• President Sirleaf’s Legislative Agenda Runs Aground, Source: Daily OBSERVER
• House Adjourns, Shelving Ellen’s Last-minute Bills, Sources: Daily OBSERVER, FrontPage Africa, News Public Trust, and The New Dawn
• CSO Wants CDC-led Government Prosecute Officials Indicted for Economic Crimes, Source: FrontPage Africa
• Cummings Wants ‘Excellent’ Education Prioritized -Commits to Private Investment, Source: FrontPage Africa
• Prez. Sirleaf Dedicates USD8M Water Treatment Plant, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and FrontPage Africa
• MSF Dedicates First Pediatric Surgery Unit in Liberia, Source: FrontPage Africa
• Vice President Boakai Donates Fire Truck, Medical Supplies, Source: Daily OBSERVER
• China ready to work with Liberia, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and The New Dawn
• Liberia Rape Law In the Female-led Government: How Did Liberian Women Benefit?, Source: Liberian Dialogue   
• Briefing of Mr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas to the Security Council on recent developments in West Africa and the Sahel, Sources: APO and CNBCA Africa

President Sirleaf’s Legislative Agenda Runs Aground, Source: Daily OBSERVER

The last sitting of the 53rd Senate finally ended Thursday with the President Pro-Tempore, Senator Armah Jallah declaring the 6th Session adjourned but without passing or ratifying a single item on its loaded agenda as called for by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. The next time the 30 Senators convene will be on Tuesday to elect its new corps of leaders including the President Pro-Tempore and other operatives of the Senate Secretariat and Chamber.  Read more

House Adjourns, Shelving Ellen’s Last-minute Bills, Sources: Daily OBSERVER, FrontPage Africa, News Public Trust, and The New Dawn

The House of Representatives Thursday adjourned the 53rd Legislature without acting on much-unfinished business, including all the listed bills of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, which she described as “draft bills of vital importance to the economy and revenue generation.”

“We hereby adjourn to meet on Monday, January 15, to attend to the transitional ceremony of the 53rd Legislature to the 54th Legislature,” outgoing Speaker J. Emmanuel Nuquay said as he knocked the gavel.

However, in an interview, Speaker Nuquay said the House adjourned without the approval of any of the bills for which President Sirleaf recalled them for. ”There are issues…. there are concerns, many Liberians felt quite strongly that at this point in time, during the transition, it’s not the time to legislate bills that will have a far-reaching impact on the governance of the republic, taking into consideration that the new government will be inaugurated on January 22,” the outgoing House Speaker said. Read more

CSO Wants CDC-led Government Prosecute Officials Indicted for Economic Crimes, Source: FrontPage Africa

The Civil Society and Trade Union Institutions of Liberia (CTIL) has called on the President-elect, Senator George Weah to investigate government officials indicted for economic crimes by the General Auditing Commission (GAC) and other anti-graft institutions. CTIL president Jefferson Knight at a news confab Thursday said: “Let me sound this as a caveat to the CDC-led administration that individuals indicted for economic crimes by the GAC and other anti-graft institutions must not be given any place until their names are cleared.” Knight further stated that the new administration must ensure that corruption, nepotism, and other forms of harmful practices be fought and stopped. Read more

Cummings Wants ‘Excellent’ Education Prioritized -Commits to Private Investment, Source: FrontPage Africa

The political leader of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), Alexander Cummings wants President-elect George Weah to give more priority to the country’s educational sector. According to Mr. Cummings not only that the new government should put education at the top of its agenda, it should ensure quality education throughout the country. The ANC political leader plead was in response to series of concerns about the need to address Liberia’s messy education system, stating that said responsibility surely lies in the hands of the incoming administration. Read more

Prez. Sirleaf Dedicates USD8M Water Treatment Plant, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and FrontPage Africa

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Wednesday dedicated the newly rehabilitated Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation’s (LWSC) White Plains Water Treatment Plant d in Harrisburg, Montserrado County. Rehabilitation of the plant was financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) at a cost of USD8.6 million. The plant will augment the supply of water to Monrovia and its environs with 8 to 16 million gallons per day. Read more

MSF Dedicates First Pediatric Surgery Unit in Liberia, Source: FrontPage Africa

Liberia’s health sector received a major boost on Thursday when Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) dedicated a pediatric surgery unit at its hospital in Barnesville, outside Monrovia.  MSF Liberia country representative, Johan Sommansson, in remarks during the dedicatory ceremony said the facility is a first of its kind and MSF Liberia will offer free-of-charge surgery to children with certain pathologies within a five-year period. Mr. Sommansson recounted that opening of the facility is a result of several negotiations between the MSF Liberia office and its international headquarters in France as well as national institutions in Liberia to make sure that the project is implementable.  Read more

Vice President Boakai Donates Fire Truck, Medical Supplies, Source: Daily OBSERVER

Outgoing Vice President Joseph Boakai has fulfilled his promise to citizens of Voinjama in Lofa County when he donated several items including a fire service truck, medical supplies, and sporting materials. According to Mr. Boakai, the donation was part of his promise made to the citizens to protect lives and property since the city had no fire service truck to respond to fire incidents in in the area and its surrounding communities. Read more

China ready to work with Liberia, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and The New Dawn

China says it is ready to work closely with the Liberian government and people in order to make relations between both countries and peoples more productive and beneficial. The 19th Communist Party of China National Congress outlines 10 priority areas in promoting trade and economic cooperation with Liberia, including infrastructure, human resources, manufacturing and processing, agriculture, tourism, marine economy, finance, security, people-to-people exchange, and international cooperation, respectively.

Addressing a seminar Thursday at the Chinese Embassy in Monrovia on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Yue notes that situated in a prime location with boasting rich resources; Liberia is the African country that has the potential for deeper mutually beneficial cooperation. “China has the capital, technology, market, enterprises, talents, and development experience”, Ambassador Zhang said. Read more

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ON LIBERIA

Liberia Rape Law In the Female-led Government: How Did Liberian Women Benefit?, Source: Liberian Dialogue   

Within days, the presidency of Liberia’s first woman president will officially come to an end, and many are wondering and maybe anxiously waiting as to how observers, particularly historians, will rate the presidency of Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. As compared to her male counterparts, the Sirleaf presidency impacted the lives of Liberian women. The way to realistically measure the Sirleaf presidency’s impact on the women of Liberia is through the area of sexual violence in which women are usually the victims. To that, I will like to look at the New Rape law of Liberia under the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf presidency, from 2006-2017. According to those who have kept a close eye on the various activities surrounding the Sirleaf presidency, including studies and news reports, they point to many lapses and failures in addressing many of the serious issues facing the country, including rape, throughout the tenure of the Sirleaf-led Unity Party government. Read more

Briefing of Mr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas to the Security Council on recent developments in West Africa and the Sahel, Sources: APO and CNBCA Africa

Mr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), presented on 11 January to the Security Council his activity report covering the period from 1 July 2017 to 31 December 2017. During the second semester of 2017, political tensions relating to constitutional reform and political dialogue processes in Guinea, Mauritania, Niger, and Togo took centre stage in those countries. Elections were held in Liberia and Senegal. Some progress was made in key reform processes in Burkina Faso and The Gambia. Nevertheless, the security situation in West Africa and the Sahel remained fragile. In his briefing, Mr. Ibn Chambas focused on the worrying security situation in the Sahel and in the Lake Chad Basin. Read more