liberian daily observer 02/05/2014

VOL. 16. NO. 71 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2014 PRICE: LD 40

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EDITIONEDITORIAL

A Vision of National Reunification:

President Sirleafs call for Citizenship

Rights to Natural Born Diaspora

Liberians

COMMENTARYVictorious Bassa: The Day Politics

Died in Grand Bassa County

LOCAL NEWSMano River

Union Nations to Benefit from

AfDB

BUSINESSEllen Hails

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Dual Citizenship Debate Heats Up Again

As Some Senators Play Throw the Rock and Hide Your Hand; Some Diaspora Liberians Advise Caution, While Others Want It Passed Urgently

Flashback: Some members of the Liberian Community who met with VP Boakai in Syndey, Australia

Pres. Sirleaf Freezes LTA Account

LTA Chairperson Weeks is probably praying against the Presidents decision

By William Q. Harmon

President Ellen John-son Sirleaf has fro-zen the accounts of the Liberia Tele-communications Authority, (LTA) headed by Angelique Weeks.

The Liberian leader also

Contd on pg. 6c

President Sirleaf Nominates New Army Chief of Staff, Deputy

The Command-e r - i n - C h i e f of the Armed Forces of Li-beria (AFL), President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, has nominat-ed a Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Liberia.

According to an Executive Mansion release, those nomi-nated to the Liberian Senate are: Col. Daniel Dee Ziankhan as Chief of Staff, and Col. Eric Dennis as Deputy Chief of Staff.

The newly nominated Chief

Contd on pg. 6c

By Keith Morris

Influential members of the Liberian Sen-ate are making a strong push for Libe-rias recognition of dual citizenship with other countries. This would allow hundreds of thousands of diaspora Liberians hold-ing foreign citizenship to

maintain all of the rights and privileges of the land of their birth and/or parentage.

The dual citizenship de-bate resurfaced on January 27, when President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf delivered her State of the Nation Address to the House of Representa-tives and the Senate.

A great human capital re-source for the development of

this country lies in the Libe-rian Diaspora, the President told lawmakers. We trust that as you move forward during this session, and in your deliberations, you will give adequate consideration to the recognition of citizens rights for those persons born as Liberians, and those born

Contd on pg. 10

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 5, 2014, vol. 16, No.71indd 2 2/5/14 2:22 AM

Daily Observer Tuesday, February 04, 2014 Page 10dTuesday, January 28, 2014

Foreign BriefsWorld NewsPage 2Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Bolivia

UAE

China

US

Syria

(BBC) - Eleven students have been expelled from a school in southern California for allegedly hacking teachers computers and changing their grades.

It is believed that keyloggers were installed on computers which helped pupils to gain remote access.

The school at the centre of the hacking scandal is Corona Del Mar High School, in New-port Beach.

(BBC) - Thailand has an-nounced that a contract to sell more than a million tonnes of rice to China has been cancelled. The Ministry of Commerce said the Chinese government pulled out of the deal to buy 1.2 million tonnes of rice because of an ongoing probe.

Thailands Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating PM Yingluck Shinawatra over a rice purchase policy. The policy has been a factor in the anti-government protests that have sparked Thailands po-litical crisis.

(BBC) - The president of the UAE is in a stable and reas-suring condition after sur-gery following a stroke late last month, his half-brother has said.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan had passed through a difficult crisis but overcome it, the official news agency quoted Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as saying. The state did not want to hide news about the presidents health, he added.

(BBC) - Officials in Bolivia say the number of people who have died due to torrential rain since the beginning of the year has risen to 29.

More than 35,000 families have been affected by the rains and the flooding, the ministry of defence said.

The worst affected province is Beni, in north-eastern Bo-livia, where 10 people have died, followed by La Paz in the north-west and central Co-chabamba.

(BBC) - The Russian gov-ernment says Syria should complete the shipment of its chemical weapons out of the country by 1 March, weeks behind schedule.

Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told the RIA Novosti news agency that the authorities in Damascus were planning a large shipment this month. Last week, the US said Syria had given up only a fraction of its stockpile.

Cancer Tidal Wave On The Rise, Warns WHO

(BBC) - The globe is facing a tidal wave of cancer, and restrictions on alcohol and sugar need to be considered, say World Health Organiza-tion scientists.

It predicts the number of can-cer cases will reach 24 million a year by 2035, but half could be prevented.

The WHO said there was now a real need to focus on cancer prevention by tackling smoking, obesity and drink-ing.

The World Cancer Research Fund said there was an alarm-ing level of naivety about di-ets role in cancer.

Fourteen million people a year are diagnosed with can-cer, but that is predicted to in-crease to 19 million by 2025, 22 million by 2030 and 24 mil-lion by 2035.

The developing world will bear the brunt of the extra cases.

Chris Wild, the director of the WHOs International Agency for Research on Can-cer, told the BBC: The global cancer burden is increasing and quite markedly, due pre-dominately to the ageing of the populations and population growth.

If we look at the cost of treatment of cancers, it is spi-ralling out of control, even for the high-income countries. Prevention is absolutely criti-cal and its been somewhat ne-glected.

For most countries, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. However, cervical cancer dominates in

large parts of Africa.Dr Chris Wild, WHO:

Were not going to be able to address this problem by sim-ply improving treatment

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a major cause. It is thought wider use of the HPV and other vaccines could pre-vent hundreds of thousands of cancers.

One of the reports editors, Dr Bernard Stewart from the University of New South Wales in Australia, said pre-vention had a crucial role in combating the tidal wave of cancer which we see coming across the world.

Dr Stewart said human be-haviour was behind many cancers such as the sunbathe until youre cooked evenly on both sides approach in his native Australia.

He said it was not the role of the International Agency for Research on Cancer to dictate what should be done.

But he added: In relation to alcohol, for example, were all aware of the acute effects,

whether its car accidents or assaults, but theres a burden of disease thats not talked about because its simply not recognised, specifically in-volving cancer.

The extent to which we modify the availability of al-cohol, the labelling of alcohol, the promotion of alcohol and the price of alcohol - those things should be on the agen-da.

He said there was a similar argument to be had with sugar fuelling obesity, which in turn affected cancer risk.

Meanwhile, a survey of 2,046 people in the UK by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) suggested 49% do not know that diet increases the risk of developing cancer.

A third of people said can-cer was mainly due to family history, but the charity said no more than 10% of cancers were down to inherited genes.

Amanda McLean, general manager for the WCRF, said: Its very alarming to see that such a large number of people

dont know that theres a lot they can do to significantly reduce their risk of getting cancer.

In the UK, about a third of the most common cancers could be prevented through being a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet and being regu-larly physically active.

These results show that many people still seem to mis-takenly accept their chances of getting cancer as a throw of the dice, but by making lifestyle changes today, we can help prevent cancer tomorrow.

It advises a diet packed with vegetables, fruit, and who-legrains; cutting down on alco-hol and red meat; and junking processed meat completely.

Dr Jean King, Cancer Re-search UKs director of to-bacco control, said: The most shocking thing about this re-ports prediction that 14 mil-lion cancer cases a year will rise to 22 million globally in the next 20 years is that up to half of all cases could be pre-vented.

People can cut their risk of cancer by making healthy lifestyle choices, but its im-portant to remember that the government and society are also responsible for creating an environment that supports healthy lifestyles.

Its clear that if we dont act now to curb the number of people getting cancer, we will be at the heart of a global crisis in cancer care within the next two decades.

large numbers of people do not know there is a lot they can do to reduce their exposure to risk

Rwanda Ex-Spy Chief Tried in Paris on Genocide Charges

(BBC) - A French court has begun hearing the landmark trial of a former Rwandan in-telligence chief charged with complicity in the 1994 geno-cide.

Pascal Simbikangwa, who is paraplegic, was arrested in 2008 when he was living un-der an alias on Frances Indian Ocean island of Mayotte.

He denies all of the charges.France has been accused of

being too slow to prosecute those allegedly linked to kill-ing hundreds of thousands of Rwandans over 100 days in 1994.

After the genocide, many Rwandans fled to France as they share a common language and used to enjoy close diplo-matic relations.

Mr Simbikangwa, 54, stands accused of helping to arm eth-nic Hutu militia who manned roadblocks in the capital, and instructing them about their part in the slaughter.

He has acknowledged being close to the government of President Juvenal Habyarima-na, a Hutu whose assassination in 1994 led to the outbreak of violence that killed some

800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda.

More than 50 journalists, historians, farmers, security guards, and former intelli-gence officials are expected to be called as witnesses in the trial.

Although Pascal Simbikang-wa only had the rank of cap-tain, as head of the countrys secret service he is accused of being one of the most signifi-cant people in organising the genocide.

He is accused of drawing up lists of high-profile Tutsis and Hutus opposed to the govern-ment to be killed in the capi-tal, Kigali. He then allegedly instructed the soldiers and mi-

litia on how they should carry out the slaughter. He denies all the charges.

He lost his legs in a car ac-cident in 1986 and has used a wheelchair ever since. As he could no longer fight in the army, he joined the secret ser-vice. He is accused of person-ally torturing people from his wheelchair.

Rwandas government has long accused France of hav-ing supported the genocidal regime. Paris denies this but the two countries have fallen out. This trial has been well re-ceived in Kigali and may lead to a diplomatic rapproche-ment.

Many of the victims fami-lies have been eagerly await-ing the trial.

Dafroza Gauthier, who lost more than 80 members of her family in the genocide, has been working for the past 12 years with her husband, Alain, to build the case against Pascal Simbikangwa.

She told reporters the trial was an important moment for the victims who have been waiting for this trial for 20 years - for them, for their

families, but also for French people who were certainly misinformed at the time of the events during the genocide.

Rwandan Justice Minister Johnston Busingye said the start of the trial was a good sign.

A lawyer working with the prosecution, Clemence Bec-tarte, told the BBC many of the suspects of the Rwandan genocide have lived in total impunity after seeking refuge in France in the late 1990s.

Of course it is late, but its never too late, she said.

The trial is expected to last seven weeks.

France has been accused of not doing enough to stop the genocide in Rwanda, and of delaying the extradition of genocide suspects.

It denies the accusations but Rwanda severed relations with France in 2006, although ties were restored three years later.

Correspondents say the delay in bringing suspected geno-cide perpetrators to trial raises questions about Frances post-colonial role in Africa.

Pascal simbikangwa lost his legs in a car accident

in 1986

Nigerias Top Photographer

Dies

One of Africas most promi-nent photographers, JD Okhai Ojeikere, has died in Lagos, Nigeria, aged 83.

His family announced that he had passed away on Sunday afternoon, after a brief illness.

He was best known for his series of about 1,000 black and white photos of African hair-styles.

Last year a selection of them was shown at the Venice Bien-nale. They were also exhibited at Documenta in 2007, and in many galleries and museums.

Ojeikere grew up in a village in south-western Nigeria and started taking pictures with a Brownie D camera when he was 20 years old.

The state has never really cared about the arts here and, although we have many people who are very rich, we also lack good private institutions for the promotions of the arts, JD Okhai Ojeikere said.

In 1954 he began working as a darkroom assistant in the photographic department of Ibadans Ministry of Informa-tion.

Five years later, shortly after Nigeria gained independence, he became a photographer for the Western Nigerian Broad-casting Services, and in 1963 he moved to Lagos.

We had so many dreams at the time. We thought a coun-try so rich in natural resources could really go ahead on its own. But our dreams were shattered by tribalism, he told the BBCs Manuel Toledo in 2010.

Then came the military dic-tatorships, one after another, for so many years. It makes me sad to think that things have not changed much. You see the same elites holding on to power and getting richer and richer, he said.

The state has never really cared about the arts here and, although we have many people who are very rich, we also lack good private institutions for the promotions of the arts, he lamented.

He began working on his Hairstyle series in the late 1960s after he joined the Ni-gerian Arts Council and began documenting the countrys culture.

At the same time, he was taking hundreds of pictures - many still unpublished - of some of the now iconic build-ings of Lagos as they were being built, including the Na-tional Theatre.

But he did not forget his vil-lage life and in his private al-bum of architectural photos he kept some of ant hills. For me, theyre the first skyscrap-ers, he joked.

Daily Observer Page 3Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Mano River Union Nations to Benefit from AfDB says President sirleaf

by Gloria T.Tamba

The African Develop-ment Bank (AfDB) has selected the four Mano River Union countries, including Liberia, to benefit from its new initiative regional integration.

The countries of the MRU hope to get interconnectivity, infrastructure, power, transpor-tation and telecommunications systems development, said President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, when she touched down at Rob-erts International Airport (RIA) in Margibi County, Monday, February 4.

President Sirleaf made the disclosure upon her return from

Malawi following a three-day 22nd Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where several important issues, including a report of activities of the AU peace and security council and the state of peace and security in Africa, were discussed.

According to President Sirleaf, The African Develop-ment Bank (AfDB) will put em-phasis on regional integration operation. This means Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Cote dIvoire as MRU Countries would benefit particularly from improved interconnectivity, in-frastructure development, pow-er systems, transport systems and telecommunications.

She further stated that Liberia

continues to provide leadership among her African counter-parts.

After the two-day summit in Addis, the Liberian leader made a stopover in Malawi, where the other female President on the

continent is Madam Joyce Banda.

While in Malawi we were able to hold a bilateral meeting on the United Nations Mission in Liberias (UNMIL) draw down and the work of the Unit-

ed Nations in Liberia.President Sirleaf said the

report was praised by her col-leagues and they appreciated the work. They praised the report and we are working on the African Common position to make sure that Africas pri-orities are clearly reflected and taken into account in the post-2015 agenda.

President Sirleaf chaired her first APRM meeting with her colleagues discussing gover-nance in the Liberia.

Commenting on the visit to Malawi with the President, Liberian Foreign Affairs Min-ister, Augustine Ngafuan said

as part of their visit to Malawi the Liberian government had negotiated and signed an Eco-nomic Cooperation Agreement that brings the two countries together bilaterally on health, agriculture, education, tourism, financial and monitoring inter-action and other issues.

We agreed to set up a joint commission and will be meet-ing every two years. Under the committee there would be attention given to various sec-tors, I made some contacts that would allow us to link up with their counterparts from Min-istry to Ministry, the Foreign Minister concluded.

President banda (left) hosts President sirleaf (right) at a state banquet at Kamuzu Palace, lilongwe, saturday,

February 1

US Govt Donates US$2.2M Equipment, Facilities to Coast Guard The U.S. Government has donated US$2.2 million in equipment and facilities, includ-ing two pursuit boats, to the Liberian Coast Guard to enable it to better patrol and protect Liberian coastal waters.

The boats are 33-foot Special Purpose Craft-Law Enforce-ment (SPC-LE) pursuit boats. The other equipment includes two Ford F-350 trucks, two Polaris 800 4x4 utility vehicles and two containers of addition-al equipment and spare parts to the Liberian Coast Guard, worth US$1.1 million.

U.S. Ambassador Deborah Malac said the U.S. Govern-ment also provided an addition-

al US$1 million to construct a new four-bay boathouse, small office building and to provide

electricity and water for the buildings.

U.S. Coast Guard Com-

mander Patrick Clark said the new boats provide the Liberian Coast Guard with an enhanced capability to better patrol the waters off Liberias coast, more rapidly respond to search and rescue cases, and protect maritime critical infrastructure, such as offshore oil and gas op-erations.

The new equipment was transferred from the U.S. flagged merchant vessel, OCEAN CRESCENT, to LCG Station Freeport in January.

Training with the new pursuit boats started on January 20 and, as announced by the Armed Forces of Liberia, the boats will be commissioned this month as part of the Armed Forces Day celebrations.

Members of the liberian Coast Guard pose with one of the two pursuit boats donated by the U.s. Govern-

ment to enhance liberias capabilities of protecting and patrolling the countrys coastal waters

by Keith Morris

Liberia Opportunities and Industrialization Center, (LOIC) a gov-ernment own entity responsible to provide techni-cal and vocational education to underprivileged Liberian youth has appealed to the Legislature and the Executive Branch in connection with empowerment.

Speaking at the 19th Gradua-tion of the program in Monro-via, the chairman of the LOIC Board of Directors, Mr. Joseph K. Duwor, stressed the need for adequate and continued finan-cial support in an effort to train vulnerable Liberian youth for the job market.

He noted that prioritizing LOIC to meet challenges facing young people would serve as a relief to the Government in the areas of youth empowerment and poverty reduction.

Most of the materials being used here are all fading-away and there is a need to replace them. LOIC received the bulk of the burden of the 25,000 students that sat and failed the University of Liberia entrance last year.

Most of those students turned to LOIC in search of vocational education. LOIC has the high-est number vocational students across the country, and as such, the necessary budgetary sup-port must be provided to the in-

stitution, Mr. Duwor asserted.The 19th Cycle graduated

over 200 students in various disciplines, including Auto Me-chanics, Carpentry, Masonry, Pluming, Electricity, and Com-puter Science among others.

National Oil Company of Li-beria (NOCAL) sponsored a majority of the students, under a scheme to get young people off the streets and train their hands and minds to take their destiny in their own hands.

Also speaking at the ceremo-ny, NOCAL Chief Executive Officer Randolph McClain wel-comed efforts by the graduates to participate in the program.

Dr. McClain pledged his entitys continued support in funding the program at all lev-els, while encouraging less for-tunate youths to take advantage of the opportunity provided by NOCAL.

He described vocational learning as a major tool in the uplifting of the Liberian econ-omy.

Meanwhile, the ceremony was used to pen a Memorandum of Understand (MOU) between LOIC and the local government of River Gee County.

The intent of the agreement is to open a branch of LOIC in River Gee County, in order to serve the Southeastern region where vocational educational is in serious demand.

LOIC Cries for Support

(l-r) Mr. solomon D. King, sr., Joseph K. Duwor and river Gee supt., Daniel Johnson

GOL Recognizes 3 Schools for Garden Program Implementation

by Judoemue M. Kol-lie, from barclayville,

Grand Kru County

The government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Educa-tion (MoE), has rec-ognized three schools in Grand Kru County for the successful implementation of an eight-month garden program.

The program is aimed at im-parting pupils with agricultural skills to become productive citizens.

It is being implemented by a youth organization 4 H-Liberia with support from the World Food Program (WFP).

The schools given recognition include, George Toe Washing-ton Elementary School, A. A. Hoff Elementary School and J. Blamo Toe Elementary School.

These schools were awarded certificates on Friday, Janu-ary 31, during a program held in Barclayville, Grand Kru County.

The program was attended by officials of the (MoE), Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), World Food Program (WFP), Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW), 4H-Liberia and lo-

cal authorities of the county as well as parents and students.

Speaking during the cer-emony, the program officer for Agriculture and Environmental Education at the MoE, Adol-phus H. Collins said the Libe-rian government attached great importance to school gardening for the intellectual development of Liberian students.

The national school garden program is the heart beat of our dynamic President Madam El-len Johnson Sirleaf. Therefore, she has mandated the Ministry (MoE) to ensure that school gardening activities are carried out in all public schools across the country. This is why we are working along with 4H-Liberia to promote the implementation of the program in the various counties, he told the audience.

He said that the importance of school gardening cannot be overemphasized as it not only benefits the students and their schools but the country at large.

This program creates an op-portunity to train future farmers for the country. Whenever chil-dren acquire skills in agricul-ture our countrys food security can be sustained, he said.

Mr. Collins mentioned that

it was important for parents to encourage their children to take the program seriously.

The parents and teachers participation are integral to the success of the program. There-fore I want to urge parents to consider themselves as an en-gine that drives the transforma-tion, he stated.

Giving an overview of the program, the executive director of 4H-Liberia, Umaru Sheriff disclosed that the school garden program is meant to be carried out in 150 schools in 10 of the fifteen counties of Liberia.

He said logistics and inad-equate staff are the major chal-lenges facing the program and that those problems need to be addressed by government and partners.

If we are to meet the desired objective of this program, there is a need to provide more sup-port to reach all of the schools in the country, he recommend-ed.

He noted that the 3 schools recognized by government in Grand Kru County for 2013-2014 met all of the require-ments needed for selection.

Mr. Sheriff added that they were able to train about 750

members of the PTA to take up leadership responsibilities in the promotion of the program.

For his part, the senior pro-gram assistant for WFP, John-son Kolubah said implementa-tion of the school gardening program is a key component of Liberias school feeding pro-gram.

He noted that community par-ticipation is crucial in carrying out the program.

Meanwhile, in his keynote address, the district agriculture officer/MoA of Jrao and Buah districts in Grand Kru County, J. Cisco Wesseh, called for more attention to be given to the program in his county.

He said that there is a need for the program to be extended to other areas of Grand Kru.

According to him, the MoA sub-office in the county would give technical assistance to all schools where school garden-ing is being carried out.

Mr. S. Blohkwon Toe, princi-pal of the George Toe Washing-ton Elementary School in Bar-clayville, explained during the program that his school was the first to succeed in implement-ing the garden program due to the cooperation of the schools

PTA and technical support giv-en from the MoA sub-office in the county.

He said proceeds from the garden were used to compen-sate support staff and settle other expenses for the school.

At the same time, the head of the 4H club in George K. Wash-

ington School, Saybeh Toe, age 13, thanked the government and partners for recognizing his in-stitution.

He expressed the schools commitment to staging the gar-den project every year to pro-mote the supply of fresh veg-etables to their communities.

Daily Observer Tuesday, February 04, 2014 Page 10dTuesday, January 28, 2014

OBSERVER CARTOON WITH A. Leslie Lumeh E-mail: [email protected] www.leslielumeh.com

Published by Liberian Observer CorporationP.O. Box 1858, Monrovia

Liberias First Independent Daily

0886812888, 0886472772www.liberianobserver.com

Wednesday, February 5, 2014 Page 4

A Vision of National Reunification: President Sirleafs

call for Citizenship Rights to Natural Born Diaspora LiberiansIn her 9th Annual Message, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf re-

flected upon the many accomplishments of her administration as she laid out her vision for the next twelve months, and beyond. One poignant aspect of her vision which must be put into perspective was contained in her call to the National Legislature to render adequate consideration to the recognition of citizens rights for those persons born as Liberians, and those born of Liberian parentage who wish to contribute fully to the development of this country as citizens. In this call, the President went further to drive home the strategic logic of socio-economic gain in the form of valued human resource which many nations in the developed world have wisely tapped. She noted, The grant of Liberian citizenship would enable us to draw on the wealth of financial, technical and other resources available to that category of persons that could be deployed nationally. Her call was made in full recognition of billions of U.S. dollars transferred in remittances to Liberia by Diaspora Liberians, and the vast talent pool and transferable assets gained by this sector of Liberian society abroad.

The Presidents proposition reveals the essence of reconnecting a missing link not yet brought to bear in the quest for national recon-struction so desired by millions of Liberians at home and abroad. It triggers a sober reflection upon the tremendous loss of essential resources by Liberia during the war years. The mass exodus of an estimated 1.5 million Liberians in a dark chapter of human and infra-structural destruction gave way to massive brain drain and accumu-lated economic disadvantages. These losses account for the missing links, and stubborn hindrances to accelerated reconstruction. Ac-cordingly, the Presidents call to action must be pursued with great vigor as a strategic initiative to attract, regain, and maintain the maximum resources of all Liberian nationals at home and abroad, to achieve the goals of reconstruction.

The task of consolidated nation-building cannot be achieved if we fail to pursue all available resources within our reach. It has been ob-served that the primary obstacle to the achievement of this initiative is not within any Constitutional provision, but rather within a 1972 Liberian Statute which has been deemed incompatible to the Libe-rian Constitution by major legal scholars, including the acclaimed American Bar Association (ABA). Therefore an Act by the Legisla-ture to repeal of this obstructive Statute would achieve the goals of national reunification as envisioned by the President and the host of Liberian nationals abroad.

However, she cannot ably proceed on this crucial matter without grappling with the reality of a divided nation. A crippling challenge to this pursuit of national reunification lies in the growing cynicism on the part of local Liberians towards the intentions and perceived domination by their fellow citizens from the Diaspora. It is also a sad commentary that a nation reeling from the aftermath of war would suffer such an unnecessary schism triggering political hesitation within the corridors of the Legislature, as key supporters in the Sen-ate gear up for re-election this November. While we commend the President for this visionary and courageous reflection, we note that this call to the Legislature on behalf of Diaspora Liberians is not the first. It has been repeatedly made in previous Annual Messages.

Consequently, further action beyond oratory is now required on the Presidents part, considering the essence of this issue, so long delayed, as it relates to national reunification, human development and reconstruction. A word of advice to the President on this issue, especially in a polarized year of legislative elections, is to consider the use of her constitutional options related to Executive action in the best interest of the nation. The Liberian leader can follow the exam-ple of President Barack Obama who took the bold step to use the pen of Executive order to secure opportunities for millions of children born to undocumented immigrants in the United States, even as he battled fierce opposition to his call for immigration reform.

In so doing, Liberia, as many developed nations have done, will ex-pand access to unlimited economic, political, and social advantages which lie in the potential of her own nationals. The changing trends and demands of a global community make it increasingly logical to reach out in an earnest effort to tap the vast human and material re-source potential of all Liberian nationals scattered abroad.

Hence, the path to this objective lies both in a conscientious effort by the President, and the courage of the Liberian Legislature to re-visit the Laws of Liberia to guarantee full citizenship rights to natural born Liberians and their children, who circumstantially acquired citi-zenship in other countries as means of survival during a time of war.

JOHN llOyD, todays Guest editorialist, is former Commis-sioner, Office of African Affairs of the District Government of Washington, DC. He is a former leader of the Liberian Community Association in Washington DC and the Union of Liberian Associa-tions in the Americas (ULAA). He served as member of the edito-rial staff of the Daily Observer prior to the civil war.

Victorious Bassa: The Day Politics Died in Grand Bassa County

By A. Nat Bayjay, [email protected]

Not even the absences of Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine and Senate Pro Tem-pore Gbenzohngar Milton Findley could dampen the victorious celebrations of the Bassonians.

Over the weekend, the port city of Bu-chanan came alive as thousands of Bas-sonians and hundreds of other Liberians stormed the city to officially celebrate the countys end of almost 24 years of tro-phy drought as far as the annual National County Meet is concerned.

Yes, jubilant moods they were indeed in what was like a trinity-of-celebrations in the port city that began Friday night (Jan-uary 31, 2014) with the arrival of guests and continued on Saturday, February 1, 2014 with the grand possession through the principle streets unto the under-reno-vation Doris Williams Stadium and ended on Sunday, February 2, 2014 with the one-one draw football match between the champions and Senior Professionals. Of course, social outings climaxed the cel-ebrations on the citys nice and beautiful beaches.

In a nutshell, the Bassa celebrations are real indications that politics can cease and probably die for a while despite the diverse political differences the people of Bassa share.

With Grand Bassa Countys victory coming at a time when the county, like the other 14 counties, prepares for a cru-cial senatorial race, the kicking-aside of politics began right at the Samuel Kanyon Doe (SKD) Sports Stadium on January 19, 2014 when the county repeated its historic win over Nimba during a match that pulled the largest crowd ever in Na-tional County Meet history (whether pre or post war days). And at the very end of that match, Bassa politicians (lawmakers and aspiring ones and others) went be-yond their respective political boundaries and hugged one another before they could probably even realize it.

At least, because of Grand Bassas vic-tory, an independent Findley could afford to hug his Liberty Party rivals while oth-ers jumped onto the shoulders of those sharing similar but opposing political am-bitions.

When the Bassa people decided to ad-equately celebrate their victory two weeks later in their capital city, the political tensions in the county died as if God Al-mighty had visited the place and everyone needed to show that all was well.

Its no doubt that Bassa politics had been

getting deadly weeks leading to the coun-tys dual championships in football and basketball triumphs. War of words, in-cluding some of the worst uncouth words, had been leaving from the mouths of the political missiles of Bassa politicians ei-ther eyeing or having an interest in the pending senatorial race few months away.

But on that day, the day when thousands of Bassonians gathered at the Monrovia Junction in Buchanan to begin the grand march while hundreds lined the streets, politics were buried; at least while the cel-ebrations lasted.

Even without Brumskine and Findley, the Bassonians celebrated as supporters from both sides probably forgot about their respective political idols. The pair happens to be the countys current politi-cal giants, with each gowning their own line of political generations of loyal-ists who seem prepare to go extra miles in showing their unflinching loyalties to their respective political godfathers. Oh yes, they stand ready to do anything deadly to each others political camp if the need arises in protecting their respec-tive political bases.

But certainly, not during those days (from the days their teams qualified for the Monrovia knockout stages) up to last weekends celebrations in the county.

Others argue that the presence of the pair could have probably changed the en-vironment. Whether it was Gods timely intervention that prevented them from at-tending, the end result was a very joyous and tolerant celebration from the people of Grand Bassa County who seemed ready to have shown past winners how they (like immediate past winners Grand Cape Mount, Nimba, Bong, others) prob-ably under-celebrated their respective tri-umphs.

Besides Senator Findley and Represen-tative Mary Kaiwor, the other five Bassa lawmakers including Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, Deputy Speaker Hans Barchue and Representatives Byron Brown, Gabriel Buchanan Smith and Robertson Siaway all graced the occasion while LPRCs T. Nelson Williams, II led an array of Monrovia-based Bassonians to include Simeon Freeman, Cllr. T.C. Gould, LBDIs John B.S. Davies, Israel Akinsanya, Levi Deemah, the LNPs Vic-tor Gboyah, Chris Neyor, James Salinsa Debbah, Sundaygar Dearboy, among oth-ers.

Behind the scene activities in extensive planning leading to Saturdays success-ful program saw no political divide when prominent, eminent and ordinary Basso-

nians to include media personnel, mar-keters and student representatives joined hands and shared ideas under the T. Nel-son Williams led-planning committee.

At the end of it all, the theme was crafted and realized: Two Trophies, One Goal.Bassa First!

It was also interesting when the acting head of the countys legislative caucus, Representative Smith, in presenting the trophies to the county, remarked: By virtue of the level of collaboration and coordination that existed amongst us as members of the Bassa Legislative Cau-cus, with God above and the support from the county administration and all of our citizens, our elders. Distinguished people of Grand Bassa County, it is now our humble and singular pleasure to on behalf of the Bassa Legislative caucus, present these trophies over to the peace loving people of Grand Bassa County.... May God bless us.

Several others not even connected to the county dominant by an apparent group of Monrovia-based social lovers and other lawmakers of the current 53rd National Legislature including Lofas Eugene Fal-lah Kparkar, Nimbas Matenokay Ting-ban, and Montserrados Acarious Gray didnt mind the huge inconveniences that characterized the city arising from the overcrowdedness of Buchanan from Fri-day evening till early Monday morning.

Now, it is clear from the Bassa victory that Bassonians, inspite of all the different political ideologies, can achieve a whole lot more in propelling that great county to higher heights once politics can die for a while just as it did throughout the Nation-al County Meet till the countys victory.

Above it all, it was Bassa who won: Two Trophies, One Goal.Bassa First!

May Bassa always win so we can always bring out the general good we all share.

At least we have all proudly converted our battle song from A Mu Wa Badian, Deh Wu Ya Yun (We shall beat them, they shall be shame) to a victorious one A Na Wa Badian, Deh Na Ya Yun (Weve beaten them, they have been made shame).

Nat Bayjay is a Media Consultant/

Communication specialist. He hails from Grand Bassa County and was very instrumental in his countys County Meet Glory when he served as the me-dia specialist on the Sundaygar Dearboy led Mobilization Committee. Hes reach-able on:[email protected]/0777-402737.

It is difficult to build a nation single handedly. We

need each other.

Daily Observer Tuesday, February 04, 2014 Page 10dTuesday, January 28, 2014Wednesday, February 5, 2014

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Market Women in the Spotlight 3In continuation of our feature on Market Women in the Spot-light, our Women and Family Desk took a tour of Buchanan Grand Bassa County over the weekend and visited several markets. Our reporter spoke to mar-ket women, who equally face challenges like their counterparts in Monrovia.

Although some views were contrary to what many people normally say about market women wanting to work in their trade forever, many still expressed their satisfaction over being able to make meaningful contri-butions to their respective families.

I was able to visit the Zog-ar Market located on Tub-man Street, the Corn Farm Market where the welcome gate was located, the Gener-al Market and the Monrovia Junction Market located at the entrance of the City.

Since the W&F page started focusing on Market Women, I have realized that one of the main chal-lenges market women face is transporting their goods from one point to another. Because of dilemma, mar-ket women spend more than they gain monthly.

Imagine a market woman buying a bag of bitter kola at a cost of L$1,600 and trans-porting it from Lofa County. She is then forced to pay a total of nearly L$3,000 for round-trip transportation.

At this point, she has al-ready used L$4,600 in the process.

After she returns home she sells the kola nuts L$10 or 20 for one. At times she may not be able to earn L$500 a week. It is possible that be-fore that bag is finished, a good portion of the kola has gotten rotten, thus becom-ing useless to the market and consumers.

Another example is a mar-ket woman who buys a bag of fresh pepper for L$2,000 and sells it for L$5 per pile. How much is she expected to gain before the entire bag is finished or before a bulk of that pepper gets rotten?

During my tour, I was for-tunate to meet with men do-ing business in the markets also. Some were there to help their wives, while oth-

ers were there to make live-lihoods for their families, claiming that the market does not belong to women alone.

Our first encounter was with 28 year old Miss Olivia Janjay, a seller of fresh fish in the Zogar Market.

Miss Janjay is a commit-ted mother of two who has been a business woman for 2 years. She revealed to us that she is a high school dropout.

Ms. Janjay said she gets her fish from the beach in Fanti Town; Buchanans only fishing community.

Most times we are able to get fish, but in those cases when we are not able to get it (fish) we do not sell that day.

You buy the fish according to the quantity you want and sell according to the quan-tity you have. Overall, it is based on how you buy the fish on the beach.

Its stressful. We leave our houses as early as 6:30am just to make sure we are on the beach in time to get the best fish. After we leave the beach we go straight to the market.

We are careful to avoid the fish sleeping overnight before for it gets spoilt the next day; that means we will lose the money we spent on buying the fish in the first place.

My business is very im-portant to me. This is how I feed my kids and parents

so its dear to my heart. Old age has caught up with my parents. And I have to take care of them. I hope to con-tinue my business because I love it so much, she de-clared.

We also spoke to 39 year old Marmonde Browne, a mother of three and a resi-dent of the Tarbah commu-nity.

Madame Browne sells pig foot, chicken feet, spare ribs and other frozen food at the Corn Farm Community market located at the former welcome gate.

She has been a business woman for 6 years now.

Madam Browne said with her kind of business, trans-portation and storage is a problem.

She said transportation and storage consumed a lot of her profits over the years.

Transporting my pig foot barrels from Monrovia to here is costly. We buy the Barrels for over L$3,000 and pay L$200 for transpor-tation. We also have to keep it in cold storage, which cost us almost L$1,000 a month.

We cannot hike up the prices because we bought these things expensive. If we do, the people will not buy it.

So we just have to main-tain the normal price in other to sell these items. When my market stays lon-ger than I expect I have to sell it cheaper than the usual price just so that I can make

a profit from those items. I am not satisfied with

what I am doing. But since I am not fit for any other busi-ness, I have to cope with the one I have.

Since I lost my husband, I have managed to feed my children from this business. I sell day and night, rain or shine just to keep them going. So I am asking the Government of Liberia to create more job opportuni-ties for unskilled/ unedu-cated people, she pleaded.

56 year old Josephine Gaye, a resident of the Fair Ground Community and a trader in its general market

sells potato greens.She said selling greens is

only good business during the Rainy Season.

My business has helped me, but not very much. I am saying this because we only have good greens to sell during the rains when they grow fresh.

During the dry season, people hardly buy greens because they think they are not fresh.

I have my garden in my yard so I use the entire dry season to plant then I sell during the raining season.

What is helps me is that my husband is a security

guard and our combined incomes help make a mean-ingful contribution to the family.

I love what I am doing and have no intention of leaving my business for anything else, she concluded.

Lastly, we spoke to Al-phanso Tarpeh at the Mon-rovia Junction Market.

He is 32 years old and sells Rice.

Alphanso said he believes the market was not made for women alone.

I love to be among wom-en in the market because I love their company. I have learned what it means to maintain a business. It al-lows me to send my child to school.

I buy a bag of Rice for US$40.00 per bag and sell it for L$20 or L$25 per cup of rice.

We make a profit but not immediately because peo-ple do not buy the rice all at once.

Transportation is not much of a problem. I dont consider the L$30 or L$40 I pay on motor bike a prob-lem. What I am not satisfied with is the increasing price of rice. I buy the rice one bag at a time because of the price; its too high to buy two bags. This is why we are asking the Government to please see what they can do about the price of Rice in this Country, he said.

Market Women in the spotlight theme Picture

Daily Observer Page 6 Wednesday, February 5, 2014

2014 CALL FOR PROPOSALS The Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) is a grant making and advocacy foundation that is part of the global Open Society Foundations Network. OSIWA works to support the creation of open societies in West Africa marked by functioning democracy, good governance, the rule of law, basic freedoms, and widespread civic participation. Its headquarters is in Dakar and it has offices in Abuja, Monrovia, Freetown and Conakry. OSIWA seeks proposals aimed at achieving the following specific objectives in the priority countries listed beside each objective:

Improve quality and conduct of elections (Benin, Cote dIvoire, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal);

Increase effectiveness of Parliaments (Benin, Ghana, Liberia, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone);

Enhance Citizens participation in Local Governance and Decentralization (Liberia, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone);

Ensure Natural Resource Management frameworks are effective (Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone);

Support alternative means for Anti-Corruption enforcement (Benin, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal);

Enhance social demand for accountability and effective public service delivery especially in health and education sectors (Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone);

Enhance citizenship rights and social cohesion (Region wide);

Reduce the impact of Drug Trafficking on Governance (Region wide);

Effectively strengthen prevention and information systems to reduce Militancy and Violence (Mali, Niger, Nigeria);

Promote the rights of women, youth, vulnerable groups and differently-abled persons (Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone);

Improve criminal and administration of Justice (Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal);

Address the challenges and potentials of International Criminal Justice for legal accountability (Cote dIvoire, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone);

Ensure inclusive constitutional review processes (Benin, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone); and

Promote access to Information and Media Freedom (Benin, Cote dIvoire, Ghana, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone)

The detailed OSIWA strategy is available at www.osiwa.org Eligibility OSIWA primarily awards grants to local organizations based in West Africa. In rare and limited circumstances, it provides support to West Africa-based international organizations with a strong commitment to transfer knowledge to local groups they partner with. It provides grants to government

institutions as well as regional and sub-regional organizations working in its core priorities areas. OSIWA requires all organizations seeking funding to submit a completed application form, budget, work plan monitoring and evaluation framework and other relevant documents including leadership information (list of Board members, trustees and management), staff who will be involved in the project, proof of registration and banking details. Applications that are not submitted with all the relevant documentation will be delayed. Submission and Deadlines Proposals should be sent directly to: [email protected] and will be accepted until May 30th 2014. OSIWA encourages the early submission of proposals. Submitted proposals will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. The time required to review a proposal varies according to the complexity of the proposal, the problem being addressed, and the number of proposals being reviewed. Generally, it can take up to three months from the time a proposal is received to the actual award of a grant, although OSIWA strives to be as expeditious as possible in its review of inquiries and proposals. Please keep this in mind when planning.

The application documents are available at http://www.osiwa.org/index.php/en/grants

































CDM International is contracted to USAID to implement the Engineering Services for Rural Road Rehabilitation Project (ES3R). The Project is operational in four Counties, Lofa, Nimba, Bong and Grand Bassa. Cardno Emerging Markets USA, Ltd. is the subcontractor to CDM on ES3R. CDM and Cardno have three field teams based in Voinjama, Gbarnga and Ganta.

Cardno E.M. now wishes to recruit a Site Inspector for each team.

ES3R has three primary objectives:1. Construction oversight of three road rehabilitation contracts

in the counties of Bong (49km), Lofa (14km) and Nimba (21km).

2. Detailed design of 450 km of farm to market roads in Lofa, Bong, Nimba and Grand Bassa scheduled for construction be-tween 2015 2018.

3. Capacity development of Liberian architectural and engineering firms in design and contract supervision of rural road projects.

CDM and Cardno have three field based teams consisting of a Team Leader, a Field Engineer and a Site Inspector.

Cardno now wishes to recruit suitably qualified Site Inspectors, ini-tially for a one year period.

The initial and primary function of the Site Inspectors will be moni-toring and reporting on road construction activities and support in the preparation of detailed road designs. However, the SIs will be mentored by senior staff and be included in training delivered to A&E firms. It is anticipated that as SI performance improves they will be assigned additional responsibilities. It is expected by end of the first project year successful SI will be promoted to field engineer position.

Minimum Requirements Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering Minimum of two years of site based experience in contract

management and construction supervision, preferably in road works

Computer and IT literate Competent knowledge of autoCAD software Ability to work and perform in a dynamic high pressure

working environment

Desired requirements Driving license for motor cars and motorcycles Experience in rural road design Knowledge of engineering materials and compliance tests

Cardno EM USA in an equal opportunities employer and strongly supports the application of applications from suitably qualified females.

Interested candidates should send resume (with two references from recent employers) and covering letter to [email protected] or delivered to the Office Manager care of CDM International, ES3R Project Office, Old Road Congo Town in an envelope clearly marked Application for the Position of Site Inspector.

The closing date for applications is 14 February 2014

Vacancy AnnouncementSITE INSPECTORS FOR RURAL ROAD

REHABILITATION

Daily Observer Page 8 Wednesday, February 5, 2014 6a

EOI NO: CSA/SG/TC/11/13IDA GRANT ID: TF 010792

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

The Government of Liberia (GoL) through the Civil Service Agency (CSA) has received a grant from the International Development Association (IDA) for Strengthening Governance-Civil Service Reforms and Capacity Building Project (CSRCBP). The Civil Service Agency intends to apply part of the proceeds of this grant to eligible payments under the contract for hiring a Testing Consultant Firm to develop new Civil Services Tests that will reflect Regional and International Standards and meet the requirements of the CSA.

The CSA administers sixty-nine qualifying tests to individuals desirous of en-tering the service. Most of these tests have been administered for more than 20 years and need urgent revision to reflect the changing realities of the social, eco-nomic and technological environment which the public service has undergone since the development of these tests.

OBJECTIVES OF THIS CONSULTANCY, to: Under take the revision of the existing Civil Service Entrance Tests that

are currently administered by the CSA. Develop new tests as necessary and, Develop and execute a capacity building plan to train staff of the CSA to

undertake similar tasks in future.

The assignment is estimated to cover approximately 100 staff-days over 150 calendar days. The start date of the assignment will be no later than seven (7) days upon the signing of the contract.

The Civil Service Agency now invites eligible Consulting Firms to indicate their interest in providing this services. Interested consultants must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services by submitting their detailed information (brochures, past performance records, references of similar assignments executed in the recent past). They must also provide description of work experience both general and on similar assignments. Specific experience on World Bank funded projects will be an added advantage.

The shortlisting criteria are: Experience in undertaking similar assignments and number of years in

business; Experience in working with the World Bank and/or Donor-funded

Projects; Technical and Managerial Organization of the Firm; Availability of Competent Staff with relevant qualificatioin and experience

to undertake the assignment; Experience developing Civil Service tests in the Sub-Sahara African

Region.

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). (Consul-tant Guidelines), setting forth the World Banks policy on conflict of interest.Consultants may associate with other firms in the form of a joint venture or a sub-consultancy to enhance their qualifications.

A Consultant firm will be selected in accordance with the procedures set out in the World Banks Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultabts by World Bank Borrowers, Selection is Based on the Consultants Qualifications (CQS) as set out in consultant Guidelines (May 2004, Revised October 1, 2006, May 1, 2010 & January 2011).

Interested Consultants may obtain further information at the address below dur-ing office hours from 09:00 and 17:00hours, Mondays to Fridays.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form clearly marked: Ref: Testing Consultant of the CSRCBP at the address below in person or by mail or by email on or before Friday, February 14, 2014 at 17:00hours.

The Consultant/Projector CoordinatorCivil Service Reform and Capacity Building ProjectCivil Service Agency 63 Carey Street, Monrovia, LiberiaEmail: [email protected]

Attention: The Consultant/Project Coordination-CSRCBP

Republic of LiberiaCivil Service Agency

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (REOI)(Testing Consultant Firm)

IDA GRANT ID: TF No. 010792

Assignment Title: Request for expression of interest Conducting the Mandates & Functions Review (MFR) of Ministries and Agencies

The Government of Liberia (GoL) through the Civil Service Agency (CSA) has received a grant from the International Development Association (IDA) for strengthening Gov-ernance-Civil Service Reforms and Capacity Building Project (CSRCBP). The Civil Service Agency intends to apply part of the proceeds of this grant to eligible payments under the contract for hiring an individual consultant to conduct the mandates & func-tions Review of ministries and Agencies.

The objectives of the assignment are as follows: Complete the MFRs of the above-mentioned Ministries; Complete the review and editing of all completed ministries; and Build the capacity of local staff to conduct MFRs.

The duration of the assignment:The timescale of the assignment is for a period of 70 working days.

The Civil Service Agency now invites eligible Individual Consultants to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested consultants must provide information in-dicating that they are qualified to perform the services by submitting their detailed in-formation (CV, brochures, past performance records, references of similar assignments executed in the recent past). They must also provide description of work experience both general and on similar assignments. Specific experience on World Bank funded projects will be an added advantage. Selection will be based on qualifications and expe-rience stipulated below.

Consulting firms are allowed to propose individuals for this assignment. However, only the experience and qualifications of individuals shall be used in the selection process, and corporate experience shall not be taken into account and the contract would be signed with the proposed individual.

Qualifications and experience:i. The Firm- not less than 5-year experience in similar work with World Bank or Donor Funded Projects;ii. Key professional staff The following are the minimum Key Staff required for the assignment:a) Principal Consultant: An advanced degree in Economics, Finance, Law, Business Administration, Project Management, Public Administration or Public Policy (posses-sion of doctorate with an in-depth knowledge of governance reforms trends, and best practices in the global context is an advantage);

At least ten years of relevant experience, five years of which shall be related to policy analysis;

Extensive experience in research, policy level analysis, technical advice and publications, especially in mandate and functional reviews of public institu-tions;

Experience in Africa and post conflict settings. Computer literate, proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and IT packages; Excellent oral communication, negotiating and writing skills; Provide vision for organizational growth; and Must provide sample of professional work done

b) Consultants: A minimum of a related undergraduate degreec) Human Resources Specialist:

Must have a minimum Masters Degree (preferably MBA) At least 3-5 years professional work experiences Specialized knowledge and experience of HR management

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.

An individual Consultant will be selected in accordance with the procedures set out in the World Banks Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants by World Bank Borrowers dated January 2011.

Interested Individual Consultants may obtain further information at the address below during office hours from 09:00 and 17:00hours, Mondays to Fridays.

Expressions of interest must be delivered on a written form clearly marked: Ref: Consultancy: MFR of the CSRCBP at the address below in person or by mail or by email) on or before Friday, February 7, 2014 at 16:00hours.

The Consultant/Projector CoordinatorCivil Service Reform and Capacity Building ProjectCivil Service Agency 63 Carey Street, Monrovia, LiberiaEmail: [email protected]

Attention: The Consultant/Project Coordination-CSRCBP

Republic of LiberiaCivil Service Reform and Capacity Building Project

Civil Service AgencyREQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (REOI)

(International Consultant)

Daily Observer Page 9 Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Procedures:1. Application forms are free and available at LBDI Branches on 9th Street Sinkor and Randall & Ashmun Streets2. Payment can be made by Cash, Managers Check or Debit Authorization

This offer document is simply an Information Memorandum and does not in any respect represent a prospectus. The offer document and the securities that it bears are directed at selected investors as well as the members of the general public. Every prospective investor to whom this document has been addressed is expected to conduct i n d e p e n d e n t evaluation of the Financial Position and operating results of the Liberia Cement Company.

Private Placement of

206,572Common Stocks of the Liberia Cement Corporation at US$12 per Stock Payable in Full On Application

OFFER CONDITIONS:Individual: Minimum of 5 stocks at US$12 eachInstitutions: Minimum of 1,000 Common stocks and additional common stock in multiple of 100.

NOV. 18, 2013: Close of Offer: Feb. 18,

2014

LBDI Central Monrovia Branch

Ashmun & Randall Streets

Monrovia, Liberia.

LBDI Sinkor Branch9th Street, Sinkor,

TubmanBoulevard,

Monrovia, Liberia

Liberian Bank for Development and Investment

Information Memorandum

INVEST

TODAY!Visit our branches

and be a proud owner of CEMENCO

PUBLIC NOTICE TO ALL RESIDENTS OF THE WEST POINT COMMUNITY

February 2, 2014

Please be informed that there will be a survey conducted within the general area allocated for the construction of our New Community Center/Town hall by the firm of Design Builders DChristell. This survey is hereby granted and approved by the Commissioner of West Point.

This survey will be conducted on Saturday February 8th, 2014 at the precise hour of 10:00am. We advise that all those with legitimate concerns, and special use permits granted to occupy areas af-fected by this survey to please be present, and have in their possession legal documents proving their specific claim/s.

Residents are hereby advised to take note and act accordingly as this will be the only chance to state your interest and prove your claim/s. Please let us work together for the Good and benefit of our community as we strive to create a new and better image for our Community.This notice is hereby approved for distribution by the Honorable Commissioner Flowers of the West Point Community.

SIGNED BY: __________________________________ Commissioner West Point Community

APPROVED BY:_______________________________ Magistrate West Point Community

CC: Kenneth Y Best Adolphus G. Mccritty-Architect for the Project

Short Term Vacancy: Administrative Assistant/Gbarnga

RTI is an independent non-profit research and technical services institute headquartered in Research Tri-angle Park, North Carolina, USA. Since 1958, RTI has provided clients in over 150 countries with cutting edge research and technical assistance in the areas of education and training, economic and social policy and planning, democratic governance and institutional development, energy and the environment, survey and statistics, health and pharmaceuticals, advanced technologies and product commercialization, and laboratory and chemistry services. RTI is an equal opportunity employer.

RTI is actively seeking an experienced and dynamic Administrative Assistant for a short term contract to be based in the RTI Project Sub Office on Cuttington University campus, Suakoko, Bong County. Un-der the direct supervision of the Agriculture Education Adviser (AEA), the Administrative Assistant will provide administrative, logistical and clerical support to the EHELD Sub Office and Contract Faculties assigned to the College of Agriculture and Sustainable Development at Cuttington University.

These responsibilities include but are not limited to: Procurement of goods and services for the project sub office in consultation with the AEA, Ad-

min. Assistant/Monrovia and Finance Manager; Management of office vehicles and fuel coupons and cards; Submission of monthly fuel reports; Coordination of staff/Contract Faculty vehicle requests for approval; Receiving, responding and filing office correspondence; Arranging and setting up meetings, workshops and conference calls; Preparing meeting minutes; Managing office petty cash and general office & guesthouse supplies; Maintenance of inventory of all office and guesthouse assets; Responding to request from Monrovia-based Administrative Assistance; Overseeing project guesthouse maintenance; Performing other tasks as maybe requested by the AEA, and COP/DCOP or their designee.

Minimum Qualifications:A. AA degree in a relevant subject and 2 years professional experience, supervisory experience preferred.B. Experience in Office administration, logistics management and event/meeting coordination. C. Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skillsD. Fluency in written and spoken English.

To Apply:Interested applicants should submit resume/CV, cover letter, and three (3) references to: [email protected] or at the RTI Office located b/w 11th & 12th Streets, Payne Avenue, Sinkor, Monrovia, Liberia or the EHELD Sub Office, RDI Building, Cuttington University Campus, Suakoko, Bong County, no later than 4:30pm prompt on Friday, February 7, 2014.

EXCELLENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION FOR LIBERIAN DEVELOPMENT (EHELD) 11th and 12 Streets, Paynes Avenue, Sinkor Monrovia, Liberia Telephone 231 776 399 312 www.rti.org

A Transportation Company seeks the services of Heavy Duty Bus Driver(s).

1. JOB TITLE: HEAVY DUTY BUS DRIVERDUTY STATION: MONROVIA (Must be willing to travel through out the country when the need arises)EFFECTIVE: IMMEDIATELY

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATION: Minimum of 5yrs direct experience driving Heavy Duty Busses. Minimum of High School Qualification Valid Heavy Duty Drivers license. Ability to read, write and express well in English language Mechanical knowledge is an added advantage

OUR OFFER: Long-term stability of employment based on satisfactory performance Attractive salary

PLEASE NOTE THAT BOTH QUALIFIED MALE AND FEMALE APPLICANTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.

HOW TO APPLY: Address your Applications and envelop to the Hiring Coordinator for

Transportation Monrovia, Liberia. Prepare 1 Cover letter explaining why you are best suitable for the

job. Also state specifically the type of Heavy Duty Bus driven and for which duration of time.

Attach your CV with 3 references and a passport photo.

Send by email to [email protected] or drop hardcopy with the recep-tionist @ Global Trust Assurance Opp. Eden Waters, 20th Street Cheeseman Ave Sinkor (Fiamah way) Monrovia, Liberia.

VACANCY CLOSING DATE: 28TH FEBRUARY 2014 @ 5PM.

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT6b

Daily Observer Page 6Wednesday, February 5, 2014 6c

suspended the US$1 million lease agreement between LTA and a Chinese construction company, Qinjian Internation-al, for a building LTA intended to secure as office. President Sirleaf took the decision to freeze the account of the LTA on Tuesday February 4, 2014

Though the release from the Executive Mansion indi-cates that the LTA intends to secure the building as office space, credible sources have it that LTA has indeed relocated

its offices to where they are paying a steeper figure in the range of $385,000 per year for the lease of the property.

Sources said that consolidat-ing all their employees in one location rather than three or four, cuts down on the number of security personnel; the cost of generator and fuel at the previous premises.

The building in question is located on the Congo Town back road, around the Chinese Embassy. The LTA last week

LTA Account left its 12th street headquarters and relocated in the Congo Town area, a move that may have been done without the consent of the Liberian leader.

The process of leasing the building, it is strongly be-lieved, was approved by the Public Procurement Conces-sions Commission, the Minis-try of Finance and the Minis-try of Justice, but the President might have preferred being informed of the move.

The Finance Ministry, ac-cording to one source, was fully involved with the lease-

agreement, as it had to approve the expenditure. The Justice Ministry was involved as well, since the lease involved a pri-vate party and a government entity.

The PPCC had been on board from the beginning, to make sure we followed pro-cedures as stipulated in the guidelines. We have no prob-lem renting from legitimate landlords who pay taxes to government, the source said.

The LTA earlier had leased three buildings at three dif-ferent locations, prior to its

last-week move. While not cheap, the new location allows the LTA to foster greater unity among employees and provide an excellent area for the Inter-national Gateway Monitoring System that takes up an entire floor.

It was indicated that the West Africa Regional Communica-tions Project was also relocat-ing to the site in March. The cost of the move was budgeted and approved in our 2013-2014 budget.

We have been very transpar-ent about this whole procedure

pursuant to the PPCC Act. We looked at other buildings and considered other locations before the final choice was made, a source said.

Asked why the LTA does not just purchase a building or buy and build, we were told that they intend to find a location that will allow them to accom-modate their growing staff, as well as for Spectrum Monitor-ing equipment. We would prefer to build but we have to find the right location to allow for expansion and growth.

Mr. Roslin Azmy Has-san, General Manager of Sime Darby Plantation Liberia, (SDPL) last week told reporters that even though that company contin-ues to face many challenges as is typical of any companys early growth and development, SDPL is on the verge of build-ing a modern oil palm refinery in Bomi County, Liberia.

We have completed the fea-sibility studies for the refinery and so the project will hope-fully materialize this year, he said, adding that building

a refinery is part of SDPLs concession agreement with the government of Liberia.

The refinery will further en-hance his companys confi-dence in Liberia while expos-ing the countrys investment potential. The refinery will pave the way for the Malaysian oil palm giant to process its raw oil palm into finished goods. The announcement comes as SDPL has already begins scout harvesting some of its oil palm products, which are already ripening.

If built on schedule, the re-finery will create additional employment for the people in

the concession areas. To but-tress the general managers comments, Already, SDPL has gone over and beyond its call to civic duty, building several schools, clinics, and recreation centers for its employees and their families.

Mr. Sharmarhoddin Abu Samah, chief engineer of the refinery, disclosed that SDPL will build a refinery for ev-ery 70,000 hectares of land planted by the concessionaire. Mr. Samah, however, told our

business desk that the project is cost-intensive and requires some technical steps. The refin-ery is to be constructed by en-gineers from Malaysia. Local skills and labor will be promi-nently featured, this paper was told,

The government of Liberia, in 2009, awarded over 220,000 hectares of land to Sime Darby in a concession agreement that has a lifespan of 63 years.

A year later in 2010, the com-pany began operations in Bomi

(r-l) Mr. Hassan introduces the trainees to reporters

of Staff is currently Brigade Commander of the AFL. If confirmed by the Liberian Senate, Col, Ziankhan will re-place the Nigerian Command Officer-in-Charge, Major Gen-eral Suraj Alao Abdurrahman.

The nominations were made in keeping with Article 54, Section E, of the Liberian Constitution which authorizes the President to nominate and, with the consent of the Senate, appoint and commission mem-bers of the military from the rank of Lieutenant or equiva-lent and above.

In a letter addressed to the Liberian Senate, President Sirleaf said the officers have met all the requirements nec-essary, including advance and strategic training at various military institutions, and their deportment and discipline have been highly commended by the countrys international partners involved in restruc-turing of the AFL. They have my full confidence, the Presi-dent stated in the letter.

President Sirleaf had, during her Annual Message delivery on January 27, 2014 that in my

President Sirleaf last years Annual Message: I indicated that we would, at the 2014 Armed Forces Day Celebration, install a Liberian Army Chief of Staff. Having consulted the relevant com-mittees and your good selves, we have officially nominated, for confirmation by the Honor-able Senate, the Chief of Staff, the Deputy Chief of Staff and the Brigade Commander, all of whom, if confirmed, would be installed in these positions on February 11, Armed Forces Day. We will then bid farewell to General Suraj Abdurrah-man who has served us so well as the Command Officer-in-Charge.

President sirleaf now wants liberians to take over their own army; here is seen marching with the outgoing CO, General suraj abdurrahman (in the directly behind

her), who is a Nigerian

UPP Supports US$73m Direct District Development Fund

by leroy M. sonpon, iii

Liberias second old-est political party, the United Peoples Par-ty (UPP) has pledged its support to the House of Rep-resentatives proposal for appro-priation of US$1m per district beginning 2014/2015 fiscal year for direct support to devel-opment initiative in each of the 73 electoral districts of Liberia.

The Party says it fully wel-comed the initiative because it is a progressive move, which concedes some power to the ru-ral people; and it has the poten-tial to induce reverse-migration of the population-from urban to rural.

The UPP, in its letter to the Speaker and members of the Plenary of the Honorable House of Representatives, dat-

ed January 30, 2014, but read yesterday in Houses Plenary, said the desire to increase the County Development Funds (CDF) and make the appropria-tions electoral district-sensitive is a strong indication that mem-bers of the House of the 53rd Legislature are prepared to ac-celerate the process of decen-tralizing the Government of Liberia.

The United Peoples Party believes that just as the post civil-war electoral process has compelled Liberians who are interested in politics to connect with their constituencies and has provided an opportunity for Liberians, especially the indigenous rural people to vote in their respective localities for Representatives, Senators and the President so, too, the allo-cation of funds directly to the electoral districts will persuade

the people to become serious. Meet and make decisions on how their wealth should be applied, the letter, under the signature of Chairman Marcus S.G.Dahn, stated.

It added: Mr. Speaker and members of the Plenary, we do not share the suspicion that you, the Lawmakers, are mere-ly seeking to enrich yourselves. To the contrary, we would rather strongly emphasize that you are well-intent, and that we have no doubt the appropria-tions will be used correctly.

However, UPP had urged the House of Representatives to pass a Strong Legislation to protect the fund.

The Party is prepared to work along with the House of Representatives in the regard, the letter said.

The Party believed that the legislation would reduce the

suspicion and misinterpretation of their intentions by some, and will also clarify the mechanism in the current budget law re-lating to decision-making on the county development funds - - county, district, and social (CDF,DDF and SDF).

The Party also suggests that in order to further improve public understanding and per-ception of the initiative, the House of Representative quick-ly commissions a desk-review of the existing mechanism for the CDF and SDF.

The findings of the desk-review will inform the debate (hopefully through evidential and factual data) in preparation for the next budget cycle, the letter stated.

It added: The budget law must clarify ho0w residents of the various electoral districts will meet; decide on; and en-sure that funds appropriated for district development is expedi-tiously used and not abused, with full accountability and transparency at all levels.

The House Speaker, J. Alex

Tyler has mandated Chief Clerk Mildred Sayon to thanked the UPP for their appreciation and they have take notes the sug-gestions.

Meanwhile, according to the Press and Public Affairs Bureau of the House of Rep-resentatives, members of the House of Representatives will not issue vouchers or receive a penny to implement projects to be identified for direct dis-trict development across the 73 electoral districts of the coun-try, if House Speakers pro-posed US$73m is approved in the 2014/2015 national budget.

The clarity is stemmed from assertions in some quarters that the proposal is meant to put a million dollars in each lawmaker pocket, the Bureau maintained that the intent of the proposal is to see rapid growth in the living standards of the rural dwellers, many of whom have been deprived for decades of good homes, bad roads, un-safe drinking water, health and educational facilities.

The House Speakers propos-

al comes amid appeals for at-tention from the rural dwellers during the recent nationwide tour by Members of the Leg-islature late last year, says the Press Bureau.

Under the Financial Man-agement Laws of Liberia, the Executive Branch expends collected revenue and reports to the Legislature. The Leg-islature has at no time or will never indulge in usurping the function of the other branch to administrator Public funds.

The Plenary of the House at its 3rd Day Sitting endorsed the proposal after members over-whelmingly voted to in favor of Lofa 4 (UP) Hon. Mariamu Fofana s request for that body to give a thump up to the Speaker s 73 M per District Proposal. The House, in sup-porting the idea, also called on the Liberian Senate to give its support to the suggestion to infuse the money for direct dis-trict development projects. It will be a well deserved legacy, the letter said.

-Company begins Training young liberians in agriculture

Courtesy of sime Darby Plantation

Oil Refinery Soonand Grand Cape Mount Coun-ties, but were limited to the for-mer Guthrie Rubber Plantation that once commanded no more than 10,000 hectares of land. Community residents and tra-ditional landowners in the two counties have been reluctant to surrender much land to the company beyond those limits, citing traditional lands and other constraints related cul-tural and economics.

Though the concession agreement requires that SDPL to engaging in community de-velopment programs, which the company is abiding by, the locals are said to be requiring more from the Malaysian in-vestor then it expected.

Mr. Hassan admitted to frus-trations encountered by his company, but insisted that SD-PLs primary concern---at least for the time being---is to ensure that it reconciles itself with the

communities. We didnt just come here to do business; we also have a mandate to help out of poverty, the people in the communities that we are investing in, Mr. Hassan de-clared.

One of such responsibilities is the training of young uni-versity students in agriculture and oil palm management. The students are mainly from the University of Liberia; they are being trained at the companys headquarters in Bomi County.

Mr. Hassan told our reporter that SDPL is preparing for a better future as it trains young Liberians to take over the man-agement of the company.

These young people are the ones that will take over this company and manage it tomor-row, he added. He predicted that the time will come when SDPL will be 100% managed by Liberians.

Daily Observer Page 7Wednesday, February 5, 2014 6d

by William Q. Harmon

News that the Libe-rian Government and some of its partners had de-veloped a handbook to guide the activities of health workers as to how services should be delivered to mothers and new-borns at the community level, has been highly welcomed by health practitioners in the country.

Health workers and other stakeholders in the sector have termed the initiative a big relief for newborns and their mothers as well as health ser-vice providers.

It is noticeable in Liberia that inadequately trained health workers and a lack of data and country-specific health literature such as manuals and handbooks, are a big chall

liberian daily observer 02/05/2014

Documents

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citizenship rights

sportspresident sirleaf

cpresident sirleaf

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nominated chief contd

new army chief of staff

dual citizenship debate