Liberia: ANC Secretary-General, Others Temporarily Released from Police Custody; but Lawyer Vows to Follow Legal Course over Violations of Clients’ RightsMONROVIA – The Secretary-General of the opposition Alternative National Congress (ANC), Counselor Aloysius Toe, and several others have been temporarily released to their lawyer by the Liberia National Police (LNP), days after they were reportedly assaulted, tortured, and raped by unknown state security actors in Gbarpolu County. The ANC Chief Scribe and others were brought to Monrovia and later detained at the LNP headquarters and charged with espionage. Voting in the town, located in District #3, Gbarpolu County, was suspended on Election Day and rescheduled for December 15, 2020. He pointed out that the actions taken to assault, torture and detain Mr. Toe and the others for more than 48 hours, violate international laws, which he did not state. Aloysius Toe, Secretary-General, and members of the CPP delegation who were illegally detained by government security agencies for more than five days in Gbarpolu County.

MONROVIA – The management of the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) has honorably retired and honored 12 employees who have served their country, through the entity, for several decades and have reached the retirement age of 60. They were uprightly retired for their valuable and diligent services rendered to the nation and its people in their various professional capacities at the corporation. Speaking on behalf of the retirees, Mr. Henry Carr, former Maintenance Manager of the LPRC, commended the management of the corporation for their satisfactory retirement. After long years of corporate sweat, retirement is a time to enjoy your benefits without any sweat”. Meanwhile, others who retired along with Mr. Carr include: Madam Carol S. Cholopleh (served 25 years), Lee G. Morris (served 23 years), Madam Jugbe M. Walters (served 25 years), Mr. J. Andrews Jaryenneh (served 23 years), and Mr. Arthur W. Z. Zawolo (served 25 years).

The workshop was organized by the Comptroller and Accountant General Department, and held under the theme: “Awareness and Orientation on the newly created Comptroller and Accountant General Department and the ongoing transition process”. Over 100 Comptrollers and accountants attended the workshop, including principal deputies of some ministries and agencies under the reform which initiated the transition of The Comptroller and Accountant General Department at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. The workshop is in line with the ongoing PFM reform exercise, and part of the transition process of comptrollers and accountants to the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, under the Comptroller and Accountant General Department. The transition will also ensure that Comptrollers and accountants are re-vetted for better deployment in their ministries and agencies. The section furthered that the Amendment and Restatement PFM Act of 2009 shall govern all matters related to the management of the Public Finance of the Republic of Liberia.

The Coalition of Liberian Women Organizations Wants Justice Ministry “Investigate and Prosecute” Individuals involved with Electoral Violence in Gbarpolu CountyMonrovia – The Coalition of Liberian Women Organizations says cultural and physical attacks on women during the electoral process are against Liberia’s commitment to achieving women’s representation in politics. Yvette Chesson-Wureh reading the statement narrated how they were able to escape with senatorial candidate Madam Kanneh from when local authorities in Gbarpolu County. The supports she said will enable the Ministry of Justice to investigate, arrest, and prosecute all perpetrators of violence during the just-ended Special Senatorial Election. Before the press conference, the Coalition of Liberian Women Organizations also met with the Minister of Justice Frank Musa Dean and Internal Affairs Minister Varney Sirleaf. Both Ministers, according to the women group gave their commitments to leave no stone unturned in the election violence in Gbarpulo County.

Harbel, Margibi County – Gaelle Mediem, the Chief of Office Staff of the First lady of Liberia Clar Weah has admonished 19 young Liberian students who were awarded a four-year scholarship at the Institut National Polytechnic Houphoet Boigny in Yamoussoukro, La Côte d’Ivoire to make use of the opportunity and bring pride to their country. So, congratulation girls – girls usually shy away from the field of science, technology, and mathematics. You girls are the future, you have to take the message out there and encourage other girls.”The 19 students who departed for La Côte d’Ivoire are the second batch of students that the French Development Agency has recruited thus far. Out of 600 students, 19 were selected to be part of the second batch of students to go to La Côte d’Ivoire. The first batch of students, comprising of seventeen (17) males and four (4) females were recruited last year and have already undergone their first year of study, and the second batch of students are comprised of 11 females and eight males.

Liberi: Representative J. Fonati Koffa in Consultations to be Second in Command at the House of RepresentativesMONROVIA – The chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives, Rep. Cllr. On Saturday, Rep. Koffa replied to scores of journalists: “I have not joined anything. Rep. Koffa appeared to be [a] strong candidate among the Representatives, according to a lawmaker from Montserrado, pointing out that since 2018, the “Rep. Rep. Koffa also supported Rep. Moye and his support led to the victory of Rep. Moye over Rep . Election DayThe Deputy Speaker election might probably be held on January 11 or at most on Thursday.

Paynesville City– The KDE Ability Africa Foundation has launched a training center to provide tuition free opportunities for people living with disabilities. Madam Wreh explained that the Tuan Wreh Institution and KDE Disability Africa Foundation have been at the forefront of the battle against poverty, income inequality and the disenfranchisement of unprotected and countless brothers and sisters in Africa. Also speaking at the event, the Representative of Montserrado County District #6, Samuel Enders, lauded the KDE Disability Africa Foundation for providing opportunities that will enable people living with disabilities to achieve their dreams. “I want to encourage you to look inside yourself, when you are weak, look at the foundation which brought you. For his part, beneficiary Omasco D. Johnson, a computer science student at the institute, explained that the KDE Disability Africa Foundation has revived his life as he experienced a terrible accident that made him to lose all hope.

Monrovia – Liberia’s premier entertainment group, La Queen Entertainment and its partners have announced all is set for the nation’s first ever cultural carnival scheduled this Saturday, December 19, 2020. “December 19 is going to be the first ever Liberian Carnival and we are asking all of you to come out and see the exhibition of Liberia’s cultural extravaganza” Miss. She said while the carnival is about showcasing Liberia’s culture, its underlying goal is to promote peace and unity. “The essence of the Liberian Carnival- the overall goal is unity. The event is expected to bring together people from all works of life including Government officials, Liberian artists- musicians and movie stars.

MONROVIA – Now that the dust is gradually settling, it has become clear that the Government of Liberia has a Herculean task of raising extra money for by-elections in four counties. The by-elections will be held in Senjeh District, Bomi County because the county elected Edwin Snowe to the Senate. Bong County District #2 will have a by-election for due to the election of Prince Moye to the Senate. While in Grand Gedeh County, NEC will have to conduct to find a replacement for Representative Zoe-Emmanuel Pennue. According to reports, the Government of Liberia is yet to provide the remaining money of a reduced US$13 million budget for the just ended electoral process.

2020 HAS been a challenging year for Liberia and countries across the world that have grappled with the implications of COVID-19. Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency is already working with ministries, development partners, civil society, communities and businessesw to develop an ambitious NDC that will support sustainable development goals and demonstrate Liberia’s valuable contribution to global climate action. We will take steps to ensure that finance will flow to climate action. We want to ensure that the benefits of green recovery are accessible to the countries that are most vulnerable to climate change. Liberia has much to be proud of in her climate action and much to gain from sustainable low carbon development.

The invalid votes, FrontPageAfrica has gathered, account for over 60 percent of the total votes in the referendum. Total VALID votes for all proposition in Grand Bassa County is 50,943 while INVALID votes for all propositions is 76,390. For Bong County, total VALID votes for all propositions is 194,369 against 403,275 total INVALID votes. In Rivergee County, the total VALID votes for all propositions is 26,957 and INVALID votes is 85,552. Therefore, the total valid votes is calculated by adding the ‘Yes’ votes to the ‘No’ votes.

Liberia: Bong County Technical Community College to Put out 22 Grads Since Its Establishment in 2010Gbarnga – Ten years into its establishment, the Bong County Technical College will on Saturday, December 19 graduate its first batch of students. The college will dole out 22 students from two of the six departments – 16 will obtain degrees in Agriculture, while six in Secondary Education. “The graduation will be historic as our college gets prepared to dole a set of graduands,” Dr. Roland C. Massaquoi, president of the college said. Since its establishment, the university lost two semesters to Ebola in 2014 and two semesters Covid-19. Commenting on the completion of the college, Dr. Massaquoi said three million dollars is needed to complete the building.

Liberia: Ruling Coalition for Democratic Change Grand Cape Mount Senatorial Candidate Goes Down in History as the Shortest Serving SenatorMONROVIA – Senator Victor Watson sat right in plain sight giving no clue to the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) that he was the “vacation senator” they were referring to when they promised to make Senator Abraham Darius Dillon a short-term lawmaker. On many occasions, partisans of the CDC, including the leadership of the party, promised to make Senator Dillon a one-year Senator and that he would go down in history as the shortest-serving Senator in Liberia. Little did they know that their own Senator Watson of Grand Cape Mount was preparing to break such unwanted record. Considered as one of the youngest Senators, Watson was certificated by the National Elections Commission (NEC) on November 18, 2019 as Grand Cape Mount senator, a little over two months after Senator Darius Dillon was became a lawmaker. Watson got the support of the ruling CDC and was one of those few candidates President George Weah traveled out of the capital to campaign for.

The MOU was signed on Thursday, December 17, at the head offices of the LEC Down Waterside in Monrovia under the Presidential Transformer Replacement Project. During the signing ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), Pascal Buckley, signed on behalf of the corporation, while the Chairmen or Co-Chairmen of the communities signed on behalf of their areas. She noted that the task appear like a “full time employment” for community leaders. It mandates community leadership and certain members of the community to collaborate with LEC Community Engagement Coordination Team in identifying illegal connections and power theft. Community leaders shall be involved with the process of checking of lines, disconnection, reconnection, etc by LEC technicians and will often communicate with LEC Community Engagement Coordinator to share information relating to LEC facilities”.

MONROVIA – Civil society organizations (CSOs) will make more inputs into Liberia’s revision of its commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement to cut down carbon emission by 15 percent by 2030. CSOs, predominantly from the forestry sector, made limited inputs in the country’s plan—known as the nationally determined contributions (NDC)—at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Randa Moore, a consultant with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), one of the supporters of Liberia’s revision process, welcomed the involvement of a more inclusive NDC revision process. The world faces a climate change crisis due to increased level of greenhouse gases—mainly carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane—and a large-scale change in average weather patterns. It also promised to lessen the impacts of climate change by making changes in its agricultural practices, monitoring its rainfall pattern and build a coastal defense walls.