At the invitation of the President of the Liberian National Bar Association (LBNA) Cllr. Sylvester Rennie, His Excellency Kingsford Amoako joined the Liberia legal fraternity for the 2024 Annual Assembly of the Liberian National Bar Association on Friday, 5th April, 2024. The event was attended by Rt. Hon. Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene G. Youh, Chief Justice of the Republic of Liberia; former and current Associate Justices; Cllr. N. Oswald Tweh, Minister for Justice and Attorney General; Senior Government Officials, Diplomatic Corps and Members of the LNBA.

Taking his turn for complimentary greetings, Ambassador Amoako commended the legal fraternity of Liberia for upholding and defending the Constitution of Liberia, providing quality legal services whiles exhibiting professionalism and keeping in line with good legal principles. H.E. Kingsford Amoako intimated that the African continent is beset with complex legal issues ranging from corruption, abuse of human rights, irregularities in land administration systems, poor corporate governance, copyrights infringement, among others. He added that majority of these issues can be resolved only if we strengthen our legal structures across various African countries to which Liberia is not an exception.

He also proposed some key areas for consideration by the legal fraternity. They include amendment or review of some areas of the Constitution; clarification of land administration for Non ECOWAS nationals, dual citizenship; immigration issues for minority tribes such as the Fante Community; and employee rights and employer responsibilities. In addition, he intimated that African legal systems may face contemporary challenges, but urged the legal fraternity in Liberia to remain resolute and firm in the delivery of justice. The Ambassador also commended the Judiciary for their role in the settlement of post-elections disputes arising from the October 2023 general elections. He wished the Liberian National Bar Association a fruitful and successful 2024 Annual Assembly.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of Ghana in Liberia.

President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., has hosted a Ramadan Dinner in honor of Liberian Muslims as they conclude the observation of the Holy Month of  Ramadan. The dinner, which brought together scores of faithfuls of Islam, was held at the EJS Ministerial Complex in Congo Town. 

During the dinner, the President emphasized the utmost importance of unity and understanding in the nation. He said that while the Christian majority is embraced, the Muslim community is also recognized for its richness and importance to the country.

The President further stated that every thread, every color, and every belief contribute to the beauty of the collective identity of the nation, and that the strength of Liberia lies in its ability to unite as one people, united in shared aspirations for peace, prosperity, and progress.

He urged Liberians to embrace their differences, viewing them not as obstacles but as opportunities to learn, grow, and flourish as a nation.

“In diversity, there is beauty, and there is strength,” the President reminded his audience, encouraging them to gather around the tables, sharing in the joy of fellowship and breaking fast together, and exemplify that sentiment.

As a firm advocate for peace and harmony, the Liberian Chief Executive enjoined Liberians to break down the barriers that divide them, whether they bow their heads in prayer, kneel in worship, or stand in solidarity, as their hearts beat as one, bound by the common thread of humanity.

He encouraged all to embrace their differences as opportunities to learn, grow, and flourish as a nation, for it is in their diversity that they find strength, and in their unity, they find resilience.

The Liberian Leader concluded that his heart was full of hope and a smile on his face, knowing that as long as people stand together, there is nothing that they cannot achieve.

Concluding, he thanked everyone for honoring his invitation to break their fast together and wished everyone a blessed Ramadan.

The Minister of State Without Portfolio Mamaka Bility, who coordinated the event, expressed her appreciation to the President for his commitment to uniting Liberians irrespective of their religious affiliations.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of Liberia: Executive Mansion.

The World Health Organization and Makerere School of Public Health (MakSPH) are engaged in discussions on how MakSPH may qualify as a WHO Collaborating Centre (WHOCC) in Uganda. This came up during the meeting to review the performance of the five-year memorandum of understanding between the two institutions on planning and implementing joint research projects in priority public health areas in the country.

In 2019, WHO and MakSPH signed a memorandum of understanding to implement joint research projects in key areas including, communicable and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and health system strengthening, among others. Through this agreement, they committed to sharing information, support training, and research programs, and strengthening networking opportunities between themselves.

The collaboration has generated a lot of data which complements the support to the Ministry of Health and the global health arena.

Speaking at the review committee, Dr Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam, the WHO Representative to Uganda emphasized the need to move the engagement to a sustainable phase. “After five years of successful partnership, we should start working towards making MakSPH a WHO collaborating Centre. This will ensure sustainability, including unlocking opportunities for MakSPH and support to global health,” he said.

Of the 829 WHOCCs globally, only 27 (3.2%) are in the African region (2019). WHOCCs are institutions that work with WHO in disciplines such as occupational health, food safety, and communicable disease prevention. Designated by the WHO Director-General, they partner with WHO to perform research, provide training, or offer other services in furthering the health agenda.

Appreciating WHO’s trust in the MakSPH capacities to conduct research on Health, Prof Rhoda Wanyenze, the Dean of MakSPH looked forward to maintaining the existing partnership and developing timely work plans to guide future activities. “We hope to use these operational research findings to inform policy and decision-making for advanced public health discourse around the world,” she added.

Over the past five years, WHO and MakSPH have successfully collaborated in implementing forty-six public health projects that produced strategic information and policy outputs for informed decision-making. Some of the technical products developed include the 2023 Uganda Non-Communicable Diseases Risk Factors STEPS Survey to establish the prevalence of NCDs in Uganda; the Expanded Programme on Immunization Assessment, and the development of the National Immunization Strategy 2022-2026 to guide interventions on scaling up vaccination coverage in the country.

Other products include the Midterm review of the five-year National Pharmaceutical Services Strategic Plan 2021-2025, the KOICA Project baseline assessment and mid-term project evaluation, the Nutrition quality of services delivery in Rwenzori and West Nile region, and the Measles-Rubella coverage survey.

MakSPH is one of the four Schools under the Makerere University College of Health Sciences, a constituent College of Makerere University. The school conducts research and provides consultation services to the Government of Uganda and various national and international health organizations as well as bilateral and multilateral agencies involved in health.

The technical collaboration between WHO and MakSPH is expected to contribute to the shared goals of promoting the wide availability of safe, effective, and affordable research products, capacity building, and community service to the public.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO).

A year on, the war in Sudan continues to rage, with the country and its neighbours experiencing one of the largest and most challenging humanitarian and displacement crises in the world. The number of Sudanese forced to flee has now surpassed 8.5 million people, with 1.8 million of them having crossed borders.

The ongoing conflict has shattered people’s lives, filling them with fear and loss. Attacks on civilians, and conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence continue unabated, in violation of international humanitarian and human rights law. Sudan has experienced the almost complete destruction of its urban middle class: architects, doctors, teachers, nurses, engineers, and students have lost everything.

Access constraints, security risks and logistical challenges are hampering the humanitarian response. Without incomes, and amid disrupted aid deliveries and harvests, people cannot get food, prompting warnings of worsening hunger and malnutrition in parts of the country.

While the war started one year ago, thousands are crossing borders daily as if the emergency had started yesterday. In South Sudan, on average over 1,800 people are still arriving every day, increasing pressure on overstretched infrastructure and exacerbating the vast humanitarian needs. The country has received the most people from Sudan — nearly 640,000 people — many of them South Sudanese returning after many years.

Chad has experienced the largest influx of refugees in its history. While teams from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and partners, have managed to relocate most refugees to new and expanded settlements, over 150,000 remain in border areas in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, largely due to funding shortfalls.

In the Central African Republic, in March alone, over 2,200 people arrived from Sudan to hard-to-reach areas where logistical challenges hinder aid delivery.

The number of Sudanese registered with UNHCR in Egypt has increased fivefold over the past year, with a daily average of between 2,000 to 3,000 refugees and asylum-seekers from Sudan approaching UNHCR reception areas in Greater Cairo and Alexandria.

Ethiopia, which already hosts one of the largest refugee populations on the African continent, also reports continued new refugee arrivals, recently surpassing 50,000.

Those crossing borders, mostly women and children, are arriving in remote areas with little to nothing and in desperate need of food, water, shelter and medical care. Many families have been separated and arrive in distress. Parents and children have witnessed or experienced appalling violence, making psychosocial support a priority.

Many children arrive malnourished. In Chad, 33,184 cases of moderate acute malnutrition and 16,084 cases of severe acute malnutrition have been identified among child arrivals under 5 years in the past few months.

As the conflict continues, and the lack of assistance and opportunities deepens, more people will be forced to flee Sudan to neighbouring countries or to move further, risking their lives by embarking on long, dangerous journeys to safety.

In the last year, Uganda — which already has over 1 million refugees — has welcomed 30,000 Sudanese refugees, including over 14,000 since the start of the year. Most Sudanese who arrive are from Khartoum and have a university-level education. UNHCR statistics show increased movements of Sudanese refugees to Europe, with 6,000 arriving in Italy from Tunisia and Libya since the beginning of 2023 — an almost sixfold increase from the previous year.

Host countries have been extremely generous in welcoming those forced to flee and making efforts to ensure they can access public services, including documentation, education, healthcare and housing. We are working hard to mobilize an early development response to support national services in line with the Global Compact for Refugees.

Despite the magnitude of this crisis, funding remains critically low. Only 7 per cent of the requirements outlined in the 2024 Regional Refugee Response Plan for Sudan have been fulfilled. Similarly, the Humanitarian Response PlanLink is external for inside Sudan is just 6 per cent funded. UNHCR and partners are saving lives but in many locations, we have been unable to provide even the bare minimum. Firm commitments from the international community to support Sudan and the countries hosting refugees are needed to ensure those forced to flee by the war can live in dignity.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).