Liberian Leader Thanks Ghana But calls on Liberians to Return Home

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By Joseph N.N. Swen, Buduburam/Accra

 

 Liberia appreciates the Government and People of Ghana for their enormous effort in the restoration of peace and stability during the 14 years long civil crisis in that West African country  while their Entrepreneurial partnership to the Country, which is going through the process of economic and infrastructure recovery, is urgently needed.

 

 A two day “historical visit” beginning from the 19th to 20th of February 2010 saw a number of activities that the 72 –year- old and first female President of Africa was engaged in. At a banquet organized by the Government of Ghana, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf highlighted the countless involvements of the Government and people of Ghana making sure that calm was restored to its sister African State.

 

 Measuring the successive presidents beginning from Former Fgt. Lt. John Jerry Rawlings who she said was the initiator of the process to his successor former President John A. Kufour who continued the process as well as the incumbent Professor John Evan Atta-Mills, president sirleaf  commended the  Government of Ghana upon whose invitation she was in that country.

 

 The Liberian President laid wreath to pay tribute on behalf of the Government and people of Liberia for the Ghanaian Peace Keepers who were killed or died while on the peacekeeping mission as part of ECOMOG during the 14 years of the brutal civil crisis, 1989-2004.

 

President Johnson-Sirleaf held a public lecture at the Nation’s premier University, organized by the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana (Legon), on the theme, “Process of Reconstruction in post war Countries,” which attracted the eager audience and participation of students and individuals from all walks of life.

 

 Using the issues of post war Liberia was a case study. She said the challenge for most post war countries like Liberia, is the recovery of an inherited economy that was virtually emptied and the damaged or deplorable condition of nation-wide infrastructure and services such as electricity, sewerage, roads etc.

 

 Even with these challenges, she said, her Government is making some significant achievements in terms of setting up and or supporting bodies such as the True and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to bring about reconciliation between victims and perpetrators during the civil upheaval.

 

She said her government is committed to training and de-factionalizing the security apparatus. Another aspect she said, is the gradual availability of electricity to most parts of Monrovia. She added that plans are underway to construct three State Universities outside Monrovia so as to decentralize University education and to allow those outside Monrovia to have smooth access to university admission and economic policies that would bring about debts cancellation from major creditors and as well qualify for the HIPC Initiatives.

 

The visit was concluded with a trade and investment conference where the President outlined business opportunities of post war Liberia such as the mining, timber, and rubber industries and general entrepreneurial sectors.

 

She encouraged the government and business communities  in Ghana to take due advantage. “Africa development will come through strengthening bilateral agreements at all sectors especially through entrepreneurial trade’, President Johnson-Sirleaf stressed.

 

 On the part of the Government of Ghana, the Trade and Industry Minister Madam Hannah Tetteh pledged her Government preparedness to invest or initiate means to invest in the economy of Liberia.

 

The Business/investment forum saw a cross section of Ghanaian Business tycoons as well as foreign Entrepreneurs with huge investment in Ghana. However, her historic visitation to Ghana was not left without controversy from cross sections of Liberian Refugees at the Buduburam Settlement.

 

There was almost a three-hour attempt to prevent the delegation that included Liberian students, local representations of NGOs, Religious Bodies, and Staff of the Liberian Refugee Welfare Council (the leadership of the Liberian Refugee Populace at Buduburam), organized by the Council to meet the visiting Liberia Leader.

 

 The Council, headed by Varney B. Sambolah who has become very unpopular with bulks of the populace of late, was accused of lack of communication between his outfit and the Refugees and failure to work in the interest of the Refugees instead working to the desires of his appointers to the detriment of his compatriots in meeting their basic needs or entitlement of which has been denied them from time immemorial.

 

According to most of the aggrieved residents, the representation of Refugees at the President’s visit is tantamount to jeopardize the residents’ refugee status, since they (Aggrieved Liberian Refugees) still do believe that  Liberia is still unsafe for some of them, and that situations there are still fragile and that the incumbent dispensation of Liberia whose head  was one of the Architects of the  civil war, is not doing anything as promised, making them unwilling to return to Liberia.

 

Others saw such visitation of having some political motives since the President has declared her intension to stand for re-election come 2011 contrary to her earlier campaign statement in 2007 of having just one term in office.

 

 Chairman Sambolah, on his part, accused most of those behind the agitation of being in the constant habit of disrespecting his office in numerous ways, and vehemently rejected the idea of apologizing for not seeking the way of the general populace before embarking on such trip.

 

Those notwithstanding, the timely intervention of the Settlement Manager, Garvivina Tamakloe (Representative of Government, Ghana) brought the situation under reluctant control, and saw the delegation embarking on the  trip to Accra,the Ghanaian capital.

 

At the interactive forum, Chairman Sambolah stated the law-abiding nature of most Refugees in Ghana; that despite the numerous challenges his compatriots are faced with in terms of access to education, healthcare and other basic needs, some are acquiring the vocational and professional trainings for self-employability, initiatives which are mostly organized by and operated by Refugee themselves.

 

 The Chairman appealed for the support of these vocational training centers so as to train more desirous Refugees. Another representation was the Liberian Students Association of Ghana (LISAG),, through its Acting President, Fabio George Kollie of Regent University College, Accra. He informed the President of challenges faced by the Association and the desires most Liberian Youth in Ghana have to attain higher education.

 

 Prominent amongst the numerous concerns raised was the plight of many young Liberians who are facing difficulties in sponsoring themselves in the various tertiary institutions or universities in Ghana and or are yearning to enroll into such institutions but are frustrated by the current Christian Council-UNHCR Sponsorship bureaucracy .

 

 Also present was the Association of Government sponsored working students, who expressed concern about the threat of maintaining their jobs back home while on study leave in Ghana.

 

In response to these concerns, the President told the Chairman of the Refugees at Buduburam that much assistance is needed in Liberia than outside. She said she was pleased that most Liberians in Ghana are law-abiding and equipping themselves to come back home prepared.

 

She further admitted that post war Liberia has countless problems and challenges and shouldn’t be compared with that of the comfort that many find in Ghana, but home is home and it is always good to be part of the building process.

 

She however, gave the amount of $1,000.00 (One Thousand United States Dollar) to the Buduburam Liberia Refugee Populace through Chairman Varney B. Sambolah, III. To LISAG, the President also presented the amount of $1,000.00 (One Thousand United States Dollars) and promised to begin negotiations of the academic sponsorship scheme with her counterpart soon.

 

For the Government sponsored working-students, the President emphatically said once they are on study-leave, their jobs would be occupied by others but stated that upon their completion, there is the possibility of retaining or finding an alternative.

 

In response to decision of re-election, the President said, ‘I want to leave a legacy that women in leadership in Africa would be regarded’, and for those who are asking why the r-run, she said, ‘why not?’ To that end, the President  appealed to all Liberian Refugees in Ghana to acquire the requisite training especially in professions that would be highly needed in the reconstruction process, such as Medicine, Engineering, Zoology, Geology, Agriculture, etc. to return home irrespective of the relatively unfavorable infrastructure back home.. ‘There is no place like Home, Come Home, and Come Home’ The President concluded

Editor @ February 25, 2010