Society-Donation VP Boaka Presents Fish To Guinea, Sierra Leone MONROVIA, January 23 (LINA) - Vice President Joseph N. Boakai has donated two 40-foot containers of tuna fish to the Governments and Peoples of Sierra Leone and Guinea on behalf of the Government of Liberia. A release from the office of the vice president said Friday the gift is intended to beef up the fight against the Ebola virus that has plagued the Mano River basin since March of 2014. Vice President Boakai said it was “important to identify with our closest neighbors in this time of great need,” according to the release. Meanwhile, a dispatch from the Liberian Embassy in Freetown has confirmed one of the containers with 1,338 cases of the fish was received by the Government of Sierra Leone through its national operations coordinator at the National Ebola Response Centre, Steven Gauja. The dispatch said Gaija thanked the Government of Liberia for the gesture and subsequently turned the consignment over the Dr. Sheku Sesay, donor coordinator of the National Ebola Response Centre of Sierra Leone. The ceremony was also attended by a member of Liberia’s House of Representatives Saah Joseph and Mrs. Linda Koroma, Sierra Leone’s Deputy Secretary General of the Mano River Union. The donations were made possible by Vice President Boakai and a British Churchman and Philanthropist, Trevor Cockings of His Church Charity based in the United Kingdom. LINA Gender-Rape Gender Ministry Condemns Rape, Subsequent Death Of Girl, 12, MONROVIA, January 23 (LINA) - The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has condemned the rape of 12-year-old Ma Musu Fofana, a resident of Brewerville, who later died as a result of the act. The ministry termed such action by the perpetrator as “wicked, inhuman, devilish and enemy to the security of women and children of Liberia.” “While we are building defenses to stop the spread against the EVD and developing mechanism on how to keep the children of Liberia protected from such harmful virus, the ministry frowns on the act of some unscrupulous individuals which has resulted to such devilish act,” the ministry said in a statement Friday. It said: “These cases should not be treated lightly as one situation could have a trickle-down effect on gains the ministry and its partners have strived to accomplish over the years.” The ministry said it regrets the death of 12-year-old Ma Musu Fofana, the rape victim, and extends condolences to the bereaved family. LINA President Orders Justice, Health Ministries To Probe Rape-Death Case MONROVIA, January 23 (LINA) - President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Friday ordered the Justice and Health Ministries to launch a full-scale investigation into the reported negligence of some elements of the Liberia National Police and health care facilities in the death of 12-year-old Musu Fofana, who died after allegedly being raped by a former officer of the Armed Forces of Liberia, 40-year-old Musa Kanneh, in Brewerville, Montserrado County. Information Minister Lewis G. Brown told the state-run Liberia News Agency (LINA) today that President Sirleaf ordered the investigation immediately after visiting the family of the victim in Moulton Corner, Brewerville. In a very serious tone, President Sirleaf said any functionary of the Liberian Government found culpable of negligence in the death of little Musu Fofana will be punished under the fullest weight of the law. Friends and relatives of the deceased blamed Brewerville Police and the Redemption Hospital in New Kru Town for negligence in handling the case prior to the death of little Musu Fofana. LINA Politics-Liberia Liberia Continues To Shine Abroad Despite Local Hiccups - Konneh MONROVIA, January 23 (LINA) – Finance Minister Amara Konneh has said despite challenges at home, Liberia “continues to shine” in meeting its regional, continental and global obligations to promote democracy, rule of law, economic and social justice and good governance. “…we have regained our status as a responsible member of the comity of nations,” Konneh noted, crediting the administration of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for rekindling ties with key bodies and making efforts to improve national governance. The Finance Minister made the statement Thursday at the opening of a two-day multi-stakeholder forum to constitute a National Governing Council to oversee the local activities of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). The APRM was established in 2003 as an African Union initiative for promoting good governance within the framework of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). Liberia in 2011 acceded to the APRM and in 2013 President Sirleaf, with near unanimous approval, assumed the Chairmanship of the APR Forum of Heads of State and Government. Konneh became Chair of the APRM Inter-ministerial Committee of Focal Points and the Liberia Focal Point. He explained that Liberia’s ascension to the APRM was part of its broader foreign policy seeking to effectively position the country in strategic global bodies to reestablish leadership roles in these institutions. The Finance minister said accomplishments at the continental level will prove critical at the national level as Liberia begins the country process by constituting the National Governing Council, which will set the direction for the local APRM program. LINA Environment-Waste EPA Official Warns Against Improper Waste Disposal By Wilfred Gortor/LINA BUCHANAN January 23 (LINA) - An official of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has cautioned Liberians against the inappropriate disposal of waste to prevent environmental and climate changes. Sampson Chea, Coordinator for Biodiversity Convention at EPA, noted that people on a daily basis produce wastes which in some cases are composed of chemical substances that require specific protocols for disposal. He made the statement in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County Thursday during a presentation he made on waste management on the second day of an Environment and Climate Change workshop organized by the EPA. Proper disposal and management of wastes in efficient and environmentally friendly manner prevents pollution of the various ecosystems in the biosphere of our environment, Chea noted. He named rising temperature, accumulation of Green House Gases (GHG) in the atmosphere, rise in sea levels and other local climatic conditions as some effects of waste on the environment. According to him, the burning of fossil fuels, woods and soil waste lead to the emission of carbon dioxide, methane nitro oxide and other harmful GHG gases which result into degradation of the ozone layer, thereby allowing the passage of harmful radiations to the earth’s surface. He called on journalists to get involved in the dissemination of information which will provide the public knowledge in handling wastes properly. LINA Society-Fire LNFS Records 189 Fire Incidents In 2014 By Robert Dixon/LINA MONROVIA, January 23 (LINA) - A total of 189 fire incidents occurred in the country in 2014, according to statistics released by the Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS). LNFS Director of Public Affairs Jassah Garyah told the Liberia News Agency Thursday that the number dropped by 99 in 2014, compared to 2013 when 288 fire incidents were reported. Most of the fire outbreaks were the result of illegal electric wire connection, negligence and arson, she noted. Garyah said while there were 15 fire-related deaths recorded in 2013, only eight occurred in 2014, adding, “this shows a significant improvement in how careful people have become.” LINA Society-Obituary Stipendiary Magistrate Neoh Laid To Rest By Chris Nyenapee, LINA Grand Gedeh County Correspondent BANGLOR, January 23 (LINA) - Zwedru Stipendiary Magistrate Edwin Deh Neoh has been laid to rest in Banglor Town in Grand Gedeh County. The late Magistrate Neoh was buried Thursday following funeral rites at the St. Jude Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zwedru where he also served as Assistant Pastor before his demise. The late Stipendiary Magistrate was born 1944 and served in this post for 15 years after he was appointed in 1999. The late Neoh died on September 27, 2014 in Accra, Ghana where he was taken for treatment but could not be brought home immediately because of the Ebola outbreak, family and government sources disclosed at the funeral service. LINA Society-Crime 86-Year-Old Woman Armed Robbed In Barnersville MONROVIA, January 23 (LINA) -An 86-year-old woman was alleged armed robbed at her home in Barnersville outside Monrovia by six men armed with knives and cutlasses. Madam Anna S. Kawleh and her 18-year-old grandson, Lawson Doe, who was tied up, were held hostage by the robbers for several hours, according to her granddaughter, Saybiah Johnson. “The armed robbers took her 2005 Honda CRV car, 50-inch screen television set, a video deck and L$6,000 for Lawson’s school fees,” Johnson told the Liberia News Agency in a brief phone interview Thursday. No arrest has been made and investigation into the situation is still on-going, according to a police source in Barnersville. Asked how Old lady Kawleh is coping with the situation, Johnson said “the old lady is in a state of trauma right now, but people are talking it out of her mind.” LINA Health-Ebola-Surveillance Global Communities To Set Up Surveillance Teams At Border By Ballah Kollie, LINA Bong County Correspondent GBARNGA, January 23 (LINA) – Bong County Superintendent Selena Polson Mappy has welcomed plans by Global Communities to set up surveillance teams along the Guinea-Liberia border. She said the setting up the teams in towns and villages along the border will further enhance existing gains made against the spread of the Ebola virus. Earlier, Global Communities Country Director Pieter Devries said the teams will comprise local authorities from the Ministry of Internal Affairs residing in towns and villages who will monitor the movement of people and report issues of illegal entry. Supt. Mappy and Devries made the statements at a one-day stakeholders meeting held in Gbarnga on Thursday. Devries said the deployment of surveillance team along the border is intended to prevent the resurgence of the disease in the country, adding “The deployment of a surveillance team is cardinal due the porous borders.” Global Communities has for the past four months supported Bong, Lofa and Nimba counties in fighting the Ebola disease through donation of Ebola preventive materials, contact tracing and surveillance. LINA Society-Roads MPW Engineer Seeks Road Upgrade Support By Chris Nyenapee, LINA Grand Gedeh County Correspondent ZWEDRU, January 23 (LINA) - Public Works Ministry Grand Gedeh County Resident Engineer Pewee Kesselly has stressed the need for collaborative efforts among local government institutions to maintain major roads across the county. Kesselly observed that joint road maintenance efforts by line ministries and agencies will help stop the degrading of major roads by some unscrupulous individuals bent on working against public interest. He noted that chiefs, commissioners, city mayors and other local officials should devise laws against acts such as the removal of gravels from the roads and dumping of wastes in culverts and drainages that cause road damage. Kesselly said these unwholesome acts have the propensity to deny the county access to basic goods and services due to the bad condition of the roads. LINA Society-Education Golden Veroleum Donates To Grand Kru School WEDABO, January 23 (LINA) - Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL), an oil palm firm, has donated 20 desks to the Kaybor Public School in Wedabo, Grand Cess District, Grand Kru County. The donation was made to the school Wednesday in accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding between GVL and the people of Zoloken signed on December 17, 2014, according to a release from GVL. Making the donation, GVL Assistant Sustainability Manager, Hugh Bladee, said the gesture is a manifestation of the firm’s commitment to the education of Grand Kru citizens and Liberians at-large. Receiving the items, Kaybor Public School Principal J. Wilfred Jeh thanked GVL “for filling such an essential need at the institution.” Also speaking, the Kaybor women leader, Elizabeth Tarkar, lauded GVL for fulfilling its part of the social agreement. LINA Society-Media Catholic Media Director Challenges Journalists By Robert Dixon/LINA MONROVIA January 23 (LINA) - The Director of the Catholic Media Center (CAMCAM), Father Ambrose Dayouga Kroma, has challenged journalists to “take a moment and judge” the potential impact of offensive, divisive and inflammatory comments before reporting them. He said failure to give due consideration to this delicate act of managing and balancing information in journalism does result to tragic consequences, according tothe Liberia News Agency. Fr. Kroma made the statement Thursday at a start of the second in a series of workshops centered on Ethics of Journalism organized by the CAMCAM for staff of the Catholic Church-run Radio VERITAS. “While it remains true that the dawn of a new democratic space and process in Liberia has allowed for a multiplicity of media houses and also an increase in the level of press freedom, this unfortunately has not translated into higher standards as it relates to ethics of journalism,” Fr. Kroma observed. He indicated that it is regrettable that some journalists and media institutions have become foot-soldiers for propaganda and the promotion of selfish interest and agenda contrary to the national agenda. He emphasized that needless to state that whenever media institutions are manipulated by self-interests and personal aggrandizement, good journalist will inadvertently do damage when they report controversial and sensational stories out of context. LINA Health-Ebola-Tradition Traditional Council Holds Ebola Town Hall Meeting By Chris Nyenapee, LINA Grand Gedeh County Correspondent ZWEDRU, January 23 (LINA) - A four-member team of the National Traditional Council in collaboration with a team from the Ministry of Health has begun a week-long Ebola Palava Hut meeting with stakeholders in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County. The meeting, which is being sponsored by Global Communities, a local non-governmental organization, is expected to take place in two other southeastern counties -- River Gee and Maryland counties. The team, headed by Chief John S. Korsor, a member of the National Traditional Council of Liberia, arrived in the county on Thursday, January 22, on the first leg of the three-county visit. Speaking to the Liberia News Agency upon their arrival in Zwedru on Friday, the team’s spokesman Thomas West said the meetings will be an interactive forum with a cross-section of chiefs, traditional leaders, commissioners and youth and women groups. According to him, the meeting seeks to get views on the impact of the Ebola virus on their respective communities, status on the preventive measures and the way forward to ensure that the virus is completely eradicated from the country. The team is one of six set up by the Chairman of the National Traditional Council, Chief Zanzan Karwah, at the recent council meeting in Lofa County. All six teams are presently deployed across the country and will submit their findings to the council by February 15. LINA Economy-WB WB Forecasts US$25bn Economic Losses For West Africa MONROVIA, January 23 (LINA) -A World Bank Group economic report from October 8, 2014 has revealed that the West Africa region alone could experience a downside scenario of US$25 billion in economic losses in 2015. The report made specific mention on the economic impact and stressed that the Ebola epidemic will also continue to cripple the economies of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone even as transmission rates in the three countries show significant signs of slowing. According to a World Bank Group analysis, the current report estimates the range for sub-Saharan Africa as a whole to be from a low of US$500 million to a high of US$6.2 billion. The national and international responses have resulted in a number of public health improvements within the three West African nations, including safer burial practices, earlier case detections, more health workers and treatment facilities, public awareness campaigns and stepped-up contact tracing. These policy and behavior responses have contributed to a lower risk of spread across borders. The lower estimates also reflect fast and effective containment measures taken in the neighboring countries of Mali, Nigeria and Senegal, all of which have now been declared Ebola-free. “Even if Ebola is controlled and further outbreaks avoided,” said the report, “economic costs will be incurred across sub-Saharan Africa in 2015. Consumer and investor confidence has been eroded by the outbreak of the virus, and disruptions to travel and cross-border trade.” “I am very encouraged to see Ebola transmission rates slowing markedly in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, and that other potential outbreaks have been averted because of swift action by other West African governments,” said Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group. The report indicated that Kim will discuss the emerging lessons from the Ebola crisis with world leaders in Davos this week. One major lesson from the Ebola outbreak, said Kim, was for the world to respond much more quickly to epidemics. LINA
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 23:47:46 +0000
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