In The News
A ban on pregnant girls attending school in Sierra Leone must be scrapped, a regional West African court ruled on Thursday in a case brought by rights groups.
The Ecowas Court of Justice demanded that "the prohibitive policy be reversed immediately", calling it "discrimination against pregnant adolescent girls".
Sierra Leone banned pregnant girls from going to school in 2015 following the 2014 Ebola crisis - during which thousands of girls became pregnant, often because orphans turned to prostitution, or as a result of rape and abuse. Read more...
On December 11, 2019, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a four-year arrangement under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) for Liberia in an amount equivalent to SDR 155 million (60 percent of quota or about US$ 213.6 million) to help the country restore macroeconomic stability, provide a foundation for sustainable growth, and addressing weaknesses in governance.
After grappling with challenges for over a year, a consensus on the need for broad-based reform has emerged. The program aims to support the authorities’ strong adjustment efforts, catalyze significant donor financing, and provide a framework within which to implement the authorities’ ambitious reform agenda. The Executive Board’s decision will enable an immediate disbursement of SDR 17 million (about US$ 23.4 million).
At the conclusion of the Executive Board’s discussion, First Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair, Mr. Mitsuhiro Furusawa, stated: Read more...
…As Embassy suspends non-immigrant visa (NIV) operations
The US Embassy in Liberia has been hit by the worsening financial crisis thus forcing it to temporarily withdraw Peace Corps volunteers (PCV) from 12 of the 15 counties.
Although the country’s financial crisis is not limited to one particular sector, an embassy spokesperson in Monrovia, has confirmed the pull-out decision affecting the PCV, saying difficulties in “reliably obtaining needed funds from banks up-country, and in Monrovia are affecting the ability of the Peace Corps to sustain volunteers.”
Liberia is a low-income country that relies heavily on foreign assistance and remittances from the diaspora, but the system has recently collapsed where the banks are no longer giving out the remittances. The country is richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture. Its principal exports are iron ore, rubber, diamonds, and gold. Read more...
Fellow Liberians and Friends of Liberia At Home and Abroad:
I have observed that recent events in our country seem to be taking on their own momentum. Liberia appears to have become a rudderless ship adrift on a turbulent sea hurtling towards disaster.
Civil servants, teachers and other professional groups are demanding salary arrears or they would initiate go slow action. Groups of people under the banner of the Council of Patriots have called for a STEP DOWN CAMPAIGN beginning December 30, 2019. The Liberian people and the world continue to demand full accountability and action regarding the missing L$16 billion and the US$25 million allocated for mopping up excess liquidity. Read full statement...
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Sierra Leone 'must scrap pregnant girl school ban'
IMF Executive Board Approves US$213.6 Million ECF Arrangement for Liberia
US Peace Corps Leave Liberia
Statement on Current Developments in the Country By Honorable Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Former Vice President and & Political Leader of the Unity Party
