Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

LIBERIA: Making headway The announcement of a US$1 billion iron ore investment in Liberia by China will give President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s government a fillip in 2009 amid local rivalries and increasing reports of internal corruption...

Following the election of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in November 2006 Liberian officials renegotiated the contract with Mittal and claimed to have substantially improved the terms (Africa Confidential Vol 47 No 25)...

In May President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf signed a deal which gave 120 000 hectares of forest in Gbarpolu and Lofa counties to Alpha Logging in which Woodman has a 60% stake...

On 1 April Liberia's Senate approved the Minerals Development Agreement that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's government had signed with the China-Union (Hong Kong) Mining Company and its local subsidiary China-Union (Liberia) Bong Mines Company on 19 January...

68 billion agreement signed by China Union's Chief Executive Yin Fuyou and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on 19 January to restart iron ore production at the old Bong Mines flies in the face of global economic realities as mining projects stall and close across Asia and Africa...

It has taken Liberia which had an unambiguously pro-Western government under President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf more than two years to negotiate a debt reduction programme with the World Bank and IMF; it is likely to take Zimbabwe longer still...

Many are grateful for the peace for which they thank the United Nations' 12 800-strong peacekeeping operation but they see little difference between the greedy Americo-Liberian elites (who ran the country under President Charles Taylor and former Chairman of the National Transitional Government Charles Gyude Bryant) and the ones in charge now under President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf...

Life in Liberia is gradually improving President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf told the United Nations' General Assembly to some applause on 23 September...

On election President Ernest Bai Koroma gave himself three years to turn Sierra Leone around but the first year has been unimpressive and the smart performance of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's government in Liberia makes its neighbour look flat-footed...

Exploration in Liberia is moving slowly as President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's government sorts out exploration contracts awarded by the transitional government under Charles Gyude Bryant who is under investigation for corruption (AC Vol 48 No 16)...