Africa: COVID-19 to Cost Billions in African Exports
Geneva — COVID-19 is having a profound impact on global trade and the businesses that drive it, says a new report by the International Trade Center (ITC). The report highlights the devastating effect the pandemic is having on the small and medium enterprises so important to Africa’s economies. By Peter Kenny, Contributing WriterThe SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) Competitiveness Outlook predicts that African exporters are set to lose more than $2.4 billion in global industrial supply-chain exports. The 2020 edition of the ITC’s 2020 Outlook reveals just how profoundly SMEs and global supply chains have been tested by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving international trade in turmoil. Health and economic crisisTembo added: “The COVID-19 pandemic has been both a health and an economic crisis and has presented several challenges for SMEs and global supply chains.
Source:Front Page Africa
June 24, 2020 17:15 UTC
Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, LEC Customer Service Center Reconstruction Still on Schedule
Monrovia – The Millennium Challenge Account-Liberia’s reconstruction of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) Customer Service Center (CSC) remains on schedule. These deficiencies contributed to a lack of comfort and health issues for customers, many who are pregnant women or women with small children, and to LEC customer service agents. LEC will use the new vehicles to deliver a more effective customer service response in the field. In addition, before construction began, the MCA-L funded the relocation of the LEC customer service department to a temporary facility in Congo Town, off VP Road at Catholic Hospital Junction. They should also experience better tracking of service orders due to an improved link between customer service management and technical staff through a new integrated information management system to which the service center will connect.
Source:Front Page Africa
June 24, 2020 14:15 UTC
Liberia: Government Lawyers Drop Charges Against Three Indicted Former Ex-CBL Officials
Charges have been dropped against Richard Walker, Dorbor Hagba and Joseph Dennis through a Nolle Prosequi without prejudice to the State. Monrovia – State Lawyers have dropped charges against three indicted former officials of the Central Bank of Liberia(CBL). The charges were dropped against Richard Walker, Dorbor Hagba and Joseph Dennis through a Nolle Prosequi without prejudice to the State. In response to the State submission, the defendnats’ lawyers, Cllr. Johnny Momo interposed no objection to the State request to dropped charges against his clients.
Source:Front Page Africa
June 24, 2020 13:52 UTC
Liberia: Court Arrests, Detains Two Lawyers of NPA Over Contempt Charges
The two lawyers were arrested and detained for refusing to instruct their client (NPA) to turn over a 40ft container seized by the management of the port. However, following the arrest of the lawyers, the management of the NPA through the Ministry of Justice released the container to the court. The two lawyers were later released by the court after the container arrived on the grounds of the court. Meanwhile, the Managing Director of the NPA, Bill Twehway, his deputies and Assistant Managers have refused to turn themselves over to the court. But in disregard to the law, the management of the NPA refused to turn the container over to the company.
Source:Front Page Africa
June 24, 2020 11:03 UTC
Liberia: Police Power Won’t Curb COVID-19! Community Mobilization & Social Behavior Change Communications Will Do
IN SOME INCIDENTS, people driving alone in their private cars have been ordered to wear nose mask. HOW DO YOU expect a person driving alone to use a nose mask? IT MAKES NO SENSE to enforce the wearing of nose mask upon a person driving alone or along with his wife or children. We think the joint security must adopt a new approach from a social behavior change context. WE SUGGEST that community engagement and a meticulous social behavior change approach must be at the crux of all responses against the pandemic.
Source:Front Page Africa
June 24, 2020 07:18 UTC
Liberia: Gov’t Lawyers Request Court To Deny Ex-CBL Officials Bail Bond
Monrovia – Government lawyers have requested Criminal Court C Judge Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay to set aside the bail bond filed by three of the indicted ex-officials of the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL). Prosecution made the request to Judge Gbeisay through a petition titled: “Exceptions to Bail Bond” after the defendants filed their bail bond to the court. “Prosecution says that under the statue and laws of Liberia, every bail bond must have a security for the fulfillment of the conditions of the said bail bond,” prosecution stated in the Bill of Exceptions. “Prosecution says that a bail bond in the case of Economic Sabotage should commensurate with the amount charged in the indictment. Prosecution, therefore, prays your honor to set the said bail bond aside until sufficient security is provided by the surety.” Prosecution argued.
Source:Front Page Africa
June 24, 2020 07:07 UTC
Liberia: New Georgia Residents Benefit Rice Donation from Community Help Initiative
Gardnerville – A group of young people of the New Georgia Community in Gardnerville under the umbrella “Community Help Initiative” has embarked on several community engagements, developments, and food distribution in the area. CHI is a non-Profit professional and ethical organization that engages in serving humanity and fostering unity and development in the New Georgia Community. The group, over the weekend, started distributing rice to households in the nine communities of New Georgia and carrying out sensitization about COVID-19 prevention. Apart from the donation to the clinic, the organization also donated bags of rice to households in New Georgia Golf, New Georgia Signboard, New Georgia Nigerian’s Shop, New Georgia U-Curve, New Georgia Oldfield Community and New Georgia Famous Island. He called on young people in and out of the New Georgia Estate to put their widow’s might together and help improve the community.
Source:Front Page Africa
June 24, 2020 07:07 UTC
Liberia: Civil Law Court Orders Justice Minister Dean, Others Arrested On Contempt Charges
On Monday, June 22, the Sixth Judicial Civil Law Court at the Temple of Justice, which is adjudicating the matter, issued an arrest order for Minister Dean and three other persons who are allegedly connected to the missing container including the Justice Minister. The other persons named in the writ of arrest are APM Terminal boss, George Adjei; Management of CMA CGM Shipping and Houssel Kaffel, Manager of Montserrado Group of Industries. Tit can be recalled that the container in question was loaded on February 28, 2020 and departed Istanbul, Turkey for Conakry. Unfortunately, according to report, the container was tracked in Madrid, Spain where the Guinean company representative Aboubacar Balde claimed Raze unlawfully changed the original owner to the Montserrado Group of Industries. Balde alleged that a formal complaint was written to the Ministry of Justice pertaining the diversion of the container, but the Ministry failed to respond.
Source:Front Page Africa
June 24, 2020 07:07 UTC
Liberia: Legislature Adopts Resolution Postponing Midterm Senatorial Elections, Referendum to December 2020
The adoption of the resolution sets the legal basis for the change in schedule of the elections and referendum as mandated by the Liberian ConstitutionCapitol Hill, Monrovia – Members of the 54th Legislature have adopted a joint resolution postponing the midterm Senatorial elections and national referendum previously scheduled for October 13, 2020. Report by Gerald C. Koinyeneh, [email protected]The new date is now December 8 – one week ahead of President George Weah’s proposed date of December 15, 2020. President Weah, based on the advice of the National Elections Commission (NEC), had earlier requested the Legislature to postpone the elections due to the inconveniences caused by the coronavirus pandemic. They also mandated that the 2017 Final Voter Registration Roll (FRR) should be used for the conduct of the midterm elections and referendum. In addition, the Legislature also called for the Voter Registration Update (VRU) to be conducted.
Source:Front Page Africa
June 24, 2020 06:56 UTC
Liberia: Army Denies Using Troops, Excavators to Mine Gold For President, 1st Lady; Brother-in-Law
“I have evidence that Mr. Weah and his brother-in-law, Michael Duncan, the brother of Clar Duncan Weah are engaged in illicit gold mining. This is absolutely unacceptable.”Mr. Costa lamented: “He and his brother-in-law are engaged in gold mining. George Weah, believing that everything in Liberia belongs to him has decided he’s not going to buy his own equipment to do the gold mining. So, George Weah is mining gold. Major General Johnson said two of the AFL’s equipment, an excavator and a Dozer(7) are aiding the road construction of some 350 kilometers of roads.
Source:Front Page Africa
June 24, 2020 06:44 UTC
Liberia: Ecowas Court Hears Former Supreme Court Justice Ja’neh’s Impeachment Case
Last March, Justice Ja’neh was found guilty by the Senate following impeachment by the House of Representatives on one of the four counts, involving the official misconduct and gross breach of duty of the Road Fund Case. ABUJA – Nearly fifteen months after he was found guilty and impeached as Associate Justice on the Supreme Court bench, Justice Kabineh M. Ja’neh will have his case heard before the Ecowas Court of Justice. Laveli Supuwood argued our case and we are now awaiting judgment”, Justice Ja’neh told FrontPageAfrica Tuesday. In this regard, the President of the Court, Justice Edward Amoako Asante said the Court has approved a Practice Direction on Electronic Case Management and Virtual Court session, a Manual Guide on the use of Zoom for virtual court sessions and Lawyers Guidelines for Virtual Court sessions. On March 29, 2019, in the Senate Chamber, 22 Senators voted guilty on the count of the Road Fund Case in the Associate Justice Ja’neh’s impeachment trial; 4 Senators voted not guilty.
Source:Front Page Africa
June 24, 2020 06:33 UTC
CGGC Joins Liberia’s Fight Against COVID-19
Monrovia – Chinese Company China Gezhouba (Group) Corporation (CGGC) (a state-owned company), through its subsidiary company in Liberia, CGGC Mining Services (Liberia) Company Ltd hereafter referred to as (CGGCMS) has donated assorted items worth over United States Dollars (US$5,000) to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to help buttress Liberia’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic in the country. CGGC through its subsidiary, CGGCMS along with its local partner Quarry Mining Services (QMS) has been providing integrated mining services for mining companies in Liberia since 2015. The company in its press statement mentioned that the gesture is part of its commitment to help the people of Liberia fight against COVID-19. Mr. Sun added that CGGCMS remains fully supportive to the Liberian people as the entire world continues to fight against the novel Coronavirus. The donated items, according to the Deputy Chief of Protocol, have been turned over to the National Task Force to be used for the intended purpose.
Source:Front Page Africa
June 24, 2020 06:22 UTC
Liberia: Ruling Party Lawmaker Blames Infighting Among Health Ministry, Public Health Institute Cause of Spike in COVID-19 Cases
This, he said, boils down to an infight between the Ministry of Health and the National Public Health of Liberia. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, June 23, 2020, Senator Joseph wrote: “MOH vs NPHIL! According to Monsterrado County Senator Joseph the lingering infight between the Ministry of Health and NPHIL is solely responsible for the rise in COVID-19 cases, threatening to invite the Ministry of Health and NPHIL for questioning. This is not the first time Senator Joseph, a ruling party lawmaker in the lower house, has come public with his criticisms about issues in the country. On June 14, Senator Joseph in a Facebook post, described as appalling the World Food Program’s charge of $9 million for $21 million food distribution to the country.
Source:Front Page Africa
June 24, 2020 06:22 UTC
Liberia: Pastor, 50, Allegedly Rapes 13-Year-Old
Pastor James Kollie, age 50, was on June 17, 2020 arrested in Logan Town after his alleged rape victim uncle reported the case to the Women and Children Protection Section at the Liberia National Police on June 8, 2020. Pastor James Kollie has claimed to be a “Deliverance Pastor” operating “Deliverance Praying Church.” The Community Revival Church between Logan Town and the Jamaica Road Community. According to the Police Charged Sheet, the Victim in July 2017 at age 10 was taken to Pastor Kollie’s Church because of her illness. When contacted the victim’s uncle, name withheld, he told Court Reporters that he was completely shocked about Pastor James Kollie alleged “devilish act”. “I, upon being told by my niece about Pastor James Kollie’s “devilish act “, sexually abusing a child, I was completely shocked, speechless, for so many reasons.
Source:Front Page Africa
June 24, 2020 06:11 UTC
Liberia: Three Running For Secretary-General Of Former Ruling Unity Party
For twelve years, the Unity Party enjoyed power and authority over the political space. For twelve years, the Unity Party enjoyed power and authority over the political space. Secretary-General of the Unity Party for four months, under the supervision of Chairman Wilmot J. M. Paye. Mo joined the Unity Party in 1997 during the election that ushered in Charles G. Taylor as President of Liberia. Tweh’s desire is to see a viable Unity party led by patriots with strong determination to ensure socioeconomic and political protection for all citizens of Liberia.
Source:Front Page Africa
June 24, 2020 06:11 UTC