Ghana Becomes First Low Income Country to Receive Free COVID-19 Vaccines
ACCRA, Ghana – The first wave of COVID-19 vaccines has arrived in Ghana through the COVAX initiative. “Today marks the historic moment for which we have been planning and working so hard.” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore. Through the U.S. Agency for International Development, this contribution will support the purchase and delivery of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for the world’s most vulnerable and at-risk populations, including frontline health care workers. This support is critical to controlling the pandemic and slowing the emergence of new variants as well as helping restart the global economy, all of which will ultimately benefit the American people. The U.S. government will provide additional funding through 2022 and will work with other donors to make further pledges and commitments to meet the critical needs of the Gavi COVAX AMC.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 18, 2021 23:03 UTC
University of Liberia Honors 31 Faculty Authors
Monrovia – The University of Liberia (UL) has certificated 31 of its faculty authors in recognition of their scholarly works. Those honored were Dr. Moses M. Zinnah, Ph.D., Professor and Vice President for Academic Affairs; Dr. Josephus M. Gray, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Dean of Liberia College; Associate Professor Eva Mappy Morgan, LLM; Dr. Eugene Shannon, Ph.D; Dr. Lester Z. Tenny, Associate Professor of UL Graduate Studies Program in MBA. The university has more than 800 faculty members, who are full-time and adjunct faculty. Dr. Nelson announced a Research Grant Fund Platform in the amount of US$50,000 as seed money to cultivate research at the University of Liberia. He further said that feeling of self-satisfaction, having gone from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor or to Full Professor, while also benefiting an upgrade in salary or the material benefit.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 18, 2021 19:30 UTC
Liberia: Health Authorities Testing ‘Suspected’ Ebola Case; Urge Calm
Monrovia – Health authorities in Liberia are urging calm amid reports of a suspected case of the deadly Ebola Virus deriving from next-door Guinea. The other two confirmed cases are currently in isolation in dedicated health care facilities in Conakry and Gouécké, Nzérékoré region. As of February 15, Guinea has identified one hundred and ninety-two (192) contacts, including 164 contacts in N’Zérékoré Health District and 28 in Ratoma Health District, Conakry. Next-door Sierra Leone has also reported a suspected case of the virus but that result came back negative. Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone have all activated Health Emergency Response System to level II (Enhanced Surveillance, Active Case Finding and robust Community Engagement).
Source:Front Page Africa
February 18, 2021 09:56 UTC
Liberia: Pres. Weah’s County Tour Brings to Light Age-old Complaints of Concession Companies’ Failures on Corporate Social Responsibilities and the Unfulfilled Expectations
Monrovia – Visiting the TRANSCO CLSG’S substation in Yekepa, Nimba County, on the second stop of his nationwide tour this week, President George Manneh Weah expressed satisfaction with what he saw. “This is impressive,” the president said of the project using Côte d’Ivoire to distribute electricity to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. The Electricity AspectThe PPA signing is essential for the start of the project and requires TRANSCO CLSG to sign with the various CLSG national utilities, as the parties generating electricity. Like Sierra Leone, Guinea also reports a large number of power outages annually, at 1962 outages per year due to breakdowns. The CLSG countries are among the most fragile countries in the ECOWAS region and the economic development impact of this project is expected to be significant.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 18, 2021 09:00 UTC
Liberia: ‘Kosiah Ordered Teacher Butchered and Eaten’, Court Hears
The plaintiff said Kosiah and other ULIMO commanders then butchered Ndiminin, ripped out his heart and ate it. “The highest-ranking officer on the ground that day was Alieu Kosiah,” the man told the three-judge panel hearing the case. The man, 51, is the third of seven alleged victims who brought the complaint against Kosiah, 45, for war crimes to testify in the trial. The war crimes trial, the first in a civilian court in Switzerland, finally began in December last year after being postponed four times over the coronavirus pandemic. Kosiah denies the offenses, adding that he was not in the northern county when the alleged crimes were committed.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 18, 2021 08:48 UTC
Liberia: The Resurgence of Ebola – It’s Time to Shut the Borders
WHEN THE DEADLY Ebola virus outbreak hit the West African subregion in 2014, a total of 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths were recorded in in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. THIS COMES as there is also yet another resurgence of Ebola in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). HOWEVER, IN AS MUCH as this is a welcome development, nothing comes closer to taking the ultimate preventative measure and closing borders with Sierra Leone and Guinea. AS IF THE DEADLY COVID19 pandemic is not enough, the region clearly does not need an outbreak of Ebola on its hands. IT IS OUR HOPE THAT authorities in Guinea and Sierra Leone are taking the necessary steps to avert a wider spread of the disease.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 18, 2021 07:41 UTC
Citizens Complain ArcelorMittal for Bad Labor but Pres. Weah Commends Company for Developmental Contributions to Liberia
Citizens Complain ArcelorMittal for Bad Labor but Pres. Weah Commends Company for Developmental Contributions to LiberiaNimba – Despite complaints from workers, citizens and Civil Society Organizations about Liberia’s steel giant ArcelorMittal continuous practices of bad labor, President George Manneh Weah has hailed the company for its operation in Liberia. “With this kind of technical education, citizens will be encouraged to come to the county and push forward,” President Weah said. What seems contradicting for some citizens of Nimba is that President Weah blasted MNG Gold for similar bad labor practice. When contacted, Arcelor Mittal Superintendent for Corporate Communication, Winston P. Daryoue said he could not speak via mobile phone.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 18, 2021 06:00 UTC
Liberia: Deputy Speaker Vows to Robustly Advocate for Women’s 30% Political Representation
MONROVIA – Campaigns to increase women’s representation in political representation to 30 percent are picking up steam again in the country with Deputy Speaker J. Fonati Koffa promising to robustly advocate with his colleagues and support the Women Legislative Caucus for its passage. He furthered that, the 30% women political participation cannot be archieved by just a goal setting, but a firm legal freamework that will bring the 30% to reality through legislation and statutory mandate. He said this is no international pressure but a domestic pressure as numbers of women groups have overly called on government and international partners to address the 30% women political participation in the body poltics of Liberia. International partners noted that despite years of effort to bring more women to elective office, including the legislature, their representation remains low. The international partners further expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Legislature in formulating people-centered and progressive gender-responsive legislation.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 18, 2021 05:48 UTC
Liberia: Kenneth Best on the Daily Observer Newspaper and Its 40-Year Journey
It is appropriate, I think, to mention the Liberian Daily Observer’s two grandchildren—The InquirerNewspaper in Liberia and the Daily Observer in The Gambia. Also imprisoned were seven of our reporters and editors, including the Daily Observer publisher himself, Kenneth Y. While the Gambian Daily Observer remained closed, the old Gambian Observer reporter, Sheriff Bojang, started his own daily, which he named The Standard. A third Liberian Daily Observer former staff who earned a PhD was Isaac Thompson, our first Copy Editor in 1981. Best, Mrs. Lindiwe Lindani, Mr. Bai Sama Gwenning Best and his wife, Mrs. Beryl Allen Best, Mr. Kenneth Y.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 18, 2021 05:48 UTC
Liberia: First batch of Teachers in Early Childhood Education Receive In-Service C-Certificates
The distribution of qualified teachers in Liberia is also inequitable, with regions having economic advantage also getting more, and higher qualified teachers. That was a promise of a transformative education; an education system that will ensure system transformation. The project is targeting 700 ECE teachers, 700 primary teachers and 1,500 principals over the next two years. The Ministry of Education over the weekend graduated the first batch of Early Childhood Education In-Service C-Certificate Teachers with funding from Global partnership for Education service provider WE-CARE foundation. Speaking during the graduation ceremony held at the Kakata Rural Teachers Training Institute (KRTTI) in Margibi County, the guest speaker, Mrs. Thelma T.M.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 18, 2021 05:36 UTC
UMOVEMENT-Liberia Conducts Desk Review of Major Policies on Girls’ Education
Monrovia – Youth Movement for Collective Action (UMOVEMENT-Liberia) on Monday conducted a day-long Desk Review of major policy documents that protect vulnerable girls and young women from school-related sexual and gender-based violence in Monrovia. Policy documents reviewed included the National Policy on Girls’ Education, the Education Reform Action of 2011 and the Teacher Code of Conduct. The Desk Review is part of series of activities under the organization’s six months public policy advocacy titled: Girls’ Access to Education Information and Services (GAEINS) project supported by Mercy Corps through the Supporting Effective Advocacy in Liberia (SEAL) program. Stakeholders at the Desk Review included District Education Officers (DEOs), the Women and Children Protection Section of the Liberia National Police (LNP-WACPS), civil society actors, County Education Officer (CEO), the media, among others. “We are having problems with many girls getting pregnant while in school and yet much is not being done to address this issue.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 18, 2021 05:26 UTC
Liberia: Women Prayer Group Part Of ‘Invincible Park’ Plans, Government Says
Monrovia – The Government categorically refutes reports that the Invincible Park being constructed by President George M. Weah will remove the acclaimed Women Prayer group. The park, the government says, will instead have a separate center for the group as clearly pronounced by the President when he broke grounds a fortnight ago. The government also reiterates that the construction of the park meets all the guidelines set by the Liberia Civil Aviation Authority. The LCAA’s permission was sought and granted on grounds that all elevation and height in the park conform to LCAA’s guidelines. The building of the Invincible Park, which has already begun, will be completed within four months.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 17, 2021 13:41 UTC
Liberia Medical Health Products Regulatory Authority Awards US$1.5 Million Contract to Company Linked to Ruling Party Senator Saah Joseph
Senator Joseph is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Executive and a member of the Health Committee. Senator Joseph did not respond to or return several phone calls placed to him for comments. However, the LMHRA confirmed to FrontPageAfrica that Overseer Developmental National Group of Companies won the bid but said they followed the required procedure. Participating companies include: Woodstock Liberia, Seek Engineering & ConstructionAfrica Tiles, Desire Construction Company, Overseer Development National Group of Companies and B.K. This is not the first time Senator Joseph has been linked to a receiving contract from the government through a company he owns.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 17, 2021 01:06 UTC
Nine Liberians Merit Managerial Posts At Golden Veroleum Liberia
Nupolue Morris Nakamou and Kerpo Kambleh were promoted as Senior Assistant Managers taking over its Kpanyan and Kabada Plantations in the Agronomy Department respectively while Olando Klaybor, Cyrus Bladee, Fred Brown and Future Karr were promoted as Assistant Managers for Agronomy. Saar Kamara and Jerome Wleh Boye promoted as Assistant Managers for Finance and Control and Abraham Greaves, IT Technician, was promoted to IT Support Staff in its IT Department. According to Alphonso Kofi, GVL Communications Coordinator, the elevation of the nine (9) Liberians is in keeping with the company’s commitment to raise their employees, particularly competent Liberians, to higher managerial positions. This is the second time in 12 less then months that GVLhas promoted Liberians. In June of last year, Alphonso Kofi previously serving as Communications Officer was promoted to Communications Coordinator while Mark Threason Infra Assistant was promoted to Communications Officer.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 17, 2021 00:56 UTC
Independent Complaints Panel Finds Golden Veroleum Liable of Destroying Liberia’s Forests
The grievance was filed after field research in a sample of GVL’s palm oil plantations revealed that forests had been cleared. The findings also require the companies to conduct a human rights assessment and adopt a “Zero Retaliation” policy to guard against further human rights violations against local workers and communities. The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises also require companies and their financiers to provide remedy in cases of environmental and human rights abuse. GAR and GVL have largely failed to adhere to the requirements in a complaints process with the RSPO that was filed in 2012. Governments should act to regulate the financial sector to avoid financing deforestation and rights violations.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 17, 2021 00:56 UTC