• Liberia’s President George Weah Holds First Cabinet Meeting, Source: FrontPage Africa
• President Weah Threatens To Sack Ministers Not Upholding “Pro-Poor” Policy, Source: News Public Trust
• President Weah Orders Ministries to Produce ‘Guiding Framework’, Source: Daily OBSERVER
• Staunch Ruling Party Member Warns President Weah of Failure, Cites Appointment of Inexperienced Officials, Source: FrontPage Africa
• UNDP, UNMIL Sponsors USD240K Sanitation Program for Liberian Youth, Source: FrontPage Africa
• Call For Government Officials To Support Liberia Human Rights Action Plan, Source: News Public Trust
• Cllr. Kanneh wants firearms, ammunition laws reviewed, Source: The New Dawn
• India to Build State of the Art Conference Hall for Liberia, Source: FrontPage Africa
• Local group rejects Weah’s proposals, Source: The New Dawn
• Japan, 4 local groups sign GGHSP grant, Sources: FrontPage Africa and The New Dawn
• Tolbert Nyenswah Pushes for Public Health Institutes across Africa, Source: The Bush Chicken

Liberia’s President George Weah Holds First Cabinet Meeting, Source: FrontPage Africa

President George Weah has convened his first cabinet meeting reiterating the construction of roads, health, education and youth-empowerment as top priorities of his ‘pro-poor agenda’ for the country.  President Weah said although he intimated in his inaugural address a broken economy, “the economy is now for us and the onus rests squarely on his administration to fix and prioritize a recovery plan for the betterment of the Liberian people”.

At its first sitting, the Cabinet has mandated a comprehensive needs assessment of all Ministries, Agencies, and Commissions (MACs) with a view to developing a roadmap for practical, achievable and realistic outcomes in the short and medium-term. Sector ministries and agencies are expected to report within two weeks. The Cabinet also mandated the constitution of a Committee for an Agenda for Rapid Recovery and Transformation to include the Ministries of Finance, Commerce, Education, Health, and Public Works that will provide a guiding framework towards advancing the government’s pro-poor agenda. Read more

President Weah Threatens To Sack Ministers Not Upholding “Pro-Poor” Policy, Source: News Public Trust

President George Weah has threatened to sack any member of his cabinet who will fail to uphold his government’s “pro-poor” policy. “I expect you to be punctual in your attendance, diligent in your duties and humble in your approach to the Liberian people who you serve. I will not hesitate to replace anybody who will act contrary to this warning”, President Weah told ministers during his first cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

The president again repeated that the government is broke and that the country’s economy is broken, but he cautioned government officials not to complain about the status of the economy. Weah spoke a day after the Senate and the House of Representatives said they were confused as to whether or not the government is broke and the exact state of the economy, following claims and counter claims by President Weah and former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Today, Thursday the country’s financial and economic managers — finance minister Samuel Tweah, Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) executive governor Milton Weeks, and the commissioner-general of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), Elfreida Stewart Tamba — are to face the House plenary hearing and clarify the issue. Read more

President Weah Orders Ministries to Produce ‘Guiding Framework’, Source: Daily OBSERVER

President George Weah has mandated cabinet ministers to carry out a comprehensive assessment to develop a realistic roadmap that will serve as a ‘guiding framework’ to advance the government’s pro-poor agenda. In his first cabinet meeting Wednesday, President Weah also requested the ministers to ensure that the roadmap will account for the realistic approach that will take care of road construction, better healthcare, education and youth empowerment. According to the president, these are part of his government’s pro-poor agenda priorities that should bring short-term success to ordinary Liberians.

The Liberian leader also said a committee must be set up to review the recovery and transformation of the ministries of Finance, Commerce, Education, Health, and Public Works. Read more

Staunch Ruling Party Member Warns President Weah of Failure, Cites Appointment of Inexperienced Officials, Source: FrontPage Africa

FrontPage Africa reports that from within President George Weah’s camp, some confidants are detecting early signs of doom, which is springing out of his questionable decisions and missteps resembling errors of the past. Prof. Lester Tenny, a member of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), is the latest to criticize the embryonic somewhat indiscriminate appointments in the government, noting that the “pro-poor agenda was never about experimenting with kids with no experience and including those whose records in this country are sordid and filthy with the odor of corruption”. Both the Office of the President and the chairman of the ruling party declined to comment on Prof. Tenny’s outburst.

Although the young government is still finding means to get its feet firm on the ground, Tenny believes the CDC, which rode to state power as a grass root movement, is deviating from its course. “We are no longer an opposition political party," the CDC partisan wrote Wednesday on his Facebook page. He continued: “It was never an agenda to recruit family members and friends who share no vision nor possess the slightest inclination of running a bedroom before given serious responsibilities to manage the state. If we chose to assist families and friends, it should and must never be at the embarrassment of the President. The office of the president cannot be brought to public disrepute. Let's not forget the battle we fought with those who label the president as inept and incompetent.” Tenny’s frustration emanates from some appointments in government, which he believes are undeserved.  Read more

UNDP, UNMIL Sponsors USD240K Sanitation Program For Liberian Youth, Source: FrontPage Africa

More than 1,500 young Liberians from five cities in Montserrado County are expected to benefit from a youth empowerment program funded by UNDP. The program, titled ‘Youth Engagement for Improved Community Sanitation and Revitalization program’ is expected to run for one month and expected to target five cities in Montserrado. Speaking at the launch of the program in the Borough of New Kru Town on Wednesday, the team leader on governance at the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), Bornfree Adile described the employment of young people as key to economic development. Mr.  Adile, however, said to make young people independent would enhance peace and stability. The UNMIL Civil Affairs officer said UNMIL and the UNDP were proud to be sponsors of the youth initiative while hailing Liberians for their dedication to maintaining peace in Liberia.

“We are proud for the high level of commitment by Liberian to the peace process, we are happy that the UNDP is part of this initiative by sponsoring the process especially for the benefit of the young people,” Adile noted.  Read more

Call For Government Officials To Support Liberia Human Rights Action Plan, Source: News Public Trust

The acting chairman of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) has called on officials to cooperate with the government in the implementation of the National Human Rights Action Plan of Liberia (NHRAP). Rev. Bartholomew Colley, who did not elaborate on details of the plan, said the NHRAP has undergone the universal periodic review and has met international standard. Rev.  Colley made the call Wednesday at the opening of a one-day high-level seminar for heads of ministries, agencies of government, and CSOs on implementing the NHRAP in Monrovia. The INCHR acting chairman added that 13 countries out of the 15 ECOWAS states have developed their own national human rights action plans.

Colley thanked the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) for the support in drafting the NHRAP and expressed the hope that other international partners will assist in its launching. Read more

Cllr. Kanneh wants firearms, ammunition laws reviewed, Source: The New Dawn

The chairman of the Law Reform Commission (LRC) is recommending for a re-visitation of Liberia’s firearms and ammunition control law and the Act that established the Liberia National Commission on Small Arms (LiNCSA). Cllr. Boakai Kanneh also calls for the promulgation of protocols or regulations that would strengthen existing statutes. He made the call Wednesday in Monrovia at the start of a three-day workshop on the Fire Arms and Ammunition Control Act (FACA) and the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) to do a draft legislations that seek to harmonize the two guns control instruments as well as expand the mandate of the implementing authority, LiNCSA. Read more

India to Build State of the Art Conference Hall For Liberia, Source: FrontPage Africa

The Indian government has “considered” constructing for the people of Liberia a modern multi-complex state of the art conference hall or convention building. According to a Note Verbale from the Indian government, the hall will be named in honor of their late modern founding father, Mahatma Gandhi. Read more

Local group rejects Weah’s proposals, Source: The New Dawn

A local NGO, Citizens Action Against Dual Citizenship and Land Ownership by non-Negroes here wants President George Weah to apologize to the Liberian people for describing the Constitution of Liberia as racist. The organization’s head, Fubbie Henries says every country is built on a foundation and has a purpose for which it was established, explaining that Liberia was established as a safe haven for free slaves returning from the United States and those inhabitants they met on the ground, so no one should try to misinterpret the law.

Appearing on Power FM Wednesday, Mr. Henries disclosed that his organization has petitioned the Legislature not to hear bills submitted for these propositions. According to Henries, President Weah must stop insulting the citizens that he claims to care for, saying, “We are carrying on a thorough investigation about other countries that grant citizenship to foreigners and right to own properties because development is not about building all the skyscrapers.” Read more

Japan, 4 local groups sign GGHSP grant, Sources: FrontPage Africa and The New Dawn

The Japanese Ambassador to Liberia under Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project (GGHSP) Wednesday signed four separate grants with four Liberian organizations, totaling about $348,593.00 to execute various projects at the community level. The beneficiaries include Peer Vision Educational Network Liberia, Community Safety Initiative, Community Healthcare Initiative, and NAY-Yougor Wulakellen Empowerment Program.

Speaking during the ceremony, Japan Ambassador to Liberia, Tsutomu Himeno, says his country is prepared to continue partnering for the social development of the people of Liberia and Japan relationship. He explains that the four groups were selected from over 900 applicants, who applied for the grant to implement various development projects for the common good of their respective communities. Read more

Tolbert Nyenswah Pushes for Public Health Institutes Across Africa, Source: The Bush Chicken

Tolbert Nyenswah, director-general of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia, has challenged all African countries to establish a national public health institute within the next five years that would operate under the leadership of regional coordinating bodies. Mr. Nyenswah made the statement Monday when he addressed an international conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where he shared Liberia’s experience in strengthening its public health system. The conference aims to strengthen the link between Africa’s national public health institutes and the Africa Center for Disease and Control. Read more