face different situations, choices, chances, and changes. “You must make a choice to take the chance if you want your life to change,” he cited. Read more