Liberia Government (Monrovia)
16 April 2008
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has solicited the Government of Denmark's support in Liberia's reconstruction. She made the call today in Copenhagen, Denmark at the start of a two-day state visit.
During bilateral talks with Prime Minister Anders Rasmussen and Foreign Minister Dr. Per Moller, the Liberian leader spoke of what she referred to as the modest progress made by her government thus far, but added that more needed to be done. She spoke of the need to do more for small scale Liberian farmers and solicited Danish support for a micro-credit scheme in this regard. She emphasized that the setting up of such a micro-credit scheme would be a major remedy to the growing problems stemming from rising prices. President Johnson-Sirleaf further called for Danish support in revamping the Freeport of Monrovia as well as the need to build the capacity of Liberians. The President also requested support for internally displaced persons in the wake of returning Liberian refugees from Ghana. She stressed that the expectations of Liberians for the government to succeed is high, but observed that the bureaucracy which governs the activities of some international organizations does not help the country's development agenda.
For his part, Danish Prime Minister Anders Rasmussen praised President Johnson Sirleaf for the progress she has made during her two-year presidency. He said she had succeeded in bringing hope and progress to Liberia. He added that the Liberian leader's efforts had led to a new focus on Liberia due to the remarkable turnaround of the country. Prime Minister Rasmussen said he believed that Liberia and Africa needed more of the likes of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, adding that his government will stand beside her in Liberia's march towards national recovery.
The President also served as keynote speaker at the Africa Commission Forum today. The Africa Commission brings together political leaders with the aim of fighting poverty and bringing about positive change across the continent. The President said a wind of change had blown across Africa, emphasizing that the bad news of the continent had changed. She observed that positive developments on the continent do not get the attention it deserves. The President spoke of the rising number of unemployed youths and HIV-AIDS as major challenges. President Johnson-Sirleaf said Liberia is still a fragile state on the threshold of being a post-conflict success story. She called on the Commission to employ a sense of urgency when it deals with fragile states like Liberia, adding that the possibility of the country slipping back into conflict remains high.
Those traveling with the President include Monsterrado County Senator Hannah Brent and Hon. Sadia Massaquoi, Liberia's Ambassador to Denmark.
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