TOP

STORIES

County News

pg 10

FIRST
CLASS

AGRICULTURE

pg 11

PRODUCING
ENTREPRENEURS
USAID Project Aim To
Make Employers From
Agriculture

DIASPORA

pg 7

STOP TEARING

LIBERIA
EJS Cautions U.S-Based
Dual Citizenship Advocates

FrontPage

USAID unveil Agriculture

Lab at Grand Bassa College

www.frontpageafricaonline.com

VOL 9 NO.153

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015

PRICE L$40

FRESH START

COMMUNITIES PUSHING TO MANAGER THEIR FORESTS

We depend on the forest for medicine, hunting and farming, if we give all the
forest to companies, where are we going, if we do not act now there will come a
time when there will be no forest. - Roosevelt Deedo, Forest Advocate, Sinoe County

COUNTY NEWS- pg. 6

CENTRAL BANK OF LIBERIA

MARKET BUYING AND SELLING RATES

LIBERIAN DOLLARS PER US DOLLAR

BUYING

SELLING

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2015

L$87.00/US$1

L$88.00/US$1

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

L$87.00/US$1

L$88.00/US$1

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2015

L$87.00/US$1

L$88.00/US$1

These are indicative rates based on results of daily surveys of the foreign exchange market
in Monrovia and its environs. The rates are collected from the Forex Bureaux and the
commercials banks. The rates are not set by the Central Bank of Liberia.
Source: Research, Policy and Planning Department, Central Bank Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia

FROM PAGE 1

Page 2 | Frontpage

Monroviahe security fears ahead of the drawdown

of the United Nations Mission in Liberia
continue to become evident with increase
in stances of citizens seeking retributive
justice by taking their laws in their hands.
Over the last few years mob violence has proven to
be a major obstacle to the fragile peace in Liberia
as angry citizens action to react violently to events
instead of seeking the course of the law has led
to deaths and destruction of thousands of dollars
worth of properties.
In 2014, angry motorcyclists burnt down a police
station in commercial district of Red Light in
Paynesville vandalizing properties, which resulted
to widespread looting and caused injuries to many
peaceful citizens.
Also in Gbarpa, Nimba County angry citizens staged
a violent protest causing massive destruction to the
facilities of Arcelor Mittal.
Mob justice is now spreading like wildfire across
Liberia with citizens now taking the law in their
own hands, killing people accused of alleged
involvement in unwholesome acts.
The commercial city of Ganta, Nimba County
is the latest to experience the growing wave of
intolerance and mob justice perpetrated by citizens
in the name of seeking avenge.
Cyclist death sparks outrage

FrontPageAfrica has gathered that the mysterious

death of a 14 year old motorcyclist identified
as Melton Wehgbay angered his colleagues who
launched a search to find his killer.
A local journalist told FPA that the motorcyclists
during their search found out that another
motorcyclist 15 year old Josephus Yeawon a
resident of the peace community in Ganta again felt
victim to the killers.
According Yeawon was asked by his 17 year old
friend Josiah Balmo to go for a Palm Wine ride
on the Ganta-Saclepea High way but it turned out
that the cyclist was killed in a little town along the
highway.
The death of the cyclist also added to a number
deaths including that of a seven year old girl who
went missing on August 7 body was discovered
with several body parts missing, eyewitnesses said.
Motorcyclists in the commercial city were said to
have gone furious over the death of the second

cyclist Wehgbay which led them to go on the

rampage.
The angry cyclists according bet a 28 year old man
known as decent Boy to death after they observed
that the motorbike that was being used by Decent
Boy allegedly had stain of blood.
LOOTING SPREE

Eyewitnesses say the angry motorcyclist went on

the rampage and set ablaze the home and other
properties belonging to a popular businessman in
the area Prince Howard.
The rioters alleged that Decent Boy confessed

Thursday, October 1, 2015

the name of Mr. Howrd as one of those behind

the ritualistic killings in the Ganta area which
prompted their action against the businessman.
Several other public offices including that of
Liberian National Police, the Drugs Enforcement
Agency, the Mayor of Ganta were vandalized and
vehicles and other properties destroyed.
WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN

The whereabouts of Howard, a prominent business

is said to be unknown including that of his
immediate families.
Over the last few years, the growing success

of Howard has led to

widespread speculations in
Ganta that he is involved in
making human sacrifice for
the success of his business,
even though it has not been
proven that the successful
businessman has any had in
such activities.
Representative
Jeremiah
Koung (NUDP-District #1
Nimba County) the lawmaker
from the Ganta area says
the situation in his county
needs urgent attention by
Government.
According to him news
about
massive
looting
and destruction of private
properties by some residents
of Ganta city currently
taking place in the area is
worrisome.
Representatives
Jeremiah
Koung
(NUDP-District#1
Nimba County) and Samuel
Korgar (NUDP-District #5
Nimba County) have failed
to say what is the main cause
of the situation but both
confirmed that the City is
suffering massive looting
and destruction of private
properties
I cannot say anything right
now because information
coming from the county is
still not clear on the current
situation but what I can say is
that the City of Ganta is at a
standstill right now because
of looting and destruction of
private citizens businesses,
Rep. Koung said.
FrontPageAfrica
has
also gathered that the
Government of Liberia has
announced through the
county Superintendent the
imposition of a three day
curfew.
Justice Minister Cllr. Benedict
Sannoh has warned that
those found culpable of
violating the law will face
justice.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Frontpage

Page 3

FrontPage COMMENTARY
WANT
TO
FIGHT
EBOLA?
HELP
EDITORIAL LIBERIA INVEST IN TOILETS.
v

URGENT ACTION
NEEDED TO CURB
ILLICIT FINANCIAL
FLOWS

LIBERIA IS NO DOUBT in need of all the necessary and

available resources to put the country back on the track of
growth and development.
SINCE RETURNING FROM war more than one decade ago,
the country continues to struggle to provide the needs of
the population estimated at over four million people.
THE HEALTH SECTOR is awful, education in a complete
mess borrowing the words of President Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf, basic social services are lacking with majority
of the population unable to have access to safe drinking
water and good health care.
STUDENTS IN RURAL Liberia sit on the floor and in some
instances in the open in pursuit of poor quality education
due to lack of chairs and good school buildings.
ROADS AND OTHER infrastructure are terrible and during
the rainy season Liberians face the worse some spending
weeks in the bushes along the road to get from one location
to another due to vehicles breakdown or getting stuck in
the mud.
WITH THESE APPALLING conditions facing the country,
Liberia is in dying need of all the available resources to
provide better living conditions for the population but on
the contrary resources are leaving the country.
SOME INDIVIDUALS FOR personal and selfish reasons
prefer transferring the limited resources out of the country
ignoring the plight of their fellow Liberians.
OVER THE LAST few months the international Watchdog
group Global Financial Integrity (GFI) has released reports
showing how thousands of dollars are leaving Liberia
through illicit means.
IN JUNE THIS year, GFI reported that Liberia is ranked the
second country in the world with the most illicit outflows
of money
ILLICIT FINANCIAL OUTFLOWS from Liberia according to
the GFI reached 61.6 percent of gross domestic product on
average between 2008 and 2012, and 80.6 percent of total
trade volume.
THIS, GFI STATED that money lost could have funded
the country health budget four and half times over, in a
country where 63.8 percent of the population are living
in poverty.
IT HAS BEEN estimated that nearly US$1 trillion in illicit
finance leave poor countries each year, money world
leaders say could help replace the shrinking amounts of
foreign aid and support ambitious new development goals.
A senior official of Global integrity says illicit financial
flows are pervasive in developing countries.
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN countries are ranked high based
on total tax revenues, appearing in the top 25 at a rate
higher than it appears in the overall group.
AGAIN IN ANOTHER recent report the GFI ranked Liberia
the fifth country in the world where illicit financial flows
swamped national spending on health with a ratio of
455.7%.
THESE REPORTS BY the GFI relating to Liberia are
very alarming and require serious attention from all
stakeholders mainly the government to put in place
stringent measures to curb the huge wave of illicit financial
flows from the country.
UNLESS SOMETHING DONE, real development will not be
achieved in Liberia, it will look like water being pour in
bucket with big hole at the bottom where the water later
escapes.
DONORS WILL CONTINUE to pump in millions while the
money evaporates with no impact on Liberia and Liberians
THIS SITUATION IS harming the growth and development
of Liberia and must be addressed urgently.

Preventing epidemics in the developing world

starts with a focus on basic hygiene.

By Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Contributing writer

s my country
continues
to recover
from
the
ravages of Ebola, we
hope that we have
won the battle. But we
have certainly not yet
won the war.
The shadows of that
horrifying
crisis,
which claimed more
than 4,800 lives in
Liberia alone, still
linger. It will take
time for our nation
to
fully
recover,
psychologically and
financially, from that
descent back into
poverty, death, and
fear the kind we
thought we had left
behind after the end of our last civil war in 2003.
Before the crisis, our economy was growing at 7.5 percent, and
we were making steady progress. Now, we again find ourselves
rebuilding; our neighbors, Sierra Leone and Guinea, are still
working toward defeating Ebola. Our priority is to revisit how
we deliver the basics of life to our people, including safe water,
sanitation, and hygiene.
During a special U.N. summit in New York this past weekend,
member states formally adopted new Global Goals for
sustainable development. Delivering water, sanitation, and
hygiene to everyone, everywhere, is goal No. 6. Organizations,
including the international water and sanitation charity
WaterAid, have been working toward this achievement for
years in order to build on the progress made in reaching the
U.N. Millennium Development Goals, which expire this year.
Goal six is a critical component of ending extreme poverty and
building healthier, more sustainable communities, touching
on health, education, gender rights, and the challenges of
urbanization.
As we have prepared for this landmark moment and for the
work that now must follow, the lessons of Ebola that we
learned so painfully should serve as lessons for the entire
world.
As we have prepared for this landmark moment and for the
work that now must follow, the lessons of Ebola that we
learned so painfully should serve as lessons for the entire
world. How could clinics contain this disease, for instance,
when in many cases doctors and nurses lacked clean, reliable
running water, functioning toilets, incinerators, and other
equipment to ensure rigorous hygiene? These health-care
workers are our heroes. Now more than ever, they and their
counterparts around the world deserve facilities to help them
properly care for their patients and allow them to work in a
dignified, clean environment.
Our schools, too, need our attention now. Students kept from
their lessons by the crisis for so long, with schools closed for
months to prevent Ebolas spread, now understand only too
well the need for their schools to be equipped with safe water,
decent latrines, and basins with soap.
Girls would not feel so pressured to drop out when they begin
menstruating, and all students would be cleaner and healthier
as they return to their desks. Students everywhere deserve to
be able to drink clean water and use a safe toilet at school.
Sanitation, however, is not an easy matter to discuss. Openings
of health clinics, schools, roads, and airports are marked
with ribbon-cuttings and are attended by VIP guests to greet
them as important additions to communities and the wider
economy. So why not new toilets?

Sanitation is the key to healthy, dignified, productive living

and strong communities. Good hygiene is inextricably linked
to this. In the developed world, hospitals and restaurants are
expected to provide visitors and staff with basins and soap,
and they often include signs as reminders to use them. Such
simple, critical acts prevent illness, but are often neglected
in the developing world. Measuring progress toward clean
water, sanitation, and hygiene in homes, schools, and hospitals
will be an important component of achieving the new Global
Goals, both in Liberia and around the world.
Liberia rose to the challenge posed by Ebola, moving past
its fears to stand together as a country. Now, we have an
opportunity to build on this renewed sense of responsibility for
our communities and the people in them. We are invigorated.
But as long as pandemic viral diseases like Ebola have the
opportunity to thrive in unhygienic environments, as long as
children succumb to chronic diarrhea from the fecal matter
contaminating their food and water, as long as mothers lose
newborn babies to terrible, preventable infections as long
as all of these problems exist, Liberias people cannot reach
their full potential and achieve the new future that the Global
Goals set out before us.
The health crisis of illness, death, and malnutrition that comes
from dirty water and poor sanitation, the same one that helped
spread Ebola so quickly, persists not only in Liberia but across
the developing world. More than 650 million people in the
world are without clean drinking water, and over 2.3 billion
have no access to a basic, private toilet.
The responsibility of implementing these Global Goals, making
sure foreign aid commitments are met, and ensuring that
both developed and developing countries prioritize water,
sanitation, and hygiene falls on all governments. We need to
measure progress in homes, in schools, and particularly in
clinics and hospitals because these constitute the foundation
of robust health systems. We must address this silent crisis
now, just as we in Liberia confronted and defeated the Ebola
crisis with unity and conviction.
The Global Goals represent a renewed call for action. We will
hear strong words this week at the United Nations, but the
work really begins when my fellow heads of state return to
their countries. With sufficient political will and financing,
we can build on this momentum and ensure that everyone
including the poor and marginalized, the disabled, the old, and
those in remote rural areas has the right to good health,
water, sanitation, and dignity. This is what we owe the next
generation.
Photo credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images News

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Page 4 | Frontpage

FrontPage

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING

ABOUT OUR STORIES ON THE
WORLDWIDE WEB

COMMENTS FROM
FPA ONLINE

MOCKERY: ELLEN
LETTER TO LEGISLATURE
ABOUT TRC REPORT

TQ Harris CEO at HV WoodGas Technology

Now that President Ellen Johnson has shown interest in
implementing the TRC recommendations, we stand ready
to give her our fullest support. As the original advocate for
the formation of a War Crimes Court for Liberia and a strong
supporter of the truth and reconciliation component of the
national healing process, it would be my pleasure and indeed an
honor to serve as the administrator of the TRC implementation
phase to ensure it is handled properly and in accordance
with international standards. For my time and services, I will
accept no compensation. Madam President, any further delay
in dealing with the TRC issue will only mean more suffering
for the Liberian people. We must act now and close this ugly
chapter in an otherwise impressive history. Let's Go! 231 77
011-0119 / 231 88 040-2479
Sarr Abdulai Vandi
Isn't she crafty, cunning, tricky and treacherous?

After deliberately debunking and refusing to implement the

TRC recommendations, which questioned and jeopardise her
2011 Presidential bid, she now disingenuously recommends
the implementation of the recommendations in the dying days
of her corrupt and incompetent governance, and illegitimate
rgime.
John Williams, Works at Unemployed
I think it would be an affront to the Liberian people and a
mockery of the international system if Ellen actually wrote
such a letter! The TRC Report was very clear on what to do
about stamping out impunity in Liberia! It recommended that
Ellen and others should have been banned from taking any
in political leadership for a number a years. Ellen and those
sanctioned deliberately disregarded the Recommendations
of the TRC. Regrettably, the Liberian people, unlike their
Burkinabe counterparts, lacked the courage to confront evil.
To add insult to injury, the international community remained
silent on the issue. In fact, Ellen was awarded a "Nobel Peace
Prize". This "Prize" was a slap in the face of the Liberian
people and convinced some to re-elect Ellen "because the
international community wants her". Some people argue
that "for the international community to support the TRC
Recommendation, the Liberian people should have led the
way". This is a lazy argument! Did the people of Sudan "lead the
way?" Did the people of Kenya lead the way?" Did the people of
Rwanda "lead the way" when one of their officials was arrested
for human rights violations while on a foreign trip? Ellen will
be completed two terms very soon. Then she has the nerves of
writing a letter to implement a TRC Recommendation that bans
people from politics while, when she herself should have been
disqualified long ago? Of course, the international community
can take whatever action it deems necessary to "assist the
Liberian people and discourage impunity". However, some
Liberians will also wonder "Had Prince Johnson, George Boley,
Alhaji Kromah etc become President in 2005, would it have
been the same way?" But the Liberian people are to blame!
Burkinabes have shown all of Africa that the people are the
custodians of their own destiny. Compaore was a darling of the
international community but they kicked him out and banned
his buddies from contesting the coming elections. When his
surrogates tried to crawl in, they put them in their place. When
ECOWAS tried to arrange a "sweetheart deal" for them, the
people refused. "As you make your bed, so shall you lie on it!"
Moses Harris, Works at Retired
Mr. Williams, we cannot blame the international community for
treating us the way it does; they do this because we (Liberians)
don't know what we want. My fellow Liberians, until we change
our thinking (our mindset), we will always be ruled by those
individuals with the get, grab and go (what's in it for me)
mentality. My people, if we continue to sell our birthrights,
we will continue, as a nation, to suffer. With most, if not all,
of our resources auctioned off by this government, the next
government will have a serious problem managing (meeting)
its affairs; yor jus wait, yor will ce what hard time is.

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those of our online readers and bloggers and do no
represent the views of FrontPageAfrica

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Send your letters and comments to:

editor@frontpageafricaonline.com
YOU WRITE; WE PUBLISH; THEY READ!

NEYOR OPEN LETTER TO MADAM SIRLEAF

Her Excellency
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
President, Republic of Liberia
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Monrovia, Liberia
Dear Madame President:

It is for love of country that I write this letter to offer my expert advice on how to
resuscitate NOCAL from its unfortunate breakdown. I must state from the outset
here that the tone of my letter may appear undiplomatic but let me assure you,
Madame President, that it is not out of disrespect for you or your honorable office.
To get NOCAL out of the shambles brought on by unspeakable mismanagement and
appalling malfeasance requires nonpolitical candor and to rescue our country from
the growing level of systemic corruption would take nothing less than patriotic
frankness along with a new genuine openness from you and your government
to listen to the voice of honest reason especially from those with proven sectoral
expertise and experience.
I am offering these unsolicited and free observations and advice because as
immediate past leader of NOCAL, an international energy consultant and a citizen
stakeholder, it is a patriotic duty to do so and our democracy demands it. I also
believe oil and gas could play a critical role in development of our country long after
you are gone and we must be made aware of its cursive spell.

Now to my observations:
First, Madame President, it is a universal truth in what Albert Einstein said that you
cannot solve a problem with the same mindset, the same people who created the
problem. It is absurd to take a Board and Management that have presided over the
collapse of an entity to be the same set of people who come up with a blueprint
to save the entity. For the NOCAL Board to come up with a Sustainability Action
Plan (SAP) with input of the Management to rescue a once viable company they have
run down to the ground is tantamount to putting old wine in new bottle. Madame
President, the taste will be no different from the old because it is the same wine.
The first thing I would recommend is revisit of your approval of that so-called SAP
from the NOCAL Board. If those guys were smart to come up with a rescue plan to
save NOCAL, the company wouldnt have needed a rescue in the first place. Moreover,
from history and the Einstein adage quoted above, that SAP, as developed and being
implemented, has zero chance of working. The Board and Management have created
a financial boondoggle, ruined the reputation, and diminished public confidence in
a once promising institution so vital to the economic wellbeing of Liberia and its
people.
The second reason why the SAP will not work and why NOCAL failed in the first place
is because, no disrespect to you Madame President (We are being very candid here.)
those you appointed both on the Board and in Management to run NOCAL in early
2012 after your re-election including your son Robert Sirleaf lacked any knowledge
or experience of how the oil and gas business works. Oil and gas is a new industry
to our country and there are not many around with any appreciable expertise in this
arena or in energy economics and management. The Act creating NOCAL spelled
out the qualifications of those to be appointed members of the Board of Directors
and the Act made no provision for statutory ministerial members because it was
intended to keep politics out of the entity and ensure only qualified professionals
with impeccable credentials and integrity were appointed board members.
Madam President, look at all the members you appointed to the Board; not one of
them has any background in oil and gas or any facet of the energy business. There
is not one with education or documented work experience in any energy related
discipline. This was further exacerbated by the appointment of an executive
management team with absolutely no background in oil and gas or energy except
the VP for Technical Services whom I recruited and brought on board in my
short 15-months stay as CEO of NOCAL. That Technical VP was for the most part
ostracized along with the few technical talents developed through the company
foreign scholarship program initiated by Dr. Fodee Kromah and expanded during my
tenure. How wouldnt NOCAL fail!
Instead of running NOCAL as the specialized technical agency it was, those you
entrusted as custodians of that which belongs to all of us as Liberian citizens, lacking
any appreciable competence or affinity for country, elected to turn NOCAL into a
secret political agency creating all sorts of unnecessary high-paying positions for
friends and cronies, quietly sponsoring football tournaments with hundreds of
thousands of dollars because of kickbacks received (of which no one was prosecuted
despite reported evidence of bribery), paying off millions of dollars to lawmakers
and others to ratify oil deals and pass laws developed outside Liberia with no input
of the few expertise the company scholarship program has been developing. This is
now a national tragedy with far reaching consequences beyond your tenure.
The Board and Management you appointed, Madame President, ran NOCAL as if
Liberia had surpassed Saudi Arabia in oil production and revenue. The fact is we are
yet to have a proven oil discovery and you had people running a frontier national
oil company without any sense of their position on the oil E&P (Exploration and
Production) spectrum or direction where they were heading. Maybe these are
some of the reasons God hasnt given us an oil discovery yet. Instead of focusing on
creating critical mass in drilling operations, continuing to develop and build upon
the company technical expertise and ensure local content development to empower
Liberians in this last extractive frontier and bring optimum benefits to the state,
NOCAL officials were flying all over the world in business class with high per diem

payments bringing no benefit to the state or the company from those pleasurable
travels.
I do not think they even knew that oil price was cyclical and that decline in oil
price adversely affected spending by oil companies in exploration activities
especially in a frontier country. They did not know how to prepare for or manage
through a downturn. In other words, they were sleeping at the wheel, clueless of
NOCALs mission but occupied only with their personal aggrandizement. And I
wish the Liberian people could know the associated cost to the state of this gross
mismanagement and callous corruption through a John Morlu type of independent
audit. Liberians deserve proper accountability for the financial mess and resulting
hardships at NOCAL. This is not a blanket accusation that everyone appointed was
corrupt and thats why an audit will set the record straight on individual and collective
accountability. Accepting a general responsibility without proper accountability and
personal responsibility does not demonstrate a purpose commitment to advance the
wellbeing of Liberia and its people.
Madame President, these may sound harsh but it is the truth and the truth at
times hurts. We cannot and must not continue to be political and sweep these ugly
betrayals of the people trust under the rug and pretend that all is going well.
In my final observation, it is clear that NOCALs collapse is more of gross
mismanagement than global fall in the price of oil. The good news is that every
problem has a solution; what is required to turn NOCAL around is not implementing
that SAP developed by those who created the mess and with some of them also called
upon to lead the turnaround but the love of country along with the political will to
make the hard decision required. This is true not only for NOCAL and the oil and
gas sector but for virtually every sector in our country that has similar challenges.
Now to my recommendations: Madame President, I strongly believe that if you could
study, accept and implement the following measures NOCAL can return to vibrancy
within 12-18 months:
1. Laying off ALL NOCAL staff including current Board and Management and
starting with a small staff of no more than 25 that would include Interim CEO,
Interim Technical VP, Interim Comptroller (a VP of Finance title is not necessary
now with a dying entity) as executive management. The Comptroller should be
appropriately qualified preferably with professional accounting certifications and
MBA from an accredited university who has relevant oil and gas industry experience.
After quarterly performance reviews and depending on revenue intake and need,
additional personnel may be gradually added from among the layoff staff.
2. No compensation should be given executives of the company responsible for its
sudden collapse pending an audit. Only non-executive employees not included in the
reduced staff should be paid off in keeping with labor law.
3. Appoint new Board of Directors comprising nonpolitical professionals in keeping
with the NOCAL Act. I am not asking you do anything more than do what is in the law.
The Act stipulates the qualification of Board members.
4. Recruit an Oil and Gas Consultant with track record in corporate turnaround or
managing in a downturn to work with the interim leadership to develop a fast-track
NOCAL Recovery Plan. (NRP) The theme of that plan should be on how to resuscitate
a frontier national oil company in the midst of lost credibility and global low oil
prices. Credibility has to be reestablished with current operators in the basin, explore
means to help them reduce costs associated with drilling and formulate strategy
to create critical mass in drilling operations within 18months. With credibility
established at NOCAL in appointment of new Board and Interim Management, the
Norwegian Oil for Development program or the United States Energy Governance
Capacity Initiative (EGCI) could be requested to help in recruiting and underwriting
the cost for such consultant.
5. Review all revenue streams including seismic data sales and devise strategy (as
part of NRP) to increase interest again in the Liberia offshore even in this downturn.
6. Consider the prospect of NOCAL partnership with some of the more matured
oil producing national oil companies where we have strong contacts for mutually
beneficial collaborations similar to what we were working on with SONAGOL but
was apparently abandoned after my departure. This is why the appointment of a
competent and credible Interim CEO and Board to work with a qualified Turnaround
Consultant is very critical for NOCAL revitalization.
Madame President, a drastic disease requires drastic medicine. We have to go
beyond diplomacy and political correctness and personality to fix NOCAL and the
other institutions and sectors that mismanagement and corruption are taking toil
on. With only two more years left in your administration, time is not on your side for
a legacy. I pray you do not look at my comments and constructive suggestions as an
affront but as genuine input coming from one who wants to see you succeed because
when you succeed, our country succeeds. It is all for love of country, Madame
President and I hope you look at it as such.
Finally, let me make it clear that these comments and suggestions are unsolicited
and free and not to be erroneously interpreted as a job hunt. I am doing fine in
the private sector and do not need nor will I accept another position within your
administration but, as a citizen of Liberia, I will continue to make comments and give
advice on critical national issues especially those in my realm of expertise.
Please accept, Madame President, my compliments of esteemed regards.
Sincerely yours,
CZeohnNeyor
Christopher Z Neyor
PRESIDENT & CEO
MORWEH ENERGY

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FRESH START
Thursday, October 1, 2015

Frontpage

Putting Communities in Charge of Managing their Forests

Al-Varney Rogers alvarney.rogers@frontpageafricaonline.com/ 0886304498

W
Sinoe-

ith his yellow

long shelves
shirt,
clear
glasses, and
baggy shorts, Roosevelt
Deedo wears the uniform
of Liberias urban residents
unlike a rural dweller.
Spend just a few minutes
with the old man it is
evident that he possesses
the street smarts to
match the look. However,
it is people like Deedo
advocacy in Numorpoh
town that has prevented
Golden
Veroleum
and
other logging companies
from encroaching on his
community reserved forest.
We depend on the forest
for medicine, hunting and
farming, if we give all the
forest to companies, where
are we going, if we do not
act now there will come a
time when there will be no
forest, Deedo said.
Giving community, the right
to determine the future of
their forest is what Deedo
has long been advocating
for in his community, finally
the community right law
has given locals a window
of opportunities to manage
their forest.
The local Advocate stressed
that the land investors want
is not with the President or
Legislators adding that it is
with the ordinary people.
When investors come
before operating, they
(government) should send
them to come and discuss
with us (locals), we are

investors in our forest and

they are investor in their
money, Deedo added.
Deedo is a founding member
of Sinoe Human Rights
and Natural Resources
Movement
(SHRNRM)
which advocates about the
proper management of
natural resources in Sinoe.
Not looking at any paper
Deedo can drilled anyone
through the process that
leads a Community to obtain
a license from the Forest
Development Authority to
operate its forest.
Deedo recalls, few years
back that they had no
input in the management
of their forest adding that
the community is used to
companies cutting their
logs without their consent.
OTC (Oriental Timber
Company) came in Sinoe
and destroyed our forest
and we never benefitted,
Deedo added.
During Liberias 14 years
of civil war the illicit sale
of Liberian timber on
international markets was
a major source of funding
for the warring factions,
including that of former
president Charles Taylor.
Doe Sayon who is also a
resident of Numorpoh said
by moving from the ugly
past and having community
managing
their
forest
is good idea that brings
development.
Sayon said, for the past
hundred plus years the
government has managed
the forest with no benefits

to forest communities.
The natural wealth of many
emerging economies is
being chopped down, mined
or pumped, and is lining the
pockets of a privileged few
at the expense of the global
poor, The Deputy Director
of the Africa Progress Panel
Max Bankole Jarrett said
in a piece published by the
Guardian.
Sayon
said,
proceed
generated from the forest
can be used to build clinics,
schools
and
connect
communities through the
construction of roads.
The law (CRL) is in the
interest of the people,
before they never used to
come to us, Sayon added.
Recent moves by the
Government of Liberia to
reform its forest sector
provide a window of
opportunity to bring about
profound
and
lasting
change for the countrys
forests, local communities,
and the wider economy.
FDA Community Forest
Department
Technical
Manager
Gertrude
Korvayan Nyaley said,
the ideas of communities
managing their forest came
as the result of Liberia ugly
past where the forest was
mismanaged.
Nyaley
said,
the
2006 FDA reform act
specifically address the
mismanagement of the
forest.
The 2006 FDA law, this
law gives birth to the
Community Rights Law, this

gives communities the right

to manage their forest,
Nyaley said.
Nyaley said, communities
can apply to manage
their forest adding that it
will be screen by a panel
comprising FDA, EPA and
the civil society.
Nyaley
said,
for
a
community to obtain a
license to operate a forest
adding that there are eight
steps they should follow.
For the first time in the
history of our country, the
community can decide what
to do with their forest,
Nyaley said.
FDA Community Forest
Department
Technical
Manager explains that if
the community completes
the eight steps they can
be given the permission to
manage their forest.
Nyaley said, her office
has received one hundred
twenty applications from
across the country from
forest communities.
If the community wants
to commercialize their
forest, 55% of the proceed
goes to the community for
development,
They have in managing
the proceeds, they have
the Executive Committee,
Community Assembly and
the Community Forest
Management Body, Nyaley
added.
Nyaley predicts that if the
communities are properly
managing
their
forest
in ten years most of the
communities will have

basic social services.

Nyaley continues :In ten
years I see community
with schools, I see better
healthcare, I see pregnant
women will longer have
to travel on bad roads to
give birth, I see electricity
that is the essence of the
Community Rights Law.
The Norwegian government
has pledged $150m up to
the year 2020 if Liberia
protects its forests standing
putting communities
in charge of conserving
their forests, and keeping
industry out.
In Sinoe most of the villagers
near the forest seem to be a
bit aware of the importance
of the establishment locals
structures in managing
their forest. But in Grand
Bass the story is bit
different.
In Bassa locals are still
struggling to set up
their Community Forest
Management Board but
with a look in the faces
of locals one can suggest
that they are anxious for
the first time to have the
opportunity to manage
their forest.
A resident of Grand Bassa
Adolphus Deputies like
other locals in Sinoe
believes that the new law
is a good deal for forest
communities.
Deputies said, with the
education
acquired
concerning
forest
management
it
has
empowered
locals
in
protecting their forest.

Page 5

Apart
from
logging
companies and people who
were doing pit sawing, we
used to mismanage our
forest by farming here and
there, Deputies said.
Deputies observed that
when communities protect
their forest it could preserve
endangered spices which
could attract tourists.
Deputies disclosed that his
community has completed
five out of the eight steps
required to obtain a license
to manage their forest.
I regret why PROSPER
(International
NonGovernmental
Organization) never came
in soon, if they have come in
early our forest will be tight
(not destroyed), Deputies
said.
A conference to Rethinking
Liberias Forests is aimed
at developing a shared
vision
for
Liberias
forests and people, and to
create practical plans to
implement this vision, it
will be Held in Monrovia
from 6th 7th October..
The conference is coorganized by the Forestry
Development
Authority
of Liberia, the Rights
and Resources Initiative
and
Global
Witness,
and supported by a
planning team including
representatives
from the

Liberia Land Commission,
the NGO Coalition of
Liberia, and development
partners supporting in the
forest sector in Liberia.
Discussions will include
concrete examples from
Liberias forest sector as
well as lessons learned
from other countries with
a view to considering how
Liberia would benefit from
different forms of forest
management.
These include looking at
how a proper economic
assessment can be made,
for example, of the noncash bounty of the forest,
including
the
food,
medicine,
shelter
and
spiritual sustenance it
provides.
The payoff from the
proper management of
Liberias forest will be
felt internationally too. At
this years Paris climate
conference, the world is set
to agree a deal to stay on
the right side of the danger
line on climate change.
Forests will be integral as
a resource not to extract
but to be kept alive and
nurtured as a key sink for
carbon emissions.
Liberia is home to globally
significant forests and most
of its people depend on
them for their livelihoods.
But the predominance
of
large-scale
timber
extraction in the country
prior to 2006 provided little
benefits for local people
and the environment due to
poor resource governance.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Page 6 | Frontpage

Monroviat has been nearly 3 years

since the Government
of Liberia through the
Ministry of Public Works
(MPW) entered into a contract
NO. MPW-0084-11/12 with
SEK Construction Company
for the construction of a 2.5
mile-road from Logan Town to
Mombo Town.
The project is estimated at
over US$1.9 million with direct
funding from the government,
aimed at connecting the Logan
Town with Stockton Creek,
Mombo Town, and the Duala
Communities, as well as, other
municipals located on the
Bushrod Island in Montserrado
County to ease the huge traffic
congestion around the Duala
Market, thus giving travelers
an alternative route.
According to the contract, the
construction work should
have lasted for 10 months only.
However, since the contract
was signed, it has been over
three years the project hasnt
been completed.
Series
of
investigation
conducted by a team of
journalists beginning June
until now on the Logan Town
Mombo Town Project,
revealed an extraordinary
abandonment of the project
by SEK Liberia with the MPW
remaining tightlipped over the
issue.
However, following series of
media reports in relations
to prolonged abandonment
of
Logan
Town-Mombo
Town US$1.9m road project,
authorities at the Ministry
of Public Works (MPW) have
finally given ears to probe the
matter this week.
Deputy Public Works Minister
of Technical Services, Mr.
Claude Langley, who on
several occasions turned down

PUBLIC WORKS MINISTRY PROBES

NEGLECTED $1.9M ROAD PROJECT

scheduled interviews with

journalists made the disclosure
last Saturday, September 26,
2015 in an interview.
According to Deputy Minister
Langley, the matter has
attracted the attention of
authorities, especially his
office since the media begun
reporting the issue, as such
they have decided to firstly
investigate the root cause of
the neglect by SEK Liberia, the
road construction company.
My only concern has been
to properly understand and
establish what is right, and that
which has gone wrong with the

contractual agreement and

issues you are asking about,
Minister Langley averred.
The Ministry has official
written officials of SEK,
seeking an audience with them
on reports gathered so-far
regarding the road project, the
Deputy Public Works Minister
said.
We have written authorities of
SEK-Liberia inviting them for
hearing. That will help me and
all other persons at the Ministry
to properly understand what is
ongoing. Who got the problem,
and how can we move ahead?
That is being far enough to

my predecessors, Deputy
Minister Langley who took
over from former Deputy
Minister Victor Sieh, as head of
technical services continued.
He said the Ministry will take
all necessary steps to ensure
the road work commences
soon.
The contractors told us that
they wanted to start the work
in this month, but if we dont
understand the status of the
project which involves going
to take a technical look at the
project and not just sitting in
office, signing a document for
an extension would be difficult

for me to do, Minister Langley

maintained.
Already, residents of the
Logan Town-Mombo Town
Communities have complained
that while the road is being
abandoned, work currently
completed by SEK Liberia,
allegedly not durable to meet a
modern standard road.
Our investigation shows that
the road has several pot holes.
Residents complained that the
road also lacks road signs for
the safety of its user, as there
is no sidewalk and drench to
avoid flood.
The residents further expressed
serious dissatisfaction over the
current status of the project
being superintended by the
Ministry of Public Works while
the Ministry has been unable
to provide clarity surrounding
the road abandonment.
Elders, youth and women of
the communities noted in an
interview with journalists that
when the road work started in
2012, two years after President
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf broke
grounds in 2010, they were of
the conviction that the road
would have been completed
soon so that it can contribute
to their life betterment and
economic development.
Mr. George D. Brown, Chairman
Mombo East Community/
Stockton Creek Community
told journalists that due to
poor construction work done
on the road coupled with lack
of sidewalk and drench system,
the road users have been

Committee (CRC) on the

Constitutional
Amendment
Process.
The ECC in a statement
recognizes the efforts made
by the National Legislature
to begin discussion on the
document.
At the same time, the ECC
is deeply concerned that
failure on the part of the
Legislature to deliberate on
this instrument before it closes
its extra ordinary session on
October 15, 2015, until they

return from their Agricultural

break on the Second Monday
in January, 2016 will result to
the holding of two elections in
2017, the Statement added.
The first is a national
referendum and the second
a general and presidential
elections.
Holding
these
elections within the same year
will pose extreme logistical
difficulties for the National
Elections Commission as well
as conducting proper civic
and voters education and this

runs the risk of undermining

the credibility and integrity of
these electoral processes.
The legal requirements for an
amendment to the Constitution
are grounded in Articles 91 and
92 of the 1986 Constitution.
The implementation of these
provisions
requires
time
and the participation of an
informed citizenry who are
knowledgeable about the
reason(s) for the amendment
of any Article.
The experience of the 2010

National Referendum is still

fresh on the minds of Liberians
and that experience showed
that voting in a referendum
with more than one proposition
can be a complicated exercise
for the electorate that is largely
illiterate.
If the nation is to spend much
needed resources to conduct a
referendum, the government
must ensure that it is done in an
effective and efficient manner.
It is against this background
that the ECC is urging members

victim of series of motorcycles

and motor vehicle accidents.
At present, there are overused
vehicles and construction
equipment residents claimed
have been parked for over
a year before the Stockton
Creek Bridge, going towards
the Duala Market, using the
unfinished Logan Town Road
Project.
Consequently, efforts to get
response of the company
as it relates to the MPW
communication
did
not
materialized up to press time.
Notwithstanding, in July, the
Company through its Country
representative who identified
himself via phone, as Mr.
Dauda Kone shift blames on
the government of Liberia for
the delay, coupled with the
Ebola crisis which affected the
country in March of last year.
According
to
him,
the
government had not been in
the position to fully finance the
road work until the Ebola crisis
which badly hit the country.
When
contacted,
Former
Public Works Minister, Atty.
Koffi Woods, under whose
administration the contract
was signed acknowledged
that though the contract was
signed under this leadership,
he cannot speak to the press
on the issue because he since
resigned.
I dont know how far the
current Minister gone with
the work, so I cant speak on
the issue, Minister Woods
insisted.
of the National Legislature
to exercise leadership and
be decisive in dealing with
the
suggested
proposals
before its takes recess on
October 15, 2015. This will
give NEC and the civil society
organizations ample time to
provide education and prepare
to conduct the referendum
in 2016 rather than in 2017
for reasons already provided
above.

MATTER OF URGENCY- ELECTIONS COORDINATING COMMITTEE ALARMS

Monroviahe
Elections
Coordinating
Committee
(ECC)
calls on the 53rd
Legislature to treat the
proposals
suggested
for
amendments as a matter of
urgency.
On
August
13,
2015,
the President of Liberia
communicated to the National
Legislature the outcomes
of consultations held by
the Constitutional Review

Thursday, October 1, 2015

MATTER OF URGENCYELECTIONS COORDINATING

COMMITTEE ALARMS

Monroviahe Elections Coordinating

Committee (ECC) calls on
the 53rd Legislature to treat
the proposals suggested for
amendments as a matter of urgency.
On August 13, 2015, the President
of Liberia communicated to the
National Legislature the outcomes
of consultations held by the
Constitutional Review Committee
(CRC)
on
the
Constitutional
Amendment Process.
The ECC in a statement recognizes
the efforts made by the National
Legislature to begin discussion on
the document.
At the same time, the ECC is deeply
concerned that failure on the part of
the Legislature to deliberate on this
instrument before it closes its extra
ordinary session on October 15,
2015, until they return from their
Agricultural break on the Second
Monday in January, 2016 will result
to the holding of two elections in
2017, the Statement added.
The first is a national referendum
and the second a general and
presidential
elections.
Holding
these elections within the same
year will pose extreme logistical
difficulties for the National Elections
Commission as well as conducting
proper civic and voters education
and this runs the risk of undermining
the credibility and integrity of these
electoral processes.
The legal requirements for an
amendment to the Constitution are
grounded in Articles 91 and 92 of the
1986 Constitution.
The implementation of these
provisions requires time and the
participation of an informed citizenry
who are knowledgeable about the
reason(s) for the amendment of any
Article.
The experience of the 2010 National
Referendum is still fresh on the minds
of Liberians and that experience
showed that voting in a referendum
with more than one proposition can
be a complicated exercise for the
electorate that is largely illiterate.
If the nation is to spend much needed
resources to conduct a referendum,
the government must ensure that it
is done in an effective and efficient
manner. It is against this background
that the ECC is urging members of
the National Legislature to exercise
leadership and be decisive in dealing
with the suggested proposals before
its takes recess on October 15, 2015.
This will give NEC and the civil
society organizations ample time
to provide education and prepare
to conduct the referendum in 2016
rather than in 2017 for reasons
already provided above.

Frontpage

Page 7

NPA SIGNS TRADE EXTENSION AGREEMENT

WITH GEORGIA PORTS AUTHORITY

Monroviahe National Port Authority of

the Republic of Liberia (NPA)
and the Georgia Ports Authority
have signed a memorandum
of understanding, extending the ports
partnership.
The original MOU, signed August, 4,
2010, to 2012, has been extended for
additional three years. The new MOU
is geared towards expanding trade
between the Southeastern United

States and the West African nations.

The Port of Savannah is the highestvolume exporter to Liberia among U.S
South Atlantic ports, and the highest in
imports from Liberia.
A release from the NPA says the MOU
encourages voluntary cooperation in
the areas of Capacity building, joint
marketing activities, and information
sharing on trade forecast, market
studies and developments in the
shipping market, as well as details

of modernization and technological

improvements necessary to meet
market
demands
and
enhance
throughput.
The MOU signing ceremony took
place after the US-Liberia Trade and
Investment Forum held September 15
& 16, 2015 in New York in which the
Liberian governments Agenda For
Transformation (AFT) was presented.
In remarks, NPA Acting Managing
Director David Williams
expressed

the Liberian governments

willingness to develop Seaport
Industry evident by the
completion of key projects
in the Port of Greenville, the
Port of Buchanan and plans
by the NPA management to
rehabilitate the Port of Harper.
Mr. Williams said the NPAs
current
Management Team
places
serious
emphasis
on developing the Seaport,
Particularly in the areas of
human resource, infrastructure
development,
automation,
and the pavement of internal
roads within the Freeport of
Monrovia to enhance Cargo
movement.
For his part, the Georgia Ports
Authority (GPA) Executive
Director, Curtis Foltz stated
it is with great pleasure that
we welcome the Liberian
delegation today to continue
our trading partnership, as
African trade continues to
strengthen
and
increase,
this agreement continues
developing a foundation for
even stronger growth.
As part of the agreement
contained in the MOU, trainers
from the Georgia Ports
Authority are expected to visit
the National Port Authority in
April 2016 to begin training of
Port operations personnel.

EU AMBASSADOR ABOUT EU ROLE IN IMPLEMENTING

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Monrovia ollowing
the
adoption of the
Sustainable
Development Goals
(SDGs) and the Agenda 2030
at the UN Summit in New
York on 25th September
2015,
European
Union
Ambassador to Liberia,
Tiina Intelmann said she
was upbeat that the world
leaders unreservedly took
a common position meant
to help end poverty and
deprivation around the
World. She indicated that the
17 Goals are implementable
if every stakeholder of the

World plays his or her part.

Mentioning of the European
Union
commitment
to
implementing
the
set
of
Goals,
Ambassador
Intelmann stressed that the
EU in Liberia will continue
to collaborate with Liberia in
its efforts to achieve the aims
according to the priorities
agreed.
The envoy, specifically paid
tribute to President Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf for her
tireless effort in reaching
out to world leaders to
develop the Goals with
the intent to see the
Millennium
Development

Goals (MDGs) continues. She

stated that the President's
role will be crucial in the
implementation
of
the
Goals especially through the
African Union processes.
Ambassador
Intelmann
recalled
that
President
Sirleaf played an important
role as co-chair of a panel
in setting the paces for
development of the SDGs
along
with
Indonesian
President, Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono
and British
Prime
Minister,
David
Cameron.

also important to the Liberian

people.
Stated
President
Sirleaf
Sanitation, however, is not
an easy matter to discuss.
Openings of health clinics,
schools, roads, and airports are
marked with ribbon-cuttings
and are attended by VIP guests
to greet them as important
additions to communities and
the wider economy. So why not
new toilets?.
She expressed that sanitation
is the key to healthy, dignified,
productive living and strong
communities.
Good hygiene is inextricably
linked to this. In the
developed world, hospitals
and restaurants are expected
to provide visitors and staff
with basins and soap, and

they often include signs as

reminders to use them. Such
simple, critical acts prevent
illness, but are often neglected
in the developing world.
Measuring progress toward
clean water, sanitation, and
hygiene in homes, schools, and
hospitals will be an important

component of achieving the

new Global Goals, both in
Liberia and around the world,
the Liberia leader stressed.
The Fore Policy Magazine is
one of the know publications
in the world, widely read by
big figures including world
leaders.

PRIORITY ON HYGIENE- PRESIDENT SIRLEAF CALLS FOR INVESTMENT IN TOILETS

Monroviassues of water, sanitation

and hygiene are serious
problems
confronting
Liberia with a large
number of the population
lacking access to safe drinking
water and clean public toilet
facility.
At various high schools,
students are constrained to use
filthy facilities, posing threats
to their health and President
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf who is
currently visiting the United
Sates of America, attending
the United Nations General
Assembly has calling for more
investment in toilets.
President Sirleaf in an article
published by the popular
Foreign Policy Magazine stated
that Liberia might have won

the war against Ebola but

issues of hygiene is critical to
the health of the people.
She says Liberia is growing
but due to the c=virus it is
now rebuilding promising that
the priority of the Liberian
government post Ebola is to
revisit how it deliver the basics
of life to the population mainly
safe water, sanitation and
hygiene.
Before the crisis, our economy
was growing at 7.5 percent,
and we were making steady
progress. Now, we again
find ourselves rebuilding;
our neighbors, Sierra Leone
and Guinea, are still working
toward defeating Ebola. Our
priority is to revisit how we
deliver the basics of life to our
people, including safe water,

sanitation, and hygiene, stated

President Sirleaf.
President Sirleaf also wants
schools to be equipped
with water and other basic
necessities to enable students
learn uninterrupted.
Our schools, too, need our
attention now. Students kept
from their lessons by the crisis
for so long, with schools closed
for months to prevent Ebolas
spread, now understand only
too well the need for their
schools to be equipped with
safe water, decent latrines, and
basins with soap, she added.
Toilets are important
According to her, while major
projects including opening
of health clinics, schools
and roads are attended very
important guests, toilets are

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Page 8 | Frontpage

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
IN TIMES OF CRISIS AND RECOVERY

STOP TEARING
LIBERIA APART

The president should have allowed the auditors to do their work. But our president, being very
defensive against audits, has made it difficult for us to move forward. We have to redefine the Freedom
of Information Act because the very anti-corruption commission are usually the very one delaying the
information we should be given, Kamara A. Kamara President, Press Union of Liberia

Mae Azango maeazango@frontpageafricaonline.com

Sirleaf Cautions U.S-Based Advocates for Dual Citizenship

NEW YORK
resident
Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf says
shes humbled by
the
appreciation
expressed
by
fellow
compatriots and called on
them to return with their
varied skills to contribute
to the development of their
country.
According to a dispatch, the
Liberian leader made the
remarks shortly after her
address to the 70th Session
of the United Nations General
Assembly in New York when
the leadership of a delegation
of Liberians advocating for dual
citizenship - based in Staten
Island paid her a courtesy call.
President Sirleaf challenged
the delegation to establish
the appropriate channels,
contacts and links on the
ground to crusade their
agenda for dual citizenship
by
holding
workshops,
town hall gatherings, media
engagements that will involve
radio and television slots and
increase the level of social
media engagement.
She admonished Liberians
to be good citizens and
ambassadors of their country
and cautioned them to desist
from those tendencies that
seek to tear the country apart.
The Liberian chief executive
said
Liberians
should
remember
that
while

everyone might not have the

same political beliefs, there
is one thing that binds us
together and it is our common
patrimony.
Speaking earlier, the advocates
for dual citizenship praised
President Sirleaf for her
wisdom in presenting to
the National Legislature, a
draft legislation that seeks
to amend the constitution in
order to grant dual citizenship
to Liberians residing in the
diaspora.
In separate comments, on
behalf of the advocates the
groups chair, Mr. Tokpa Porte
and Secretary General, Comfort
Itoka said dual citizenship
offered numerous benefits for
each country and called on
fellow Liberians not to see their
brethren as foreigners. They
called on Liberians to embrace
the idea of dual citizenship to
promote the development of
their country.
They called on Liberians at
home to emulate the examples
of
Nigerians,
Ghanaians,
Kenyans and a host of African
countries that continue to
enjoy the benefits of dual
citizenship.
We
might
have
been
separated by the conflict we
are endeavoring to empower
ourselves to be of benefit to
our country and people, they
passionately entreated their
compatriots.

Monroviauring
a
recent
round
table
Discussion held by
Carter Center and
partners, with stakeholders,
Civil Society and the Media,
Kamara said the law is very
clear. And even though
there are some laws that
are exempted, but if any
information is not exempted,
one should request for it.
Since
the
Freedom
of
Information
Act
was
introduced four years ago,
Journalists and Civil Society
organizations
are
still
complaining about gaining
access
to
information
intended
for
public
consumption. But during
the interactive forum, Mr.
Kelvin Lewis, President of the
Sierra Leone Association of
Journalists said it is good for
the media to stand together
in getting information in
that the three presidents of

Liberia Guinea and Sierra

Leone met in New York and
an Ebola recovery program
was put forward and millions
were given.
We made a request to the
freedom
of
Information
committee
to
get
the
information because we, as
journalists, wanted to know
how much was given and how
the word was going to get out
if Journalists did not give out
the information. The reason
why we did it, because the
government wanted to spend
the money the way they
wanted and did not want us
to know how the money was
going to be spent, said Mr.
Lewis.
On the issue about the spread
of Ebola during the epidemic
and how information was
carried out by the Ministry of
Information, Deputy Minister
for Public Affairs at the
Information Ministry, Isaac
Jackson said from the day

Ebola struck the country, the

Ministry had series of press
conferences to inform the
public about the deadly virus,
but the point was denial.
When asked by a participant
during the forum as to
whether a post Ebola plan
was put into place by the
government, Deputy Minister
Jackson replied;
Yes we have a post Ebola
progressive plan that you
can get from the Ministry of
Health.
Also commenting on the
role of the Information
Commission, commissioner
Cllr. Mark Bedor-wla Freeman
said several Ebola money
complaints were filed to
them and the commission is
looking into the complaints.
I want to clarify because
people believe that we are
not doing anything, but we
are working. The complaints
were brought to us from
several counties. On one of

ADVISORY BOARD DECIDES AS PRESIDENTS

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS PROGRAM TRANSITIONS

NEW YORK
resident
Ellen
Johnson
Sirleaf
has
commended
supporters
and

donors of her governmentinspired Presidents Young

Professionals
Program
(PYPP) initiated in 2007 to
fill the void-cum challenge

as a result to the chronic

deficiencies inherited in the
civil service.
According
to
dispatch,
President
Sirleaf
was

speaking in at the Loews

Regency Hotel in New York
at a gathering of the Advisory
Board to explore and examine
all sides of the transition

phase of the Program after

five years of its successfully
existence.
During the PYPPS initial
phase, the Program mentored
77 young college graduates
who were seconded to various
Ministries
and
Agencies
and have since performed
outstandingly.
President
Sirleaf praised Betsy Williams
for her inspiration in working
towards
translating
the
PYPP into a viable national
professional entity.
Earlier,
Betsy
Williams
briefed
the
Advisory
Board on progress made
and said the Program had
reached its transitioning
point. She stressed the
need for sustainability that
would enable the program
continue in a more robust
and progressive manner.
Ms. Williams indicated that
private
partnership
was
essential to the transition
process, which as a unique
success story, will help
to foster the Agenda for

the instance, we wrote River

Gee and scheduled a hearing,
but by the time the letter got
to them, the date had already
passed. So these are some
of the challenges we face in
providing information. And
people make verbal request
for information as well.
Also speaking, Sierra Leone
Information Commissioner,
Yeama Thompson said the
Ebola Virus Disease had
exposed the health sectors
in both Liberia and Sierra
Leone.
The Mano River Union
needs a robust access to
information. Sierra Leone
passed FOI in 2013, we had
problem during the Ebola
crisis, but we did not do
much because we were still
putting things together. The
media next step is to hold
a stake holder engagement
to see how they can support
the commission work. I think
there should be continuous
stake holders meetings, Says
Commissioner Thompson.
We also share the problem
with Liberia, we have
beautiful act, so we are going
back to the drawing board
to know what government
organization
to
support
this act. It is not easy for us
in Sierra Leone in getting
information but we have
gotten stakeholders involved.
What is on the books is fine,
but implementation is the
problem. What is civil social
society doing to support the
commission? Passing the
information is one thing but
what is everybody doing
instead of shifting blames?
Some
Participants
suggested that Civil Society
and government need to
work together in sharing
information
for
future
outbreak in Liberia.

Transformation through the

building of credible civil
service.
Moderating an interactive
session,
former
U.S.
Ambassador to Liberia, Linda
Thomas Greenville, noted
that the PYPP is manifestation
of President Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf s vision aimed at
breeding a cadre of young and
enterprising
professionals
who would become proficient
and dedicated civil servants
with a sense of commitment
to serve their country and
people.
The Advisory Board welcomed
the suggestion that underpins
the
decentralization
of
the Program with a view
to assisting the countrys
administrators in the area of
critical data collection to aid
our development process.
Meanwhile, key sponsors
have
called
for
the
conceptualization of a new
pragmatic and increasingly
broader perspective that
will ensure the unhindered
continuation
of
the
program amid a fine-turned
governance structure backed
the actualization of feasible
strategies thrust on regional
incorporation dimensions.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

PRESIDENT SIRLEAF WANTS HEALTH

AND HUMAN SECURITY PRIORITIZED
IN THE 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

NEW YORK
resident
Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf says
the prioritization of
health and human
security remain critical to
the achievement of the new
2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
She said human progress is
often measured in terms of
their health as basic human
security; which she says thrives
alongside trappings of the
new Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs).
According to a dispatch
from New York, the Liberian
leader spoke at a high-level
meeting on The Path Towards
Universal Health Coverage: The
Promotion of Equitable Global
Health and Human Security in
the Post-2015 Development
Era, on Monday, September
28, 2015. The event, which was
held on the fringes of the United
Nations General Assembly, was
co-sponsored by Japan, France,
Senegal, Thailand, the World
Health Organization and the
Global Fund.
President Sirleaf stressed that
by adopting universal health
coverage, the world would
have positioned its energies
towards combating various
health-related challenges such
as infectious diseases; reechoing the call that the rapid

response to strengthening
the global health systems is
crucial to confronting potential
pandemics.
She emphasized the need for
strategic pooled financing
instruments backed by private
partnership, which according
to her, would play a major role
in translating global goals into
investment within the context
of global health.
This makes it exceedingly
imperative for global health
leaders to adapt to the
transitioning landscape that
is critical to determining the
unprecedented achievements
in global health following
the adoption of the SDGs,
the Liberia chief executive
observed.
Also making an input, Liberias
deputy minister for public
health emergencies and head
of the countrys incident
management system (IMS),
Mr. Tolbert Nyenswah, who
accompanied President Sirleaf
to the meeting, indicated that
prior to the outbreak of the
Ebola virus disease, significant
progress had been made in
the health sector as evidenced
by an increase in the life
expectancy of Liberians by 20
years.
He said the period also
witnessed a dramatic reduction
of under-five mortality and the

prevalence of malaria, among

others.
Deputy Minister Nyenswah
described the adoption of
the SDGs as a milestone. He
named key actions of universal
health coverage as reduced
direct payment out of pocket,
mandatory pre-payment, and
the use of general government
revenue to cover those who
cannot afford to pay.
The head of Liberias incident
management system informed
the global community that
Liberia has effectively beaten
the Ebola virus disease
twice and the country has
the capacity to deal with any
resurgence.
He, however, recommended
that the universal health
coverage be given much
development assistance in
both the short and medium-

DIABETES AND YOUR EYES

Untreated diabetes can lead to complete vision loss

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

(ME NewsWire ) -iabetes
is
a
metabolic disorder
in which the body
does not produce
or properly use insulin, a
hormone that allows the
body to use blood sugar for
energy. It is characterized by
high levels of blood sugar,
which can cause changes
in the blood vessels of the
retina, the light-sensitive
tissue at the back of the eye
that is necessary for good
vision.

DIABETIC RETINOPATHY
is the leading cause of new
blindness cases among adults
aged 20-74 states Prof. Dr.
Ayman Shouman, Cataract
and Vitreoretinal surgery
consultant at Spanish Center
Dubai, highlights the danger
of Diabetes in harming your
vision.
In the early stages of diabetic
retinopathy, small blood
vessels in the eye swell.
As the disease progresses,
some vessels that nourish
the retina become blocked.
Abnormal new blood vessels

may begin to grow on the

surface of the retina to
replace the blocked vessels.
The new vessels, however,
have thin, fragile walls. If
they leak blood, severe vision
loss and even blindness can
result.
The only way that diabetic
retinopathy can be diagnosed
is through a comprehensive
eye exam. Diabetics are
sometimes first diagnosed
in an optometrists clinic
when diabetic retinopathy is
discovered.
All people with diabetes,

term especially for fragile

economies and health systems.
Meanwhile,
the
WHOs
Executive Director, Dr. Margaret
Chan,
praised
Minister
Nyenswah and the countrys
incident management team
for the effective and efficient
manner in which they managed
the Ebola crisis in Liberia.
She urged the international
community
to
support
Liberias recovery process in
the context of universal health
coverage.
The event was addressed by
scores of other world leaders
including Japanese Prime
Minister, Mr. Shinzo Abe;
Senegals President, Mr. Macky
Sall; Executive Director of the
WHO, Dr. Margaret Chan; and
UNICEFs Executive Director,
Dr. Babatunde Osotimehi,
among others.

including those with Type

I (juvenile onset) and Type
II (adult onset), are at risk
of
developing
diabetic
retinopathy. The longer you
have diabetes, the more likely
you are to develop it. There
is a genetic component to
this disease, as well. If your
grandmother had diabetic
retinopathy, for example,
your risk is higher.
In order to prevent vision
loss, early diagnosis and
aggressive
treatment
of
diabetic
retinopathy
are essential. The risk of
blindness can be reduced by
90% with timely treatment
and follow- up care. Vision
that has already been lost,
however, cannot be restored.
During the early stages of
the disease, no treatment
is needed. As the disease
advances, doctors at Spanish
Center Dubai recommend the
following treatment options:
Laser surgery. Laser surgery
has been successful in
sealing blood vessels to stop

Frontpage

Page 9

PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV

YEARN FOR MORE SUPPORT
As Light Association Concludes
Advocacy Training Workshop

iberias
oldest
organization
of
People Living With
HIV (PLHIVs), Light
Association, has concluded a
day advocacy workshop for
those infected and affected
with the virus in the country.
Light
Association
with
support from the American
Jewish World Service (AJWS)
held the training under
the theme: Strengthening
Psychosocial Support Services
for PLHIVs over the weekend
in Paynesville City, outside
Monrovia.
The
training
brought
together over 40 PLHIVs
from 8 support groups who
shared
their
experiences
on multiplicity of issues
including: Nutritional support
for PLHIVs, strengthening
health
facilities,
drugs
distribution to health facilities
in rural Liberia, educational
support for PLHIVs/Children
up to college and university
levels, program for orphans
and venerable children (OVCs),
empowerment
programs
for PLHIVs and Institutional
capacity building interventions
by government and partners.
Giving an overview of their
activities, Light Association
Program
Manager,
Ms.
Josephine Godoe told the
gathering that since the
organization was established
on October 17, 2002, it has
been responding to numerous
problems affecting people
living with HIV AIDS through
advocacy, counseling and
home visitation to get back
terminally ill PLHIVs on
treatment.
The organization has been
working to prevent and control
HIV transmission by forming
partnership with international
organizations
including
the AJWS that is currently
helping us to conduct this
strengthening
psychosocial
support services for PLIHVs

them from leaking, and in

shrinking abnormal vessels.
Generally, laser surgery is
used to stabilize vision, not
necessarily to improve it.
Al received treatment early
enough that only minimal
vision loss had occurred.
Intraocular injection. This
new treatment helps reduce
the amount of fluid leaking
into the retina, which
improves vision. It may need
to be repeated or combined
with laser therapy to achieve
a lasting effect.

About
Spanish
Center
Dubai
Our specialty clinics are
situated at your convenience
in Dubai, United Arab
Emirates. The state-of-theart equipment is sure to
present the latest technology
in LASIK and eye surgery
to our patients. Whether
examination, surgery, or
regular
checkups,
our
facilities will help provide
the best patient experience.

training today, the Light

Association Program Manager.
She said the project started in
May this year and is expected
to come to an end in October.
Under the project, Ms. Godeo
said the organization visited
homes of over 75 PLHIV who
reside in Montserrado County
particularly,
West
Point,
Gardnersville, Old Road and
Bensonville communities.
She said 60 PLHIVs were
identified
and
provided
packages between June to
September 2015.
We were able to traced 80
PLHIVs, who were lost to follow
up, from their communities, 20
PLHIVs per month, female 46
and male 34. We motivated
them by giving each PLHIV the
amount of US$5.00 to transport
them to go for treatment, Ms.
Godeo mentioned as part of
their activities under the AJWS
project.
During the Light Association
outreaches, Ms. Godeo noted
that the organization found
out that most PLHIVs lost-tofollow-up was due either to lack
of care and support services
including transportation, or
stigma and discrimination.
For his part, Mr. Joe Joe
Baysah, President of the
Network of People Living
with HIV (LIBNEP+) said
the organization remains
committed in its advocacy
for the welfare of PLHIVs in
the country. He praised Light
Association for its initiative
held in collaboration with
AJWS and called on other
members of the network to
follow suit.
Speaking on behalf of the
Government of Liberia, Madam
Juanita Ramirez, commissioner
on partnership at the National
AIDS
Commission
(NAC)
reaffirms the governments
commitment to support the
network and associations, as
required in the mandate of
Commission.

We treat our patients in

individual offices, designed
with your privacy and
comfort in mind. We
maintain an atmosphere
that is quiet, friendly,
and conducive to healing.
We provide the unique
combination of diagnostic
and
treatment
services
with the personalized care
that a small clinic offers. All
medical records will be held
confidentially in a database in
the Clinic and all information
relating to patients will be
treated with the professional
standards
of
medical
confidentiality. If you are
looking for LASIK in Dubai,
or any other type of vision
correction in Dubai such as
FemtoSMILE,
IntraLASIK
HD, PRK, or SBK, Cataract
Surgery,
Keratoconus
treatment, Intraocular lens,
or glaucoma treatment then
Spanish Center Dubai LASIK
eyes and cosmetic center
becomes your first choice in
Dubai.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Page 10 | Frontpage

USAID/EHELD PROJECT LOOKING TO MAKE EMPLOYERS FROM

AGRICULTURE STUDENTS AT CUTTINGTON, UNIVERSITY OF LIBERIA

PRODUCING ENTREPRENEURS
We have started the animal compound where we have started rabbit and chicken production, so apart from these two labs
we have other labs that are ongoing. We have farm machinery section, we have tractors and all of the various implements
to help students learn and practice, all of these are intended so that we can give people good learning opportunity so that
they can go and try to start something for themselves, a business, not about going to find employment, employment is good
but they themselves can create employment- Yarkpazuo Z. Kolva, the Chief of Party USAID/EHELD project

Mae Azango-maeazango@frontpageafricaonline.com

Monrovianemployment
is
very high in Liberia
and the number of
yearly
university
graduates further compounds
the situation as many roam the
country with degrees in search
of jobs that are not easily
available.
Government is the single
largest employer as the private
sector is not really vibrant to
help supplement the efforts
of government in providing
employment opportunities.
Not many university graduates
in Liberia push to become selfemployed to help create jobs
for others but instead go out
looking for employment.
Now a United States Agency
for International development
(USAID) sponsored Excellence
in Higher Education for
Liberian
Development
(EHELD) program intended
to assist the Cuttington
University and the University
of Liberia to develop the
capabilities of students in
agriculture and engineering is
looking to introduce a new way
of preparing students to enable
them become entrepreneurs.
During the commencement
exercise of the Cuttington
University,
FrontPageAfrica
during a guided tour of

the facility observed that

the program has several
laboratory equipment and
farming machinery for use
by students and an official of
project told FrontPageAfrica
that the program is aimed at
helping to produce employers
and not employees.
Yarkpazuo Z. Kolva, the Chief
of Party of the program is
blending both theory and
practical which will give
students an added advantage
upon graduation to start their
own agriculture project.
We have started the animal
compound where we have
started rabbit and chicken
production, so apart from
these two labs we have other
labs that are ongoing. We have
farm machinery section, we
have tractors and all of the
various implements to help
students learn and practice,
all of these are intended so
that we can give people good
learning opportunity so that
they can go and try to start
something for themselves, a
business, not about going to
find employment, employment
is good but they themselves
can create employment, said
Kolva.
EQUIPPING STUDENTS

Besides the normal academic

and practical work, Chief
of Party Kolva also said
internship is another aspect
of the harboring process for
students enrolled in the College
of Agriculture and Sustainable
Development program.
Job
market
internship
program as part of the new
program is in two folds- one
were putting more emphasis
on entrepreneurship, we want
to produce graduates that will
leave from here and go and
start their own businesses,
own agro business that is one
emphasis. The other thing
is that as part of the revised
curriculum, a student has to
go on internship, so we are
talking with employers, we
have been having many of
these students who graduated
on internship positions, Kolva
further narrated.
An arrangement he noted
is being reached between
employers where at a meeting
with employers they agreed
to provide internship to the
students, provide seminars
with representatives from oil
palm area to share highlights
on oil palm production same as
those from the rubber sector
or Cocoa sector.
Kolva expressed excitement

over the level of progress so

far in the project, saying with
a short time the number of
students has grown.
I am really excited about
what is happening and the
good development that we are
trying to bring to Cuttington.
With
Liberian
students
showing more interest in other
areas including business over
agriculture and science, Kolva
expressed that agriculture
makes more money when
managed well.
Said Kolva Agriculture does
give money, let me give you
some statistics, when we
started with the College of
Agriculture and Sustainable
Development in 2011, we
started with only 168 students,
today the college has 565
students, the highest number
of students within CUC in any
department
According to him in the past
commencement
souvenirs
show
that
Agriculture
graduated 20, some 15
students but during the just
ended 2015 graduation there
were 91 students.
We came second you had the
nursing college 95 and then
the business college producing
91 and we produced 91. Within
a short space of period we
have been able to increase the
opportunity, so people know
there is money in agriculture.
So agriculture has money, if
you do the sciences right, you
will make sure you have money
but too often what people do,
they get into agriculture haven
done all of the background
work, he observed.
On the mistakes by many who
fail in the agriculture area, he
recounted that they go into
production without looking
at the market, something he
wants to be done differently
by graduates of the USAID/
EHELD program.
Agriculture
starts
with
marketing, it does not start
with production, production
is at the tail end, it starts
with marketing, you do your
business analysis, your profit
and loss, after you your
documents have shown that
you can make a profit than you
go into actual production and

you know what you are going

to sell, he advised.
SATISFIED THUS FAR

The project with a timeframe

of five years is now in year
four and Kolva says he is
very satisfied with the level
achievement thus far.
During the recent Cuttington
commencement
exercise,
the College of agriculture
produced one of the best
students, something Kolva says
is a milestone achievement
from the program.
I feel very gratified, grateful
that this could happen in such a
short time to put out a graduate
with high score, we started
with the College of Agriculture
and Sustainable development
in 2011. We were able to revise
the curriculum and have it
endorsed by the Cuttington
Board of Trustees and we
started rolling it up, we are
three years into the rolling up.
At the moment we are happy
that 80% of the materials we
can start producing graduates
with 91 persons graduating
from the college, first in its
history, I am happy about that,
delighted that we have been
able to make such impact in a
very short time, the program
Chief of Party expressed.
He challenged Liberians to
pay attention to agriculture
and start producing basic
consumables such as pepper,
tomatoes and others to avoid
importation of these daily
needs.
When these consumables les
are imported from countries
such as neighboring Guinea,
Kolva noted that such make the
Liberian economy weak.
People who are out there I say
let us make farming as a career,
let us take it as a business. If we
have to buy pepper, the pepper
that comes from Guinea is not
grown in the sky it is grown on
the ground, the bitter ball, the
okra, if we go into agriculture,
we will be able to be producing
in our backyards and that will
save money and our economy
will start getting stronger but if
we start to import rice, pepper,
tomatoes, and everything,
our economy will continue

to be weak, so there is a need

to make more investment in
agriculture, to the extent that
we start producing and it is
only at that rate that people
young will see agriculture,
as a business, as a wealth
generating possibility or area
and then get involved, Kolba
averred.
Providing an overview of
the laboratory equipment
currently in use for the
program, Charles K. Mulbah,
Agriculture Education Advisor
of the project put the cost of
the equipment at somewhere
around 400,000 just for the
materials.

The project, well equipped

with sophisticated laboratory
equipment
and
other
agriculture machines Mulbah
disclosed is blending theory
with practical to better equip
the students.
Mulbah explained that there
are two indoor laboratories
with outdoor labs and other
facilities including 50 acres
of farmland and 25 acres set
aside to be a natural resource
park and others.
We are here for provide
backup to the college of
agriculture and sustainable
development that is charged
with training the minds of the
young people to develop them
to become agriculture and
entrepreneurs in the area of
agriculture, Mulbah said.
In the labs, he indicated that
students are shown different
parts of the animals and other
creatures including skeletons
which are visualized to enable
students understand how
these different parts look
like adding to what they have
learned in the classrooms.
Said Mulbah We try to tell
the students about the bones
structure. We all know that
humans have a set bones
structure, we compare them
with the cattle and that of
humans so that they can
visualize that we all have
different bones structure or
different parts that are very
similar but will have to be
supported.
The project he also added has
a soil for both soil and plant,
which he indicated will be
used to conduct analysis and
help advise farmers on what to
plant, at what time and where.
When the lab is fully functional
we will be able to analyze for
different plants nutrients, will
be able to produce results to
direct famers where to plant
crops, what kinds of crops to
plant and when to plant them,
Mulbah narrated.
Also he continued that there
is a grander that will be used
to break down the soil into
smaller particles for better
analysis.
Agriculture is one area Liberia
has not been able to make
meaningful investment to
help the country become selfsufficient.
The country is heavily reliant
on imported food including
rice, pepper, tomatoes and
other consumables despite
a rich natural soil and good
vegetation ideal for farming.
Due to the limited interest
from national government in
investing in agriculture, many
students also prefer studying
business related course in
universities.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Frontpage

CATTLE SKELETON SYSTEM

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

COW MUSCULAR SYSTEM

DR. MULBAH SHOWS ANIMAL INTERNAL ORGANS

LAB EQUIPMENT IN STORE

LAB EQUIPMENT

MR. KOLVA SHOWS PIG MUSCULAR SYSTEM

SPECIMENT

Page 11

Page 12 | Frontpage

REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA

MINISTRY OF LANDS, MINES AND ENERGY (MLME)

LIBERIA ACCELERATED ELECTRICITY EXPANSION PROJECT
(LACEEP)

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST FOR

PROCUREMENT OFFICER FOR THE (MLME)
LIBERIA ACCELERATED ELECTRICITY EXPANSION
PROJECT (LACEEP)
CREDIT NO: 52520-LR
REFERENCE NO.: MLME/LACEEP/PO/2015

The Government of Liberia has received financing form the World
Bank toward the cost of the Liberia Accelerated Electricity Expansion
Project, and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting
services.

The consulting services (the Services) include the provision of

Procurement services as a Procurement Officer for the Ministry of
Lands, Mines and Energy and the Liberia Electricity Corporation under
the Liberia Accelerated Electricity Expansion Project initially for two
years.
The Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy now invitees eligible
Individuals (Consultants) to indicate their interest in providing
the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information
demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant
experience to perform the Services. The shortlisting criteria are:

i. Professional purchasing and logistics qualification and/or Bachelors

degree in Procurement, Business Administration, Social Sciences or
related discipline;
ii. Minimum of 3 years of experience in public procurement practices
and procedures;
iii. Knowledge of Project Management, appropriate involvement and/
or experience in similar projects in developing countries.
iv. Knowledge of/experience with World Bank/other international
development organizations procurement procedures is desirable.
v. Strong organization skills and ability to work in a team-oriented,
culturally diverse environment.
vi. Demonstrated computer skills, knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite
preferred.
The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of
the World Banks Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants
[under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants] by World Bank Borrowers
January 2011 (Consultant Guidelines), setting forth the World Banks
policy on conflict of interest.
A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Individual
Consultant Selection (ICS) method set out in the Consultant
Guidelines.

Further information can be obtained at the address below during

office hours from 9:00 am to 16:00 pm.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the

address below (in person, or by mail, or by fax, or by e-mail) by
October 14, 2015.
Liberia Accelerated Electricity Expansion Project (LACEEP)
Attn: Deputy Minister of Administration
Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy
Capitol Bypass
Monrovia
Liberia
Tel: +231 886906939
E-mail: sbocay@gmail.com; jatuanya@gmail.com

Thursday, October 1, 2015

REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA

CENTER FOR NATIONAL DOCUMENTS

& RECORDS AGENCY

1847
MESSAGE OF History
Office of the Information Officer

NATIONAL ARCHIVES BUILDING

1000 MONROVIA 10, LIBERIA

Invitation for Bid

Center for National Documents and Records Agency (CNDRA)
National Competitive Bidding (NCB)
For Transport Equipment (Vehicles) IFB NO. CNDRA/NCB/002/15/16

The CNDRA intends to apply part of its budgetary allotment for the fiscal year 2015/2016 to fund eligible
payments under the contract for Equipment (Vehicles) IFB NO. CNDRA/NCB/002/15/16 towards the Agencys
operation for fiscal year 2015/2016.
The CNDRA now invites seal bids from eligible and qualify bidders Transport Equipments (Vehicles) with the
below descriptions and quantities:

Item Description
Transport Equipment (VEHICLES)

Quantity
3pcs

Biding will be conducted through the National Competitive Bidding (NCB) procedures specified in the PPCCA
and approved by the PPCC, and are open to all Eligible bidders.
As of September 1, 2015 eligible bidders may obtain further information from the Procurement Unit, CNDRA;
ground floor directly at the back entrance of the main building on 12th street, Sinkor and pickup the bidding
documents at the address given below from 10:00AM to 4:00PM Monday to Friday.
A completed set of tender documents in English may be purchased by interested bidders upon a payment of
nonrefundable fee of Fifty United States Dollars ($50.00) for each set. The method of payment will be cash
and bidder will be issue a valid receipt after payment. Bidding documents can be pickup by the bidder or their
representative.
Tender must be delivered to the address below at or before 2:00 PM October 2, 2015. Tenders shall be valid for
a period of 60 days after the deadline of Tender submission. All Tenders must be accompanied by a Bid security
of 2% of their tender price from a reputable Bank or insurance company. Late Tender will be rejected and
returned to the bidder unopened. Tender will be opened in the presence of the Bidders or their representative,
who choose to attend at 2:00PM.
Qualification requirements include:

Articles of Incorporation

Valid Tax Clearance

Valid Business Registration

Past performance records including the names and contact number of at least three clients.

Availability of goods upon request

Line of credit (30days)
Bids must be in English and fees must be quoted in United States Dollars.
Prospective bidders must submit one original and three copies. Original bid must be enclosed in a separate
envelope and marked (ORIGINAL) the three copies and the original bid must then be enclosed in a large
envelop and labeled: Transport Equipment IFB NO. CNDRA/NCB/002/15/16 and must be submitted to the
below address:
ATTENTION:
The Procurement Unit
CNDRA
Procurement Section

National Archives Building, ground floor

12th Street, Sinkor

Cell No. 0886-588-241 / 0770-927-974
Monrovia, Liberia
Signed: James A. Fahnbulleh
Head of Procurement
CNDRA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WOMEN AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION:

IN TIMES OF CRISIS AND RECOVERY
MONROVIA, LIBERIAIn recognition of International Right to Know Day, the Ministry of
Gender, Children, and Social Protection; UN Women; and the Womens NGO Secretariat
of Liberia, in partnership with The Carter Center, will gather government officials, civil
society leaders, and media representatives for a half-day program on Sept. 30 to discuss
womens information needs in times of crisis and recovery.

A study conducted by The Carter Center and WONGOSOL in mid-2014 demonstrated that
women do not receive information with the same frequency, ease and rate of success
as men. During the Ebola outbreak, it has been said that women initially were more
impacted by a lack of information, but as information flows increased, they were better
able to care for their family and help prevent transmission. This workshop will explore
how creative solutions for information dissemination during the crisis led to increased
information for women.

Invited speakers include Deputy Minister Mardea Martin-Wiles of the Ministry of Gender,
Children, and Social Protection; Deputy Information Minister Andrew Tehmeh, UN
Women Representative Awa Ndiaye Seck, WONGOSOL Executive Director Marpue Speare,
international experts Former ProPublica Editor Susan White, Sierra Leone Information
Commissioner Yeama Thompson, as well as Liberian civil society representatives,
traditional Liberian leaders and Carter Center staff. The meeting is expected to conclude
with a consideration of lessons learned on how to effectively get information to women
as well as ideas for better engaging women during recovery efforts.
This event is part of a week of activities in celebration of International Right to Know
Day, which is officially commemorated on Sept. 28 each year. This year marks the fourth
time Liberia has recognized the day since passage of the Freedom of Information Act in
2010.
The meeting follows the recent formalization of relations between the Ministry of
Gender, Children, and Social Protection and The Carter Centers Access to Information
Program via a signed Memorandum of Understanding outlining their partnership to
advance the fundamental right of access to information for women in Liberia.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Frontpage

REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA

MINISTRY OF HEALTH & SOCIAL WELFARE

P.O. BOX 10-9009
1000 MONROVIA 10, LIBERIA

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is seeking a qualified Liberian to
fill the Finance Officer position that is vacant at the National Malaria Control
Program. The successful candidate must be of good character and must have
relevant experience.
TERMS OF REFERENCE

Position: Finance Officer

Organization: Ministry of Health / National Malaria Control Program

Responsible to: Assistant Program Manager for Finance and Operations and
Central MOH office of Financial Management Unit
Position Objective

To perform basic financial forecasting and budgeting services while maintaining

a complete and accurate financial ledger reflecting all resources of funding and
uses of capital by the program.

To focus on building capacity of the Finance and Operations department to take

on responsibilities as primary recipient of GFATM funds
Duties/Responsibilities

To advise the Assistant Program Manager for Finance and Operations in annual
budgeting activities and collecting of budgetary requests from unit heads

To process NMCP payments to vendors, vouchers, sub-contractors and incentives

to staff.

To liaise with central MOH and the OFM regarding any changes in donor funding
To prepare DSA for workshops and other field (research) activities
To serve as custodian of fixed asset register

To proxy for Assistant Program Manager for Finance and Operations in the
absence of Supervisors or when designated

To maintain copy of budget (s) and employees records.

To maintain vendor and supplier register

To maintain program trial balance, accounting ledgers and all accounting records
To prepare pay slips

To prepare purchase order

To file all financial transactions and prepare monthly financial statements

Competences/Qualifications

A Bachelor Degree in Accounting or Finance or related field from a recognized

University; a Master Degree in the areas mentioned will be an added advantage.

3-4 years experience in Accounting, including experience in large funding
agencies

Formal training in finance and or accounting

Attention to detail and excellent budgeting skills

Demonstrated ability with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint

Ability to work long hours and on weekend when required
Good team player

Good interpersonal relationship

Kindly submit application and your Curriculum Vitae to the following address:
Mr. James Beyan

Personnel Director

Ministry of Health and Social Welfare

3rd floor, Central Ministry of Health and Social Welfare
Congo Town
Or you can send your application by email to the following e-mail address:
fkbeyan@yahoo.com or opratt7@gmail.com
The deadline for the submission of application is Monday, October 5, 2015 at
4:00 pm. Only shortlisted Candidates will be contacted.

Page 13

Page 14 | Frontpage

PAGE

RONT

WORLD NEWS

Thursday, October 1, 2015

RUSSIA LAUNCHES AIRSTRIKES

AGAINST ISLAMIC STATE IN SYRIA

AMNESTY WARNS OF CONFLICT

DIAMOND
STOCKPILE IN C.AFRICA
London (AFP) -

mnesty International on Wednesday called on

the Central African Republic to confiscate and sell
diamonds amassed by traders worth millions that
could be fuelling militia violence and child labour.
Huge stockpiles of possible conflict diamonds could end up on
the global market when a ban on exports from the country is
lifted, the rights group said in a report.
Researchers also documented a string of human rights abuses
in CAR diamond mines, with children as young as 11 working
in hazardous conditions, carrying out "backbreaking work for
very little money".
The export of diamonds from the Central African Republic was
banned in 2013 under the Kimberley Process, which aims to
stem the flow of so-called "conflict diamonds".

US MILITARY FAVORS KEEPING

TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN PAST 2016

WASHINGTON (AP)
n a potential major shift in policy, U.S. military
commanders want to keep at least a few thousand U.S.
troops in Afghanistan beyond 2016, citing a fragile
security situation highlighted by the Taliban's capture of
the northern city of Kunduz this week as well as recent militant
inroads in the south.
Keeping any substantial number of troops in Afghanistan
beyond next year would mark a sharp departure from President
Barack Obama's existing plan, which would leave only an
embassy-based security cooperation presence of about 1,000
military personnel by the end of next year. Obama has made it a
centerpiece of his second-term foreign policy message that he
would end the U.S. war in Afghanistan and get American troops
out by the time he left office in January 2017.

WOMAN WHO POSTED A SNAPCHAT OF

BOYFRIEND POINTING GUN AT HER WAS
FOUND SHOT DEAD HOURS LATER

ne Little Rock, Arkansas woman posted snapchats of

her boyfriend pointing a gun at her hours before she
was found dead with a gunshot wound.
Stephanie Hernandez, 21, mother of two, posted
snaps of herself and her boyfriend, Rafael Gonzalez, at the new
house they were in the midst of moving into on Sunday. She
snapped a photo of a gun and ammo in addition to a photo of
Gonzalez pointing the gun at the back of her head with a strap
chat? caption and another one where he points the gun at the
camera.
Just a few hours later Hernandez was found dead with a
gunshot wound, her house ransacked with the floor covered
in blood, according to police.

MOSCOW (AP)
ussian military jets
carried out airstrikes
Wednesday against
the Islamic State
group in Syria for the first
time a move that came
after
President
Vladimir
Putin received parliamentary
approval to send Russian
troops to Syria.
The
airstrikes
targeted
positions,
vehicles
and
warehouses
that
Russia
believes belong to IS militants,
ministry spokesman Igor
Konashenkov told Russian
news agencies.
Putin sought to portray the
airstrikes as a pre-emptive
attack against the Islamic
militants who have taken over
large parts of Syria and Iraq.
Russia estimates at least 2,400
of its own citizens are already
fighting with extremists in
Syria and Iraq.
"If they (militants) succeed in
Syria, they will return to their
home country, and they will
come to Russia, too," Putin
said in a televised speech at a
government session.
State Department spokesman
John Kirby told The Associated

Press that a Russian official

in Baghdad informed U.S.
Embassy
personnel
on
Wednesday
that
Russian
military aircraft would shortly
begin flying anti-IS missions
over Syria. The Russian official
also asked that U.S. aircraft
avoid Syrian airspace during
those missions Wednesday.
Kirby did not say whether the
U.S. agreed to that request.
The
US-led
counter-ISIL
coalition will continue to fly
missions over Iraq and Syria,
Kirby added.
Russian lawmakers voted
unanimously Wednesday to
allow Putin to order airstrikes
in Syria, where Russia has
deployed fighter jets and other
weapons in recent weeks.
The Federation Council, the
upper chamber of the Russian
parliament, discussed Putin's
request for the authorization
behind closed doors, cutting
off its live web broadcast to
hold a debate notable for its
quickness.
Putin
had
to
request
parliamentary approval for
any use of Russian troops
abroad, according to the
constitution. The last time

he did so was before Russia

annexed Ukraine's Crimean
Peninsula in March 2014.
Putin on Wednesday insisted
that Russia is not going to send
troops to Syria and that its role
in Syrian army operations will
be limited.
"We certainly are not going
to plunge head-on into this
conflict," he said. "First, we
will be supporting the Syrian
army purely in its legitimate
fight with terrorist groups.
Second, this will be air support
without any participation in
the ground operations."
Putin also said he expects
Syrian President Bashar Assad,
Russia's long-time ally, to sit
down and talk with the Syrian
opposition about a political
settlement, but added he was
referring to what he described
as a "healthy" opposition
group.
Russia's first airstrike on Syria
came after Putin's meeting
Monday with President Barack
Obama on the sidelines of
the U.N. General Assembly
meeting in New York, where
the two discussed Russia's
military buildup in Syria.
Putin and other officials have

minister in the 1970s and head

of the petroleum trust fund in
the 1990s.
Garba Shehu, a spokesman
for Buhari, confirmed the
president will put his name

forward
as
petroleum
minister on a long-awaited
Cabinet list to be presented
for Parliament's approval this
week.
Buhari, who took office at the

said Russia was providing

weapons and training to
Assad's army to help it combat
IS. Russian navy transport
vessels have been shuttling
back and forth for weeks to
ferry troops, weapons and
supplies to an air base near the
Syrian coastal city of Latakia.
IHS Jane's, a leading defense
research group, said last week
that satellite images of the
base showed 28 jets, including
Su-30 multirole fighters, Su25 ground attack jets, Su-24
bombers and possibly Ka-52
helicopter gunships.
Sergei Ivanov, chief of
Putin's administration, said
in televised remarks after
the parliamentary vote that
Moscow was responding to
a request from Assad asking
for help. He said the biggest
difference between Russian
airstrikes and those being
conducted by the United
States and other countries is
that "they do not comply with
international law, but we do."
Moscow has always been a
top ally of Assad. The war in
Syria against his regime, which
began in 2011, has left at least
250,000 dead and forced
millions to flee the country. It
is also the driving force behind
the record-breaking number
of asylum-seekers fleeing to
Europe this year.
Worried by the threat of
Russian and U.S. jets clashing
inadvertently over Syrian
skies, Washington agreed to
talk to Moscow on how to
"deconflict" their military
actions. Last week, U.S.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter
had a 50-minute phone call
with his Russian counterpart
the first such military-tomilitary discussion between
the two countries in more than
a year.

NIGERIAN PRESIDENT ALSO PLANS TO BE OIL MINISTER

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP)

igerian
President
Muhammadu
Buhari, who has
promised to fight
corruption embedded in the
oil industry, plans to be the
Cabinet minister in charge of
the oil sector, a spokesman said
Wednesday.
Nigeria is Africa's biggest
petroleum producer and is
hard hit by halved prices for
the oil that provides 80 percent
of government income.
Buhari has said some $150
billion has been stolen from
the treasury in 10 years and
appealed at the United Nations
this week for countries to
dismantle safe havens for
looted funds.
Buhari's move would give
him maximum power to push
through
needed
reforms,
analyst Malte Liewerscheidt
of risk consultancy Verisk
Maplecroft said. But he warned
it is "a high-risk strategy as it
links Buhari's fate as president
with successful reform of the
oil and gas sector."
Buhari previously served as oil

end of May, has said he needed

time to ensure his ministers
are free of the corruption that
is endemic in this West African
nation.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Sports

CHAMPION LEAGUE REVIEW

RONALDO EQUALS RECORD,

CITY, MAN U GET WINS

ristiano
Ronaldo
equalled Raul's alltime goals record for
Real Madrid and took
his career tally to 500 with two
against Malmo in Sweden.
The Portugal international
opened the scoring in the
Champions League Group A
match when he latched on to
Isco's pass and clipped the ball
home.
The 30-year-old added a second
late on with a simple finish after
he was teed up by substitute
Lucas Vazquez.
Ronaldo's second saw him draw
level with Raul's club total of
323 goals.
"To equal this record for Real
Madrid is great. I am glad to
come to Sweden and score
again," Ronaldo said.

"The most important thing is

to win. It was a tough game,
Malmo were difficult, but we
controlled the game and scored
two goals so we are happy."
Real Madrid's victory over
the
Swedish
champions
maintained their 100% start in
the Champions League, having
beaten Shakhtar Donetsk 4-0 in
their opening match thanks to a
Ronaldo hat-trick.
Paris St-Germain are behind
Real on goal difference after
they also made it back-to-back
wins with a 3-0 victory over
Shaktar in Lviv.
Ronaldo's magical numbers
Former Spain striker Raul, now
with New York Cosmos, hit 323
goals in 741 appearances for
Real between 1994 and 2010.
However, Ronaldo has needed

a mere 308 games to match

him having joined Real from
Manchester United in July 2009.
He has also matched Raul's
Champions League tally of 66
goals for Real Madrid and is
the competition's top scorer
with 82 goals - five more than
Barcelona's Lionel Messi on 77.
Ronaldo's second goal was the
500th of his career in his 753rd
match for club and country.
Raul and Ronaldo played the
2009-10 season together at
Real Madrid
What they said about it
Real Madrid coach Rafael
Benitez said he hopes "Ronaldo
doesn't ever stop scoring" and
that Real "can keep benefiting
from him".
What next for Ronaldo?
The stage is set for Ronaldo

on Sunday when Real travel to

the Vicente Calderon Stadium
for the Madrid derby against
Atletico, and few would bet
against him overtaking Raul's
record there.
You can follow the next segment
of the Ronaldo show with our
live text commentary on the
game on Sunday, which will also
feature coverage of Borussia
Dortmund's match with Bayern
Munich.
remier
League
leaders
Manchester United earned
their first win of the Champions
League group stage as they
came from behind to beat
Wolfsburg.
With Chelsea and Arsenal
losing in the competition on
Tuesday, United were in danger
of going the same way when

Frontpage

Daniel Caligiuri finished off a

six-pass move for the opener.
But Juan Mata levelled from the
spot, after Caligiuri handled.
Mata then flicked through for
Chris Smalling to slide in the
winner.
The Bundesliga side went
close to an equaliser when
former Arsenal striker Nicklas
Bendtner saw a close-range
shot hit Wayne Rooney.
All four teams in Group B are
now on three points after CSKA
Moscow beat United's openingday conquerors PSV Eindhoven
in Russia.
Are United realistic Champions
League winners?
Manager Louis van Gaal
was adamant United have a
"realistic" chance of winning
the competition, when asked
earlier this week.
They last won the Champions
League in 2008 and lost in the
final in 2009 and 2011, while
Van Gaal won the competition
with Ajax in 1995.
The way United were cut open
for Wolfsburg's opener - with
stand-in right-back Antonio
Valencia
playing
Caligiuri
onside - was not the defending
of champions.
But the hosts showed plenty of
quality from thereon in as they
took the game to their counterattacking opponents, creating
numerous good chances and
deservedly turning the match
around.
Against a Wolfsburg side packed
with ability, United grew nervy
late on and will know they will
have to see out games better
if they are to go deep into this
competition.
Sergio Aguero's last-minute
penalty helped Manchester
City fight back to earn a
crucial Champions League
win at German side Borussia
Monchengladbach.
Aguero calmly slotted into the
corner as City bounced back
from defeat by Juventus in their
opening Group D tie.
City keeper Joe Hart saved a
first-half penalty from Raffael
but was powerless to stop Lars
Stindl precisely side-footing in
the opener from 15 yards.
Defender Nicolas Otamendi
volleyed in the equaliser before
Aguero struck.

LFA POSTPONES PRESIDENTS CUP

A. Macaulay Sombai, sombai,

frontpageafricaonline.com
0777217428

Monroviahe
communication
officer of the Liberia
Football Association
(LFA) says the grand
finale of the 2015 President
Cup tournament expected to
take place over the weekend
between three of the powerful
clubs in Liberian football,
LISCR, Keitrace and Fassell
have been postponed to an
unknown date.
Henry Flomo explained that
grand finale was postponed in
order for the LFA, organizer of
the President Cup, to focus on
the national team of Liberia.
The Lone Star is preparing for
her next Thursday encounter
against Guinea Bissau in the
first leg of the qualifying

round of the 2018 world Cup

preliminary round, he said.
The LFA has already informed
the three finalists about
the postponement of the
tournament grand finale which

I think is in the best interest

of every Liberian including
officials, players and fans of the
three teams in order for all of
us to pay more attention to our
national team clash against the

visitors.
Flomo did not give a particular
date for the tournament grand
finale but assured the three
finalists and their fans that a
new date would be announced

soon.
If Lone Star wins against
Guinea Bissau at home
on Thursday, she will be
standing a better chance for
the second leg away where
she will only need a draw to
advance the second round of
the competition where she
will face the Elephant of Ivory
Coast.
Lone Star 1-0 victory against
Tunisia in the 2017 Africa Cup
of Nations qualifying round is
still fresh in the minds of all
Liberians especially football
enthusiasts and they are
confident that their national
team will score her second
win against Guinea Bissau, if
they can seize control of the
midfield and pressurize the
defense of the visitors just as
they did to the North African.

Page 15

SPORTS

TOTTENHAM LOSE
SON TO FOOT INJURY

ottenham forward
Heung-Min Son is
a major doubt for
Thursday's Europa
League clash with Monaco
and this weekend's Premier
League trip to Swansea City
with a foot injury.
The
South
Korea
international, 23, has made
an impressive start to his
time at White Hart Lane
with three goals in his first
four appearances in all
competitions.
However, he looks set to miss
at least the next two fixtures
after suffering a foot problem
during Tottenham's 4-1
victory over Manchester City
last Saturday.

MULLER: BAYERN ONLY

HAVE TO GET THE BALL
TO LEWANDOWSKI

ayern
Munich
attacker Thomas
Muller
has
praised
Robert
Lewandowski's fine form
and suggested that in order
to score, the Bundesliga
champions just need to
give ball to the Poland
international.
Muller had been Bayern's
main dangerman in the
opening weeks of the 201516 campaign as he scored
six goals in their first four
Bundesliga games, but
Lewandowski has taken his
spot in the limelight since.

WENGER MADE A BIG

MISTAKE, SAYS WRIGHT

ormer
Arsenal
striker Ian Wright
has hit out at
Arsene
Wenger
in the wake of the club's
3-2 Champions League
defeat against Olympiacos
at the Emirates Stadium on
Tuesday.
Wenger opted to start David
Ospina over regular firstchoice goalkeeper Petr Cech
against the Greek outfit,
but the decision backfired
as the Gunners fell to their
second loss of this season's
European campaign.

FrontPage
www.frontpageafricaonline.com

VOL 9 NO.153

Sports

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

CHAMPION LEAGUE REVIEW

PRICE L$40

RONALDO EQUALS RECORD, CITY, MAN U GET WINS

see page 15

VISIT UNCLE ZEH'S LAUNDRY

& DRY CLEANING SERVICE
ON CROWN HILL, BROAD STREET

WHERE THE CUSTOMER COMES FIRST

Call: 0775-149-376, 0775-149-161