One of Liberia’s oldest radio stations has been destroyed again. The Monrovia-based Eternal Love Winning Africa (ELWA) burnt to the ground on Tuesday night. Lee Sonius with HCJB Global says, "They lost everything. I've already seen some pictures of the building, and the destruction was quite widespread. They lost all of their equipment, programmes, and music."

The fire started around 9 pm local time. As to its cause, "The cause of the fire has not been completely determined yet, but it doesn't look like it was due to an electrical problem." Several reports coming out of Liberia have been hinting at arson connected to political unrest.

After speaking with the station manager, Sonius explains: "The investigation is leading more toward the possibility that it was arson, or that it was intentionally set. Because the run-off election was yesterday, I asked him (the station manager) if he thought it could have anything to do with the election, and he said, 'Well, I can't rule that out.'"

The good news is that the transmitter was in a separate building and is unharmed by the fire. Sonius adds that "they actually had a small, emergency portable studio at the site of the transmitter. They are already back on the air in a temporary way."

Sonius was ELWA's station manager in 1990 when civil war first destroyed the facility. In 1996, radio ELWA was silenced again during renewed fighting. The staff, with the help of SIM, regrouped and rebuilt. Seven years later, HCJB came on board to help provide most of the resources for short-wave broadcasts from a unique transmitter and antenna, which they developed and installed.

The staff is shell-shocked, says Sonius. "I think the staff at this point must be thinking, 'Why is all of this happening?'" However, Sonius says they've come back from total destruction before. "We have seen their resilience in the past, and the ministry has been going on. So I would be very, very surprised if the staff doesn't get behind rebuilding and getting the Gospel back on the air."

Their ministry journey together will continue, says Sonius. "HCJB definitely wants to help, and that's why I called them this afternoon to just assure them of our intention to help get them back on the air. Obviously, they'll need to rebuild, and they'll need all the studio equipment."

The radio station daily broadcast eight hours of English programming and one and a half hours of Liberian language programming. About three-quarters of the station's income come from local listeners and churches.

20th Anniversary of Radio ELWA 1974

lithopraphed by Format International Security Printers, England on unwatermarked paper, perforated 13½

Pres. Weah described the present RIA highway as a ‘death-trap’ since it was built in the 1940's, during World War IIMargibi - President George Mannah Weah has said that the construction of an ultramodern four-lane road from the Roberts International

Drivers plying on the two-lane road have consistently complained of its narrowness and lack of reflectors and light which makes it deadly to ply at nightMonrovia - The Executive Mansion has disclosed plans by the government to expand the Roberts Inte

3. That all Telecommunications Service Providers shall, beginning July 1, 2020,commence and enforce the registration of all new subscribers in accordance with the Amended SIM/RUIM Card Registration Regulations;

4. That a timeframe (Reregistration Window) for the registration of existing subscribers on the networks of Telecommunications Service Providers is hereby established, and shall remain in effect six (6) months beginning July 1, 2020 and ending December 31, 2020.

5. That upon the closure of the Reregistration Window, any existing SIM Card that is not registered in accordance with the Amended SIM Card Registration Regulations shall immediately be deactivated by Telecommunications Service Providers; and that failure to do so, penalties shall be applied in accordance with the Amended SIM Card Registration Regulations.

This video is about ELWA Medical Residency Construction project in 2019. It contains an 11 month time-lapse.

[Built on site of original ELWA Hospital]

The Millennium Challenge Account-Liberia (MCA-L) has provided equipment worth US$1.2 million to boost the capacity of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC). The 47 transformers, 3,652 meters, 241 surge arrestors, 1 Digger Derrick truck, 1 bucket truck, and assorted personal protection equipment will allow LEC to build a much more stable grid. //

In addition to funding 40 percent of the cost of rebuilding the Mount Coffee Hydro Power Plant, the compact has also paid for a three-year management services contractor to manage LEC and turn it into a more efficient and profitable company.



Home  Columns  Environment

Columns

Environment

News

Local

Business

Markets

The Economy

Residents of Monrovia, Environs Scramble for Water as the City Infrastructure falters

By

 Webmaster Admin

 -

February 10, 2020

8

1595

Push-push heading to central Monrovia.

Water shortage has hit Liberia’s crowded capital Monrovia amid poor infrastructure that the government struggles with to meet the growing demand.  The shortage comes as the dry season reaches its height with wells drying the city. Now, residents of the city’s far-flung suburbs, often first to feel the effects of water shortages, are demand action.

Monrovia - At a Senate Public Hearing Thursday, February 6, Mr. Bill Twehway, Managing Director of the National Port Authority (NPA), told Senators that since October 2019, bigger vessels stopped berthing at the Freeport of Monrovia because of high d

The two officials were invited by plenary, based on communication by Rep. Alexander Poure (District #1, River Gee) to explain the reasons behind the continuous shortage of petroleum products and outline measures being taken to address the situation

APM Terminal will only be able to needy berth and unberth vessels with a maximum draft of 10 meters. Vessels above 10 meters draft will not be able to berth/ball.

All vessels with a draft between 9.S and 10 meters will have to strictly berth/nil at high tide.
All vessels with a draft below 9.5 meters will be able to berth at any time provided that they have a beam smaller than 28 meters.
All vessels with a beam larger than 28 meters will have to berth at high tide irrespective of their draft.”
According to APM Terminals, while it understands the operational implications of the restrictions, its decision is geared towards preventing a disaster that could have higher negative commercial and operational impacts for all stakeholders.

FrontPageAfrica gathered that the current shortage of gasoline in the country is due to the inability for large tankers to berth at the port. This was confirmed on Tuesday to this newspaper by the Minister of Commerce and Industry when he said, “We have some ships coming in, 10.3 meters, they need more than that, 14 meters, 16 meters they need but we don’t have it so it’s shallow and because of that the larger ships are not able to come.”

He, however, stated that the National Port Authority has been working on plans to have the port dredged in the coming months.

Hon. Orison M. Amu and Hon Samuel D. Tweah Jr signed the Financing Agreement for Renewable Energy Electricity in Liberia MONROVIA – The Government of Liberia and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have signed Financing Agreements for two Projects ... //

According to the Agreement, the value of the REEL Project is US$33.74 million and is expected to be implemented over a 4-year period.

The Agreement mentions the development of a hydropower plant on the Gbedin Falls on the St. John River in Nimba County as the main objective of the REEL Project. The dam is expected to have a capacity of 9.34 megawatts and will serve as a source of reliable, sustainable and affordable power in the region thus enabling the power grid expansion to isolated localities and remote areas, and encourage the connection of a increased number of households, schools, health centers, businesses and industries to the national grid.

President Weah described the new cement production plant as an extension of a state-of-art investment in the country which has introduced a technology to the cement industry and brings about inefficiency to the Liberian cement production firmMonrovia

The Liberia Telecommunications Authority(LTA) under the leadership of Mr. Ivan G. Brown said Wednesday that the 5-year license under the new FM Regulations seeks to address all issues of compliance, sustainability and efficiency to enhance governanc

A COMMON THREAD: All of these protests or demonstrations have something in common—citizens or a marginalized section of the population feel excluded, ignored, or irate about the excesses and abuse of power—through the various instruments of the ... //

Historically and quite remarkably, exactly 200 years ago, on January 31, 1820, during a freezing winter morning in New York, as vendors, mainly enslaved women sold smoked oyster, roasted corn, and baked sweet potatoes from the Manhattan dock to the Jersey Palisades, a group of ninety people of the colored and a crew from the United States, were set to board a ship, the Elizabeth, en route to Sierra Leone and later Liberia. Outside, there were a large group of over two thousands protesters who detested the colonization scheme of sending people of colored to Africa. By February 6, 1820 (a baby froze to death and one passenger abandoned the trip) 88 passengers set sail for Africa, yet again with another protest breaking out due to tension between the White leadership and disgruntled Blacks who did not want to be led by Whites in Africa.

If Liberia were your home instead of The United States you would...

• die 21.35 years sooner
• be 13.7 times more likely to be unemployed
• be 11.2 times more likely to die in infancy
• make 98.67% less money
• use 99.38% less electricity
• spend 99.26% less money on health care
• consume 98.48% less oil
• be 93.84% less likely to be in prison
• be 50% more likely to have HIV/AIDS
• be 13.16% less likely to be murdered
• have 2.6 times more babies

LEGAL QUESTION ANSWERED: The discussion over which people of goodwill may disagree, presented an important legal question for which we had to seek legal redress: whether the 1986 Constitution of the Republic of Liberia permits the Government to us //

Atty. Jalloh, a Liberian-born with American citizenship was denied travel documents by the Liberian embassy in Washington, DC after being told he needed a non-immigrant Liberian visa before he could be permitted to enter Liberia.

Atty. Jalloh took his fight to the high court, arguing that Sections 22.2 of the Alien and Nationality Law which were enacted before the adoption of the 1986 constitution, purports to automatically-deprived Liberian citizens of their citizenship rights if they do certain things such as vote in the elections of a foreign country or join the military of another country. Teage contended that these laws were repealed b Article 95(a) of the 1986 constitution as being inconsistent with the due process clause of Article 20(a). //

The high court ruling was an emphatic statement and major victory for Teage. So, what does it all mean?

In the landmark ruling, the Court opined that Section 22.2 of the Aliens and Nationality Law is in direct conflict with the requirements of Article 20(a) of the Liberian Constitution (1986), which provides in part: ‘No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, security of the person, property, privilege or any other right except as the outcome of a hearing judgment consistent with due process of law…”

The Judges further opined Section 22.2 of the Aliens and Nationality Law provides: “Loss of citizenship under Section 22.1 of this title shall result solely from the performance by a citizen of acts or fulfillment of the conditions specified in such section, and without the institution by the Government of any proceeding to nullify or cancel such citizenship.
They further noted that the Section 22.2 of the Aliens and Nationality Law which was enacted long before the coming into force the 1986 Constitution and being in conflict with Article 20(a) of the 1986 Constitution which was deemed repealed within the contemplation of Article 95(a) of the Constitution as at the time the Constitution came into effect in 1986.

“Wherefore and in view of the foregoing, the petition is hereby granted. Section 22.2 of the Aliens and Nationality Law, to the extent that it provides for loss of citizenship solely on account of the performance by a citizenship of acts or fulfillment of the conditions specified in Section 22.1 without the institution by the Government of any proceedings to nullify or cancel citizenship in violation of the due process clause under Article 209(a) of the 1986 Constitution, is hereby null and void without any force and effect of law,” the Judges ruled. //

It does not amount to automatic removal of dual citizenship restrictions. Supporters of dual citizenship need to mobilize and campaign for Proposition 1 in the forthcoming constitutional referendum. Only a constitutional provision can settle the question of dual citizenship and restore the rights of people of Liberian descent who are today citizens of other countries. This ruling, in my view only means that for the government to deny anyone Liberian descent their claimed Liberian citizenship, the decision must follow a due process that proves indeed that the claimant is a citizen of another country.” //

This means if one is accused of having subscribed to another citizenship, you must be taken before a judge and proof of the second citizenship established before you can lose your Liberian citizenship. In the absence of an amendment, this was the best we could get. The constitutional provision prohibiting dual citizenship is still in force. What the amendment seeks to do is to abolish it completely; except that dual citizens won’t be eligible for certain positions in government.”

Cllr. Frank Musah Dean, Current Minister of Justice and one of the lawyers who argued the case before the Supreme Court

Lower Montserrado County – Shangyou Wood Industrial Development Company’s rubber processing plant is preparing to export its first 100 forty foot containers of rubberwood while the company draws closer to the completion of the first three month intensive training for over 200 Liberian technicians.

The company, which is based in Lower Montserrado County – just at the boundary of Margi County, began operating its world-class rubberwood processing plant in July this year.

It has employed almost 300 Liberians including 69 women. Fifty-eight of the workers are assigned in Firestone, where most of the logging of rubber trees takes place and transported to the plant.

As the company goes through all the relevant government ministries and agencies to obtain the Export Permit Declaration to ship the first consignment, training of its workers is progressing without any major hindrance.

The firm has a five-year incentive and a possibility of acquiring a 15-year concession with the government. It has leased the land for 40 years, has a target of processing and exporting around 3,000 cubic meters of rubberwood per month. This will accumulate huge returns to Liberia in taxes and at the same time create additional jobs for locals.

Shangyou currently has a US$20 million investment in Liberia and has a long term plan of expanding its operations to turn the country into the regional hub of furniture and rubberwood products.

Many of the trained technicians were former employees of Firestone, who worked at the plantation’s rubberwood processing factory. The factory has since shutdown due to what was reported to be a poor business climate.

Now, Shangyou Wood is using the expertise of these Liberians along with 10 Chinese technicians to build the skill of over 200 of its employees.

For its long term plan, Shangyou Wood is looking to setup a Special Economic Zone for rubberwood furniture in the country.

With its wood processing plant, the firm says, the next step will involve value addition by producing furniture for export and then it will move into the establishment of an SEZ for production of massive high quality furniture for export.

“According to our plans, we want to build four or five rubber wood factories in Liberia,” Luo said.

“If we only process the timber here and export, it costs us a lot but if the furniture is produced here and exported to America, China, Europe and the Middle East, we will make more profits”.

The SEZ, the company says, will be the go-to-place for rubberwood furniture in the West African region considering that Liberia is neatly situated and has huge rubber wood capacity.

If the firm’s production capacity is fully realize, it would provide employment for 5,000 Liberians, the company announced during the opening of the factory in July.

PRELUDE TO PRINTING NEW MONEY: FrontPageAfrica has reliably learned that representatives from the Swedish money maker, Crane Currency are currently in Monrovia meeting with officials of government including the Central Bank of Liberia and members of

PAYNESVILLE, Montserrado – The Rotary Club of Monrovia, during the week of August 26th, welcomed Brian Jonson, President of the Rotary Club of Marlow. The highlight of the week was the commissioning of a medical-grade oxygen plant at the ELWA Hospital in Paynesville.

The Rotary Club of Monrovia dedicated the medical oxygen facility that was valued at nearly US$200,000 to the ELWA Hospital. //

Jason Troxell, who serves as the CEO of ELWA Hospital, also used the opportunity to thank the groups for choosing the ELWA Hospital for their project. He said the project was worth celebrating because it would impact the lives of their patients and those at other health facilities in need of medical grade oxygen.

The ceremony was also attended by Liberia’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Francis Kateh, who extended his appreciation to the Rotary clubs for their continuing contributions toward the health sector. Dr. Kateh said the oxygen plant would end up saving many lives in the future.