The Liberian Senate Bureau is expected develop a research agenda for the 52nd National Legislature at a one-day retreat venue outside Monrovia city.

The day-long retreat which is being sponsored by USAID through the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs will be held today at the Wulki farm in Careysburg City.

According to the Director of the Senate Research Bureau Mr. McCarthy Weh II, the retreat will be held under the theme:”Endeavoring to build and provide quality Legislative Research Services”.

He said Ms. Musu Clemens, Team leader of Democracy and Governance at USAID would open the retreat while the President Pro-Tempore of the Liberian Senate, Hon. Isaac W. Nyenabo II will officially open the retreat with official statement .

Besides, Formal Information Minister of the Samuel Doe government,, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Z. Bowier will serve as the key note speaker at the retreat. Rev. Bowier who is Department general Education Ministry at the United Methodist Church will speak on the topic, “Emergence of the Liberian Legislature and comparative analysis.

Other speakers include Professor Alaric Tokpa of the University of Liberia addressing the topic, “Research Methodology and its application to Legislative research.

The importance of developing a Legislative Research Agenda will also be addressed by the Director odd Research at the office Vice President Joseph Boakai.

AFL Gains Numerical Advantage

The training of Liberia’s new army is ongoing unabated wherein from 500 initial men and women, the number is soaring to about 1,634. Recently, graduation ceremonies for another batch of soldiers took place at the Barclay Training Center.

Since it came to state power, the government has directed energies in the path of resuscitating the armed forces of Liberia which was dissolved for breaching its constitutional obligation by taking sides with warring factions during the national conflict.

The United States government is Liberia’s permanent partner that is pumping millions of dollars to the Security Sector Reform Program. Last week, the army took a new dimension when a batch of 510 officers who underwent weeks of basic training in EIT.

A statement issued by those in charge of the training of the new army, said the graduation marks a significant milestone in the history of the new AFL as it increases the personnel strength of the Liberian military by another 45 percent from 1,124 soldiers to 1,634 men and women in uniform.

“The recent graduation is the fourth and penultimate IET class graduation under the U.S-led Security Sector Reform for National Defense Program,” the statement quoted partners as saying.

These soldiers have undergone eight weeks of intensive military training that prepared them for service in the new AFL. Representing 12 of Liberia’s 15 counties, those new soldiers, like many who came before them, bring considerable life experience to the army.

The new batch of graduates numbering 510 consists of 487 men and 23 women. OF this number also are 25 university graduates with the average age of 31. Following their graduation from the first phase, they have begun another round of training in Infantry Advanced Individual Training, Monday, April 28, 2008 for a period of four weeks.

According to an official statement, with this graduating class of 510, the U.S. funded Security Sector Reform Program has now completed initial entry training (or “basic training”) for 82 percent of the projected 2,000 soldiers for the new AFL.

The graduates begin the next phase of their training when they enter the Infantry Advanced Individual Training course. At the same time, the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) Officer Candidate School (OCS) Class graduated at the Barclay Training Center (BTC) in Monrovia.

The candidates who completed the course demonstrated superior leadership potential and professionalism which Liberians can be proud of and should insist upon their military.

The United States has invested significant resources over the past three years to demobilize the former AFL, vetting and recruiting new members for an AFL that will respect human rights and serve the Liberian people honorably.