Tuesday, February 6, 2007

320,000 Volunteers To Work At Beijing 2008


BEIJING (AP) -- More than 320,000 people have volunteered to work at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Organizers, however, need only 70,000 for the Summer Games and 30,000 more for the Paralympics.
The number of applicants from Beijing was about 256,000, of which 181,500 were college students, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported Monday. The rest were from outside the capital.

Xinhua said about 4,000 employees of foreign-run businesses in Beijing also volunteered. They are expected to work in transportation and lodging.
"The employees working for foreign enterprises who can speak foreign languages to a high level will be a major source of Olympic volunteers," said Wang Yi'e, an official of the Beijing Volunteer Association.
The search for volunteers in Beijing began in August and was extended last month to areas outside the capital. The first batch of volunteers will be selected this summer, and they are expected to work at this year's test events.

BIG PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT CONFAB FOR LIBERIA IN U.S.


WASHINGTON D.C: A Forum to bring together Liberians and International Investors has been planned to take place in Washington, DC next week. The event, “Liberia Private Sector Investment Forum,” is to showcase trade and investment opportunities in several vital sectors in the country. The one day forum, which takes place on February 15, 2007, will discuss investment possibilities in the areas of Agriculture, mining and natural resources, power generation and electricity, construction and infrastructure development, transportation, and tourism and hospitality. The forum will also provide an opportunity for potential investors to hear success stories of companies currently engaged in business in Liberia.
A release from the Embassy of Liberia, Washington DC, says both the governments of the Republic of Liberia, and the United States will participate in the forum at high levels.
Liberian Amb. to US - Charles Minor
The President of the Republic of Liberia, Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf will serve as keynote speaker at the Luncheon for the Liberia Private sector investment Forum. The Forum follows two days of intensive government-only Donor Conference for Liberia, on February 13 and 14, 2007, also in Washington DC. The outcome of the donor conference will also be highlighted during the Private Sector Forum.
According to the organizers, the forum is designed to strengthen engagement with the International Business Community to discuss attractive investment opportunities in the new Liberia, ideally situated as the newest gateway for viable investments. They said it is another great opportunity for international investors and Liberian businesses to gain a foothold in the West African sub region through Liberia, a country committed to good governance, lasting stability and a sound business climate.
The Liberian Private Sector Investment forum is being organized in cooperation and co-sponsorship with the Government of Liberia, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), and the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA).
The Forum comes nearly one moth after the first anniversary of the historic inauguration of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first democratically elected female Head of State, who has made great strides towards the establishment of good governance and an opportunistic environment for business in sub Sahara Africa. Her presence at the forum is another signal to the American and other International corporate business community the new Liberia is committed to private sector investment ventures.
President Sirleaf is expected to lead an array of a high powered delegation of Government officials and several members of the Liberian and International business community to Washington DC, USA for both the donors’ conference and the Private Sector Investment Forum. The forum is open to all Liberian Businesses, and potential international partners who are considering taking advantage of the attractive investment climate in the new Liberia. For Registration and reservations, please visit http://www.africacncl.org/ for instructions and program updates.