Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Libya Recommits to Development Projects in Liberia

Source: allAfrica.com

Muammar Gaddafi of Libya
Monrovia — President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf returned home over the weekend following a two-day visit to Libya where she held discussions with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and high-ranking officials of the Libyan Government.

The two leaders reviewed Libyan-funded projects in Liberia and overall bilateral cooperation between the two countries. They both expressed concern at the slow progress and bureaucratic hurdles in implementing the projects which include the Ducor Palace Hotel, a rubber processing plant, a rice project in Lofa County, and Libyan-donated tractors. The Liberian President also held detailed discussions with the Prime Minister and members of the Libyan Cabinet.


Following the various discussions, Libya agreed to speed up the implementation of its funded projects in Liberia. A delegation of senior officials of the Libyan African Investment Company (LAICO) and the Libyan African Development Fund will arrive in Liberia within a week to conclude talks on the projects. In addition, a 10-man Libyan team has been dispatched to work with Liberian farmers in the use of donated tractors, which will help improve agricultural productivity in the country.

Libya also gave assurances of its willingness to support Liberia's infrastructural development, including roads and bridges, through multilateral development finance institutions in which Libyan presence is meaningful, such as the African Development Bank and the CEN-SAD Investment Bank.

The Liberian and Libyan leaders also consulted on the situation in Côte d'Ivoire and its implications for the West Africa region. They agreed that if there is no early resolution of the problem, Liberia will face a humanitarian crisis of unimaginable proportions. Libya promised to send humanitarian aid to Liberia within one week, to assist with the more than 20,000 refugees who have flooded into Liberia from neighboring Ivory Coast.


Ellen Johson-Sirleaf
 President Johnson Sirleaf extended an invitation to her Libyan counterpart, Col. Gaddafi, to join her at this year's July 26 celebrations in Lofa as her special guest. Details of the Libyan leader's visit will be arranged through diplomatic channels.

The Liberian Head of State made two stopovers in Niamey, Niger, en route to and from Tripoli. She was warmly greeted by the Head of the Interim Government, the Prime Minister and high-ranking officials. The Nigerien Head of State informed the Liberian leader that Niger's electoral process was on schedule, and reiterated his government's commitment to turn over power peacefully to the elected government.

The Liberian President expressed satisfaction at the progress being made in Niger's electoral process. She commended the Head of the Interim Government for his commitment to ensure a smooth and peaceful transition to democratic rule. The Liberian leader had headed the ECOWAS Mediation Team on Niger, prior to the military takeover in that country.

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Inside Liberia with Bernard Gbayee Goah

Everyone is a genius

Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. – A Einstein

Drawing the line in Liberia

Crimes sponsored, committed, or masterminded by handful of individuals cannot be blamed upon an entire nationality. In this case, Liberians! The need for post-war justice is a step toward lasting peace, stability and prosperity for Liberia. Liberia needs a war crimes tribunal or some credible legal forum that is capable of dealing with atrocities perpetrated against defenseless men, women and children during the country's brutal war. Without justice, peace shall remain elusive and investment in Liberia will not produce the intended results. - Bernard Gbayee Goah



Men with unhealthy characters should not champion any noble cause

They pretend to advocate the cause of the people when their deeds in the dark mirror nothing else but EVIL!!
When evil and corrupt men try to champion a cause that is so noble … such cause, how noble it may be, becomes meaningless in the eyes of the people - Bernard Gbayee Goah.

If Liberia must move forward ...

If Liberia must move forward in order to claim its place as a civilized nation amongst world community of nations, come 2017 elections, Liberians must critically review the events of the past with honesty and objectivity. They must make a new commitment to seek lasting solutions. The track records of those who are presenting themselves as candidates for the position of "President of the Republic of Liberia" must be well examined. Liberians must be fair to themselves because results from the 2011 elections will determine the future of Liberia’s unborn generations to come - Bernard Gbayee Goah

Liberia's greatest problem!

While it is true that an individual may be held responsible for corruption and mismanagement of funds in government, the lack of proper system to work with may as well impede the process of ethical, managerial, and financial accountability - Bernard Gbayee Goah

What do I think should be done?

The situation in Liberia is Compound Complex and cannot be fixed unless the entire system of government is reinvented.
Liberia needs a workable but uncompromising system that will make the country an asylum free from abuse, and other forms of corruption.
Any attempt to institute the system mentioned above in the absence of rule of law is meaningless, and more detrimental to Liberia as a whole - Bernard Gbayee Goah

Liberia's Natural Resources
Besides land water and few other resources, most of Liberia’s dependable natural resources are not infinite, they are finite and therefore can be depleted.
Liberia’s gold, diamond, and other natural resources will not always be an available source of revenue generation for its people and its government. The need to invent a system in government that focuses on an alternative income generation method cannot be over emphasized at this point - Bernard Gbayee Goah

Liberia needs a proper system
If Liberians refuse to erect a proper system in place that promotes the minimization of corruption and mismanagement of public funds by government institutions, and individuals, there will come a time when the value of the entire country will be seen as a large valueless land suited on the west coast of Africa with some polluted bodies of waters and nothing else. To have no system in place in any country is to have no respect for rule of law. To have no respect for rule of law is to believe in lawlessness. And where there is lawlessness, there is always corruption - Bernard Gbayee Goah

Solving problems in the absence of war talks

As political instability continues to increase in Africa, it has become abundantly clear that military intervention as a primary remedy to peace is not a durable solution. Such intervention only increases insecurity and massive economic hardship. An existing example which could be a valuable lesson for Liberia is Great Britain, and the US war on terror for the purpose of global security. The use of arms whether in peace keeping, occupation, or invasion as a primary means of solving problem has yield only little results. Military intervention by any country as the only solution to problem solving will result into massive military spending, economic hardship, more fear, and animosity as well as increase insecurity. The alternative is learning how to solve problems in the absence of war talks. The objective of such alternative must be to provide real sustainable human security which cannot be achieved through military arm intervention, or aggression. In order to achieve results that will make the peaceful coexistence of all mankind possible, there must be a common ground for the stories of all sides to be heard. I believe there are always three sides to every story: Their side of the story, Our side of the story, and The truth – Bernard Gbayee Goah

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