Group of 77 gets new head

Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor has named Madam Florence Wayfa-Siafa as the new Executive Director of the Group of 77 on Newport Street. Madam Wayfa-Siafa, according to a press release from the office of the Vice president, replaces the wife of Ex-Vice President Joseph Boakai, Madam Katumu Boakai who headed the institution for twelve years.

Speaking during her interactions with members of the disabled home, Madam Howard-Taylor asked members of the group to work with the newly appointed Executive Director to formulate new programs meant to address their plight.

According to the press release, Madam Howard-Taylor said government remains committed to addressing the challenges facing the physically challenged people with the Group of 77 being no exception.

The CDC-led government’s pro-poor agenda under the leadership of H.E President George M. Weah and Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor, takes seriously the plight of physically challenged people in the country.

VP Taylor recalled that during her tenure as Senator of Bong county over the years, she seriously opposed the idea of physically challenged persons gathering at public places begging, a situation she said, has to change. ‘Our physically challenged brothers and sisters must go beyond mere survival and start living better lives as desired of all other Liberians,’ she averred.

She presented thirty bags of rice to members of the Group of 77 as part of her initial commitment to enhancing to their welfare at the institution.
Speaking earlier, concern members of the Group of 77 outlined a number of challenges being experienced under the past leadership of the institution.

They spoke of the need for quarterly meetings intended to discuss and find a way forward to these challenges. The concern group in a statement demanded the replacement of the entire leadership of the Group of 77 with competent members of their kind.

The group of 77 is one of the institutions which the Vice president has direct mandate and supervision over. The Vice president as part of her mandate has therefore, asked the newly appointed Executive Director to formulated new programs targeting the welfare of members of the Group of 77.