Karl R. Smith Wonders...

There have been lots of demand on the information technology/telecommunication infrastructure recently. The pronouncement from the President of Liberia, H.E. George M. Weah that all schools should remain closed and that schools should seek innovative ways to still engage their students has given the increase need for online classes. Most schools are in the state of confusion since the implement of online learning is somehow new to Liberia. Online learning is for everyone including K12 to higher education. This paper will cover higher education. Recently, the commission on higher education and the Ministry of Education met with all universities to discuss and plan forward as it relates to universities continuing regular academic activities (virtually). Lucky, some universities have already started using some form of eLearning. Those universities are using the SchooLink ePortal which allow students to plan and register their courses online. These students already have their stud

If you have been following the local news or the social media platforms, you might be asking yourself why is the General Services Agency (GSA) under the leadership of Madam Mary Broh, former President Sirleaf’s “no non-sense” director, cannot publish the list of all those who have not returned Government vehicles. Madam Broh gained the confidence of the former President due to the wonderful work that she did at the Passport section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Monrovia City Corporation, National Port Authority (Deputy Director) and now the General Services Agency. Many critics will want to argue regarding Madam Broh’s competences as it relates to her administration of the GSA by using the case of the missing vehicles as a yardstick. I am not going to discuss Madam Broh’s competences or her leadership style; however, I am going to discuss the power of technology and how it was ignored – in the GSA missing vehicle case. I have heard lots of pundits on radios and so

There can be no doubt that next year will be historical for some of us who have never witnessed a peaceful transition of power from one President to another or from one political party to another. With my limited knowledge of political science, let’s consider that I don’t know what I am talking about regarding the transfer of state power. However, there is one thing I do know for sure is that whoever the next president of Liberia is – there are some technology refinement that will be expected. Some of my colleagues think I can be an excellent technology advisor to any elected President due to the multitudinous ideas I have in using technology to make Liberia better. I cannot agree any less with them since it will give me added clout in the society and the rebuilding of Mama Liberia. Notwithstanding, I have asked myself over and over if this is what I do want to do and the only answer that continues to ring in my ears is NO. I do not want to be an advisor, at least not right now.

It is the constitutional mandate of the President of Liberia to address the National Legislators at the beginning of every year but this year seems to be very different and momentous. It is the last time she would make such an address to the nation as President of the Republic of Liberia. I have always been an admirer of the President as it relates to the way she speaks and her addresses to the nation. I often tell others that she is a very good sales professional. In the President’s final annual message, she spoke on different issues, ranging from national security to elections, from education to health, from job creation to “papa na come” but she failed to address technology as I would have expected. While it is clear that the President’s objectives have not focused on technology over the years, I was baffled that technology was not exclusively discussed in her message. Her message as like always was about the big (5) five sectors: economy, health, education, security and ag

How do I start this paper? Most of my friends know that I have deep passion for technology and complex problems solving but not many of them will imagine me installing a solar panel and a windmill system together in Liberia. Most time if I am not writing some computer codes or playing around with new technology vSphere, etc, I must be playing video game to be specific “Fifa 14” -- which my lovely wife can sometime practically shut down to game for us to go to bed. This time around, I am not doing any of those – I am caught up trying to set up a solar panel and a windmill system for one of my company’s clients who for non-disclosure reasons I am not going to mention. Here is the exact scenario: We are to install a wireless radio and a CCTV in the middle of the water on a 10 feet wide rocks unleveled surface. The distance from this island is approximately three miles from land. There is no electricity to power the wireless radio and the CCTV – that is why we introdu