As the rest of the world struggles to come to terms with the effect of climate change, the poorest countries, like our own, are on the front lines. Scientists say the vast majority of climate change is caused by richer countries like the US and China, far out of our control. But an investigation by…
Oil Crisis Sparks Shift to Renewable Energy in Liberia
It stands one storey tall and is painted in radiant orange and green but that is not what makes Emma’s Fashion perhaps the most noticeable building at V.O.A. Junction on the Roberts International Airport highway. What makes it stand out is 16 solar panels attached to two opposite sides of its roof, providing the modern…
Total Stations Threatening Liberia’s Environment? Neither EPA or Public Works Admit Granting Permits
Monrovia – The swamps or wetlands along Liberia’s coast is said to play a crucial role in the country’s ecosystem. They are nesting grounds for sea creatures, which lay and hatch their eggs before returning to the rough sea. Without them Liberia’s fishing industry could be endangered. The wetlands also play a crucial role in…
Impact of Global Oil Price on Liberians
In some of Africa’s biggest oil producing countries like Nigeria and Angola the dramatic global drop in oil prices has had a big impact. Ninety percent of government revenue in those countries comes from oil sales so the drop has been felt by people across the country. Liberia has yet to discover oil and the…
No Oil but Chevron Leaves Its Mark on Liberia
As almost all of the oil companies are shutting down operations in Liberia, we look back at what one of the biggest companies Chevron, is leaving behind as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility program in Liberia. This is a special radio production on Radio Gbarnga bringing to the spotlight the impact of Chevron’s Corporate…
Uncertain Over Payment: Ex-NOCAL Staff Wary of Severance Pay
Monrovia – It has been more than six months since President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf ordered a restructure of the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) in an effort to prevent bankruptcy. With that came the redundancy of more than 100 employees. The decision sparked a serious dispute between the workers and company over severance payments….
Adrienne Tingba Justice Reporter,
Adrienne Tingba is a young creative professional with a variety of experiences, giving her titles like Editor, Model, Creative Director, Humanitarian, Coca-Cola Liberia Executive, Fashion Designer, Writer, Reporter, and Journalist. With all these interests and experience, she mostly likes to refer to herself as a storyteller. Ms. Tingba studied Criminal Justice at Temple University in…
RIP to our dear friend and colleague Prince Collins
We are shocked and saddened at the sudden death of our reporter, leading Liberian journalist Prince Collins. Prince was a presenter with Voice of Firestone radio station and a regular contributor to Voice of America. He was also a proud and loving husband and father. He died today after a short illness. Prince had a long, proud career as…
Liberian students get scholarship U-turn after journalist reports funding collapse
A Liberian journalist taking part in the Foundation’s Wealth of Nations programme has helped force a U-turn after he reported on dozens of students who had had their funding cut by Liberia’s national oil company, NOCAL. NOCAL hit the headlines in June 2015 when it suddenly announced it was close to bankruptcy. The story figured strongly…
Nocal Claims Community Responsibility for Projects That Don’t Exist
Johnsonville, Monrovia – The news that the National Oil Company of Liberia (Nocal) had delivered two much-needed latrines and a water well hand pump to his community came as a shock to Melvin C. Bettie, Commissioner of the Johnsonville township. “This sounds very strange to me that NOCAL has projects in this township,” says Commissioner…
Call for Applications: New Narratives and Thomson Reuters Foundation Wealth of Nations project
Take part in our new project, run in collaboration with New Narratives, that supports Liberian journalists and news organizations in covering the country’s oil industry. The call for applications is now closed. Please read on for general information about the scheme. The project will run from 2015-16 and will feature training, mentoring and capacity building…
James Harding Giahyue Alum
James Harding Giahyue is a leading print reporter and photographer in Liberia whose work appears in Front Page Africa newspaper and website. James was the Chief Mentor and a senior justice correspondent with New Narratives’ West African Justice Reporting Project, where he reported on the trials of accused Liberian war criminals in the United States and…
CPJ Calls on President Sirleaf to Release NN’s Rodney Sieh
Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf President of the Republic of Liberia Executive Mansion Capitol Hill, Monrovia Republic of Liberia Dear President Sirleaf A year ago, you became only the second African head of state to endorse the Declaration of Table Mountain, which calls for the repeal of criminal defamation and “insult” laws throughout Africa. Now,…
NN’s Wade Williams on Ebola in Liberia for The New York Times
MONROVIA, Liberia — LIBERIANS have begun calling the days between July 27 and Aug. 3 “the dark week” — 173 new Ebola virus cases and 94 new deaths. How much darker things may get is anybody’s guess. In Johnsonville, a swampy town outside Monrovia, three dozen corpses in body bags were dumped in shallow holes…
New Narratives teams with Thomson Reuters for 3-year Oil Reporting Program
New Narratives is delighted to announce it has partnered with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the corporate charity of Thomson Reuters to run a project that supports Liberian journalists and news organizations to cover the country’s oil industry. The project will run from 2014-16 and will feature training, mentoring and capacity building for Liberian journalists and news organizations….
NN’s Wade Williams Features on World Press Day Forum at UN HQ in New York
New Narratives’ Wade Williams, Newsroom Chief of Front Page Africa, was invited to appear on UNESCO panel celebrating World Press Day at UN headquarters in New York City. See the video of the speech here and news about the event here. The following is Wade’s speech: Good Morning all First of all let me say a big…
NN’s Mae Azango Features in The Guardian
One big reason why Buzzfeed might never win a Pulitzer prize. The NSA revelations, and Africa’s courageous reporters, make it clear that the toughest journalism won’t work as a list or a gallery. By Peter Preston Sunday 20 April 2014 Editor Alan Rusbridger addresses staff in the newsroom after the Guardian won a Pulitzer prize for…
New Narratives’ Co-founder is awarded Global Australian Award
New Narratives is very proud our co-founder and executive director Prue Clarke has been honored with the Advance Global Australian Award for Social Innovation. Prue received the award at a glittering ceremony at Sydney’s Opera House. Among the other awardees were space scientist Chris Boshuizen and movie director Baz Luhrmann. The award recognized the groundbreaking…
New Narratives Reporters Profiled in Valerie Magazine
After the War, Liberian Women Fight for a New Future MONROVIA, Liberia—As a feminist and reporter based in West Africa, I was drawn to Liberia by the promise of women, who played a significant role in rebuilding a nation left shattered by 14 years of civil war. The international face of the West African country…
NN’s Tecee Boley Wins Prestigious Scholarship to South African University
New Narratives is immensely proud that our fellow and Senior Reporter for Front Page Africa Tecee Boley has won the 2014 Konrad-Adnauer-Stiftung scholarship to the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. Tecee was one of three journalists chosen from across Africa for the prestigious program. Tecee was one of the first reporters to…
NN’s Mae Azango’s Brave Reporting Features on Chime for Change
When Mae Azango wrote her cover story on the health effects of female genital cutting in Liberia’s major newspaper, FrontPage Africa on International Women’s Day in March 2012 she had little idea of the firestorm she would ignite. Within days Mae and her 9-year-old daughter were in hiding – the targets of death threats from…