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President Describes Liberia’s Tourism Potential as Endowing and Immense

Monrovia, Liberia - The President of the Republic, His Excellency George Manneh Weah, Thursday, January 27, 2022, launched the National Tourism Marketing and Branding Strategy, describing the country’s potential as heavily endowed and lucrative for investment.


The Ministry of Information, Culture Affairs and Tourism (MICAT) and its partners have embarked upon a tourism branding process as a roadmap to develop and market Liberia’s emerging tourism sector which has long remained untapped.


In a launching statement of the initiative, President Weah indicated that “our country is endowed with immense cultural and tourism potential”.


He said Liberians take special pride in the diversity of their heritage and tourist attractions—the lush green vegetation, beautiful waterfalls, pristine beaches, and other stunning landscapes.


“We are also blessed with a striking coastline of over 560 kilometers,” the President added: “We have a unique flora and fauna, largely unexplored wildlife and an excellent ocean tide, thus making Liberia an ideal destination for tourism.”


The Liberian Chief Executive expressed delighted launching the National Tourism Marketing and Branding Strategy which unarguably “is a first in our country’s history.”


He reiterated his administration’s commitment to investing in tourism and making it a key sector to drive the country’s economic growth.


The sector, Dr. Weah said, has the potential to create employment for thousands of Liberians, while contributing to revenue generation.


“Tourism development brings together all sectors, including the private sector, which is an important engine of growth and economic development,” The President noted, calling on actors in the private sector to play a major role in the development of the Liberian tourism industry, either as independent entrepreneurs, or through public private partnerships with the Government.


“Let me at this point convey my sincere gratitude to the International Trade Center and United Nations World Tourism Organization for their strong support and collaboration. We also would like to thank the Enhanced Integrated Framework Program for funding this project. I am hopeful that the other components of this project will be implemented and completed as planned’, Dr. Weah noted.


He thanked the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, the Liberia Tourism Association, and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, for working in partnership to lay the foundation for the important initiative.

President Weah Condemns Military Takeover In Burkina Faso

Monrovia, Liberia - The President of the Republic, Dr. George Manneh Weah, has expressed strong opposition to military takeover in Burkina Faso, condemning the dissolution of the democratically-elected President, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré

Addressing an Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS on Friday, January 28, 2022 by virtual, President Weah reiterated Liberia’s policy of absolute zero tolerance for coup d’etats and called on the military authorities in Burkina Faso to, without delay, restore the duly elected President to power and return the country to constitutional, democratic order.

“Liberia also recommends the use of multi-track diplomacy to address the grievances of stakeholders in preventing coup d'états in our region,” he said, urging Member States to redouble their efforts in supporting the ECOWAS Fund for Combating Terrorism in the ECOWAS Region.

In his virtual statement to his colleagues, Dr. Weah intimated: “In order to address the recurrent coups in our region, Liberia wishes to echo its previous recommendation to the Authority of Heads of State and Government to urgently revise the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance by including initiative-taking mechanisms for engaging stakeholders, including the military, in situations where ECOWAS Early Warning Mechanisms clearly predict future disruptions of the political and security situation in our Member States.”

He told ECOWAS leaders that the protracted, endogenous factors of terrorism and militant insurgencies in Burkina Faso obviously caused the collapse of the security condition in the country, and made this situation inevitable.

“To address this peculiar situation,” the Liberian Chief Executive said, “the Authority may wish to include in its current strategy based on application of the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, the ECOWAS conflict prevention mechanism of engaging relevant stake holders in preventive diplomacy where conflicts are brewing to stem the trend of coup d'états in the region.”

Considering the situation to have been triggered by terrorism and other security impasses, President Weah urged ECOWAS Authority to consider the provision of humanitarian support to the vulnerable groups that have been affected by the declining security in Burkina Faso.

He also implored ECOWAS Authority to impose sanctions on military authorities for disrupting the democratic and constitutional processes in Burkina Faso, as provided by the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.

 

‘In addition to the appointment of an ECOWAS Facilitator for Burkina Faso, the recently constituted ECOWAS Council of the Wise should be deployed, as soon as possible, to engage in back-channel discussions with the stakeholders in addressing their grievances for the swift return to constitutional and democratic orders," President Weah suggested further.

He recalled that it was the second time since 2015 that the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government is convening an Extraordinary Summit to address the political situation in Burkina Faso.

The first was the 2015 attempted coup triggered by transitional grievances by the Presidential Guard, who subsequently installed the National Council for Democracy (CND) Government.

The Liberian Leader thanked the Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana, for what he called "his pro-activeness” in swiftly convening this Virtual Summit on our fraternal Member State of Burkina Faso.

Burkina Faso last week experienced a putsch that overthrew the democratically elected Government of President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.

President Weah Happy About Transformation At LTC As He Launches Its 4G Mobile Service

Monrovia, Liberia - The President of the Republic, Dr. George Manneh Weah, has expressed delight over rapid transformation taking place at the Liberia Telecommunication Corporation (LTC) under his administration and the management team he appointed.

President Weah on Thursday, January 27, 2022 launched the first government-owned Fourth Generation (4G) Voice Over Long-Term Evolution (VoLTE) Voice Service under the aegis of the LTC exactly four years into his stewardship.

In a Special Statement at the launch of the LTC Mobile Service, an occasion graced by an array of Government officials and partners, President Weah recalled the dysfunctional state in which his government met the national entity and expressed delight for the rapid transformation witnessed in a short time.

“When I assumed Office in 2018, LIBTELCO was very limited in capacity and functionalities, and less viable as a national entity,” the President asserted. “We entrusted you [the management team] and your technical people with the responsibility to transform this public corporation into a vibrant and profitable enterprise in the best interest of its shareholders, the Liberian people.”

 

He said he was glad that after a few years of the incumbency of the new management, he was launching the country's Fourth Generation Voice Over Long-Term Evolution and 4G service, which he says represents one of the best mobile technologies in Africa, providing coverage to countries outside of Liberia’s borders.

“Not only is the Corporation venturing in the mobile service, but also playing a critical leading role in ICT infrastructure in the country’s digital platform in collaboration with the Central Bank of Liberia and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning”, President Weah indicated.

He urged LTC Management to continue to remain proactive in fostering the growth and development of this important enterprise.

He said the launch of the LTC mobile service is one of several meaningful steps his Government has embarked upon to enhance economic growth through job creation, adding, “it will increase revenue generation and improve service delivery for the people.”

President Weah observed that one significant way to keep the LTC buoyant is to focus on “public service investment.

 

According to the Liberian Leader, the LTC investment will play a significant role in strengthening the Telecommunication Sector, as his Government is keen on improving state-owned enterprises to improve investment in the sector.

The President recalled fond memories of his days as an employee of the LTC, saying it was a sense of great pride returning to the place he held his first public job.

From the launch of the LTC Mobile Service, the Chief Executive was taken on a guarded tour of facilities of the Corporation, before moving on to visit the offices of the National Insurance Corporation of Liberia (NICOL), another state-owned enterprise which is presently undergoing transformation under the new management team headed by Sam Mannah, former Presidential Press Secretary of Liberia.

*Minister Rennie Holds Discussions at UNESCO* --Promises Collaboration and Cooperation with Partners

*Minister Rennie Holds Discussions at UNESCO*
--Promises Collaboration and Cooperation with Partners
By: Isaac Yeah, Minister-Counselor, Paris
(UNESCO-Paris, France-November 17, 2021) Liberia's Minister of Information, Culture Affairs, and Tourism, Ledgerhood Rennie, has held talks on the sidelines of the 41st Session of the UNESCO General Assembly. The occasion also marked the UN body's 75th Anniversary.
The Minister met UNESCO's Assistant Director for Culture, Ernesto Ottone, and the organization's Assistant Director for Communications and Information Technology, Tawfik Jelassi. He also met and held discussions with the Japanese Ambassador to UNESCO, OIKE Atsuyuki. In his conversations, he highlighted the need to improve the cultural and information technology sectors of the ministry, while also enhancing productivity.
Minister Rennie extolled UNESCO for the cooperation and support it has rendered MICAT so far and emphasized the need for continued assistance for the ministry to effectively carry out its responsibilities. He said for this to happen, MICAT must work collaboratively with organizations such as UNESCO.
According to a dispatch from Paris, Minister Rennie said the ministry has been engaging the legislature to ensure the domestication of some pieces of legislation, stressing that this will help deal with such issues as illicit trafficking of artifacts and other materials from Liberia and have them returned.
The UNESCO Assistant Director for Culture commended Minister Rennie for the visit and agreed with him on the need for laws that promote Liberia's cultural heritage. Assistant Director Ottone said the protection of Cultural Heritage, including underwater heritage, intangible cultural heritage, traditional heritage, living heritage, and audio-visual heritage, can not be over-emphasized.
For his part, UNESCO Assistant Director for Communication and Information, Tawfik Jelassi, assured the Minister that his department stands ready to work with and assist MICAT in driving positive communication.
He said the UNESCO's Communication Department has heard of the progress being made by the Liberian Government in the media sector, with journalists practicing free of harassment and intimidation. He thanked the government of Liberia for the "good job".
Japanese Ambassador OIKE Atsuyuki said his government enjoys cordial relations with Liberia and that they stand ready to lend any support the Ministry may desire. Ambassador Atsuyuki commended Minister Rennie and the entire leadership of MICAT for the great job they are doing while calling for close collaboration to actualize the Ministry's goals and aspirations.
The 41st Session of the General Conference of UNESCO runs from November 9 to the 24, 2021.