In Liberia: Finance Minister Konneh, CBL Governor Jones Named Observer's Persons of the Year

Liberia's first and foremost independent daily, Daily Observer, has named the country's Finance Minister Amara Konneh and Central Bank Governor J. Mills Jones as its 2012 persons of the year.

In an article announcing its choices for person of the year, the newspaper's senior editor, Ms. Fatoumata N. Fofana said "As in 2011, we again thought we were going to have an easier task selecting our Person of the Year. In our assessment of government officials, private sector stake-holders, civil society organizations and opposition politicians, we combed through our notes gathered over the year to try to build a composite picture of each person’s performance."

She continued: "In our analysis of both personalities, we came to the conclusion that indeed the effects these two financial engineers have had on the economy over the course of the year can be quantified. They could be measured — for Jones: increment (increase) in the Central Bank’s reserve from five million United States Dollars (US$5 million) [since 2006] to around three hundred million USD (US $300 million) as of August 2011; the launching of a Loan Extension Assistance Facility (LEAF) in the amount of LRD$200,000,000 (Two Hundred Million Liberian Dollars) for Microfinance Institutions, Credit Unions and Village Savings and Loans Associations, only to mention a few of his achievements.

"On the other hand, Finance Minister Amara Konneh is leading the charge in ensuring that Liberia becomes a middle income country 2030 (2012 - 2017).  He found and forged a new beginning in reshaping the way aid is administered in Liberia; along with the President, the then Finance Minister, Augustine Ngafuan (now Foreign Minister), his predecessor,  Finance Minister Antoinette  Sayeh, and CBL Governor Jones,  Minister Konneh played an exceedingly impressive role in completing the benchmarks for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. This resulted in the waiver of $4.6 billion in external debt from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other lenders. Mr. Konneh led the development process for Liberia’s threshold country proposal and negotiated with the United States Millennium Challenge Corporation for the approval of a US$15 million grant to improve land rights and access, increase girls’ primary education completion rate, and developed a trade policy regimen consistent with regional standards."

In practical terms, she said, these economic architects have valiantly paved a pliable roadmap for Liberia’s economic-revitalization, which is commensurate (matches) with Liberia’s development diplomacy---the contemporary (today’s) focus of this war-ravaged country’s foreign policy.

In a nutshell, she added, for striving to begin the task of placing the Liberian economy back in the hands of Liberians; for spearheading the rebuilding of key infrastructures across the country, the Observer is pleased to name Finance Minister Konneh and CBL Governor J. Mills Jones as our 2012 Persons of the Year.

According to Editor Fofana, from a shortlist that included veteran educator and Peace Activist Mary Brownell and Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee, Central Bank Governor Mills Jones and Finance Minister Amara Konneh have for the first time been named the Daily Observer's Persons of the Year.

 

Liberia: President Unveils Top 5 Resolutions for 2013

In her New Year message to the Liberian people, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf outlined the five topmost priorities of her development agenda for 2013. She expressed a sense of conviction and unwavering determination towards the achievement of those goals, come next year.

Beginning 2013 with a Fresh Look!!!!

Women in Retrospect: 2012

Giving her family a fighting chance beyond mere survival is what motivates the ordinary Liberian woman

 Before we finally close the chapter on 2012, flipping a fresh page for a new beginning in 2013, let's not forget that the unresolved issues of 2012 and other past years are still in need of solutions. In this final week of 2012, we want to highlight that the socio-political and economic advancement of Liberian women remains an ongoing struggle, claiming the attention of advocates on a daily basis. However, here's a look back at a breathless twelve months (2012) that saw ordinary women doing extraordinary things to improve their lives; the women’s world pushing for gender democracy at all levels. Let’s take a reflective look at an eventful year in news:

A National Embarrassment!

The lawmakers disgracefully snubbed the national visioning exercise

A great deal of news coverage has been devoted to the rift between the Executive and Legislative branches of government since last September, with the latest snubbing of the National Vision 2030 by legislators, leaving many disappointed and sad.

Both branches have been at each other’s throat and so it actually didn’t come as a surprise that activities related to the official launching of the Vision 2030 conference were snubbed by lawmakers.

It all began last September, when President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf allegedly told a gathering in the United States that Liberian legislators were more interested in themselves than much else in scrutinizing the fiscal budget and---as a result--- had unilaterally increased their share of the budget.This comment had enraged members of the House of Representatives with Speaker Tyler requesting the President to retract her comments against that august body.

So, two out of the 30 senators and one out of 76 representatives, showing up at the National Vision 2030, really didn’t come as a shock; on the other hand, it exposed a lack of unity in Government that could be exploited by unscrupulous and manipulative individuals to create chaos and strife. Surprisingly, some legislators are blaming the conference committee for not officially inviting them.

When will these national leaders stop being hypocritical about restoring peace to Liberia? Why should it always be about them and not the country? I think it high time that these officials put aside their selfish, self-centered interests and genuinely take charge of the country’s healing exercise. How can we achieve genuine peace when these very national leaders are embroiled in conflict among themselves? I think the issue at hand could pose a severe setback to the positive stretch of Liberia’s path toward peace; a stretch that leads to reconciliation.

LPRC: Playing with the People and Christmas

What a time to fool around with gasoline!  Does the LPRC not know that Christmas is throughout the world by far the busiest Season of the year? It is during this season that you see a sudden, sharp increase in the number of petty traders wheeling their wares across Monrovia. The city gets unusually densely-populated and commuting becomes unusually a headache. So, why ‘add insult to injury’ at this moment? When will these policy-makers become more proactive and forward-thinking? Does the LPRC find it any fun seeing our people struggling to get to and from one destination to the other, during this Season?

LPRC Summersaults: Admits Gasoline Shortage; Terms It ‘Sabotage’

The Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company (LPRC) has made a quick ‘about-face,’ adding a new twist and singing a new tune after rejecting out of hand---in almost unequivocal (no ifs, ands buts) terms---the slightest suggestion that something slippery was taking place, under its nose, with the gasoline business in this country.

TOTAL, Others Booked for Hoarding Gas

Several major petroleum suppliers, including TOTAL and Super Petroleum, have been booked hoarding gas to create an artificial shortage and increase prices. The Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company (LPRC) last night released findings of a random survey its team of inspectors, in close collaboration and coordination with the Liberia National Police and the Ministry of Commerce, had conducted on illegal sales of petroleum products in Liberia by “unscrupulous persons.”

Selective Feminism

It has always been 'my money is MY money, but his money is OUR money'

Your husband earns and so do you. But do you share the financial responsibility in the home? Most Liberian women – employed or not – are perceived to always be at the receiving end. Even in the home, full-time professional women, fully armed with purchasing power (money), will still sit and wait for the man to foot all the family’s expenses. No small help?!!

Who’s Withholding the Gas?

Some customers spent more than two hours in queues at various filing stations across the city on Monday

Could the Government’s professed reduction in the price of petroleum products end up being of hindrance rather than of help to the general public?

In Liberia: Petroleum Crisis Looms

Liberia's Ministry of Commerce’s newly announced reduced prices for petroleum products in the country have rather been met with what many in the public have termed as an artificial shortage of gas on the local market.

The new price ceiling released by the Ministry took effect on November 28, 2012. In a news release issued yesterday in Monrovia, the Ministry announced that in collaboration with the management of the Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company, (LPRC), it has made reduction in the prices of petroleum products on the local market.