MONROVIA, June18 (LINA) - In the wake of reports of the upsurge of Ebola cases in neighboring Sierra Leone and Guinea, Montserrado County Senator Geraldine Sheriff has called for increased awareness in border towns and at ports of entry.
She urged the plenary of the Liberian Senate to encourage both the Ministries of Health and Defense to act quickly to enhance security at the borders with Sierra Leone and Guinea and ensure adherence to preventive measures.
In a letter to Senate President Pro-Tempore Armah Jallah Thursday, Senator Sheriff said this would help prevent a resurgence of the deadly virus in Liberia.
She urged Liberians to stand together and fight to keep the country Ebola-free and economically vibrant, noting, “We saw countries deny Liberian Government officials entry to their countries because of the outbreak of the epidemic in our country.”
The Montserrado County lawmaker believes that Liberia is entitled to protection and therefore must now act in the interest of the people, saying, “There is nothing wrong with closing the border with other countries where the virus is still present."
She emphasized that Liberians must do all they can to avoid a spill-over of the disease from the affected countries because it has the propensity to threaten the education system, economy and development agenda.
LINA RS/TSS/PTK
Barely one month after Liberia was declared free of the deadly Ebola virus disease, or EVD by the World Health Organization on 9th May, a study has revealed starling information on the level of hardships EVD survivors in the West African country are faced with, ranging from complex medical conditions to socioeconomic problems.
MONROVIA, June 16 (LINA) -The Chief Executive Officer of the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) has disclosed that the institution will commence the registration of businesses wishing to participate in public tenders for the 2015-2016 fiscal year on July 1.
Dorbor Jallah warned that unless a business or company is registered with the PPCC it will not be eligible to participate in public tenders, adding “for them (businesses) to participate they have to be registered with PPCC.”
Making the disclosure Tuesday at the Ministry of Information press conference, he said preparations for the registration process are already on-going.
Jallah pointed out that the reason why they want all businesses desirous of engaging in public procurement to register is because this will enhance efficiency, which is one of the main objectives.
According to the PPCC Executive Director, enhancing efficiency will help reduce the period of registration from three months to three weeks.
According to him, the registration will also enhance implementation of the Small Business Act, which is intended to promote the growth of Liberian-owned businesses.
The Small Business Act, which has been passed into law, reserves 25 percent of government’s procurement budget to empower Liberian-owned businesses, with five percent of the 25 percent exclusively reserved for Liberian female-owned businesses.
LINA DMW/TSS/PTK