The United States Embassy in Monrovia has ended a 3-day training workshop on Environmental Protection and Eco-Tourism in Liberia.
The US embassy through its strategic Speaker Initiative Program sponsored the workshop with over 40 participants drawn from the Conservation International, Green Advocates, Fiona and Floral, Child Arts, Liberia, Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.
Speaking to journalists Thursday at the close of the educative workshop held at the USIS Conference Hall in Mamba Point, the Specialist on Tourism Development at the US embassy, Jon Kohl said participants were basically educated to the importance of eco-tourism in Liberia, its importance at community development and the environmental protections levels.
He said participants were trained in eco-tourism and its challenges, how they can develop tourism products in Liberia, the component of the tourism products and their different considerations, in terms of the infrastructure and many others.
According to him, Liberia has to do more in its eco-tourism activities because “it has just begun progress in the eco-tourism industry and it needs to curb out its own image as it relates to the different aspect of eco-tourisms.”
Mr. Kohl said he also believed that through the participating group or organizations, they would be able to actually move forward after “all this and have got assistance from US embassy to have sponsored the training.”
He said that from the workshop, the participants will be able to manage eco-tourism, by getting new ideas and able to connect them with many other information.
According to him,, those who want to go down the path of successive tourism development has to stand with the challenges.
Drastic Actions Awaits Illegal Scrap Dealers
About few months ago, the Unity Party led government lifted the ban on scrap, but the Assistant Minister James K. Zawolo said that his ministry has put into place measures to deal with anyone who will go contrary to the guideline set aside by the Lands, Mines and Energy Ministry.
He said that before the lifting of the ban, the Lands Mine Ministry through his office issues and later series of awareness about the importance of the guidelines and that those find going outside of the guidelines will bear the full penalty of it.
Speaking yesterday at the one workshop organized by the Lands, Mines and Energy Ministry for Scrap dealers in Monrovia, Minister Zawolo said that workshop is intended to give more information about the rules governing the scarp industry of the country, adding most of illegal dealers go about looting government properties on grounds that it is scraps.
He stressed that anyone caught in the act will bear the full weight of the law, noting that some of the rules includes; only legitimate scrape brokers shall be allow to transport scrap materials and scrap metals from one area to another; all dealers agents shall be issued ID Cards by the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy; the handling, stockpiling and processing of scrap materials and scrap metals shall be environmentally safe and acceptable to the Environmental Protection Agency.
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He named that all scrap facilities shall be inspected by the Scrap Technical Sub Committee prior to issuance or renewal of contract, amongst others.
Also speaking a the workshop, the President of the Liberia Scrap Association, Edwin O. Urey said scrap industry is an essential part of the Liberian Society because of it contribution to the economy and the positive role it plays within the environment.
He furthered said scrap industry is not unique to Liberia only but it a universal industry with different sectors including ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, plastic, wood and glass.
According to him, the role for the lower echelon of the Liberian society has become important in the scrap industry; the industry ability to provide employment for ex-combatants of the civil crisis reduces the prospect of violence and is vital to the rebuilding process.
Noting the impact is not limited to one sector; is broad base, the impact is felt from petit trading, to trucking, shipping amongst other.
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