Pres. Weah Full Speech at the Opening of the Mano River Union Diplomatic, Peace and Security an Conference
For nearly five decades of its existence, the Mano River Union has been the vehicle of aspiration for diplomacy, peace, security, stability, democracy and development for our sub-region. These unfortunate experiences must now inform our quest for durable diplomacy, peace, security and democracy in the sub-region. In this regard, we urge the Secretary-General and the Secretariat of the Mano River Union to reach out to the African Union, United Nations Peacebuilding Commission and Peace Building Fund, to foster stronger and more active partnerships in peacebuilding initiatives for the Mano River Union. The ECOWAS Commission’s partnership with the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office can also provide synergies with these peacebuilding initiatives. EXCELLENCIES, DISTINGUISHED DELEGATES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:I hereby declare that the Mano River Union Diplomatic, Peace, Security and Democracy Conference in Liberia is now formally opened.
Source:Daily Observer
November 22, 2021 14:03 UTC
Liberia Revenue Authority Awards Excise Tax Stamp Supply Contract to Company with Internationally Corrupt Reputation
The LRA intends to introduce the excise tax stamps all alcohol products and tobacco beginning January 2022. The Excise Tax Stamp is a specially designed stamp with digital and other security features which is affixed on excisable goods to show that taxes and duties have been paid or would be paid. … The Excise tax stamp is not a new tax. In South Sudan, Madras Security Printers was accused of corrupt and collusive behavior in 2020 with regard to their tax stamp program. Ghana’s policy on the tax stamp policy places the responsibility on the affected excise product on the importer or the manufacturer.
Source:Front Page Africa
November 22, 2021 06:40 UTC
Liberian-German Boxer Confident of Win Against Colombian Blanco in Elimination Fight
Hamburg, Germany – Liberian-German boxer Freddy Kiwitt will return to the ring following two successful victories against Octavian Gratii and Johan Perez in September. Kiwitt, a European and African Welterweight champions, speaking to FrontPageAfrica, said that he knows little about the Colombian, stressing that he would approach fight round after round. Kiwitt further explained that he could not found much video footage of his opponent online, stressing that Saturday could determine the outcome. Kiwitt was defeated against Luther Clay and attributed the defeat to a minor illness that he had before the fight. Of course, I want to fight for my country but definitely it is a motivation which is helping,” Kiwitt said.
Source:Front Page Africa
November 22, 2021 05:10 UTC
SKD to Get Artificial Turf
-- as Gov’t Appropriates US$1.75M for RenovationAfter spending a little over US$100,000 to carry on recent renovation works at the SKD Sports Stadium to meet up with the set CAF stadium minimum requirements, which were not met, the government of Liberia has appropriated US$1.75 million for the renovation and placement of artificial turf at the stadium. The fund was appropriated in the draft national budget for fiscal year 2022 in which the Ministry of Youth and Sports budget has been increased from US$4,231,216 to US$7,615,092. US$1 million was set aside for the renovation of the facility, while the US$750,000 will be used for the placement of the artificial turf. Liberia had to play their home matches outside of the country during the just ended group stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers due to the ban imposed on the SKD. The Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning in August of this year, approved US$161,000 for the recent renovation of the facility.
Source:Daily Observer
November 22, 2021 01:03 UTC
Liberia: Senate to Sue Lower House
The Senate plenary has voted unanimously to sue the House of Representatives for the "wrongful" interpretation of Article 34d(i), of the Liberian Constitution of 1986. Since then the iron ore concession – the area where the ore mining was done – only boasts of idle machines gathering rust. The 25-year China Union agreement was expected to generate 3,000 to 4,000 jobs with an additional 15,000 indirectly, which hardly came to fruition. But Bao Chico insists that it will be mining iron ore in Gbarpolu County. In the absence of China Union activity currently on the existing rail line, there is still a lot of ongoing commercial activity along the railroad.
Source:Daily Observer
November 21, 2021 07:45 UTC
Life is Hard…
Mine were the symbols of:“Birth” “Life” “Death” and “Infinity”These (or “this”, whichever is correct - or just pick one) have kinda kept me grounded and balanced. In life, we ALL have that line ahead of us - and in life you either walk it or remain a spectator watching those who dare. Yes, life “slowly but surely” teaches us that life is HARD, so we all try to prepare for those hard times. That “flashback” moment in time of me watching JHT walking his line, goes back to that particular day down at PHP. But back to JHT and our PHP walk ... By now “stuff” had already started happening up the road.
Source:Daily Observer
November 20, 2021 11:05 UTC
Liberia: President Weah Submits 2022 Draft National Budget to Legislature at US$785.5 Million
Capitol Hill, Monrovia – At long last, President George Weah, through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), has submitted the draft national budget in the tune of US$785,587,340 for fiscal year 2022. Despite a month-long delay in the submission of the budget, President Weah, in a communication accompanying the budget, called on the Legislature to pass it in time owing to the ‘significant’ programs earmarked to be funded during the impending fiscal year. He added that social services which is basically about development interventions, will see a “massive” climb of 174.7 percent, equivalent to 26.3 million dollars. However, President Weah, in a communication to the Legislature at the beginning of this month, requested for an additional eleven days before submitting the budget. Budget SummaryIn his communication, President Weah said of the total revenue envelop of US$785,587,340, external resources total US$145 million.
Source:Front Page Africa
November 19, 2021 21:11 UTC
Liberia: Commission on Higher Education Warns Public against BlueCrest University’s Master’s Degree Program
MONROVIA – The National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE) says it has not certified BlueCrest University College in Liberia to offer master’s degree courses as their application is still being reviewed. Let it be known that the BlueCrest University College applied to the NCHE for elevation of status to offer a master’s degree in Information Technology. The BlueCrest University College’s proposed program was assessed by the NCHE,” the Commission indicated in a statement. According to the statement, recommendations were made by the NCHE for the BlueCrest University College to fulfill in order to be granted the status of accreditation, before the university college commences the master’s degree program in Information Technology. “Up-to-date the BlueCrest University College has not fulfilled the conditions and recommendations proffered by the NCHE for its program accreditation at the graduate level.
Source:Front Page Africa
November 19, 2021 09:14 UTC
Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission to Investigate All Elections Commission Commissioners
MONROVIA – The entire board of commissioners of the National Elections Commission has been subjected to investigation by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) following report that the Commission spent US$182,000 to rent 20 facial recognition thermometers for the by-elections in four counties. “The Commission does not act on perception, the Commission does not act on the Commission does not act on heresy evidence, the Commission does not act on presumption, the Commission acts on the doctrine of best evidence. So, what we’ve done, based on the pieces of evidence we have in our possession based on the evidence, the Commission will investigate,” LACC Chairman, Cllr. According to reports, the thermometers were intended to detect temperature of voters during the November 16 by-elections in Bomi, Nimba, Bong and Grand Gedeh Counties. According to reports, the NEC rented each of the equipment for US$9,166 though a single piece cost not more than US$1,500.
Source:Front Page Africa
November 19, 2021 09:14 UTC
Liberia: House Pardons Sheriff Siblings Following their Passionate Appeal, Relatives’ Intervention
MONROVIA – The House of Representatives has pardoned Makanvee Sheriff and her brother Abdul Sheriff following the 14-day jailed sentence it imposed on them on Tuesday for assaulting a lawmaker on the grounds of the Capitol. The decision of the House followed appeals from the Sheriff siblings, their relatives and the Muslim community headed by the Chief Imam of Liberia, Ali Krayee. They informed the House that Makanvee is suffering from serious medical complications that occurred during the incident, and taking her to prison will further worsen her medical condition. Despite the Sheriff siblings pleading guilty and begging for forgiveness, the House, citing Article 44 of the Constitution of Liberia, voted to punish them in order to “Set a precedent and deterred future attacks against lawmakers”. Since the incident, the pair’s families and the Muslim community of which they are members, including the public have apologized and asked for their pardon.
Source:Front Page Africa
November 19, 2021 09:14 UTC
Kolokwa: Liberianizing English
Standard English is “book English,” the language of oratory and newsreaders and liturgy. In the decades before Liberians started talking about Kolokwa, they called everything “English.” You would sometimes hear terms like “Soldier English” or “Waterside English” or “Broken,” but those terms were rare. Before the use of the term Kolokwa became widespread, students often saw little need to study English in school. Distinguishing between Standard English and Kolokwa makes clear to students that their knowledge of the latter does not on its own achieve knowledge of the former. A final point with regard to Kolokwa is that, even though it is not Standard English, it is a complete language.
Source:Daily Observer
November 19, 2021 07:02 UTC
Liberia: Ministry of Commerce to Conduct Nationwide Inspection
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Thursday said it will conduct a three-month nationwide inspection beginning Monday, November 22 to Tuesday, January 25, 2022. The inspection exercise will continue daily. According to the Ministry, the three-month inspection is part of efforts to ensure a conducive business environment for the country. The Central Bank of Liberia (CBL), as the monetary arm of the government, releases daily exchange rates based on results of daily surveys of foreign exchange market in Monrovia and selected cities of Liberia. The Commerce Ministry, in its release, also stated that purchases at all medium and large businesses above LRD 500 should be invoiced to authenticate price stabilization.
Source:Daily Observer
November 19, 2021 06:49 UTC
The Journey So Far: EU-IRFFS Project’s Beneficiary Farmer Explains Secrets Behind Rapid Growth in Integrated Fish-rice Farming System
The integrated rice-fish farming system efficiently utilizes the land, and it is a low-risk technology. According to Moore, passers-by are fascinated by his success of the integrated rice-fish farming system, a new system introduced by the AfricaRice. But I was so sure from the heart that I was going to succeed under this integrated rice-rice farming system,” says Moore. Additionally, the integrated rice-fish farming system is practiced in the project’s five implementing counties, Gbarpolu, Grand Gedeh, Maryland, Margibi, and River Gee Counties. The integrated rice-fish farming system efficiently utilizes the land, and it is a low-risk technology.
Source:Front Page Africa
November 18, 2021 18:35 UTC
President Weah Hails Liberians on COVID-19 Fight
President George Manneh Weah has hailed Liberians for the excellent manner in which they conducted themselves in the fight against the deadly Coronavirus pandemic. President Weah said he was proud of Liberians for the resilience and commitment they demonstrated which led to the country's latest improvement in the Covid-19 performance index. The United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) moved Liberia from Level Four to Level One in its Covid-19 control efforts. This is good progress," President Weah asserted. "The fact that the Disease is under control doesn't mean that it can't resurge,” the President warned.
Source:Daily Observer
November 18, 2021 08:57 UTC
AfricArena, the Leading Tech Ecosystem Accelerator Programme, Concludes its 2021 Event Circuit in Cape Town with a Bang – Global News Network
Over 40 startups from 15 african tech hubs attended a two-day bootcamp programme run by FSAT Labs ahead of the AfricArena Summit, where they pitched their various innovations to top investors. During the course of the Summit, several sponsored challenges also took place, ranging from the Saint Gobain Innovation Challenge, and the Viva Tech Challenge, to the FrenchTech Tech4Good Challenge. “As part of our fundraising journey, winning an AfricArena challenge in 2017 and the subsequent exposure was a critical step for us to go through our early stage fundraising and brand development. The AfricArena programme is world class and absolutely unparalleled in terms of the value contributed to the tech VC and founder communities. For more information on AfricArena Wired go to https://www.africarena.com/africarena-wiredThe AfricArena Wired app is available on iOS and Android.
Source:GNN Liberia
November 18, 2021 08:39 UTC