A Dubai Company’s Staggering Land Deals In Africa Raise Fears About Risks To Indigenous Livelihoods

Yarkpa town stands out in the surrounding rainforest in the Rivercress County, Southeast Liberia, Wednesday, March 6, 2024...(AP Photo/Derrck Snyder)

BY TAIWO ADEBAYO

ABUJA, NIGERIA (AP) — Matthew Walley’s eyes sweep over the large forest that has sustained his Indigenous community in Liberia for generations. Even as the morning sun casts a golden hue over the canopy, a sense of unease lingers. Their use of the land is being threatened, and they have organized to resist the possibility of losing their livelihood.

In the past year, the Liberian government has agreed to sell about 10% of the West African country’s land — equivalent to 10,931 square kilometers (4,220 square miles) — to Dubai-based company Blue Carbon to preserve forests that might otherwise be logged and used for farming, the primary livelihood for many communities.

Blue Carbon, which did not respond to repeated emails and calls seeking comment, plans to make money from this conservation by selling carbon credits to polluters to offset their emissions as they burn fossil fuels. Some experts argue that the model offers little climate benefit, while activists label it “carbon colonialism.”

Activists say the government has no legal right over the land and that Liberian law acknowledges Indigenous land ownership. The government and Blue Carbon reached an agreement in March 2023 — months after the company’s launch — without consulting local communities, which are concerned about a lack of protections.

“There is no legal framework on carbon credits in Liberia, and so we don’t have rules and regulations to fight for ourselves as a community,” said Walley, whose community, Neezuin, could see about 573 square kilometers signed away to Blue Carbon.

A raft of agreements between at least five African countries and Blue Carbon could give the company control over large swaths of land on the continent. In Kenya, Indigenous populations already have been evicted to make way for other carbon credits projects, according to rights groups like Amnesty International and Survival International.

They have criticized the projects as “culturally destructive,” lacking transparency and threatening the livelihoods and food security of rural African populations.

“Many such projects are associated with appalling human rights abuses against local communities at the hands of park rangers,” said Simon Counsell, an independent researcher of conservation projects in Kenya, Congo, Cameroon and other countries.

“The majority had involved evictions, most were involved in conflict with local people, and almost none had ever sought or gained the landholders’ consent,” said Counsell, former director of Rainforest Foundation UK, a nonprofit that supports both human rights and environmental protection.

Africa contributes the least to greenhouse gas emissions, but its vast natural resources, such as forests, are crucial in the fight against climate change. Indigenous populations traditionally rely on forests for their livelihoods, highlighting the tension between climate goals and economic realities.

Cash-strapped governments in Africa are attracted to these kinds of conservation initiatives because they generate badly needed income despite concerns about human rights abuses and transparency.

Blue Carbon has only one project under development in Zimbabwe, which involves approximately 20% of the country’s land, according to the company’s website.

However, through opaque agreements, the company has potentially secured staggering amounts of land across other countries, including Kenya, Liberia, Tanzania and Zambia, since forming in late 2022.

In Liberia, the government is required to obtain prior, informed consent from communities before using their land for such deals. However, former President George Weah’s government moved forward without it, according to activists and communities.

Communities only became aware after activists mobilized against the deal following a leak through a network of nongovernmental organizations. Although the agreement said talks with communities would be done last November, locals and activists reported that they did not happen.

“There is no opposition to fighting climate change, but it has to be done in a way that respects people’s rights and does not breach the law,” said Ambulah Mamey, a Liberian activist who has helped galvanize opposition to the Blue Carbon deal.

After protests from communities and activists, Weah’s government halted the deal before the presidential vote last year, but he still lost the election.

“We resolved to vote the George Weah government out to stop the deal, which will devastatingly affect communities, but we don’t know if the new government will restart it,” said Walley, the community leader. “We are waiting for them.”

The new director of Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency, Emmanuel Yarkpawolo, said the Blue Carbon deal was rushed through “a quick process that does not lend itself to a good level of transparency.”

He confirmed the deal is on hold and said Liberia is now developing rules for selling carbon credits, which will “emphasize balance between environmental goals and economic well-being of our people and take care of concerns about Indigenous people’s rights, including alternative livelihood means.”

Blue Carbon in March sent out invitations to developers, asking for proposals for carbon offset projects. The company document, which activists shared with The Associated Press, does not say which countries it is targeting, just that basic land information will be shared with applicants.

The process seems “extraordinarily opaque” given the significant amount of some countries’ land involved, said Counsell, the conservation researcher. He raised concerns about whether governments understand it, let alone the people living in those areas.

“They are precisely the kind of opaque and inequitable arrangements that the U.N. should very specifically be guarding against as it continues to develop the rules for a global carbon market,” Counsell said in an email.

Blue Carbon was founded by Emirati royal Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, whose private holdings include fossil fuel operations. It has not disclosed the governments or companies that will buy the credits generated from its carbon projects.

The effectiveness of carbon offsetting itself is debated. One concern is the concept of “additionality,” or the amount of carbon that a project claims it reduces through preventing deforestation. In many cases, it’s possible those reductions could have happened anyway.

A study by Counsell and Survival International on one carbon credit initiative, called the Northern Kenya Grassland Carbon Project, says livestock farmers whose livelihoods were upended by the project had operated within “broadly sustainable limits.”

This, Walley said, is similar to the practice of communities in Liberia, where they have a duty to conserve forests under government rules. In addition, 40% of Liberia’s forestland is already protected.

“This means that the project, in climate terms, has no ‘additionality,’ and any carbon credits generated do not represent genuine new savings of carbon,” Counsell said.

Plus, over time, trees release the carbon they’re storing back into the atmosphere through natural aging, forest fires or commercial use, which undermines the idea of forests absorbing carbon permanently, Counsell said.

There is also the problem of a “zero” benefit to the climate. Protecting forests in one area may result in deforestation elsewhere as communities affected by conservation projects move to earn a living.
___

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Liberia’s New President Takes Office With A Promise To ‘Rescue’ Africa’s Oldest Republic

In this picture taken from video, Liberia's new President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, front left, is sworn into office in Monrovia, Liberia, Monday, Jan. 22, 2014, after a narrow win in the November elections to become the country's oldest president. (AP Photo)

BY MARK N. MENGONFIA AND CHINEDU ASADU

MONROVIA, LIBERIA (AP) — Liberia’s new president, Joseph Boakai, was sworn into office Monday after his narrow win in a November election. Boakai, who at age 79 has become the country’s oldest president, promised to unite and rescue Africa’s oldest republic from its economic woes.

“Partisanship must give way to nationalism,” Boakai told citizens and foreign delegation members who attended his inauguration ceremony in Monrovia, Liberia’s capital. He listed improving adherence to the rule of law, fighting corruption and renewing “the lost hope” of citizens as his priorities.

The ceremony, however, ended abruptly after Boakai, who wore traditional Liberian attire for the occasion, began to show signs of physical distress while speaking. Officials led him away from the podium after he unsuccessfully tried to continue his address.

A spokesperson for Boakai’s political party said the president’s weakness was caused by heat and had nothing to do with his health.

Boakai has dismissed concerns about his age, arguing that it came with a wealth of experience and achievements that would benefit the country.

He won a tight run-off election to defeat Liberia’s youngest-ever president, George Weah. Public goodwill toward soccer legend-turned-politician Weah waned as he neared the end of his first six-year term. Critics accused him of not fulfilling campaign promises to fix Liberia’s ailing economy, stamp out corruption and to ensure justice for victims of the country’s back-to-back civil wars between 1989 and 2003.

Boakai, who earned a university degree in business administration, has been active in Liberia’s national politics since the 1980s, when he served as the agriculture minister. Starting in 2006, he spent 12 years as vice president under Africa’s first democratically elected female leader, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

He lost his first run for the presidency in 2017 to Weah, who took over from Sirleaf in the West African nation’s first democratic transfer of power since the end of its civil wars. Boakai touted his second presidential campaign as a rescue mission to free Liberians from what he described as Weah’s failed leadership.

His promises notwithstanding, any positive changes from the new Liberian leader are likely to come slowly considering how different Boakai’s agenda is from his predecessors, according to Ibrahim Nyei, a researcher and political analyst at Liberia’s Ducor Institute for Social and Economic Research.

“It is not going to be a walk in the park for the Boakai administration,” Nyei said. “The new leadership will have to review concessions agreements signed by Weah and Ellen’s governments to establish which one works in the interest of Liberia (and) seek new international partners that will help address some of the country’s challenges.”

Monrovia resident Ansu Banban Jr. said he thinks Boakai will improve the lives of citizens. “I do not expect anything less than good from the president,” Banban said.

Boakai has a public reputation as a “hardworking and humble politician” whose personality and political experience suggest he “may show more dedication toward combating corruption than previous administrations,” said Zoe McCathie, a political and security analyst at Africa-focused Signal Risk Consulting.

“Nevertheless, it is unlikely that Boakai will be able to fully address this matter due to the entrenched nature of corruption within Liberian politics,” McCathie said. “Achieving sustained economic growth is expected to be an uphill battle for the Boakai administration (because) of the Liberian economy’s lack of diversification and dependence on imports.”

Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria

Officials In Liberia Formally Declare Boakai The President-Elect Days After Incumbent Weah Conceded

Opposition candidate Joseph Boakai arrives to to vote in the second round of  presidential elections in Monrovia, Liberia, Tuesday, November 14, 2023...(AP Photo/Rami Malek)

BY MARK M. MENGONFIA

MONROVIA, LIBERIA (AP) — Election officials in Liberia on Monday formally declared Joseph Boakai the president-elect, three days after incumbent George Weah conceded defeat based on the runoff vote’s provisional results.

According to the National Elections Commission, Boakai won with 50.64% of the second round balloting while Weah took 49.36%.

“We are at the point where we will prepare for transition, begin the plan for inauguration, as we jump-start the activities of governance,” Boakai, 78, a former vice president, said moments after he was officially pronounced the winner.

Weah, a former international soccer star, has earned praise in the West African country and abroad for his decision to concede defeat rather than challenge the outcome in court.

“This is a time for graciousness in defeat, a time to place our country above party, and patriotism above personal interest,” Weah said in his concession speech late Friday. He has said his political career is not yet over.

In 2017, Weah easily defeated Boakai in the second round with 60% of the ballots cast. However, his popularity later fell with Liberia’s mounting economic problems.

Elsewhere, there have been growing concerns about the decline of democracy in West Africa. The region has seen a spate of military coups over the last several years, including one in Gabon earlier this year in the aftermath of a presidential election.

Liberian President George Weah Concedes Defeat After Provisional Results Show Challenger Won Runoff

Liberia's President George Weah arrives to attend the Paris Peace Forum, in France, November 11, 2021...(AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)

BY MARK M. MENGONFIA

MONROVIA, LIBERIA (AP) — Liberian President George Weah conceded defeat late Friday after provisional results from this week’s runoff vote showed challenger Joseph Boakai beating him by just over a percentage point.

Elections officials said that with 99.58% of ballots counted from Tuesday’s election, Boakai was in the lead, with 50.89% to Weah’s 49.11%. The results were a dramatic reversal from the election six years ago when Weah easily beat Boakai in the second round.

“The Liberian people have spoken and we have heard their voice,” Weah said in an address to the nation, adding that Boakai “is in a lead that we cannot surpass.”

“I urge you to follow my example and accept the result of the elections,” he said, adding that “our time will come again” in 2029.

The concession speech given even before official results were announced in Liberia comes at a time when there have been growing concerns about the decline of democracy in West Africa. The region has seen a spate of military coups over the last several years, including one earlier this year carried out in Gabon in the aftermath of a presidential election.

Weah said he had “the utmost respect for the democracy process that has defined our nation.”

The 57-year-old former international soccer star won the 2017 election after his promise to fight poverty and generate infrastructure development. It was the first democratic transfer of power in the West African nation since the end of the country’s back-to-back civil wars between 1989 and 2003 that killed some 250,000 people.

But Weah has been accused of not living up to key campaign promises that he would fight corruption and ensure justice for victims of conflict.

Tuesday’s second round lived up to expectations of an extremely tight contest following the first round last month in which Weah got 43.83% of the votes and Boakai 43.44% to move on to the runoff. Boakai later managed to win endorsements from the candidates who finished third, fourth and fifth.

Boakai, 78, served as vice president under Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first democratically elected female leader. He appeared to have an upper hand in the vote because of the many Liberians aggrieved over the unfulfilled promises of Weah to fix the country’s ailing economy and stamp out corruption, said Ryan Cummings, director of Africa-focused Signal Risk consulting.

The outcome of the second round so far shows “public disaffection with his (Weah’s) administration with Boakai considered a viable alternative for a lot of Liberians,” Cummings said.

Weah is the only African to have won international soccer’s Ballon d’Or. He played as a forward for Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, Chelsea and Manchester City during an 18-year club career. His 23-year-old son, Tim, now plays for Serie A club Juventus and the U.S. national team.

Associated Press writers Chinedu Asadu in Abuja, Nigeria and Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal contributed.

Adelaide Casely Hayford’s African Education

Adelaide Casely-Hayford. Image: The Brotish Library

Colonial schools eroded national identity and pride; in Sierra Leone a new way of teaching had to be found.

BY MATHEW PARKER

In theory, education was a key benefit bestowed by European colonial governments and missionaries. But it was also increasingly seen – from India to Africa to the West Indies – as detrimental. Norman Manley, later the first prime minister of Jamaica, was fond of quoting a British official who admitted that: ‘The Empire and British rule rest on a carefully nurtured sense of inferiority in the governed.’ The Indian schoolchild, a local journalist complained in 1923, ‘is taught day after day to despise everything Indian and to admire everything British, with the result that he ends up being neither an Indian nor an Englishman, but a sorry ape’. In Sierra Leone, Adelaide Casely Hayford was determined to do something different.

She was born Adelaide Smith in Freetown in 1868. Wealthy Krios – the heavily Westernised coastal elite – were used to sending their children to school in England, but her father, on his retirement in 1872, moved his whole family there. Her earliest memory, she later wrote, was not of Africa but of the sea voyage and arriving in England. They ended up in St Helier in Jersey, where her childhood was ‘glorious … characterized by a spontaneous happiness and joy’.

Aged 12, she and her younger sister started at Jersey Ladies College, where they were the only black pupils. ‘School life still remains a gorgeous memory’, she later wrote:

‘How happy we were in spite of our colour, or perhaps because of it, since we were singled out for extra titbits of love, kindliness, and good will. What did we know of racial prejudice, and an inferiority complex? Nothing! But we knew a lot about the milk of human kindness.’

At 17, Casely Hayford, a gifted musician, went to study at the Stuttgart Conservatory. There, she sometimes felt horribly homesick. ‘Germany had only just begun to acquire Colonies, so I was the first negress they had seen and instantly became Curio No. 1. I suffered from acute self-consciousness not so much because I was black but because I was so conspicuous.’ She later told the story of going into a shop, prompting all of the assistants to flee. ‘Fortunately my sense of humour came to the rescue, and I was able to make a big joke over it, but it did hurt.’

Her father’s dying wish in the late 1890s was that she and her unmarried sister return to Africa. It was a ‘terrible wrench’ leaving Jersey, but arriving in Sierra Leone was worse. The ‘educated Africans’ of Freetown ‘shunned us, snubbed us, ostracised us’. Casely Hayford decided that it was a great mistake to raise black children overseas as ‘they lost touch with their home environment: they find they don’t fit in, and are not happy. England, too, is not their home, so they become more or less homeless.’ Although she was grateful for her life in Europe, ‘it turned us out as black white women’, she later wrote.

Furthermore, little of the family money was left by the time of their father’s death and, after the ending of her short-lived marriage to distinguished Gold Coast nationalist Joseph Casely Hayford, the sisters needed to be self-supporting. Casely Hayford took on pupils for tuition and taught music, which soon led to a ‘Great Scheme’: a Technical School for Girls, inspired in part by her own difficulties in supporting herself and by what she had seen of local girls’ schools. Women’s education in West Africa, she said, was ‘a hundred years behind men’s’, with ‘nothing to fit them for the battles of life’. Her precept was that women had to be economically independent to retain their self-respect; her school would produce girls able to earn their own living.

Perhaps most striking was her ambition to ‘hear the young mothers teaching their sons the glory of black citizenship, rather than encouraging them to bewail the fact that they were not white’. Education as it stood, she said, ‘taught us to despise ourselves … our immediate need was an education which would instil into us a love of country, a pride of race, and enthusiasm for the black man’s capabilities’.

Meetings were held to raise funds, but the public was unenthusiastic. ‘Had I been starting a brothel’, she declared, ‘the antagonism could not have been worse.’ But she raised money in the United States and in late 1923 the school opened with 14 pupils.

Casely Hayford would have preferred the pupils ‘instead of blindly copying European fashions’ to be ‘dressed in attractive native garments’, but this idea was firmly rejected by the Krio community. The compromise was a ‘Mother Africa Day’, held quarterly, when the pupils dressed in African clothes and studied African history, folklore, songs and artwork, played African games and performed traditional dances.

One of her biggest clashes came about when the Prince of Wales, on his endless empire tour, came to Sierra Leone in 1925. Casely Hayford, as she put it, ‘begged’ those women invited to meet him to wear traditional dress, ‘to show we are proud of being Africans. They all turned me down.’ In the end, causing something of a stir, she was the only one to attend in traditional buba and lappa.

Adelaide Casely Hayford was one of the first African women to gain prominence in public life and paved the way for others to follow. Although not all her ambitions for the school were realised, nonetheless in 1924 she became the sole black female member of the colony’s Education Board. In this role she continued to campaign for female education to be given equal status with male, for schools to instil ‘some pride of race, love of country, and pride in their own colour’, and for the employment of properly trained and paid African teachers, using African-produced textbooks. As she wrote in a speech delivered by her daughter at an international conference in Geneva in 1931:

‘A school entirely controlled by white people can never promote a national outlook in the mind of the African child’.

Matthew Parker is the author of One Fine Day: Britain’s Empire on the Brink (Abacus Books, 2023).

READ ORIGINAL STORY HERE

Liberia’s Presidential Election Likely Headed For A Run-Off In Closest Race Since End Of Civil War

FILE - Liberia President George Weah arrives to attend the Paris Peace Forum, in Paris, France, Nov. 11, 2021. Liberia’s presidential election Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023 appeared headed for a run-off with the top candidates neck and neck and the votes nearly fully counted. President George Weah, who is seeking a second term, had 43.8% of the vote with his main challenger Joseph Boakai at 43.4%, according to the National Elections Commission. A candidate needs more than 50% of the vote to win. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)

BY MARK N. MENGONFIA

MONROVIA, LIBERIA (AP) — Liberia’s presidential election Wednesday appeared headed for a run-off, with the top candidates neck and neck and the votes nearly fully counted.

President George Weah, who is seeking a second term, had 43.8% of the vote with his main challenger Joseph Boakai at 43.4%, according to the National Elections Commission. A candidate needs more than 50% of the vote to win.

Once the votes from this round are finalized, the run-off will take place within 15 days.

The Oct. 10 election is the tightest in the nearly two decades since the end of the country’s civil war that killed some 250,000 people.

The final tally will have to wait until the end of the week, when re-voting is expected in two places in Nimba county because ballot boxes were stolen, said the commission. Nimba is an opposition stronghold but the outcome will not significantly alter the results or push anyone across the finish line, analysts said.

Weah, 57, a former international soccer star, came to power six years ago in the first democratic transfer of power in the West African nation since the end of the country’s back-to-back civil wars between 1989 and 2003.

Weah won that election amid high hopes brought about by his promise to fight poverty and generate infrastructure development in Africa’s oldest republic. His goal, he had said in 2017, was to push Liberia from a low-income country to a middle-income one.

But Weah has been accused of not living up to key campaign promises that he would fight corruption and ensure justice for victims of the country’s civil wars.

This is the second time he has faced Boakai, whom he defeated by more than a 20% margin in the 2017 election.

Boakai, who served as vice president under Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first democratically elected female leader, campaigned on a promise to rescue Liberia from what he called Weah’s failed leadership, dubbing himself and his running mate “Rescue 1” and “Rescue 2.”

Many election watchers thought there would be a stronger third party candidate to spread the vote but that wasn’t the case, said Ibrahim Al-bakri Nyei, political analyst and director at the Ducor Institute for Social and Economic Research.

“There’s no clear winner. It shows the president is strong in some areas, but it also shows there is high public discontent with the government given the huge support for the opposition,” he said.

Associated Press writer Sam Mednick in Dakar, Senegal contributed.

Liberian President George Weah Seeks A Second Term In A Rematch With His Main Challenger From 2017

Liberia President George Weah arrives to attend the Paris Peace Forum in Paris, France, Nov. 11, 2021...(AP Photo/Chrostophe Ena, File)

BY MARK N. MENGONFIA AND CHINEDU ASADU

MONROVIA, LIBERIA (AP) — Liberian President George Weah is seeking a second term in office Tuesday, hoping that his efforts to pave roads, build hospitals and bring electricity to more areas will win votes despite growing economic hardships in the West African nation.

He faces a crowded field of 19 challengers, led by his main rival from the last election in 2017, Joseph Boakai, who served as vice president under Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first democratically elected female leader.

Weah, 57, a former international soccer star, cast his ballot with his wife and son at an elementary school in Paynesville city.

“Liberians are exercising their democracy rights. ... It is the Liberian people’s election and they will decide who becomes their president,” he said.

Boakai has campaigned on promises to rescue Liberia from what he calls Weah’s failed leadership, dubbing himself and his running mate “Rescue 1” and “Rescue 2.”

“We are all excited and optimistic about what is now a national call to rally citizens of this great country for a rescue mission to reverse the hardships so many Liberians and their families have been subjected to,” Boakai said during a recent stop at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium.

Weah has been accused of not living up to key campaign promises that he would fight corruption and ensure justice for victims of the country’s brutal back-to-back civil wars that killed an estimated 250,000 people between 1989 and 2003.

He obtained 61.5% of the total votes cast in 2017, while Boakai received 38.5% though it remains to be seen whether the incumbent can coast to a similar victory this time. Liberia’s 2.47 million eligible voters are also casting ballots for legislative elections Tuesday.

“Weah’s political position going into the vote is not assessed as being stronger than it was in 2017, given the mixed performance during his first tenure,” said Zoe McCathie, a political and security analyst at Africa-focused Signal Risk Consulting. “While some policies such as free higher education for public universities have proven popular, Weah has largely failed to effectively combat corruption and improve the economy, as he had promised when first elected, causing some support to wane.”

Already election-related violence has claimed two lives in Foya, located in Lofa county. Ruling party and opposition candidates have blamed each other for the Sept. 29 clashes.

Liberia began as a settlement for freed slaves from the United States in 1822, but declared itself an independent nation 25 years later. Liberia’s flag, constitution, form of government and many laws are modeled on those of the U.S. The capital is named in honor of America’s fifth president, James Monroe, who was in power when the freed slaves were repatriated.

Weah rode into power six years ago in the first democratic transfer of power in the West African nation since the end of the civil wars amid high hopes brought by his promise to fight poverty and stir infrastructural development in Africa’s oldest republic. His goal, he had said in 2017, was to push Liberia from a low-income country to a middle-income one.

But his government is perceived by many to have performed below expectations, especially in the management of the economy, which contracted in two of the six years he has been in office, with the rate of economic growth in decline since 2021.

It’s been “turmoil”, to create business, said Seah J. Trustmo, a voter. “It has been hard, very, very hard,” she said.

Corruption continues to stifle Liberia’s growth and many people will look to use the vote to show their concerns, analysts say. Research network Afrobarometer’s 2023 surveys found that large numbers of Liberians say corruption in the country has increased during the past year and the government is doing a poor job of fighting it.

In a country where at least one in two citizens are in poverty according to multiple measures, Weah faces accusations of mismanaging government funds. Between November and December last year, he was out of the country for seven weeks touring several countries, including Qatar where he watched his son play in the U.S. football team at the World Cup.

Protests have also been rampant under Weah and analysts have raised concerns about the likelihood of another round of demonstrations if the electoral process is flawed. While the campaigns have been largely peaceful, there have been pockets of violence — including this week when violent clashes between opposition and ruling parties’ supporters marred the close of Weah’s campaign rally.

“This popular dissatisfaction (of the government’s performance) will likely be utilized by opposition parties to renew demonstrations in the event of a victory for Weah,” Signal Risk’s McCathie said, before pointing out that political violence following the election is, however, unlikely to pose any risk to Liberia’s political stability.

Weah is still the only African to have won the Ballon d’Or. He played as a forward for Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, Chelsea and Manchester City during an 18-year club career. His final appearance for Liberia was in September 2018 when he made a surprise appearance in an exhibition game against Nigeria at the age of 51, a year after he’d been elected president. His 23-year-old son, Tim, now plays for Serie A club Juventus and the U.S. national team.

Asadu reported from Lagos, Nigeria. Associated Press writer Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal, contributed.

State Department Probes Geneva Jones Who Leaked Classified Documents To West African Journalist

BY CHOLO BROOKS

A little known case involving the retention of national defense information is that of Geneva Jones, a State Department employee who purloined information from her employer, to Dominic Ntube, a West African journalist on the 31st of August, 1993 has been indicted on 21 counts, which included espionage.

Following the Trail of Classified Documents

State Department cables began showing up in West African magazines over the course of several months in 1992-1993. In addition, in late 1992, several classified U.S. documents were found within a Liberian Command Post of Charles Taylor. These documents carried cover sheets indicating they had been received via a facsimile machine. The cover sheets contained the telephone number of the originator, that of Ntube. The phone number pointed to Washington D.C.

At that time, Charles Taylor’s organization, the National Patriotic Front of Liberia, was involved in a domestic civil war within Liberia. Taylor, often characterized as a warlord, was involved in conflict throughout western Africa, supported by Libya and others. In 1997, he prevailed and became the 22nd President of Liberia (1997-2003). In 2003, a second civil war within Liberia removed Taylor from power.

The discoveries of these State Department cables in the magazines were brought to the attention of the U.S. government, which kicked off an investigation.

The investigation included the wiretap of Charles Taylor’s phone line (whether this was a true wiretap or the obfuscation of SIGINT collection the record does not detail). This wiretap revealed that Ntube faxed 14 documents to the Liberian rebels.

Ntube was then placed under investigation by both the FBI and the Diplomatic Security Service. The investigation showed the friendship between Ntube and Jones. During the 30-day period which Jones was under surveillance, the FBI testified that they saw her on 16 separate occasions take documents from her State Department office and carry them in grocery sacks or hidden within newspapers, which included more than 130 classified documents to Ntube.

On August 3, 1993, Jones was arrested. During the FBI interview, post-arrest, Jones revealed she had been providing Ntube classified materials for the past 18 months. She had provided Ntube, thousands of classified documents.

On August 4, 1993, Ntube was arrested. When the FBI searched Ntube’s apartment, they discovered 39 CIA documents marked Secret and over 6,000 classified State Department cables (not further identified).

The Plea

Jones was originally charged with 21 counts surrounding the theft of U.S. government items (documents) and two counts relating to the unauthorized communications of national defense information. In June 16, 1994, a plea bargain was arranged. She pled guilty to four charges, two counts each relating to espionage, gathering or transmitting defense information (U.S. Code 18:793), and two counts of theft of U.S. property (18:641).

On September 12, 1994, Jones was sentenced to 37 months in prison on each of the four counts which ran concurrently. The presiding U.S. District Judge Harold H. Greene said at that time, “Somebody would have to be a complete moron not to know that when you work for the State Department you can’t take documents out and give them to anybody.”

Ntube, according to the Washington Post, “was the publisher of the U.S.-based newspaper the Continent and operated the African Cultural Organization and the African-D.C. Hotline out of his apartment in the 1400 block of Columbia Road NW.” Prosecutors of Ntube dismissed his claim of being an active journalist, citing the magazine Continent had been dormant for more than a year.

The prosecution of Ntube would stretch out over a number of years, culminating in his entering a plea of guilty to much reduced charges, in essence a misdemeanor. The agreed upon text, “On or about 7/25/93, in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, the defendant, DOMINIC NTUBE, did knowingly and willfully receive, with the intent to convert to his own use, property of the United States, that is, classified documents of the United States, the value of which was less than one hundred dollars, with knowledge that said documents had been converted without authority, in violation of 18 USC 641 (A Misdemeanor)”

Ntube would be sentenced to six months incarceration, with credit for time served, one year of supervised release, and a $25 special assessment.

Why Steal Classified Documents?

Why did Jones, an insider within the Department of State, decided to break her trust with both her employer and the country who had entrusted her with access to Top Secret information? Jones stated that she leaked the documents because she wanted “positive information coming out of the continent of Africa that [she] didn’t see in media.”

According to the Bureau of Prisons, Jones, was released from Federal Prison on June 13, 1997.

READ ORIGINAL STORY HERE

Liberian Women Subjected To Modern-Day Slavery: The Danger Of Human Trafficking

BY RUFUS DIO NEUFVILLE

Why are some people so wicked? Why do they keep others in bondage? Are they not aware of the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons? These questions are tailored to put into context the abuse of Liberian women in the Republic of Oman. They were deceived or coerced into modern-day slavery by human traffickers who created the illusion of prosperity on the coast of the Arabian Peninsula – thousands of miles from West Africa.

Human trafficking is extremely abusive. It takes away a person’s autonomy or right to self-determination. The victim becomes the “personal property” of the trafficker. The United Nations defines Trafficking in persons as: “The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation”.

The three most common types of human trafficking are forced labor, debt bondage, and sex trafficking. Many experts believe that forced labor, also known as involuntary servitude, is the biggest in this evil triangle. It is commonplace that some gullible societies overlook the violation when individuals are compelled to work against their will. Debt bondage exists where an individual is held to work until an obligation is satisfied. Sex trafficking, which I believe is the most gruesome, mostly affects women and children from poor families. The victims are drugged, abused, and forced into prostitution. Children are also pushed into the horrible arms of sexual predators and sadists around the world.

The last known open act of slavery or human trafficking in Liberia was the Fernando Po Crisis, 1926-1940. The League of Nations found that the shipment of laborers to the Spanish Island of Fernando Po was consistent with slavery because of its involuntary nature. The Liberian Frontier Force acted under the directives of President C.D.B King to institutionalize forced labor.

From the 1940s up to the late 1980s, Liberia did not experience human trafficking near the scale of Fernando Po. However, the Liberian civil war ended the era of respect for human dignity. Human traffickers took advantage of a post-conflict country facing economic challenges and weak rule of law. The Global News Network (GNN) Liberia, FrontPage Africa, and other media institutions recently reported the abuse and enslavement of over three thousand (3000) Liberian women in Oman and other parts of the Middle East. They were taken away by traffickers who prey on the social and economic vulnerability of women and children across Africa.

The United States government is leading the global effort against trafficking in persons. They have acknowledged some steps taken by the administration of President Weah to end human trafficking. According to the US State Department Report for 2022, Liberia was upgraded from Tier 2 Watchlist to Tier 2 citing that “the government demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period, considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its anti-trafficking capacity.” In furtherance, the Resident Judge of Criminal Court “E” at the Ninth Judicial Circuit, Cornelius Wennah, was named Anti-Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Hero by the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. The Judge is on record for pushing the authorities to consider the participation of traditional leaders and civil society actors in the fight against human trafficking. While working at the Ministry of Justice, he prosecuted seven trafficking cases. The US government praised the Liberian Judge for assisting the International Development Law Organization to develop an international-standard-level human trafficking training curriculum for judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement personnel, all to raise awareness and strengthen justice sector actors’ capacities to prevent and address human trafficking. Judge Wennah was instrumental in the development and adoption of a trafficking bench book for judges and a handbook for law enforcement and prosecutors.

The aforementioned achievements, including the setting up of a Task Force and a Special Anti-Trafficking Unit at the Liberia National Police, are laudable but insufficient. The voluntary participation of all Liberian women remains indispensable. Only a collective approach can put an end to this scourge. Liberian women must buttress the efforts of the governments of the United States and Liberia by engaging in civic education about the danger of Trafficking in Persons. This is the most effective way for Liberia to reach Tier 1 – fully compliant with the minimum standards for the elimination of severe forms of trafficking in persons.

Liberian women must stand together regardless of tribe, religion, or political affiliation. You must unite against the crime of human trafficking. The torture of Liberian women in Oman is unacceptable and must stop!

READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

In the 1800s, the American Colonization Society relocated thousands of freed Black Americans to West Africa. It led to the creation of Liberia.

 

LIBERIA: FREED SLAVES 1832. - Freed slaves from the United States arriving in Liberia under the sponsorship of the American Colonization Society. Image via The University of Denver Library/The Granger Collection/Universal Images Group

BY YOONJI HAN

The American Colonization Society's mission was to relocate freed Black Americans to Africa.
Starting in 1820, thousands of Black emigrants were shipped to what would become Liberia.
The society's segregationist ideology has a lasting impact on America and Liberia.

On December 21, 1816, a group of fifty white elites gathered in a Washington, D.C. hotel to discuss the future of freed Black Americans.

Following the American Revolution, the number of freed Black Americans had grown from 60,000 in 1790 to 300,000 by 1830. The American Colonization Society emerged as the solution, with the mission of shipping Black people to a colony in Africa.

The organization was the brainchild of the Reverend Robert Finley, a Presbyterian minister from New Jersey. The ACS' early supporters included some of the nation's most powerful and influential men, including Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and Francis Scott Key, as well as slave-owning US presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and James Madison.

"Can there be a nobler cause than that which, while it proposes to rid our country of a useless and pernicious, if not a dangerous portion of our population, contemplates the spreading of the arts of civilized life?" Clay said in his opening address.

Colonization, the state-sponsored emigration and resettlement of freed Black Americans outside America, was widely supported in the US for religious, economic, and social reasons. Even after its dissolution in 1964, the ACS has left a lasting legacy of segregationist sentiment in both America and abroad, according to historians.

"The establishment of the American Colonization Society was a watershed moment in American history," Eric Burin, a history professor at the University of North Dakota, said. "What you have is a powerful white organization propounding a vision of America as a white person's country, and African Americans responding with a resounding rebuttal that it's their country, too."
A 'miserable mockery'

The ACS attracted a diverse crowd of white individuals, including slaveholders who saw colonization as a way to remove freed Blacks, whom they feared would cause chaos by helping their slaves escape or rebel.

Many white Americans also believed that African Americans were inferior, and should be relocated to a place where they could live in peace away from the shackles of slavery. Abraham Lincoln held this belief, which led him to support a plan to relocate 5,000 Black Americans to the Caribbean in the 1860s.

The ACS also had a religious mission of Christianizing Africa to "civilize" the continent, according to historian Marc Leepson.

The initial reactions of the Black American community and abolitionists were nuanced. Some activists, like James Fortein, immediately rejected the ACS, writing in 1817 that "we have no wish to separate from our present homes for any purpose whatever".

But some other Black abolitionists were cautiously interested in the notion of an emigration program. Martin Delany, who was dismissed from Harvard Medical School after white students petitioned against the inclusion of Black students, claimed that even abolitionists would never accept Black Americans as equals, and so the solution lay in the emigration of all Black Americans.

"We are a nation within a nation," Delany wrote. "We must go from among our oppressors."

But even Delany ultimately condemned the ACS's hallmark plan to send Black Americans to Liberia, decrying it as a "miserable mockery" of an independent republic.
It led to the creation of Liberia

As the ACS grew, it sought to create a colony in West Africa. On February 6, 1820, 86 freed Black Americans set sail to the continent.

The initial expedition — and the expeditions that followed — proved to be disastrous as disease and famine struck. Of the more than 4,500 emigrants who arrived in Liberia between 1820 and 1843, only 40% were alive by 1843.

But the ACS, backed by funding from state and federal governments, continued to send more freed Blacks. In 1821, the society purchased Cape Mesurado from the indigenous people — by threatening the use of force, according to some accounts.

The land surrounding Cape Montserrado would later be known as Liberia, "the free land." Its capital was renamed Monrovia in honor of James Monroe, an ardent supporter of the ACS.

The settlers developed an Americo-Liberian society that was strongly influenced by their roots in the American South, according to Burin. Americo-Liberians wielded vast socioeconomic and political power over the indigenous people — which planted the seeds for the Liberian Civil War of 1989.

"The Americo-Liberians realized they could essentially exploit the indigenous people for labor," Burin told Insider. But it was a way for indigenous people to gain access to resources and education as well.
A lasting legacy of segregationist sentiment

Though the ACS eventually dissolved in 1964 after continuous opposition from abolitionists and a lack of interest by free Black Americans, historians said it shaped — and continues to shape — the country's discussions of race.

"One of the ACS' lasting legacies was the underlying ideology that drove the colonization movement forward: that Black people really aren't Americans, at least not in the way that white people are," Burin said.

The sentiment manifested itself in policies like Jim Crow-era segregation, and still has a grip on some Americans to this day.

The second legacy of the ACS is Liberia itself. In 1847, Liberians declared the country an independent nation, becoming the second Black republic in the Atlantic after Haiti.

"The ACS founded a country that has had a distinctive influence over debates of freedom, slavery, and race today," Burin said.

Stampede At Religious Ceremony In Liberia Kills 29 People

This photograph provided by Augustine D Wallace shows people gathering at redemption hospital Thursday Jan. 20, 2022 where victims of a stampede at a Christian crusade in New Kru Town, outside Monrovia, Liberia, Wednesday night were taken to. Twenty nine persons, including 11 children and a pregnant woman, have been confirmed killed. The stampede erupted when a group of gangsters, some carrying knives moved on the crusade ground and attacked worshipers. (Augustine D Wallace via AP)

BY JONATHAN PAYE-LAYLEH

MONROVIA, LIBERIA (AP) — At least 29 people in Liberia, including 11 children and a pregnant woman, have died in a stampede of worshippers at a Christian ceremony in a densely populated area of the capital, Monrovia, officials said Thursday.

The stampede erupted when a gang of thugs armed with knives attacked some of the hundreds attending the ceremony at about 9 p.m. on Wednesday night, police spokesman Moses Carter told The Associated Press.

One person has been arrested, he said. The Rev. Abraham Kromah who was holding the ceremony and who runs a church in the New Georgia township of Monrovia was also brought in for questioning about the incident, police said.

The bodies have been taken to the morgue of Redemption Hospital, close to where the incident occurred in a beach area called New Kru Town.

Street gangs have become an increasing problem in Monrovia and other Liberian cities in recent years, according to residents.

President George Weah was expected to visit the scene Thursday, according to Liberian media reports.

“Now Is The Time To Support Liberia: Kemayah Pleads For Urgent Support To Liberia’s Peacebuilding Efforts At United Nations”

Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Liberia Ambassador to the United Nations.

BY CHOLO BROOKS

NEW YORK (GLOBAL NEWS NETWORK)--Liberia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, His Excellency Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr. has made a passionate plea to the international community to urgently support Liberia to ensure the sustenance of peace, democracy, and security.

Addressing the Annual Session of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission in New York, Ambassador Kemayah lamented that the Liberian economy is under immense stress; as prices of major export commodities remain at rock-bottom.

Ambassador Kemayah further lamented that the internationally celebrated peace that Liberia enjoys is threatened by increased protests and the challenge to pay civil servants, and stressed the urgent need for support to Liberia.

Said Ambassador Kemayah: “Mr. Chair, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, if there was ever an urgent need to help Liberia, it is now! The peace we enjoy is being threatened by increased protests. The payment of salaries of civil servants remains a challenge. Hence, we want to use this medium, to once again call on the international community and Friends of Liberia, to kindly consider the consolidation of the much needed assistance to Liberia at this critical time. We want to call on the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the African Development Bank, among others to do all in their purview, particularly considering how critical such assistance is to the continuous sustenance of peace, security, and democracy in Liberia.”

The Liberian Envoy informed the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission that while seeking international assistance, the Government of Liberia, under the leadership of His Excellency Dr. George Manneh Weah, President of the Republic of Liberia, was also taking practical measures in a genuine attempt to address the inherited political and economic situation that the Country is experiencing.

Ambassador Kemayah named the holding of a National Economic Dialogue aimed at encouraging all Liberians to advance ideas in devising and supporting new measures which could successfully address the inherited structural defects and imbalances in the economy; and the reduction of salaries of officials and harmonization of salaries of civil servants as major initiatives.

The salary reduction and harmonization, according to Ambassador Kemayah, is in response to a call by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the Government to reduce its annual wage bill to US$297 million and reaffirmed the commitment of His Excellency President George Manneh Weah and the Government of Liberia to the enrollment of Liberia to the IMF program. Ambassador Kemayah was, however, quick to point out that His Excellency President Weah, upon his ascendancy to the Presidency, far ahead of the IMF request, announced a Twenty-five percent cut in his salary, an exemplary leadership that is being emulated.

Ambassador Kemayah disclosed that in the coming months, the administration of President Weah, intends to place particular emphasis on the agriculture, education and health sectors, and is looking to forge close collaboration with all relevant agencies of the United Nations in accelerating growth and development in Liberia.

The Liberian Envoy to the United Nations then used the occasion to recall with gratitude the Joint United Nations visit to the Mano River Union region; noting that cooperation in the region has intensified; but more is required to strengthen engagements on the sustenance of peace, security and democracy, while endeavoring to address or curb illegal cross-border activities, growing piracy, trafficking in persons and drugs, and climate change, among others.

Said Ambassador Kemayah: “Mr. Chair, I would like to recall, with immense gratitude the recent Joint visit to three MRU countries (Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cote D’Ivoire), involving the members and Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission; the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS); the Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) of the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) and Chair of the Liberia Configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission. This is all the more reason we applaud the promising engagement between the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWAS) and the Peacebuilding Commission. We trust that this collaboration, particularly working with relevant countries and other regional groups will derive possible solutions to addressing regional peacebuilding challenges in West Africa and the Sahel.”

Ambassador Kemayah described the visit to Liberia, as expressed solidarity and a renewed assurance by the international community and partners that Liberia remains a priority; an action that is very much appreciated by His Excellency President Weah and the Government and People of Liberia.

The Liberian diplomat to the United Nations said Liberia is grateful to all its partners, including the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) that continues to create the platform for Liberia to be heard; and for the country’s priorities to be shared. Ambassador Kemayah noted that an iconic intervention by the Peacebuilding Commission in Liberia’s peacebuilding priorities was its instrumentality in the establishment and subsequent submission of Liberia’s Peacebuilding Plan, the auspices under which Liberia is opportune to receive the needed assistance from the United Nations and Partners.

Ambassador Kemayah also made special mention of the Peacebuilding Support Office and the Liberia Configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission chaired by His Excellency Ambassador Olof Skoog of Sweden. ” There can never be a mention of the Peacebuilding Commission without a reference to the Peacebuilding Support Office and the Liberia Configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission chaired by His Excellency Ambassador Olof Skoog of Sweden. Ambassador Skoog, and the Government and People of Sweden remain unforgettable assets; more so, when reference is made to the peace Liberia now enjoys. Furthermore, the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) remains a strong pillar; very supportive of Liberia’s peacebuilding initiatives. Apart from being the only contributor to the Multi-Partner Trust Fund, the Fund established to address the root causes of Liberia’s civil upheaval, the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) continues to provide support to national reconciliation activities, land dispute resolution, electoral processes, governance initiatives and institutions, women empowerment, among significant others in Liberia. We appreciate that further assistance is expected for land and decentralization; including Phase II cross-border project with Cote d’Ivoire. ” Ambassador Kemayah stressed.

Ambassador Kemayah then encouraged all partners to support the Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) as well as to the Government of Liberia Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development; as well as the secretariat of the Mano River Union, which he described as pivotal to ensuring the promotion and sustenance of peace, security, democracy and economic growth and development within the region.

Speaking in support of Liberia, His Excellency Olof Skoog of Sweden, Chair of the Liberia Configuration of the Peace Building Commission stressed the need for active support to Liberia’s peacebuilding efforts to build on the gains that have been made.

Echoing Ambassador Kemayah on current difficulties in Liberia, Ambassador Skoog cautioned that the situation in Liberia was still fragile as a result of micro and macro economic difficulties, social tension, and austerity measures, and urged more countries, the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the International Monetary Fund to find a way to support Liberia’s peacebuilding efforts through the Peacebuilding Commission.

Also speaking in support of Liberia, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations, Brian Flynn assured that Ireland will continue to support Liberia’s Peacebuilding efforts,; especially through the implementation of the Government’s development framework, the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD).

For his part, the Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations and Chair of the Sierra Leone Configuration, Marc-Andre Blanchard said the current economic situation in Liberia, is a lesson learned and encouraged the United Nations to do better in ensuring economic security during transitioning processes; stressing that economic security of a population is pivotal to the sustenance of peace.

Providing a briefing of the Joint United Nations Mission visit to the Mano River Union region, the Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission His Excellency Ambassador Guillermo Fernadez de Soto Valderrama said the visit was fulfilling and showed that countries of the region are working assiduously to avoid a relapse into conflict.

Ambassador Valderrama thanked Ambassador Kemayah for his statement, and expressed that it reaffirms the assessment of the Joint United Nations Team that visited Liberia. He also thanked the Government of Liberia for its commitment and determination to making important headways for the future of Liberia.

The Annual Session of the Peacebuilding Commission convened at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on December 4, 2019.

SOURCE: GNN LIBERIA

Charity Founder Resigns After Alleged Rapes At Africa School

This Oct 12, 2018 file photo shows the More Than Me Academy in Monrovia, Liberia. On Friday, April 19, 2019, Katie Meyler, who established the charity to help vulnerable girls in Liberia, announced her resignation in the wake of allegations that a staffer raped several girls in its care. It comes six months after she had taken a leave of absence. (AP Photo/Jonathan Paye-Layleh)

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MONROVIA, LIBERIA (AP) -- An American woman who established a charity to help vulnerable girls in Liberia has resigned six months after taking a leave of absence in the wake of allegations that a local staffer raped several girls in the charity’s care.

More Than Me founder and chief executive officer Katie Meyler announced her resignation Friday in a message on her Facebook page. The organization confirmed the decision to ProPublica, whose reporting on the rape allegations led Liberian authorities to reopen its investigation and led to Meyler’s leave of absence.

In her resignation message, Meyler rejected claims she failed to protect students, but said she recognized her public role as CEO “has become a distraction from the critical mission and incredible and proven work of our team.”

Meyler, 37, started her leave of absence in October after ProPublica reported that former staffer Macintosh Johnson had sexually assaulted students at a More Than Me branch in the Liberian capital of Monrovia. She was to remain on leave until the completion of an independent audit conducted on the charity’s behalf.

Meyler said on Facebook that she learned about the alleged rapes in June 2014 and “immediately ensured the perpetrator was reported to the Liberian authorities.”

Johnson “was in jail four days after I learned of his abuse,” Meyler wrote. “I cooperated fully with the police investigation and did everything I could to protect our students.”

Johnson had AIDS and died in jail in 2016 while awaiting trial. ProPublica reported that Meyler and Johnson were once in a romantic relationship.

Meyler’s work had been praised by Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates and others. In 2014, Time magazine recognized her as one of the Ebola fighters it named as “Person of the Year.”

Meyler opened the tuition-free, all-girls More Than Me Academy in Liberia in 2013. The charity has said its operations in Liberia will continue. More Than Me operates 19 schools.

“While my role as CEO has concluded, I urge every More Than Me supporter to redouble their efforts to help these vulnerable girls. They need our support,” Meyler said in her resignation message.

Directing part of the message to the girls she founded More Than Me to help, Meyler wrote: “I started this organization because of my deep and profound belief in you. Please know, nothing can or ever will change that. No one can stop you. You make darkness shutter. Rise, powerful, courageous girls, rise! The world is waiting for you!”

4 Pregnant Women Among Nigerian Returnees From Libya

Libya returnees via NAN

BY ADEKUNLE WILLIAMS & SOLOMON ASOWATA

LAGOS (NAN)--A fresh batch of 162 Nigerians, including four pregnant women, have voluntarily returned from Libya with the assistance of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

The Coordinator, Lagos Zonal Office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Idris Muhammed, confirmed the development to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.

Muhammed said the Nigerians arrived at the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, at 3.30a.m on board a chartered Libyan Airlines aircraft.

He said the returnees comprised of 100 females, including four pregnant women and 62 males.

The coordinator, while welcoming the returnees, urged them to be agents of positive change by joining the campaign against irregular migration.

“Migration is protected by International and national statutes for movement of people through proper regularisation of papers that will protect and save you against risks of irregular migrations,” Muhammed said.

He disclosed that NEMA recently hosted a team from European Union on monitoring and evaluation of the special EU intervention on assisted voluntary return of migrants.

According to him, NEMA interfaced with them on the ways of improving the present EU Assisted Voluntary Returnees programme being run by IOM.

He said gaps were identified, especially on logistics.

Muhammed said that efforts were being put in place to close such gaps to make the process much smoother for the stakeholders and the returnees.

He said the exercise, which began in April 2017, is expected to end by April, 2020.

According to him, no fewer than 8,808 returnees have so far been repatriated back home to Nigeria from the volatile North African country.

Weah Submits Bill To Repeal Laws Against Free Speech

President George Weah. (Getty Images)

MONROVIA, LIBERIA (THE NEW DAWN)--President George Manneh Weah has resubmitted to the National Legislature a Bill with modifications, to repeal some sections of the Penal Law of Liberia in an effort to decriminalize free speech and create an unfettered media environment.

The Bill submitted May 31, 2018 seeks to amend Chapter 11 of Penal Law of 1978, repealing Sections 11.11 on criminal libel against the President; 11.12 on Sedition and 11.14 on criminal malevolence.

“Honorable Speaker, Chapter 111, Article 15 of the Constitution provides for Freedom of Speech and expression and a caveat of an abuse thereof. Additionally, Liberia is a signatory to the Table Mountain Declaration which demands that African countries abolish insult and criminal defamation law,” the Liberian Leader said.

The President also reminded the National Legislature of the legal instruments on press freedom Liberia established, such as the Freedom of Information Law (FOI) and the Independent Information Commission.

According to President Weah, “Liberia, in anticipation of fully adhering to these legal instruments; enacted the Freedom of Information Law and established the Freedom of Information Commission. However, there appears to be challenges in the full implementation of these as Section 11.11: Criminal Libel against the President; Section 11.12: Sedition; and Section 11.14: Criminal Malevolence of the Penal Laws of Liberia tends to impede freedom of speech and expression and acts committed thereof are considered to be criminal.”

If enacted into law, the Act will be known as the Kamara Abdullai Kamara Act of Press Freedom, in honor of deceased journalist Kamara Abdullai Kamara, former President of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL).

President Weah emphasized the important role Mr. Kamara played in convincing national government to repeal provisions on the Penal Law of Liberia, which impede freedom of speech and independence of the press in Liberia but did not succeed.

‘Therefore, the purpose of this Act is to repeal sections of the Penal Laws that have a tendency of making Liberia non-compliant,” President Weah underscored.

The Liberian leader described the action as a proof of his government’s commitment to uphold the constitution, Table Mountain Declaration and other International Treaties relating to the Press and press-related activities.

Largest Oil Palm Mill In West Africa To Be Constructed In Maryland County

BY JOHN H.T. STEWART

SIFCA CEO Alassane Doumbia meets with President George M. Weah. Image via the Liberian Observer

MONROVIA (LIBERIAN OBSERVER)--The Chairman of the SIFCA Group of Companies and owner of the Cavalla Rubber Corporation(CRC) and the Maryland Oil Palm Plantation (MOPP), Mr. Allasanne Doumbia has disclosed that work is already underway for the construction of what will be the largest oil palm mill in West Africa upon completion. According to Mr. Doumbia, the mill which will process 80 tons of fresh palm fruit daily is being constructed under a joint venture arrangement with the Golden Verroleum oil palm company.

The total cost of the project is put at US$34 million dollars and is expected to boost the country’s foreign exchange earnings from the export of palm oil. Mr. Doumbia was speaking over the weekend at payment ceremonies marking the final settlement of money owed to affected farmers of the Baraake area for the loss of their home structures. He expressed delight over the successful outcome of negotiations leading to the payment over the weekend and the start-up of the oil palm mill project.

“This morning, we met with His Excellency President George Manneh Weah. He told us how important agriculture is to him. He gave us his encouragement for our joint venture we are now preparing with GVL to build the biggest palm oil mill in the region. The project is well advanced, and the construction of the factory will soon start. I encourage all of you who have farm land to take advantage of this process”.

“The factory is a clear testimony of our confidence in Liberia. We will not want to put more money here if we didn’t know it will work. Long before the republics of Cote d’Ivoire and Liberia, our people lived and worked together and shared everything. There is no reason why we cannot emulate that now”.

Continuing he said, “currently, MOPP and CRC employ more than 2,000 people in full time jobs. Every month, we spend close to half a million dollars every month just in salary. You all know that the price of rubber has gone down massively in the past few years. The price of rubber in the world marked dropped significantly. In as much as this situation brought difficult financial times, we kept the work force and we paid the people the same salaries they were getting when things were good. That is how committed we are to the community”.

Elaborating further, Allasane Doumbia said “We support a scholarship program at Tubman University and as member of the Board, we insist that agriculture and research be emphasized. We have a very well-staffed clinic in Pleebo. We have and continue to invest in the out-grower program and we want to extend the process further, so that farmers, people who have land, can make some good income. We contribute to the social development fund in keeping with corporate responsibility. Sometimes, we even go further. Like today, the money we are giving you we do it behalf of the Government. The Government of Liberia was supposed to pay this amount but knowing the financial difficulties of the country, we are doing that for you”.

He said currently, palm fruit harvested in their concession area is taken across the border into La Cote d’Ivoire for processing noting that with the completion of the mill, all processing will be done in Liberia. He said workers are already being recruited to undergo training for the operation of the mill when completed, noting that a total of 300 workers will be required to man its operations. The proposed oil palm mill, the first of its kind in Liberia is expected to become operational later this year.

“Help Liberia To Succeed,” Weah Appeals To Ghanaian President Akufo-Addo

President George Weah and President Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House, Accra. Image via Daily Obvserver.

ACCRA, GHANA (DAILY OBSERVER)--President George Weah has appealed to President Akufo-Addo and Ghanaians to help Liberia to progress and succeed, ghanaweb.com has said.

“I am young, I agree, but you are my big brother, and I know that you will help Liberia to succeed,” Weah appealed.

According to ghanaweb.com, President Weah made this known when he paid a courtesy call on President Akufo-Addo on Friday at the Jubilee House in Accra, as part of a two-day visit to that West African country.

The purpose of the visit, he said, is to “renew the bonds of friendship and solidarity that are between the Liberian and Ghanaian people.”

“Liberia came a long way, and without Ghana, we will not be standing here today. Ghana hosted us, today we can never repay, we just have to make sure that our people continue to relate cordially, and I can assure that the relationship that has existed between our governments will also be mutually beneficial,” Weah said.

Expressing his appreciation for the role President Akufo-Addo has played in strengthening the African Union (AU), President Weah noted that “when we travel to AU meetings, like we did the last time in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, you realize that when a big brother speaks, you look and listen to him, and you know what is to be done.”

President Weah pledged to work towards strengthening the existing relationship between Ghana and Liberia.

“Ghana is my home, and we are here not to just come sight-seeing, but to reassure you that the relationship we have will be sustained and strengthened,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo referenced the longstanding, personal relationship between himself and President Weah, which predates their current respective presidencies, and described the Liberian leader “as a symbol of the progress that Liberia is making after the trauma of the civil war.

“I have known him for some time because we share many characteristics, one of which has been persistent efforts to arrive at where we are today. I believe it was a set time as it was mine.

“One of the things that I have discovered about him(Weah) is his honesty and also his commitment to the welfare of his people. That is what has brought him this far,” Addo said.

As of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s efforts, Addo said, “the first female elected leader on our continent did a great deal of work in trying to consolidate the peace, after the years of the traumatic civil war.

“And one of the most important outcomes of that process of consolidation is that she was able to organize elections which allowed for the first time, I believe, in over 74 years, a peaceful transfer of power from one democratically elected leader of Liberia to another.

“That is the measure of her achievement, and it is also a measure of how far Liberia has come to put its past behind, and, in doing so, she chose as her successor a man who is already world famous in his other life as a sportsman, and who has now become a symbol of hope for the majority of the people of Liberia, especially for its youth,” Addo stated.

President Akufo-Addo also touched on the happenings in the region and asked for a realist view of the imminent threats and opportunities confronting the region.

“The world is going through some difficult moments, all kinds of new arrangements are appearing, and we, here in the West African region, must continue to deepen the contacts, the links, the friendships between us in West Africa,” he said.

According to the Ghanaian president, by doing this the challenges of the 21st century, rapid economic growth, inclusive economic growth that makes it possible for all our people to be part of the process of development so that we can successfully meet those challenges within the context of democratic values and democratic institutions the Ghanaian leader observed.

“So it is a particularly happy day for us in Ghana, and for me personally to be able to welcome to our country this famous man who, even before he became a president, was a household word in Africa,” President Akufo-Addo concluded.

Earlier, in Ghana, President Weah and his Ghanaian counterpart, Nana Akufo-Addo spoke about the longstanding partnership between Ghana and Liberia; dating as far back as Ghanaian colonial rule and the need to further strengthen that bond. The Ghanaian leader pledged his government’s support towards the security sector amid United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) departure from Liberia.

Weah returns home

Shortly after he touched down at the Robert International Airport yesterday, President Weah told journalists that his trip was “successful,” as major developmental issues were discussed.

“We went on a mission for the Liberian people and it was successful,” the President said.

President Weah said the visit to Ivory Coast was to rekindle and strengthen the relationship that already exists between the two countries.

“We spoke about a Joint Commission that would give us the opportunity to access agriculture and electricity,” the President said, adding, “Liberia is the oldest State to gain growth, and so we need to tap into agriculture with Ivory Coast as a case study.”

“The issues of cross-border security and the need to enhance trade between both Liberia and Ivory Coast were discussed,” he said.

According to the release, President Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast expressed disquiet that enough has not been done to enhance trade between both countries, and therefore, Ouattara informed President Weah that agriculture and energy are the backbone of the Ivorian economy.

He meanwhile offered his government’s willingness to share expertise in these sectors with Liberia, recalled how Mali, Togo, Guinea, Ghana, and Burkina Faso are countries currently benefiting from the Ivorian energy.

President Weah was taken on a guided tour by the Vice President of Ivory Coast, Daniel Kablan Duncan to the facilities of the Energy Production Company of Ivory Coast-CIPREL in an effort to see how best Liberia can benefit from that country’s energy sector.

Liberia currently has 80 megawatts of energy being produced by the Mt. Coffee Hydro, while the Ivorian energy Company is producing between 500-800 megawatts.

While in the Ivory Coast, President Weah was gowned and named by traditional chiefs and elders as “Poemay” meaning the Star.

During his visits to both countries, President Weah had the opportunity to engage the press in separate press-stakeouts where he outlined the challenges of his country.

A technical team is expected to return to Abidjan soon to sign an MOU aimed at benefiting from the surplus  energy being produced by Ivory Coast.