so1

DAILY OBSERVER Tuesday, June 14, 2022 Page A22 N26 16 59
Shop Owners Protest
Closures at Red Light
By Tina Mehnpaine
The arbitrary
shut down
of Red Light
market by
the Liberia
National Police on Monday,
June 13, has raised the ire
of business owners who
are now demanding the
reopening of their stores
with immediate effect.
The police had closed
the country’s largest
commercial center to
reinforce its backup
operation with the
Municipal Police of
Monrovia and Paynesville
in ensuring that Red
Light Market is cleared of
marketeers.
The operation seeks
to provide means for the
our businesses for one day
is dangerous,” said Teta
Johnson.
“The government is
making life very difficult for
its citizens,” said Emmanual
Duo, who also owns a store
in Red Light. “The business
people are taxpayers and
can’t not be treated in such
a manner. You can’t shut
down their businesses
because of the reason to
ensure restrictions. Allow the
business to go on why you
try to restrict the people,” he
argued.
When contacted, Police
Spokesperson Moses Carter
maintained that the police
had decided to restore order
at the market in order to
allow the road construction
to be carried out smoothly.
According to Carter,
the decision to shut down
businesses at the market is
for time indefinite.
“I can’t tell when we are
going to allow stores and
shops to reopen in the market.
We are working to remove
the street vendors from the
area so as to continue the
UNDP Invests US$860K to Grow Liberian
Businesses, Agri Cooperatives
UNDP Liberia
in partnership
with
iCampus Liberia,
have
launched the second round
of the Growth Accelerator
grant competition, which is
designed to provide finance,
business skills and mentoring
to accelerate the growth
of impactful business start-
completion of the road
project and ensure that
marketeers will return to
the newly constructed and
dedicated Omega Market.
However, the police
operation has been criticized
by marketeers and small
business owners who think
that such action deprives
them of livelihood.
And with emotions
running high,they yesterday
blocked traffic at the ELWA
Junction in response to the
police action and demanded
the reopening of their
respective shops and stores.
Many carried signs or
shouted “freedom”, as they
assembled at the ELWA
Junction, Paynesville
City Hall and at President
George Weah's Rehab
Road residence to call
for the reopening of their
businesses.
They claimed that the
closures of the market would
make it difficult for them to
survive and take care of their
families.
Red Light has remained
a place of contention for
several months as many
traders have been defiant to
the government’s mandate
to halt business activity to
allow the completion of the
ongoing road construction
work.
But that has not been
the case, as the project
experienced delays, making
it difficult for the road
construction company to
operate its equipment, with
thousands of vendors who
spread their wares on the
roadside to sell.
Getrude Wilson, chairlady
of the group, said early
ups in Liberia.
This year the competition
seeks to identify and provide
grant funding and training
to seven (7) promising
business ventures, as well
as five (5) agricultural cooperative
societies as a means
of spurring growth and development
of agribusinesses
in Liberia.
Each successful venture
will receive up to
US$40,000 in funding to expand
their profit-making activities,
as well as business
development training and
mentoring to ensure they
succeed and transition into
fully fledged commercial
businesses that are generating
value for their owners
and stakeholders, as well as
providing employment to
Monday morning, they went
to open their businesses,
only to be stopped by police
officers who threatened to
beat them if they disobeyed.
She said there was no
notice from the police
informing them about the
abrupt closure.
“We went to Red Light
this morning but, to our
utmost surprise, they [police
officers] shut the whole Red
Light down. They said there
wouldn’t be any stores or
shops open. They barricaded
the whole place,” she said.
“We asked the police what
happened and they said that
we shouldn’t ask them,” she
explained.
“Some of us took loans
from Access Bank Liberia to
do business and we must sell
everyday to meet up with
our obligations. So closing
— Deadline for Round 2 Growth Accelerator grants is June 16, 2022
Amb. McCarthy Tours
APM Terminals Facility
US Ambassador
Michael
McCarthy
has led a
high-power
delegation to visit APM
Terminals Liberia to assess
the workings of Liberia’s
largest seaport, and the port
digitization projects.
While Amb. McCarthy
toured the facility, he said
it was important that government
and concession
holders, including APM
Terminals, provide the most
efficient operations for Liberian
businesses and ultimately
consumers.
“The Free Port of Monrovia
is critical to Liberia's future.
The United States and
Liberia’s other trading partners
believe the efficient and
transparent operation of the
port is vital to Liberia’s future
growth and prosperity,”
the Ambassador said. “We
support the efforts by APM
Terminals Liberia to fully
digitize customs and port
processes to help achieve
that goal. We are pleased
with the progress we have
seen with digitization so far,
and we expect to see it completed
without delay.”
During the Ambassador's
visit on June 9, he boarded
tugboats and participated in
the docking of a large clinker
vessel to the berth to see
in person the marine services
provided by APM Terminals
Liberia in the Free
Port of Monrovia. The challenges
associated with the
lack of dredging were made
visible by the need for specialized
maneuvering of the
Marine Pilots and the Tug
Masters to bring in vessels
safely and efficiently.
He was informed about
the improvement initiatives
at the port which include a
digitization project between
APM Terminals Liberia and
the Liberia Revenue Authority.
people with disabilities, the
youth and women.
The Growth Accelerator
grant competition,
which is part of UNDP Liberia’s
Livelihoods and
Employment Creation
programme, will this year
invest US$860,000 towards
spurring the growth of micro,
small and mediumsized
business enterprises
(MSMEs) and agricultural
cooperatives into fullfledged
commercial entities
contributing to the reduction
of poverty and inequality in
the country through creation
of sustainable businesses
that can employ the youth,
people with disabilities and
women.
“In 2021, we received
many entries in the first
round of the Growth Accelerator
grant competition and
noted a great demand for allround
business development
support. The interest highlighted
the entrepreneurial
US Ambassador McCarthy (center)
As a multinational port operator
with 75 ports globally,
and specifical operations
in the United States ports
of Los Angeles, Newark,
Miami, and Mobile, APM
Terminals global has a longlasting
relationship with the
United States of America
dating back decades.
That relationship includes
the use of a US Coast Guard
ISPS program active in nearly
all global seaports, including
the Free Port of Monrovia,
which better facilitates
global trade.
Commenting on the digitization
project, Jonny Graham
said the journey they
have embarked on with the
LRA and other government
agencies, is built on a clear
vision of benefiting Liberia
road construction work,” he
told the Daily Observer in a
mobile telephone interview.
The relocation of
marketers from Red Light
to Omega began on July
10, 2021. The decision was
predicated upon the need
to facilitate smooth process
of the road construction
work. The Minister of State
for Presidential Affairs,
Nathaniel McGill, once
said that the government
would lose more than US$1
million if sellers in the area
are not relocated to allow
the road construction work
to continue without any
hindrances.
But the government’s
mandate to relocate
marketers to the Omega
Market has been met with
constant resistance from
petty traders, who say there
is a lack of sufficient space
and other much needed
amenities at Omega Market
for everyone who would
move from Red Light to
sell.
passion and energy of Liberians,
which must be harnessed
and fully developed
to accelerate the country’s
growth and development,”
said Stephen Rodriques,
UNDP’s Resident Representative
in Liberia.
This year’s competition
scales up its support to 12
winners, up from last year’s
five winners.
“This is a huge investment
made by UNDP that
will go directly to impacting
the lives of individuals
who will emerge successful,”
said iCampus CEO,
Luther Jeke.
consumers.
“The US government has
been a strong partner in this
direction and is fully on
board in supporting the process.
We are very pleased
to have such an important
partner providing such great
support to this improvement
initiative,” Graham said.
“And most importantly support
an initiative that will
bring such a great benefit to
the Liberian business community
and to the Liberian
population.”
Meanwhile, APM Terminals
Liberia marine coordinator
Sam Jabbah, who
led the visit on the tugboat
operations, said it was a real
pleasure to show the Ambassador
and his delegation
the working of the marine
pilots and the crews of the
tugboats.