Tuesday, 6 March 2018

LIBERIA MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

President Weah Makes Additional Appointments in Government, Sources: Daily OBSERVER, Executive Mansion News, and FrontPage Africa

President George Weah has made additional appointments in government. Those appointed include Nathaniel Blama, executive director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Henry Williams, executive director of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA); Rev. Fetus Logan, executive director of the Liberia Refugee Repatriation & Resettlement Commission (LRRRC); Duannah Siryon, managing director of the National Housing Authority (NHA); Samson Dee, director of the Liberia Business Registry (LBR); Bishop Alex Dixon, director of the Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS); Kwame Weeks, director-general of the Liberia News Agency (LINA); and Marcus Jones, director-general of the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI). The appointments are subject to confirmation by the Liberian Senate where applicable. Read more

President Weah’s Choice for LWSC Tainted with Corruption, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and FrontPage Africa

President George Weah’s nominee for deputy managing director of the Liberia Water & Sewer Corporation (LWSC) was in 2015 dismissed from the entity for acts amounting to corruption and conflict of interest. Mr. Moseray Momoh served as procurement expert for the Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Project (UWSSP), but was relieved from his post in July 2015 following his double standard in a bid for some works on the Water Treatment Plant at White Plains. Read more

President George Weah Turns to Nigeria’s Ailing Education Sector For 6,000 Teachers, Sources: FrontPage Africa and The Nation

President George Weah has turned to Nigeria to help clean Liberia’s messy education sector with the provision of 6,000 teachers, but the Federal Republic is also grappling with the same ailment in their education sector. In October 2017, the state of Kaduna was compelled to lay off some 21,000 primary school teachers after they all failed an exam intended for six-year-old. According to a BBC report, State Governor Nasir El-Rufai said 21,780 teachers, two-thirds of the total, had failed to score 75 percent or higher on assessments given to pupils. He said 25,000 new teachers would be recruited to replace them.

Speaking to journalists after his meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, President Weah identified some of the urgent problems facing his country as youth unemployment, as well as the need to revive the education, agriculture, mining, and health sectors.

“Your sustained technical assistance for capacity building in these sectors is most welcome. For example, Nigerian teachers and medical volunteers to Liberia, under the Technical Assistance Corps TAC) Agreement with Liberia, have been very crucial in boosting capacity development in Liberia, and it is my hope that this assistance can be considerably increased to address with urgency our most pressing socio-economic needs at this time. More specifically, under the Bilateral Teacher Exchange programme, we are seeking 6,000 plus teachers to make up for the shortage of good teachers in our educational system,” the Liberian leader said.

He thanked his Nigerian counterpart for the invitation extended him. President Weah said his delegation was on a mission of gratitude and respect for the extraordinary and exceptional role that Nigeria has played in keeping the West African region sub-region stable and peaceful. “Our people have voted for change, and for hope. And change is finally here. But mere political change is meaningless without development, prosperity, and growth", Weah said. Read more

Liberia Opened For Business - President Weah Tells Nigerian Counterpart, Source: FrontPage Africa

President George Weah has declared that Liberia is now opened for business to the world, especially Nigerian private sector investors, who are strong players in the rapid growth of the African continent. President Weah said there is a need to address the current trade volume between the two countries, which is very low and does not exceed five million dollars. The president made the remarks in Abuja, Nigeria during his official visit to that sisterly nation.

An Information Ministry dispatch from Abuja, Nigeria says the Liberian leader named electricity, housing, fisheries and mining as some of the key areas Nigerians could invest. "There are also major shortcomings in the electricity and power sectors, in road construction, in housing, in mining, and in fisheries, to name a few, that could be of serious interest to Nigerian investors, either as individuals or companies, or through joint-ventures or public-private partnerships," the Liberian leader said. The dispatch further said President Weah called on Nigerian business leaders to come to Liberia and explore the many available opportunities. Read more

“GOL Will Encourage STEM Education in Liberia,” Vice President Promises, Source: Daily OBSERVER

Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor has disclosed advanced discussions with lawmakers on the possibility of extending Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to schools outside of Monrovia. “Firstly let me thank Senator Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence for encouraging the kids in science and technology, because this is what those in Western countries where children are encouraged in this program as early as second and third grades, so it means we are way behind,” the former Bong County Senator said. Vice President Taylor made the remarks during the Second National Robotic Competition held in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County. Read more

Speaker Urges “Audit” of Past Government, Source: Daily OBSERVER

The Daily Observer reports that within just 42 days of sitting of the 54th Legislature and, amid sentiments expressed by some lawmakers echoing President George Weah’s declared “broken economy and broke government”, House Speaker Bhofal Chambers has disclosed that the Legislature would request for an audit to probe the causes of the “broke government” after 12 years of the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidency.

President Weah, the 54th Legislature inherited a broke government, of which the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) has admittedly said as of January 22, 2018, it has as a balance in the national coffers, USD5,637,941 and LRD534,146,445 respectively.

In a rather strident tone, Speaker Chambers told journalists on Friday that the “audit” would be like taking stock or an inventory of what happened that led to the “money problem” as well as to take corrective measures. “Basically we have to be able to take stock (audit); it’s something that is genuinely realistic. We are going to do proper due diligence so as to make the people have an appreciation of the state of the country economy,” Chambers said. Read more

Lawmaker Calls on Lawyers to Recuse Themselves from Concession Agreement Committee, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and FrontPage Africa

Representative Vincent Willie is calling on members of the Special Committee established by President George Weah to review all concession agreements in the country to recuse themselves or be made to resign from the committee in order to avert any possible conflict of interest. Representative  Willie said he has gathered sufficient pieces of evidence that some members of the committee, who are lawyers, have either provided legal counsel for concession companies or they are currently providing legal services for concession companies in the country.

Those appointed to the committee are presidential legal advisor Archie Bernard, chairman; Cllr. T. Negbalee Warner, vice chairman; and presidential economic advisor Charles Bright, member. Other members are Cllr. Necular Edwards, Cllr. Bendu Clark, Juah Nancy Cassell, Cllr. Jallah Barbu, Cllr. Teplah Reeves, and Cllr. David Jallah. 

The committee was mandated to review and ensure that all contracts entered into by the Liberian government and concessionaires are executed according to agreed principles in accordance with the Laws of Liberia.  Read more

Liberia Maritime Commissioner Admits to GAC Claims of Financial Inefficiency, Source: FrontPage Africa

Senior officials of the Liberia Maritime Authority (LiMA) have admitted to several financial irregularities revealed by the audit report of the General Auditing Commission (GAC) on the LiMA for the Fiscal Years ended June 30, 2013 to June 30, 2015. Appearing before the Legislature’s Joint Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the head of LiMA, Dr. James Kollie said all the issues raised in the report are true, but measures have been put in place to correct them so as to avoid reoccurrence. In the audit report, the LiMA was accused of failing to implement the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the government and the entity maintained seven bank accounts with three banking institutions and failed to conduct monthly bank reconciliations of those accounts. Read more

By-Elections in Liberia May Not Be Possible Due to Financial Constraints, Source: FrontPage Africa

FrontPage Africa reports that Liberia could be heading into a serious constitutional crisis as uncertainties hang over the conduct of two by-elections for the Senate due to unclear commitment regarding finances to conduct the elections. The National Elections Commission (NEC), which should conduct elections in two separate by-elections for Montserrado and Bong Counties within 90 days, has complained that there is no money to carry out the process. It has put the budget to around USD3.9 million for the conduct of the by-elections in both counties.

As it stands, it is not clear whether there will be by-elections that would find replacers for the two former Senators, George Weah and Jewel Howard Taylor. Both were elected to the nation’s highest offices – President and Vice President – in the December 2017 runoff election. 

According to the NEC chairman Cllr. Jerome Korkoya, the electoral commission is yet to receive a formal response from the government regarding the final budget or a schedule of commitments and payments. Read more

LEC Wants Special Court to Fight Power Theft –Says 49% losses hampering entity, Source: Daily OBSERVER

The Liberia Electricity Corporation’s (LEC) chief executive officer, John Ashley, has stressed the need for the corporation to work with the lawmakers to set up a special court to handle issues relating to power theft, which now causes the entity to lose 49 percent of its power generation. The court, if set up, Mr. Ashley believes will address the huge losses at the corporation. The LEC chief executive officer, who spoke with reporters Monday at the corporation’s Waterside office in Monrovia, said that the energy corporation losses approximately 49 percent of power generation to theft, which he considered as ‘alarming and worrisome.’ According to Mr. Ashley, commercial losses occur as the result of the theft, non-payment of bills, bypassing the meters, and illegal connections of people and businesses. Read more

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ON LIBERIA

Weah to Buhari: Change without development meaningless …seeks Nigeria’s support for economy, Source: New Telegraph

Newly-elected President of Liberia, George Weah, has told President Muhammadu Buhari that any democratic change that comes without development, prosperity, and growth remains meaningless. Weah met with Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja yesterday.

The one-time World Footballer of the Year was sworn in as Liberian president on January 22, 2018. Weah won the Liberian presidential election as a candidate of the opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC). Speaking during a press briefing, Weah said that he had promised change to his people during the electioneering and needed to impact on the citizens.

His words: “Campaigns, election, and inauguration are now over and the real work of governance has begun in Liberia. Hope is high and expectations are even higher. “Our people have voted for change, which is finally here. But mere change is meaningless without development, prosperity, and growth.” The Liberian leader, therefore, appealed to President Buhari to support the recovery of his country’s failing economy. Read more

George Weah: Nigeria, Liberia $5m trade volume too low, Source: Today NG

President George Weah of Liberia has described as ‘too low’, the current trade volume between both countries estimated to be at $5 million. President Weah, who spoke during a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, admitted that his country’s economy was dwindling. He, however, acknowledged that it would need Nigeria’s private sector to remain afloat. He also appealed to Nigerian banks thinking of closing shop in Liberia because of the dwindling economy, not to do so as his administration has plans to revamp the economy that will benefit investors in the country. The former international footballer who was sworn in as president last January blamed much of the economic crisis on falling prices of the country’s major exports and unfavorable foreign exchange rate. Read more

Weah seeks Nigeria’s help to jump-start Liberia’s economy, Sources: Daily Trust and The Guardian

President George Weah of Liberia has appealed to Nigeria for assistance to jump-start his country’s diminishing economic fortunes. Weah made the appeal yesterday during a state visit to Nigeria where he met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. “Our people have voted for change, and for hope. And change is finally here. But mere political change is meaningless without development, prosperity, and growth. Your Excellency, we need Nigeria’s help to jump-start our economy,” the Liberian President said. Read more

Liberian president to speak at Africa CEO forum, Sources: Pulse and Sundiata Post

Liberian President George Weah will share his strategy for laying the groundwork for Liberia’s economic transformation with over 1,200 business leaders, investors, and decision-makers at the Africa CEO Forum which holds on 26 and 27 of March 2018. According to the organizers, the election of Weah as President of Liberia in December of 2017, raises tremendous hopes for the country’s economic re-emergence. “This is an immense challenge and coupled with the expectations of Liberia’s young population, it provides strong motivation for President Weah to meet with investors at the AFRICA CEO FORUM”, a statement from the organizers reads. Read more

Disclaimer
 

This media summary consists of selected local media articles for the information of UN personnel. The public distribution of this media summary is a courtesy service extended by UNMIL on the understanding that the choice of articles included is exclusive, and the contents do not represent anything other than a selection of articles likely to be of interest to a United Nations readership. The inclusion of articles in this summary does not imply endorsement by UNMIL.

 

 

 

 

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