Liberia Development News - LRDC BRIEF

LRDC BRIEF Vol. 2 No. 1

LRDC BRIEF Vol. 2 No. 1 2

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the

World Bank's International Development Associa-

tion (IDA) have decided to support US$4.6 billion

of debt relief for Liberia, of which US$1.5 billion

is to be delivered by multilateral creditors and the

remainder by bilateral and commercial creditors.

This was made possible in part by the exceptional

efforts of members of the international community

to finance debt relief for Liberia.

The decisions by the Executive Boards of both

institutions will reduce the stock of debt in present

value terms by US$[2.9] billion, which includes

US$[2.7] billion from the enhanced Heavily In-

debted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative and

US$[223.8] million from the Multilateral Debt

Relief Initiative (MDRI). Debt relief from the IMF

will total US$730.0 million - the IMF‘s biggest

ever HIPC contribution for a single country - and

from the World Bank‘s IDA, US$375 million. As

a result of this relief, Liberia will no longer face a

heavy debt service burden in relation to its

revenue and foreign exchange resources.

The Boards determined that Liberia has taken the

necessary policy actions to reach the completion

point, and therefore debt relief from both the

HIPC Initiative and MDRI becomes irrevocable.

Liberia has successfully implemented its poverty

reduction strategy and maintained a stable macro-

economic environment, despite the global eco-

nomic crisis.

―We welcome the concerted efforts made by Libe-

ria to obtain this debt relief—this will help attract

new investment and generate much needed oppor-

tunities,‖ said Chris Lane, IMF mission chief for

Liberia. ―Liberia can now mobilize additional

resources to rebuild the road network and the elec-

tricity supply system, providing the infrastructure

needed to allow economic growth, while continu-

ing to expand the health care and education sys-

tems. Liberia will also be able to further develop

its own financial market and channel private sav-

ings to productive uses. We wish to acknowledge

the efforts by the international community to fi-

nance Liberia‘s debt relief, with over 100 mem-

bers of the IMF making exceptional contributions

beyond the normal terms granted to heavily in-

debted poor countries.‖

World Bank Country Director Ishac Diwan said:

―Liberian authorities are building a credible track

record for implementing economic and govern-

ance reforms. Debt relief will support the con-

tinuation of these efforts, while also freeing up

resources for health care, education and other

essential services that are supported by IDA and

other donors through the national budget.‖

Liberia becomes the 29th country to reach the

completion point under the HIPC Initiative. The

completion point marks the end of the HIPC

process, which started in 2008 when the Execu-

tive Boards of the IMF and the World Bank

agreed that Liberia had met requirements for

reaching the decision point, when countries start

receiving debt relief on an interim basis.

The HIPC Initiative: In 1996, the World Bank

and IMF launched the HIPC Initiative to create

a framework in which all creditors, including

multilateral creditors, can provide debt relief to

the world's poorest and most heavily indebted

countries to ensure debt sustainability, and

thereby reduce the constraints

on economic growth and pov-

erty reduction imposed by the

unsustainable debt-service

burdens in these countries.

To date, 36 HIPC countries

have reached their

decision points (including

Comoros on June 29, 2010),

of which 29, including Libe-

ria, have reached the comple-

tion point.

The MDRI: Created in 2005,

the aim of the Multilateral

Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI)

is to reduce further the debt of

eligible low-income countries

and provide additional resources to help them

reach the Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs). Under the MDRI, three multilateral

institutions - the World Bank‘s IDA, the Inter-

national Monetary Fund and the African Devel-

opment Fund - provide 100 percent debt relief

on eligible debts to qualifying countries nor-

mally at the time they reach the HIPC Initiative

completion point.

Finance Minister Augustine K. Ngafuan and Planning Minis-

ter Amara Konneh at a news conference upon arrival in Libe-

ria at the Roberts International Airport


The new multi-security post facility being constructed by the Government of Liberia at the Liberian-

Ivory Coast border in Toe Town, Grand Gedeh County. The Liberia National Police, Immigration and

Custom officials will use the building to run their respective operations.

Superintendent of Nimba County Edith Gongloe-Weh is excited about reading a copy of the LRDC

BRIEF newsletter in her office in Sanniquelle.

HELP LIFT LIBERIA Liberia needs you now more than ever before

www.liftliberia.gov.lr Communicating the PRS: An awareness meeting

with Liberians in Kakata, Margibi County

The LRDC Brief is a publication of the Liberia Reconstruction and Development Committee (LRDC) Communication Office highlighting progress and challenges in the PRS implementation

Managing Editor James F. Kollie Head of Publication & Design Sidiki Trawally Content Developer: Derek Reeves Editorial Assistants Cleo Watkins– Johnson Theophilus Addey Roland Kallon Pillar Advisors Jesse Korboi (IBS) Jerry Taylor (ERC) Shanda Cooper (SEC) Joseph Zangar Bright (GRC) Website www.liftliberia.gov.lr

Front cover photo credit:

HEALTH SECTOR: A 100-bedroom state-of-

the-art referral hospital in Tapita is a promise

fulfilled in the GOL quest to provide quality

and affordable healthcare to Liberians.

Below: The new University of Liberia Fendell

Campus will be home to more than 18,000

Liberians and foreign students soon.

Photos: Sidiki Trawally, LRDC

LRDC BRIEF - A publication of the Liberia Reconstruction and Development Committee Communication Office


at the Monrovia City Hall, Min. Konneh said

there is an increasing attention at a global level

to the issue of aid effectiveness.

Min. Konneh noted that Liberia has made

significant achievements in its recovery from

the civil conflict in promoting peaceful and

equitable social and economic development

through the implementation of the 150 Days

Action Plan, the Interim Poverty Reduction

Strategy, and now the Lift Liberia Poverty

Reduction Strategy.

The Minister acknowledged that external

assistance has also played a crucial role in

Liberia‘s progress over the last decade, and

will continue to do so in years to come.

―While external assistance came

predominantly in the form of emergency

humanitarian assistance seven years ago, the

gradual restoration of order, stability, and

national institutions ensued. The Government

is now in a position to assert genuine

ownership and leadership in development

activities and the external resources on which

they rely,‖ Minister Konneh asserted.

Two years ago, Liberia embarked on an

ambitious path to long-term sustainable devel-

opment with the launching of the Lift Liberia

Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Melissa Chea-Annan, Sidiki Trawally

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has made a

passionate plead with Liberia‘s development

partners to align their projects with Liberia‘s

priorities.

In an official closing remarks at the end of the

two-day high level summit on aid effectiveness

in Liberia, the Liberian leader said while

development partners remain very helpful in the

post-conflict country recovery, they should

respect Liberia‘s priorities and undertake

projects that will benefit Liberia.

―Do not build a school in a community where

there are already several schools and the new

one is not a priority of the community,‖ the

President stressed. ―There is no way that any

country, Liberia included, can achieve its

development goals if you do not own the

process. While partners are being very helpful,

we plead with you to please respect our

priorities,‖ the President said .

The Liberian Chief Executive, amidst applause

from the audience, stated that government and

its development partners are making important

efforts to ensure a gradual reduction of

dependence on external aid.

The Government along with donor partners

HIGH LEVEL SUMMIT ON AID

EFFECTIVENESS emphasized Government‘s commitment to

ensure that high quality aid are utilized to the

maximum by allowing government to carry the

burden of responsibility to establish national

development priorities and strengthen capacity

in aid management.

At the summit, convened to broaden the policy

dialogue on aid effectiveness and NGO

coordination in Liberia, the Government

reiterated its commitment to improve aid

effectiveness in the country by shifting from

project financing to coordinated donor financing.

Thus, a clear institutional arrangement for aid

coordination must replace transitional structures

and approaches.

President Sirleaf acknowledges high quality aid

is crucial to Liberia's development in the

medium-term. She noted that with sufficient

high quality aid in the medium-term, her

Government can deliver efficient services to the

people, stimulate economic recovery and reduce

poverty.

Liberia‘s Planning and Economic Affairs

Minister Amara Konneh said the topic of high

quality aid and its effectiveness has never been

more relevant to Liberia‘s recovery and

development than it is now.

Addressing the opening session of the summit


PICTORIAL:

High Level Summit On Aid Effectiveness

This shift in Liberia‘s needs must be accompa-

nied by a change in the way in which both the

Government and its development partners

conceptualize aid, so that together we ensure

that assistance to Liberia has maximum impact

on the lives of the Liberian citizenry.

Minister Konneh termed the summit as ―timely

and a very important vehicle for sharing ideas

and experiences that can further our

understanding of aid effectiveness.‖ The

summit deepened the dialogue on aid with

representatives from the entire spectrum of

Liberia‘s development community, including

policymakers, partners that give external

assistance, leading development practitioners,

civil society organizations and academics in the

field of development.

The Liberian Minster noted there is a growing

imbalance between external assistance and

Liberia‘s weak institutional capacity to

administer and use aid effectively. Liberia‘s

development needs were initially humanitarian

during the immediate post conflict years, but

have grown in complexity and cost over the last

two years. ―Our aid flows today has a different

trajectory,‖ he declared.

According to the World Bank, postwar

countries such as Liberia that receive significant

assistance follow a boom and burst curve: a

rapid rise in the immediate postwar years

followed by a sharp decline and the possibility

of a gradual rise thereafter. If indeed the World

Bank is right, Liberia must have an aid policy in

place to help all of us manage that boom and

burst curve right here in Liberia. The expected

outcome of our dialogue will be an aid strategy

and policy that will help all of us attract high

quality aid and manage it effectively!

Meanwhile, the Liberian Government and

Development partners including Non-

Government Organizations in the country have

agreed to renew partnership for development by

improving efforts to have mutual assessment

review, complemented with credible

independent evidence to identify aid

management and implementation challenges

and improvements in the country.

In a resolution adopted following intensive

brain-storming at the end of the two-day

summit in Monrovia, on Friday, April 16th, the

participants agreed that the Liberian govern-

ment will manage aid through a participatory

approach.

Other national constituencies should also be

engaged in the process particularly the

Legislature, private sector and civil society.

The Summit further agreed that country systems

and processes that met agreed standards would

be used to deliver aid as first option and that

development partners will co-develop plans on

increasing use of country systems with national

leaders and work within the country-led division

of labor.

In a four-count agreement, participants said de-

velopment partners will adapt conditions for the

direction and management of aid to support na-

tional priorities and sub-national and sectoral

development objectives. They agreed Aid impact

shall also be determined by the ability to extend

support to marginalized groups and the poorest

of the poor.

The Summit called on national authorities to

strengthen the linkages between public

expenditures and results. The information on aid

should be made increasingly transparent, includ-

ing development partners' provision of informa-

tion on planned aid to the country on a timely

basis.

The summit was a continuation of conversation

between the GOL and its development partners

through the LRDC on aid coordination and man-

agement within the context of the Paris Declara-

tion with the goal of brainstorming ideas to feed

into Liberia‘s Aid Policy before this fiscal year is

over.

The Government, with support from the African

Center for Economic Transformation (ACET),

has completed a draft Aid Management Strategy

with inputs from development partners. The draft

strategy sets out the Government of Liberia‘s

vision for improved aid management, and those

policies which will turn that vision into reality.

The Summit brought together over 200 represen-

tatives from the GOL, partners and civil society,

with the aim of engaging in a constructive dia-

logue focusing on the Government's priorities

and guiding principles for the mobilization, coor-

dination and management of aid in Liberia. ***

We Are Getting there.

Help Lift Liberia!

Senate ProTemp Cletus Wortoson

Cross-section of participants

Panelist Wilson Tarpeh response to a question

Minister Konneh speaks

Participant raises hand to ask question


We slept in Cestos City and began our work the

following day with meetings and cameras moving

from one project to another. Cestos is a small city

and it‘s the capital of River Cess County, where

almost everybody knows the statistics on cars and

schools and churches, etc. The entire city knew

that some strangers had come to town.

Suddenly we banged into the same young man

whom we met in Wruazohn, which is actually 10

minutes drive from Cestos. He recognized us and

revealed that he was the one we met in the nearby

village the previous day.

His name is Simeon G. Sahn, a son of River Cess

and the senior monitor of the 15 monitors in the

county. Simeon works with the Ministry of

Planning & Economic Affairs in his county and

travels two hours daily to get to Cestos City from

Darsaw Town, his small village outside of Cestos.

Among other things, he monitors the construction

of schools, health facilities, roads and other

interventions in his county.

Simeon began his education in River Cess and

migrated to Monrovia to complete his high school

education at Sarah Barclay High School in Lower

Virginia. He supervises all monitors who are

scattered around the counties. We witnessed him

tell his story and chose to capture him for the

LRDC BRIEF.

It is a cogent lesson for many young people. River

Cess has no gas station, building material store, or

bank. For the first time, the county has begun to

have some basic infrastructure being put up. Today,

the police headquarters, magisterial court, a high

school and couple of clinics have all been

constructed over the years.

Simeon is playing a marvelous role in ensuring that

these vital projects are impacting the lives of his

people. ―I am working for my people,‖ he says with

passion and a smile.

To Simeon, walking long distances in the day and

night to bring much needed development to his

county remains his passion. He enjoys his work

and has vowed to continue.

HELP REBUILD LIBERIA!

It is Saturday, April 10, 2010 and the LRDC Road

Show team headed by Communications Director

Sidiki Trawally had crisscrossed into River Cess

County from Sinoe County.

River Cess was considered for the Road Show

because of the county‘s recorded high incidence of

poverty in the 2008 National Survey. We wanted

to see some of the remotest parts of the county to

see the situation with our own eyes. Having

traveled for more than five hours from Greenville

to Cestos City, we discovered some startling

revelations.

The challenges were present before us: collapsed

bridges made of logs, sporadic gold mining

activities along the rivers, the deadwoods of the

then Oriental Timber Company (OTC) and the

scars of the civil war seem to just be evolving.

Kids waved at our vehicle as we drove past

villages and towns.

Upon reaching Wruazohn, we met a young man,

in his early 30s, walking from Cestos City. We

stopped to ask him how far we were to Cestos. His

response was sublime: ‗Cestos City is just about

10 minutes away‘, he beamed. That was the most

accurate distance timing we got on this road show.

Travelers sometimes have difficulties with those

who try to predict the distance to key cities or

towns, but that‘s the challenge of traveling in an

area where the distance is not fully mapped out.

There were no road signs or mile indicators.

Simeon G. Sahn Photo: Sidiki Trawally

Simeon’s Passion for Project

Development in his hometown By Stephen Marvie

HIGHLIGHT

Assistant Minister of Planning Stephen Marvie

greets Simeon as he bids farewell to the LRDC

team in Cesto. Behind them is the road leading to

Simeon’s village. Photo: Sidiki Trawally, LRDC


PRS Survey Shows Progress Amidst Information Dissemination

Challenges

Communication and knowledge of government‘s efforts and successes in reducing poverty

throughout Liberia seem to be insufficient. Very little is known of government‘s achievements with

regards to the Poverty Reduction Strategy with peoples of the subdivisions in Liberia.

conditions were now better in Bong County

than before the implementation of the PRS,

65% answered that conditions are better be-

cause of PRS

implementation while 34% said they don‘t see

much difference.

Respondents that answered in the affirmative

cited ―better security,‖ ―improved health facili-

ties‖ and ―free primary education‖, as reasons

they think things are better.

On the medium of receiving information, 57%

of respondents said that radio was the prime

source of receiving information, while only 8%

said that they got information from Palava hut

discussions.

Continued on page 8

PHOTO CAPTION: President Ellen John-

son Sirleaf addressing the Aid Summit.

(Inset) She chats with some development

partners Hall.

By Derek Reeves

Most likely, the channels of information

dissemination used don‘t seem to be reaching a

bulk of ordinary people who are direct

beneficiaries of these development initiatives.

More than just making a mere guess, the Liberia

Reconstruction and Development Committee

(LRDC) under the stewardship of its National

Coordinator, the Minister of Planning and

Economic Affairs, Hon. Amara Konneh,

launched a bold strategy of engagement and

dialogue with locals of the 15 counties of

Liberia on development issues.

Designed also to monitor and evaluate ongoing

projects under the PRS and the County

Development Agenda, the strategy endeavors to

gauge the level of understanding of ordinary

residents.

With the first of this series beginning in

Liberia‘s central province, Bong County, a

questionnaire was devised to capture public

opinions on development issues. A random

survey that targeted 35 persons in communities in

the region to get an appreciation of what ordinary

people knew about what was driving development

in their communities was conducted.

When asked what developments they see going on

around their communities, 54% admitted that they

can see clinics being built or under construction;

another 45% said schools were either being built

or under construction, while another 20% said

they are aware of roads being rehabilitated.

Out of 26 males and 9 females, 15

were adults and 20 youths. 62% of

the interviewees demonstrated that

they knew the meaning and the

importance of the PRS. Explanations

ranged from ―improving the living

standard of all Liberians‖ to

―rebuilding infrastructures.‖

Surprisingly, only 37% of interview-

ees knew about the County Develop-

ment Agenda.

When asked if they thought LRDC Staffer Roland Kallon interviews a resident in Kakata


Pictorial: GOL development Projects impacting lives across Liberia

The Sanquin bridge under construction in Sinoe County

…………………………...

PRS Survey Shows Progress

Findings from this survey suggested that

more people get information from listen-

ing to radios and that more people also

acknowledged that government is making

significant strides in improving the

livelihood of peoples in the country. It was

established that news channeling would be

importantly done through local vernaculars

on the local radio stations.

This survey when completed nationwide,

would give the LRDC a clearer under-

standing of public opinions on develop-

ment issues registering their most pressing

concerns. It would also allow LRDC to put

more emphasis on information dissemina-

tion so that local residents are aware that

developments in their communities are

driven by GOL.

If this is done, locals would have better

appreciation of government‘s efforts. ***

Superintendent Julia Duncan Cassell of

Grand Bassa County reads LRDC

BRIEF at her residence in Buchanan

A new Community College in Sanniquellie, Nimba Co.

Toe Town bridge under construction

Millennium Village project: Rock Crusher school

55-bed room C.H Dunbar health center

New Maternity ward at C. H Rhene hospital in Kakata

War affected girls going through counseling in

Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County

The famous Water Tower in Kakata, Margibi Co

A market woman in Marshall, Margibi County

LRDC vehicle on the road show across Liberia


A clearing on a hill-rock overlooking

picturesque jungle in north eastern Liberia is a

hive of activity, as dozens of workers with

harmers and nails buckets and cement and

cement blocks set about constructing the first

purpose-built prison in Sanniquellie, the capital

of Nimba, County.

Not far away, amid stacks of cement blocks,

high tension steel rods, and other construction

materials, two men are busy tending pots

simmering with the midday meal for the

workers. A signpost with details of the project

and implementing partners, towers over the

men. The prison complex is being constructed

by the United Nations in Liberia to support

Liberia‘s Ministry of Justice.

The project is a result of a joint initiative by the

UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and the

Ministry of Justice and is being constructed

under a contract by the United Nations Office

of Project Services with an almost US$ 1

million grant provided by the UN Peace

Building Fund (UN PBF). The project also

includes the recruitment and training of 50

correction officers (20 for Sanniquellie and 30

for Monrovia Central Prison) and the provision

of logistics equipment and other logistics

support.

The new prison will replace an aging and

cramped warehouse-turned-prison facility that

has for years served as the only holding facility

for prisoners in the city. It stands in the middle

of an enclosure protected by barbed-wire and

has a small area for recreation facilities. Prison

breaks is a regular occurrence, as prisoners

were able to easily cut through the barbed wire

encircling the compound. Not built to be used

as a prison, the complex also lacks basic

facilities.

Over 100 prisoners including seven women and

five juveniles, are currently cramped into the

warehouse that is divided into cells meant to

house 25.Until recently, the premises had no

running water, functioning sanitation facilities

or kitchen. Only two of the six toilets are

functioning. To alleviate the water problem, a

hand pump was placed within the facility

through a joint initiative through the Danish

Red Cross, Nimba chapter of the Red Cross and

the Prison.

The new prison is set in a twelve-and-a-half

acre plot of land not too far from the city

centre. It will be more secure, and have a series

of airy and spacious cells designed to

comfortably hold 72 prisoners. There will be

running water and several toilets for use by

inmates and prison officials. It will also have a

separate building that will serve as a kitchen.

The UN is also training twenty new correction

officers to strengthen the nine-man staff at the

facility. The new officers have commenced a

six-month training program which includes a

month of on-the-job training in Sanniquellie.

The prison complex and training for prison

officers is part of a wider effort by the UN in

Liberia to support the Government of Liberia to

develop its corrections and judicial facilities.

The UN is constructing building to house

courts, providing equipment and vehicles, and

offering training as part of its support to

Liberia‘s judiciary.

Story by Rukshan Ratnam and Magdalene

Matthews

SANNIQUELLIE GETS NEW PRISON

Tubman Boulevard Lights Up

After five years of reconstruction and rehabilitation

of key infrastructures including streets and high-

ways around the capital, one can safely say that

Liberia is back in business.

Each day, there is proof of new constructions taking

place in the capital and its environs, but most nota-

bly along the fast-moving Tubman Boulevard –

from the Monrovia City Hall to Congo Town.

Most companies including international airlines

flying Liberia‘s route are attracted to the busiest

city highway where they have their head offices.

Beautifully designed and colored Billboards,

Continued on page 14


By Sidiki Trawally

A sustained investment in the Liberian human

resource is crucial to the post-conflict nation‘s

development agenda. Speakers at today‘s na-

tional capacity summit say building the capacity

of Liberians is a benchmark to Liberia achieving

its full potentials.

The summit, attended by about 200 people from

different sectors including the public and private

sectors was ultimately the first step taken by the

Government to address the country‘s capacity

woes.

Speakers, including Superintendents from

various counties in Liberia, development partners

and the civil society, agreed that capacity

development is of importance if the rebuilding of

Liberia is to continue down the path to success.

The Tuesday‘s national summit on capacity de-

velopment was also necessary to ensure that

Liberia‘s future reflects the great progress made

in the past seven years.

USAID Representative, Ms. Carolyn Bryan

noted that since the signing of Peace Accords in

2003, seven remarkable years have gone by. She

acknowledged that in the face of an enormous

rebuilding task, Liberians have rolled up their

sleeves and committed themselves to working

hard.

―And they have worked hard because these years

have not been the easiest, nor have they always

been successful. But no-one can deny that the

past seven years have seen some remarkable

successes as a result of the commitment and hard

work of Liberians, aided by partners in the

international community.‖

Ms. Bryan said USAID shares government‘s

belief that the best way to keep this positive

momentum is to continue to invest in the

capacity of Liberians. According to her, this

belief is what led USAID to be one of the pri-

mary supporters of the GEMAP, TOKTEN and

Senior Executive Service programs which im-

proved institutional and individual capabilities

across sectors in Liberia.

―Now the country finds itself at an important

juncture where the current PRS is coming to an

end and it is important that all the hard work is

not wasted, that the commitment continues,‖ the

USAID official told the participants. She noted

the release of a budget of over 300 million by

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is an indication

of the positive effect this capacity building has

had on Liberia.

Ms. Bryan said through classes held in

cooperation with Liberia Institute for Public

Administration, hundreds of Liberians in both

the public and private sectors have benefited

from capacity building trainings and have

passed those benefits to their employees.

In the future, USAID plans to continue to

support Government‘s effort through a new

five-year $38 million dollar program that will

build on the successes of the GEMAP. In fact,

this new program will have capacity building

asone of its core missions, Ms. Bryan disclosed.

―We are cognizant of the need for careful donor

cooperation and coordination. Liberia receives

an enormous amount of development

“We have had now many years of peace and stability and we are beginning to enjoy the right conditions for building capacity and achieving prosperity.

So, there are no excuses for our capacity gaps. We can fill these gaps and transform our people and institutions if we can target our resources wisely.

….Vice President, HE Joseph Boakai at the national summit on capacity development

BUILDING HUMAN CAPACITY KEY TO LIBERIA’S DEVELOPMENT


term; emergency capacity needs through the

infusions of skilled expertise, with incentives

and systems to support them, and secondly to

formulate a long-term capacity development

strategy,‖ Mr. Soumare said.

―As Liberia moves to the final phase of the

PRS implementation, it is critical to

consolidate and sustain these early positive

results. Having now reached the HIPC

completion point and as the civil service

reforms take root, the likely positive results

should also be fused into longer-term

strategy,‖ the UN official told participants.

The capacity development agenda is a core

part of Liberia‘s Vision 2030. It will provide a

platform for coordination and a cohesive

framework for investments in capacity devel-

opment. It will also set the agenda for a long

term planning horizon aligned to Vision 2030.

In advancing the implementation of the

strategy, Mr. Soumare suggested among other

things that capacity development must be

complex-specific. ―Capacity development is a

local process and cannot be imposed or

directed from the outside. ***

assistance, but there is an important need to

ensure that this assistance is properly and

effectively used to ensure maximum results

from the investment.‖ She advised that

duplication of effort needs to be cut to a

minimum so that Liberia benefits as much as

possible from the goodwill of her international

partners.

The USAID official also urged that the re-

building of Liberia must be a liberal-led effort,

adding that the National Capacity Develop-

ment Strategy and the National Capacity

Summit are exactly the kind of government-

led activity envisaged in the Paris Declaration

of 2005 and the Accra Action Agenda of 2008,

and adhered to by the United States.

The US government firmly believes in the

Liberian people and their capacity for hard

work, but hard work without knowledge will

lead to less than needed results. ―Lasting

change will only come about through Liberia

led initiatives and not through changes

imposed by outsiders,‖ she declared.

Capacity development is equivalent

to Liberia's future - VP Boakai

Liberia‘s Vice President Joseph Nyumah

Boakai, who deputized for President Sirleaf

described the summit as a ―big step‖ forward

in the country‘s human capacity gain.

According to him, Liberia no longer has

excuses that the 14-year civil war is the cause

for the country‘s human capacity problem,

because peace has been enjoyed for more than

six years.

VP Boakai called on Liberians to build their

own capacity to manage the affairs of

Liberia‘s development. He praised the

National Capacity Development Strategy sum-

mit as the right step taken by the government

to address the post-conflict nation‘s capacity

woes. The Liberian Executive said the build-

ing of the human capacity in the country was

equivalent to building the future of Liberia.

Capacity development cannot be imposed or

directed from the outside - Soumare

The deputy SRSG, Mustapha Soumare termed

the launch of the Summit as historic as it might

be the first comprehensive capacity develop-

ment strategy developed in Sub-Saharan Africa

by a country emerging from conflict. He said

the summit signifies a resolve to tackle the nag-

ging question of capacity building. ―Indeed,

capacity building is one of the most pressing

post-conflict reconstruction and development

imperatives.‖

He recalled President Sirleaf‘s roles as a

champion of capacity building during her years

with the United Nations. The UN family, he

said is indeed proud to be part of the nearly

three-year process by her government to

develop the national strategy being validated at

the summit.

―The question of capacity development is at the

heart of the UN‘s work globally. The question

is particularly relevant here in Liberia, where

the capacity gap, coupled with the exceedingly

high expectations of the people, imposes a huge

burden on the government partners.‖

Mr. Soumare stressed that to meet this chal-

lenge, it is necessary, therefore, to adopt re-

sponse strategies and approaches that are not

only robust and creative but also time-sensitive

and oriented towards yielding ‗quick-win peace

dividends.‘

―In this context, it was understandable for the

Government to have adopted the two-pronged

approach of responding, firstly, to the short

Deputy SRSG Mustapha Soumare, Deputy Planning Minister Sebastian Muah, Vice

President H.E Joseph Boakia and Chief Justice, His Honor Johhny Lewis at the summit

Participants at the Summit

VP Boakai


Besides, it was also intended to identify

challenges in implementing projects under the

CDA, and to get feedbacks from the people on

what should be done in the next planning stage

that will out phase most of the challenges

currently being experienced.

Kokoyah Millennium Village (KMV) Project

BACKGROUND

Kokoyah District is located in the south east of

Bong County, on the border with Grand Bassa

and Nimba Counties. Kokoyah is a cluster of

villages of about 15, 000 people with a mix of

cultural and modern system, but lacking the

revenue and capacity to gain the basic services

necessary to sustain economic growth. UNDP

Liberia, inspired by the Millennium Village

Project concept headed by Professor Jeffery

Sachs, MDGs Advisor to the UN Secretary

General, is planning its first Millennium Village;

as part of a new global approach to lift develop-

ing countries rural sectors out of the poverty trap

that afflicts more than a billion people world-

wide.

The United Nations Millennium Project was

launched by the United Nations Secretary-

General to develop an implementation plan to

achieve the MDGs by 2015.

Kokoyah is weighed down by hunger and

malaria. The situation is far grim than expected,

but also not hopeless. UNDP Liberia team

worked with Kokoyah District Officials, the

New Kokoyah Development Association

(NKDA), the District Development Council

(DDC) and villagers between November 2005

and March 2006 to identify needs and

intervention strategies.

Despite the situation, Kokoyah can be rescued

from poverty, and indeed achieve the

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Its

survival depends on addressing a series of

specific challenges: subsistent agricultural

activities, threat of endemic malaria and other

diseases, lack of adequate education, lack of

access to safe drinking water and latrines. Also

on that list would be the need for basic trans-

port, electricity, cooking fuels and communica-

tions.

All of these challenges can be met with proven

the appropriate technological interventions.

By D. Kaihenneh Sengbeh

By 12 noon Friday, March 26, 2010 we were on

our way to the most-talked-about Kokoya

Millennium Village Project (KMVP). The sun

was hitting hard. We drove in a convoy of two

white 4-WD vehicles through the dusty parts of

Gbarnga, Bong‘s capital, towards Kokoya‘s

route, a thick misty dust spewed into the skies

and adjacent surroundings.

But some changes in the positioning of vehicles

in the convoy had to be made. One of the Liberia

Reconstruction and Development Committee‘s

vehicles lacked air conditioning, so it had to lead

the convoy to avoid being showered with dust.

Otherwise, every occupant on it would come out

as dessert warriors—dusty hair and brown faces

and bodies.

The Liberia Reconstruction and Development

Committee (LRDC) – a Secretariat seated in the

Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs,

responsible for monitoring the implementation of

the PRS initiated the tour and meetings to

evaluate the impacts of the County Development

Agenda (CDA) on the people of Bong.

A Journey to Liberia’s Millennium Village Project ...A New Approach to Fighting Poverty in post conflict Liberia

AN INDEPENDENT REPORT


Objective:

With the consent of the Government, UNDP

Liberia has decided to intervene and turn

Kokoyah development into one of its

Millennium Village Project. The intention is to

facilitate national development by improving

the socio-economic and infrastructure situation

in the Kokoyah District. The project seeks to

support poverty alleviation by providing

general development assistance and capacity

building.

Strategy:

In order to succeed with the KMV Project,

UNDP Liberia will provide support to

government and the local community to bring

together a group of partners and development

experts in agriculture, nutrition and health,

economics, energy, water, environment and

information technology, to work with local

communities and government in using knowl-

edge-based interventions to achieve the MDGs

of reducing extreme poverty, hunger, disease,

and lack of access to safe water and sanitation.

A standard Millennium Village population is

5,000 per village. For a post conflict country

where recovery poses a major challenge to

development the methodology is to expand the

village size into a cluster; providing for a

population of 15,000 villagers, with per capital

cost at about $ US100 per person. This means

that by the millennium project standard the

required intervention is low and the related

interventions will not be followed to the letter.

In terms of an exit plan as was done for the

project preparation, villagers participation will

be maintained throughout working with the-

matic groups that will be given periodic train-

ing to take over after the project expires.

An immediate objective is to obtain a vehicle

for transporting villagers to hospitals for emer-

gency medical treatment, gaining easier access

to markets, and providing electricity through

rechargeable lanterns and/ solar energy. Other

priorities include improving access to safe

drinking and usable water; providing nutritious

meals for all school children; establishing

more health clinics to provide basic services

including distribution of bed nets for malaria

prevention; and establishing communities and

district centers.

Partners:

The KMV Project hopes to secure the

partnership of the Millennium Promise with

the following stakeholders: Japanese Facility

Grants, Earth Institute at Columbia University

in New York, The UN Country Team, European

Union, Government of Liberia, Villagers and

volunteers.

Current Status:

The final draft of the Millennium Village

Project has been completed and submitted to

partners for comments and inputs. A mission

from HQ made a verification visit to the village

to complete the project documentation on Jul y

12 2007. Following this, the project is being

finalized to be submitted to potential donors.

Meanwhile, some interventions have already

started through UNDP ‘s sister projects in the

areas of education (building of schools), the

environment (solar panel in Utah Town), roads,

etc.

Millennium Village Project Boost Up Food

Production, Brings Smiles to Rice Farmers

The MVP is an effort by the Government of

Liberia to stamp out hunger in keeping with the

first aim of the Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs). The Millennium Village Project

MVP) in Kokoyah statutory district, Bong

County, has begun producing the country's

staple food, rice.

The MVP has introduced a new variety of rice

to farmers in the region that takes three months

to mature for harvest, and this has (brought

smiles to many farmers, describing the develop-

ment as a boost to food production.

The Kokoyah project was selected as Liberia's

first Millennium Village Project, which aims at

integrating the interventions needed to achieve

the MDGs at the village level. The project

provides a basis for scaling up and integrating

best practices in the areas of agriculture,

education, nutrition, health, water and the

environment.

Liberia in 2008 launched a US$5.4 Million

Millennium Village Project in the central

Bong County district of Kokoyah, about 170

kilometers north of Monrovia.

It aims to promote broad-based community-led

development strategies, and show how rural

communities can lift themselves out of aimed

at ending quandary, poverty and achieve their

goals in a sustainable way.

The project is an integrated development pro-

ject targeting mainly health, education,

agriculture, water and sanitation. The first

phase of the project is focusing on agriculture.

Under the project, farming organizations

would be exposed to new methods of farming

in order to make them effective. 2.5 metric

tons of seed rice had been provided to farmers

in the district over the weekend, and that

agriculture materials like fertilizers and tools

would be provided to local farmers. Funds for

the project would be expended over a five-year

period. He said the project is an integrated,

community-based development strategy to

alleviate extreme rural


A development steering committee meeting in Bong County


A modern rice mill overlooks the highway leading into Sanniquellie, the capital city of Nimba

County. The Mill, newly reconstructed after being destroyed during the conflict, now serves more

than 250 farmers in the county.

According to the caretaker of the Mill which is situated in Dokoken town, rice seeds processed from

the mill are not only used for local consumption, but being sent to schools around the country for the

school feeding programs.

Samuel, head caretaker at the mill told LRDC BRIEF during a recent visit that because of the

facility, farming activities have boomed in the county. ―Farmers now have an assurance that their

produce would be processed and they will make money,‖ he said.

Photos and story by Sidiki Trawally

Nimba County: Rice Mill Pumps Life In

Farming Activity

Dokoken farmers in Nimba County can smile more with a modern rice mill that has given them hope

of making money. More then 250 farmers in the County are utilizing the services of the mill.

MADE IN LIBERIA rice for the market

A Journey to Liberia’s

Millennium Village Project

poverty, adding that the poverty reduction

project is meant to meet the millennium

Development Goals.

The Millennium Village project works di-

rectly with communities development organi-

zations and national governments. It utilizes

targeted and comprehensive investments to

address each of the MDGs using proven

methodologies. ***

Tubman Boulevard Lights Up

private buildings, hotels, residential, etc are

lined up to the delight of passerby - passen-

gers and strangers visiting Monrovia.

Liberians are commending the GOL for in-

vesting huge funds to reconstruct the city

highway which was in a very dilapidated

form prior to the Ellen-led government taking

the helm of power. They said motorists usu-

ally would take longer hours to travel the

road due to pop holes and muddy conditions.

―Cars used to get stuck in the mud at

VAMOMA,‖ said the Deputy National

Coordinator of the Liberia Reconstruction

and Development Committee, James Kollie.

Most people interviewed for this article also

have their own depressing stories to tell.

―People suffered a lot traveling from Broad

Street to Sinkor,‖ a Liberian Journalist told

me. Some said because of the deplorable

state of the Boulevard, most motorists espe-

cially cab drivers charged huge fares. ―Thank

God today we don‘t have to go through this

pain to get home,‖ she said with relief.

Post-conflict reconstruction eases the transi-

tion to sustainable peace after hostilities have

ceased, and supports socio-economic

development.

Government is making effort to reconstruct

or rehabilitate damaged roads across the city

and the nation, but this is beyond the capacity

of government alone. Such a capital intensive

projects and processes rely on a partnership

between the private sector and civil society to

support the transition.***

PRS IS ON TRACK


Planning and Economic Affairs Minister Amara

Konneh has described development programs in

Bong County as progressive and satisfactory

after an evaluation tour of several projects in

the county recently. He said despite the

progress, more tangible actions are needed to

meet the goals of the County Development

Agenda (CDA) in particular and the Poverty

Reduction Strategy (PRS) in general.

Minister Konneh expressed delight at the rapid

pace of work done on facilities he inspected in

the county. County Superintendent Jackson and

Development Officer Alvin also provided

reports that corroborates the Minister‘s enthusi-

asm on the level of work done in the county

under the PRS and CDA.

Liberia‘s PRS articulates the government‘s

overall vision and major strategies for moving

toward rapid, inclusive and sustainable growth

and development during the period 2008-2011.

The government attaches critical importance to

this period as Liberia shifts from post-conflict

stabilization to laying the foundation for

inclusive and sustainable growth, poverty

reduction, and progressing toward the Millen-

nium Development Goals (MDGs).

The donor-dependent US$1.61bn program is

crafted with four major pillars including

enhancing Peace and National Security,

Governance and the Rule of Law, Economic

Revitalization and Rehabilitation of

Infrastructures and Delivery of Basic Social

Services.

As part of government‘s decentralizing plan,

each county has its listed development priories

– the County Development Agenda, which out-

lined what people in the county said were pri-

orities for them. ―I am very pleased with the

level of progress we are making here [Bong

County] despite challenges,‖ the Planning Min-

ister told journalists Saturday in Gbarnga at the

end of a two-day tour and meetings with the

people.

The Liberia Reconstruction & Development

Committee (LRDC), responsible for coordinat-

ing donor support with government‘s priorities

held consultations with the people of Bong

regarding projects that were being implemented

under the CDA and the PRS.

The visit was intended to identify progress as

well as challenges in implementing projects

under the County Development Fund (CDF),

and to get feedback from the people on what

should be done in the next planning stage that

will ward off most of the challenges currently

being experienced.

―Bong County is critical to the country‘s

economic recovery by virtue of its location

and we will do everything to work with the

Superintendent and other county officials and

people of Bong County to ensure that we

improve the economy here get government to

do more for the county,‖ Minister Konneh

said in a live broadcast interview following a

town hall meeting with citizens in the area.

Applauding the level of development going

on in Bong, Minister Konneh stated that ―we

could do more, but we have to work within

the limit of the budget.‖ Bong County, he

said, has initiated and implemented many

development projects while several others

were earmarked.

―We have seen the level of progress on the

interventions that were submitted in the

CDA,‖ Minister Konneh asserted , ―On a per-

sonal level, I am impressed with the level of

progress I see in Bong County under every

pillar of the PRS.

He listed developments such as the construction

of several schools and health facilities, security

infrastructure including new police station, the

Camp Nelson Military Barracks, the Presiden-

tial Palace and the Superintendent‘s Compound

as few of the outstanding development achieve-

ments in the county.

Everything not rosy

Minister Konneh however observed that

development was not a ―bread-and-butter‖

phenomenon and cautioned that there would be

challenges ahead. He said it‘s not easy unless

the people were united to work together, calling

on various relevant stakeholders to cooperate

with one another to push development forward

in the county.

―Everything is not rosy here; we have projects

that are delayed,‖ Minister Konneh asserted.

He promised to meet his colleagues in other

line Ministries to get information on why these

projects are delayed.

The Minister said there is a need for the gov-

ernment ministries and agencies‘ representa-

tives to have more regular consultations with

the people. ―They need to attend CDSC meet-

ings to know what is going on to enable them

play their required roles.‖

Some citizens complained that there were paral-

lel programs taking place under the CDF, with


Bong Records Progress In PRS Implementation

Supt. Jackson among the audience at the

town hall meeting with Minister Konneh


Bong Records Progress In PRS

Implementation

the Legislature on one side those managing the

CDF on the other—hauling and pulling.

Both the Legislature and the Executive have

claimed to have the rights to manage the CDF

and to decide what projects should be carried

out.

The debate has consequentially affected devel-

opment programs in several counties, while

reports of corruption, misapplication and mis-

management of funds have overshadowed the

CDF since it came into being after the seating

of the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf administration.

President Sirleaf in January asked the National

Legislature to step aside from the implementa-

tion of the CDF and hold Executive accountable

for any misappropriation of county funds,

something Mr. Konneh reemphasized.

―Members of the National Legislature need to

step aside from the implementation of the CDF

projects and hold the Executive accountable,‖

Minister Konneh echoed, adding that ―Their

role is to make law and ours is to implement.

They should give us the chance to execute and

when we fail to do so they can hold us account-

able.‖

―The CDCs are developing parallel projects that

are not listed in the CDA which was developed

by the people themselves. That‘s why there are

projects in the county that are not in the CDA,‖

Minister Konneh clarified.

Meanwhile, the citizens of Bong have ap-

plauded Minister Konneh and his delegation for

their visit and tour of several development pro-

jects in the county and for providing informa-

tion on the PRS and implementation of the

CDA.

The citizens made the acclamation during the

live broadcast town hall meeting which pro-

vided an opportunity for those who could not

attend the meeting at Gboveh High School to

make phone calls to ask questions and make

comments.

Writes K. Sengbeh. Contact: 231 6 586 531;

[email protected]

HELP REBUILD LIBERIA!

PRS Awareness Campaign Across Liberia

Planning Minister and National Coordinator of the LRDC Hon. Amara Konneh (back to cam-

era) engages students of the Cuttington University Agriculture college in Suakoko, Bong County

Deputy Planning Minister James Dorbor Jallah (in white cap) engages residents in Kakata,

Margibi County on the progress and challenges of the PRS development agenda. He urged the

residents to join in the effort of developing Liberia

Minister Konneh addresses a town hall meeting at the Eleventh Street intellectual discourse

All Photos by Sidiki Trawally


As part of Government‘s vigorous effort to rebuild Liberia‘s damaged infrastructures, the Ministry

of Public Works has been rebuilding some of the damaged bridges across the country. In the above

photo is the famous Snafu Bridge in Marshall. The Ministry‘s engineers rebuilt the bridge which is

providing smooth transportation to the area.

The Government of the People's Republic of

China has turned over the keys to the new

buildings it constructed on the Fendall Campus

to the Administration of the University of Libe-

ria.

The turning-over ceremony and farewell

program were held in the audio visual theater

on the first floor of the left wing of the

academic building recently.

In a statement, the chief engineer of the Guang-

dong Xinguang International Group, Yuan

Shengyang, said that engineering is full of hard

work, but the result is usually marvelous.

He described the Fendall project as the largest

Chinese project in Liberia and lauded the gener-

osity and commitment of Liberians during their

stay.

He called on Liberian youths to learn employ-

able trades that will enable them spare no time

in the development of Liberia and humanity. He

disclosed that a team of Chinese Engineers will

spend one year in Liberia to maintain the facili-

ties and also train Liberians to take over.

In accepting the keys to the buildings, the presi-

dent of the University of Liberia, Dr. Emmet A.

Dennis, said the project represents the Govern-

ment of Liberia's strong commitment to tertiary

education. He expressed profound gratitude to

the People's Republic of China for its commit-

ment and collaboration with Africa, which he

described as a model for other countries to fol-

low.

He recognized the team of Chinese Engineers

and lauded Dr. AI-Hassan Conteh, during

whose administration the memorandum of

understanding was signed three years ago, to

begin the project.

Commenting on maintenance, Dr. Dennis said

he accepts the gravity of the responsibility, and

assured the Chinese Engineering Group that his

administration will do every thing to maintain

the buildings.

For the past two years, 26 Chinese Engineers

from the Guangdong Xinguang International

Group along with their Liberian counterparts

worked day and night to complete the project

on time.

The taking over of the new buildings on the

Fendall Campus by the UL Administration

marks the second of such occasion for the

President of the University in three months.

In April, the University received the newly

renovated Sinje Community College in Cape

Mount County as its Western Campus.

Meanwhile, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has

officially dedicated the University at a program

marking Liberia‘s 163rd Independence celebra-

tions on Tuesday, July 20, 2010. The program

was held at the main campus of Fendell.***

A promise of quality education on track!

HELP IMPROVE OUR

EDUCATION SECTOR

China Turns Over Fendell Project To University of Liberia

The reconstructed Snafu Dock Bridge in Marshall.

(inset: the old and damaged bridge);

Pictorial: Snafu Dock Bridge Rebuilt


The Government of Liberia is seeking at

least $700,000 to sustain the current work-

force of thousands of young Liberians

under its Liberia Jobs Opportunities

Initiatives (LJOI).

Several of the young workers have testi-

fied that the project has made a significant

change in their lives; helping them to pay

school fees, providing food for their homes

and enabling them meet some their basic

daily needs.

The Liberian Government has pleaded

with donors to provide up to US$660,000

to sustain its youth employment program

that currently has a load of 3,100 employ-

ees nationwide.

The government‘s Liberia Jobs and Oppor-

tunities Initiative (LJOI) was inaugurated

last December, and has spread across 31

communities in the 15 political subdivi-

sions of the country in six months, cost-

ing close to US$700,000 for salaries and

equipments, officials have said.

LJOI is a Liberian government-led effort to

employ youth (18-35) throughout the country as

a way of putting cash into their pockets and at

the same time encouraging them to clean their

communities.

The initiative began in December with a work-

force of 1,660 (960 in Montserrado) and 700

outside Montserrado. At the launch of the pro-

gram, the government said it was targeting

8,000 youth to benefit, based on the availability

of funding from donors.

Planning and Economic Affairs Minister Amara

Konneh disclosed in New Kru Town on

Thursday, June 17, 2010 when he visited one of

the project sites that the program initially tar-

geted six months, but it needed to be sustained

up to December as its impact was overwhelm-

ing.

Workers earn US$3 per 5-hour workday, thrice

a week and are paid every two weeks. Several

of the beneficiaries have testified that the LJOI

is having greater impact on their lives, while

community leaders said it was keeping wander-

ing youth busy and earning cash.

Under the LJOI, employees clean/clear drain-

ages and culverts, cut grass and side brush

roads, demolish makeshift structures and

dispose of garbage, among others, resulting

to clean and healthy environments and reducing

risk of malaria and other diseases in the com-

munities.

―Today I have come here to say thanks to you

the young people, who saw the need to help

clean your communities,‖ Minister Konneh told

a jubilant group of LJOI workers in the Bor-

ough of New Kru Town, just moments before

they took their first two-week pay of June.

The Borough, one of Monrovia‘s largest slum

communities, suffers serious flooding during

the rainy season as a result of clogged drainages

and culverts, making the area prone to water-

borne diseases.

The Borough‘s Governor Jacob Tobii said they

welcomed the project and attached seriousness

to it in New Kru Town because it meant well

for the people‘s wellbeing. He said New Kru

Town is surrounded by water and noted that

―the government has come to relieve us by sup-

porting the people to clean their area‖. The

initiative, he said, was in the spirit of the Gov-

ernment‘s Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Minister Konneh told the workers that no

amount of money could pay them for the job

they are doing in their respective communities.

―We will keep this project alive for the next six

GOL Seeks Funding To Put Young

People Back To Work By Sidiki Trawally

months,‖ the Minister told the gathering, produc-

ing the loudest round applause of the program.

The Liberia Petroleum Refining Corporation,

Central Bank of Liberia, National Oil Company of

Liberia, the Lebanese and Indian Communities in

Liberia, National Port Authority, the Liberia Tele-

communication Authority, the Chinese

Construction Company (CHICO) and the ILO are

among major donors of the Program.

―Our desire is to keep the current workforce of

over 3,000 young people on the job until the year

ends…but government needs to raise more

money,‖ the Minister said. ―That‘s why we call on

donors to go into these communities to verify the

work and support the projects.‖

Pay time: Youth receiving their wages


The Program is run by the Ministries of Plan-

ning & Economic Affairs,

Labour, Youth &Sports, and the Monrovia City

Corporation.

Youth & Sports Minister Edmonia Tarpeh en-

couraged the LJOI employees to keep up their

good works in their communities and advised

them not to listen to critics who question the

amount of money for which they are working.

―It is sincere to work hard and get an honest

wage than to steal it and be disgraced,‖ the

Youth & Sports Minister said. She noted that

the more days they work the more money they

will make.

―It is not how much you get, it is the dignity of

labor that matters,‖ an official of the Ministry of

Labor remarked. Mr. Jallah urged the LJOI

beneficiaries to ―learn how to save‖ a portion of

their wages and ―not practice how to spend

all‖.

Soniwein drainage

Before & After: The Soniwein Drainage

It’s very important for government, private sector and civil society partnerships play in rebuilding

countries emerging from conflict.


By Sidiki Trawally & George D. Kennedy

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has long envi-

sioned Liberia to become a globally competitive

knowledge and information society, sustained

socio-economic and cultural development is

achieved through effective use of ICT.

The Liberian leader wishes to see Liberia be-

come a regional ICT hub so as to strengthen

the country‘s service sectors. Many applauded

her setting these goals which will make the post

-conflict nation capable of achieving broadband

connectivity that will provide cheaper and faster

access to the World Wide Web.

Today, the President‘s quest for a broadband

connectivity in Liberia has finally come to frui-

tion when on Saturday, June 5, 2010, the Con-

struction and Maintenance Agreement (C&MA)

of the Africa Coast to Europe‘s (ACE) subma-

rine fiber optic cables project was signed in

Paris, France.

The official ceremony marking the signing of

the landmark submarine cable consortium

agreement was held at the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Liberian officials and other representatives of

several African countries, NPCA (formerly

NEPAD),ECOWAS and the World Bank at-

tended the ceremony.

Planning and Economic Affairs Minister,

Amara Konneh disclosed at a joint news confer-

ence in Monrovia Thursday, June 17,2010, that

the total cost of bringing the submarine cables

to Africa is approximately US$700 million

dollars and several African countries including,

Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equa-

torial Guinea, The Gambia, Guinea, Mauritania,

Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, and Sierra

Leone have already signed to it.

―If all goes as planned,‖ Minister Konneh said

―communications in Liberia will no more be

hampered by network problems as the network

system will be protected from storms and thun-

ders because it will be connected under the

Atlantic Ocean.‖

The government put the ready-for-commercial-

service date for this broadband to 2012. Ana-

lysts have described the latest submarine tech-

nology as 'best improve' option to probably

replace space satellite which is usually ob-

structed by bad weathers and storms.

The nineteen (19) signatories to the C&MA are

Baharicom Development Company, Cable Con-

sortium of Liberia, Companhia Santomense de

Telecomunicações, Côte d‘Ivoire Telecom,

Expresso Telecom Group, France Telecom,

Gambia Telecommunications Company, Inter-

national Mauritania Telecom, Office Congolais

des Postes et Télécommunications, Orange

Cameroun, Orange Guinée, Orange Mali, Or-

ange Niger, PT Comunicações, Republic of

Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Gabon, Sierra

Leone Cable Company, Sonatel and Sotelgui.

In its planned configuration, the 17,000 km-

long fiber optic cable stretching from France to

South Africa will be operational in the first half

of 2012. It will connect 23 countries, either

directly for coastal countries or indirectly

through terrestrial links for landlocked countries

like Mali and Niger.

The ACE system will deploy wavelength

Broadband Communication For Liberia 2012

Postal Affairs Minister Jeremiah Slonteh, Minister Amara Konneh, Madam Weeks and Mr. Wolo

toss the Broadband sample cable at a news conference at the Planning Ministry


division multiplexing (WDM) technology,

which is currently the most advanced for sub-

marine cables. With WDM, cable capacity can

be increased without additional submarine

work.

With an overall potential capacity of 5.12 Tbps,

the system will support the new 40 Gbps tech-

nology at day one, which will accommodate

tomorrow's ultra-broadband networks.

ACE will complement existing submarine ca-

bles (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE, SEA-ME-WE.3,

ATLANTIS 2, etc.) and will offer the West

African coastal region excellent connectivity to

telecommunications networks in Europe, the

Americas and Asia.

Regarded as 'best-in-class' telecommunication

technology, the ACE connectivity will become

a key driver of Africa's social and economic

growth and will be the first international subma-

rine cable to also land in countries that

signed the agreement.

Under the deal, the Gov-

ernment of Liberia will

own 37% shares,

while Lonestar Cell

will have 33%,

Cellcom 10% and

the Liberia Tele-

communications Cor-

poration (Libtelco),

20% respectively.

Liberia's US$5 million chunk of

the construction cost of the cable has al-

ready been settled by a grant provided by the

World Bank.

The Planning Minister thanked his colleague,

Minister of Post and Telecommunications,

Jeremiah Sulunteh, for his leadership in provid-

ing an enabling policy environment to bring

broadband to Liberia.

He also thanked Liberia Telecommunication

Authority Chair, Madam Angelique Weeks, for

providing the regulatory framework and leader-

ship in spearheading the public-private partner-

ship (PPP) in forming the Cable Consortium of

Liberia (CCL) to pave the way the CMA.

Minister Konneh thanked Libtelco managing

director, Ben Wolo, for his relentless efforts and

initiative in signing the initial memorandum of

understanding with France Telecom on behalf

of the Government of Liberia that guaranteed a

place for the country in the ACE Consortium.

In his intervention, Post and Telecommunica-

tion Minister, Jeremiah Sulunteh, said the

broadband cable will help Government's

poverty reduction strategy.

According to Minister Sulunteh, despite mas-

sive improvement being recorded in the coun-

try's telecommunication sector, the sector still

has major gaps that will be rectified by the com-

ing of broadband to Liberia.

He pointed out that the consortiums of mobile

phone companies that have rallied around the

Government to finance the project are doing so

in the best interest of the country.

―This broadband will improve communication

to the extent that a medical doctor in Liberia

can perform an X-Ray and immediately trans-

mit the result to another medical doctor in the

remotest parts of the country or even out of

the country,‖ the Minister noted.

For her part, LTA Chair, Angelique Weeks,

said June 5, 2010 shall go down in history as a

historic day for Liberia and Africa.

Madam Weeks emphasized that the investment

in the project for landing the cable is US$25

million that is being funded by some of the

players in the telecommunication sector and the

government through the Ministry of Finance.

She said the money will have to be paid in order

to construct the project. The LTA boss

disclosed that other operators who are currently

part of the cable consortium of Liberia will be

given the opportunity to join at a later date.

She thanked members of the consortium for

supporting the project and noted: ―All Liberians

are going to enjoy this broadband.‖

At the same time, Libtelco Managing Director

Ben Wolo said his corporation, as a national

operator, is committed to the project and said

Libtelco would continue to spearhead to frui-

tion.

Mr. Wolo reiterated his commitment to ensur-

ing that Libtelco became a corporation that all

Liberians can benefit from.

He expressed the hope that Lib-

telco will operate the telecom-

munication sector in a way

that the sector will spear-

head growth for the

economy.

An official of the United

States Agency for Inter-

national Development

(USAID) who was at the news

conference added that ―The

broadband is a history for

Liberia.‖

The USAID official pointed out that his organi-

zation was very happy to play a role in helping

the Government and the private sector reach

this milestone.

USAID is credited for playing the roles of pro-

viding legal and other technical advices to the

Government during the negotiation of the deal.

Celebrating the broadband news

Reggie Miller and Ahmed holding the broad-

band cable sample at the Planning Ministry

during the news conference


Esther Collins, a Liberian resident in Atlanta,

Georgia was dazed by a video documentary

highlighting current development reality in

Liberia. As tears rolled down her cheeks, she

moved to hug Hon. Amara Konneh, Liberia‘s

Planning and Economic Affairs Minister, who

led one of the most successful Diaspora meet-

ings in the United States.

For Esther, the 30-min video documentary pro-

duced by the Liberia Reconstruction and Devel-

opment Committee (LRDC) at the Ministry of

Planning and Economic Affairs was enough to

sway her that despite the challenges, the Gov-

ernment of Liberia is making effort to rebuild

the country‘s major institutions. ―I can‘t believe

what I just witnessed,‖ she told Minister

Konneh and thanked the delegation for bringing

them the honest reality in Liberia.

The short video titled Liberia: Road To

Recovery, is a collection of development pro-

gress across the country. The video which set

the tone for the engagement meetings high-

lighted challenges but the progress to date was

also shown amidst great applause and sobering

reflections by the audience in every state the

delegation held meetings.

For most Liberians attending the meetings, they

were just hearing shocking revelations of the

causes of Liberia‘s underdevelopment and even-

tual plunge into conflict.

But for Liberia to survive and play its part in the

comity of nations, the Minister said, Liberians

abroad must accept the challenge to engage in

partnership with the government at home to en-

sure that the interest of the people is pursued

vigorously.

The Liberian Diaspora Forum was organized by

the Government of Liberia to constructively

engage its citizens abroad and to seek new part-

nership for their steadfast participation in Libe-

ria‘s recovery process. The meetings, held in six

different states, including Rhode Island, New

York, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina and

Minnesota, essentially helped to sway naysayers,

and was proclaimed a success.

Though participants focused on four specific

areas including Governance and Capacity Devel-

opment; Private Sector Development and

Women‘s Empowerment; Diaspora Engagement

with Hometown Institutions, and Brain Gain and

Information Technology, reports of corruption in

government remain Liberians foremost concern.

At almost all the meetings, the Liberian delega-

tion, with the Director General of the Civil Ser-

vice Agency, Dr. William Allen onboard, was

grilled by Liberians on the issue of corruption

and the government‘s inability to strengthen its

judicial system to effect the prosecution of the

accused in accordance with the law.

They used the meetings to call on the govern-

ment to set examples for other would-be corrupt

officials to take hint of what the consequences

would be if they ―steal the Liberian people‘s

money.‖ For them, corruption is a significant

issue that must be tackled if Liberia is to de-

velop.

Diaspora Liberians challenged the delegation to

ensure that steps are taken to strengthen the judi-

cial system and that government should make the

act of dishonesty among officials as its enemy

number one.

―Everything is not bad in Liberia,‖ emphasized

Minister Konneh who also acknowledged there

are still challenges in Liberia. ―We have made

some progress but there are serious challenges that

remain.‖ The discussions with Liberians living

outside the country were geared toward exchang-

ing ideas on development progress and possibili-

ties. The Diaspora community remains a critical

partner in the rebuilding of Liberia.

Dr. Allen who chairs the Governance and Rule of

Law pillar of the Poverty Reduction Strategy

(PRS) first thanked his kinsmen for being recep-

tive to their Government holding a broad based

Having their say: Diaspora Liberians welcome idea of a new partnership Photos and story by Sidiki Trawally

Dr. Allen addresses Liberians in Atlanta

Liberians in Philadelphia at the meeting


act of dishonesty among officials as its enemy

number one.

―Everything is not bad in Liberia,‖ emphasized

Minister Konneh who also acknowledged there

are still challenges in Liberia. ―We have made

some progress but there are serious challenges that

remain.‖ The discussions with Liberians living

outside the country were geared toward exchang-

ing ideas on development progress and possibili-

ties. The Diaspora community remains a critical

partner in the rebuilding of Liberia.

Dr. Allen who chairs the Governance and Rule of

Law pillar of the Poverty Reduction Strategy

(PRS) first thanked his kinsmen for being recep-

tive to their Government holding a broad based

consultation with them to solicit their inputs in their

country‘s development process. He stressed that no

post-conflict country, Liberia included, has

achieved its development goals without the in-

volvement of its citizens including the Diaspora

population.

The Director General provided vivid insights into

the governance challenges in Liberia. He high-

lighted progress under the Governance and Rule of

Law pillar of the PRS and also informed the gather-

ing that though ―we are not there yet, all of our

governance indicators are showing progress - from

voice and accountability to civil liberties and con-

trol of corruption, both the World Bank and Millen-

nium Challenge Corporation have recognized that

Liberia is making progress.‖

Dr. Allen told the Diaspora Forum that Liberia is

making progress in fixing ―our courts, our land

issue and property rights, and reviewing the man-

dates and functions of our public institutions.‖ He

highlighted works being done in the civil service to

make government more efficient and service

oriented.

Liberians in the state of Rhode Island which hosted

the first of six town hall meetings, feverously but

constructively engaged the Liberian delegation.

They asked tough questions and at the same time

expressed concerns on issues, among them, the

government‘s fight against corruption, land owner-

ship and the realization of dual citizenship.

―Liberians need to regularly discuss the future of

their country in a more profound way,‖ Minister

Konneh urged his kinsmen. He challenged them to

engage the Government of Liberia and provide use-

ful suggestions on the way forward instead of just

criticizing everything the government does and not

providing solutions to the problems.

Minister Konneh declared that despite the con-

straints, the Government is making strives to im-

prove the lives of its citizens. ―We are building

schools, roads, medical centers with the meager re-

sources we have. We need you to join us, tell us

what to do .That is why we are here to hear from

you.‖

The delegation informed Liberians living abroad

that the dynamics in the country have changed and

the governance indicators were positive. The cabinet

delegation informed the gatherings that the country

is on the right path: the growth trajectory was on an

upward swing and it was time for Liberians to get

more involved beyond ―remittances‖.


Having their say: Diaspora Liberians welcome idea of a new partnership Photos and story by Sidiki Trawally

Minister Konneh addresses Liberians in Minnesota

Dr. Allen addresses Liberians in Atlanta


Having their say:

Both Minister Konneh and Director Allen rec-

ognized that remittances sent by Liberians to

their relatives in Liberia were important and

represented a significant portion of the Liberian

economy but challenged the Diaspora Liberians

to see their involvement in the economic devel-

opment of Liberia beyond the ―Western Union

Control number‖.

Minister Konneh informed the Liberians living

abroad that gone are the days when demonstra-

tion in Washington, DC against bad governance

or imprisonment of political oppositions were

the order of the day.

―Today, there are no political prisoners in

Liberia; there are more independent newspapers

than there are readers; anyone can criticize gov-

ernment without fear; voice and accountability

and other governance indicators are showing

massive improvements. The question then is

―what is the new frontier for relevance, engage-

ment, and partnership?‖

He informed Liberians that while the delegation

was here to show development progress and

seek suggestions and recommendations for the

way forward, it was especially important that

Government reach out to Liberians, no matter

where they live, to seek opportunity for new

partnership in the development of the country.

Minister Konneh informed the group that as

long as President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is Presi-

dent, the government will continue to reach

out to Liberians inside and outside the

country.

The Civil Service Director General Di-

rector reminded the Liberians living

abroad to recognize their own efficacy and

join in the rebuilding of their beloved coun-

try. ―You are important beyond remittances and

we want you to realize that and find new ways to

engage in the ongoing national reconstruction‖,

Dr. Allen pointed out.

The Diaspora meetings was a major milestone!

Following a half dozen of meetings, Liberians

were able to make open commitments to chart a

new course and brainstorm on development is-

sues, thus helping their post-conflict nation‘s

development agenda.

The engagements actually changed the minds of

majority of Liberians who had been misinformed

about happenings in the country. The meetings

also helped seek a new frontier to redirect re-

sources toward new development initiatives.

There is a paradigm shift in Liberia. Today‘s

challenge calls for a new generation of service to

country from Liberians. ―Your country needs

you ; you must make a difference,‖ Minister

Konneh continuously echoed at the meetings.

He strongly made the case for Liberians to disen-

gage from demonstrations against Government

and reverse to becoming patriots in volunteering

their time, energy and resources to help rebuild

Liberia.

―Whatever you plan to do for your country, I ask

that instead of just criticizing everything Govern-

ment does, be a part of the process by making

volunteering for Liberia a part of your life.‖

Most Diaspora Liberians, who blamed their lack

of knowledge on current developments in their

country due to ―information gap‖, were enlight-

ened at these meetings. Some Liberians openly

disclosed plans of returning home to help the

rebuilding process of their beloved Liberia.

Finance Minister Augustine K. Ngafuan who was

in the US at the time with Minister Konneh for a

World Bank meeting, met with Liberians in

Philadelphia at a town hall meeting. He

addressed some of the concerns in the financial

sector. Minister Ngafuan called on Liberians to

return home to help rebuild their country. He said

rebuilding should not be the sole responsibility

of the government. ―We need you back home,‖

he emphasized.

Liberian Ambassador in the US, Nathanial

Barnes speaking at the Atlanta meeting

Minister Konneh making a presentation at one of the

meetings in the US

Scenes from the town hall meetings in

Philadelphia, Minnesota, Atlanta, North

Carolina, Staten Island, and Rhode Island.

Photos by Sidiki Trawally


MAJOR DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS:

The 300-bed room state- of- the-art medical facility is situated on the

hill by the road side entering Tappita. Residents usually walk the hill to

take a glance at the multi-million dollar medical complex and take a

deep breath. The hospital will open for official business during the July

26th Independence celebrations in Nimba County. Liberian leader Ellen

Johnson Sirleaf is expected to officiate the ceremony.

Photos by Sidiki Trawally for the LRDC, Ministry of Planning and

Economic Affairs


SCENES FROM AROUND LIBERIA All photos by Sidiki Trawally

Banking activity in Pleebo, Maryland County The rehabilitated City Hall in Harper, Maryland

Kakata city center bustling with economic activities LEC workers planting electric poles around Monrovia and its environs

Vehicles plying the Monrovia-Buchanan highway with ease. (Inset) the highway Road construction to open up Liberia for economic activities to boom

Improved security in the Cotton Tree area with a new headquarter and commander Shops are mushrooming in the port city of Greenville, Sinoe County


The rehabilitated City Hall in Harper, Maryland

The rehabilitated Broad street in downtown Monrovia

Low-coast housing units for Liberia under construction in Marshall

LEC workers planting electric poles around Monrovia and its environs

New police headquarters in Cesto City, River Cess County

Rubber woodchips at the Buchanan port ready to be shipped

New Community College in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County

Shops are mushrooming in the port city of Greenville, Sinoe County

Planning Minister Amara Konneh stops to share a moment with children in

Fish Town, River Gee County

PRS Forum: Acting City Major of Monrovia Mary Broh addresses Liberians in Zwedru, Grd Gedeh County


The Government of President Ellen Johnson

Sirleaf scored another major achievement in its

ambitious drive to bring much needed

development to post-conflict Liberia.

Following the waiver of Liberia's external debt

of $4.6 billion by the World Bank and the Inter-

national Monetary Fund (IMF) after a success-

ful HIPC (Heavily Indebted Poor Countries)

completion point, the Liberian leader, on Tues-

day, July 6th was joined by her cabinet and the

visiting bi-partisan US Congressional delega-

tion to celebrate yet another milestone with the

historic signing of a $15 million dollar grant

from the Millennium Challenge Corporation

(MCC).

The signing ceremony was presided over by the

Liberian leader while the Minister of Planning

and Economic Affairs Hon. Amara Konneh,

Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)

Senior Advisor Cassandra Butts, and the US

Agency for International Development

(USAID) Mission Director Pamela White for-

malized the agreement at the Cecil Dennis audi-

torium at the Ministry of State in Monrovia.

The grant shows that Liberia is being recog-

nized by the United States for its commitment

to democracy, economic progress and develop-

ment since recipient countries must meet certain

progressive criteria to qualify for the program.

The MCC's contribution will be funneled into

projects that are already earmarked in the Pov-

erty reduction Strategy or the Lift Liberia

agenda.

The Grant will support efforts to improve trade

policy and practices, specifically in harmoniz-

ing tariffs, engaging regional and global bodies,

and strengthening the regulatory environ-

ment. USAID will administer the Liberia

threshold program and will be responsible for

coordination, contracting, and financial man-

agement. MCC will maintain oversight of Libe-

ria‘s threshold program.

‘No Room for Complacency: U.S Ambassador

Declares at $US15M Grant Signing

The United States Ambassador to Liberia,

Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the Millennium

Challenge Corporation (MCC) assistance to

Liberia is due to the hard work from the govern-

ment over the past five years. According to the

American Ambassador, Liberia is now enjoying

free press, political debate, open budgets and

improving management of natural resources.

She stressed that despite the government

current efforts in putting citizens in school and

the development process, more is needed to be

done.

The Ambassador spoke Tuesday when a US$

15M dollars grant was signed between the Libe-

rian Government and the MCC for Threshold

Program which is expected to last for three

years. Ambassador Greenfield said the MCC

Threshold Program should be handled by the

government responsibly in all three areas, the

land rights and access, girls‘ primary education

and trade policy.

She told the audience that ―There will be no

room for complacency‖ during the implementa-

tion of the funds, adding that many countries do

not always complete the transition from Thresh-

old to Compact status because they failed to

control corruption, but she is confident that

Liberia will pass that stage and reach to the

compact status as expected.

For her part, the President Sirleaf said with the

establishment of Girls Education Trust (GET),

through the help of institutions from the United

States and private individuals, more than 5,000

girls are on scholarships currently.

The Liberian Chief Executive disclosed there were

rumors circulating that the Threshold program will

not continue with the coming of President Barrack

Obama into office. She said those scary informa-

tion came at the time the government was still

working to meet MCC threshold eligibility. But

with President Obama continuing the program, she

extends thanks to him and the US Congress for

allowing the program to stay alive.

President Sirleaf stressed all of the African nations

have hoped over the years to have a trade policy

instead of aid to put their natural resources to

work and sustain their own development process.

She extended thanks to the US Congressional

delegation and stressed that the grant will improve

Liberia Pushes For MCC Compact; Celebrates $15 Million Grant Signing

Minister Konneh and USAID Pam White sign the MCC Threshold grant agreement


the development process of Liberia.

President Sirleaf said Liberians have demonstrated

their commitment to creating opportunity in their

country by developing a results-oriented program

which reflects their priorities for poverty reduction

and growth. Through this grant, MCC is proud to

support Liberia‘s efforts in implementing the three-

year Threshold Program grant with Liberia.

The Senior Advisor for MCC Cassandra Butts, said

Liberia and the United States of America share both

history and hope for the future, relating to the 1820s

when freed African-Americans and freed slaves from

United States settled in Liberia.

―Today, we remain partners on a number of fronts,

from promoting democracy and good governance, to

deepening security, to achieving sustainable devel-

opment,‖ the Senior Advisor said.

She added that the MCC invests in poor, but well-

governed, countries. ―Our partners share our

commitment to good policies, to fighting cor-

ruption, to investing in their people and to

broadening economic freedoms,‖ Madam Butts

emphasized.

The MCC Executive praised President Sirleaf,

saying, ―Madam President, you remain a

beacon of optimism for Liberians and the model

of progress for all of Africa.‖

She declared that the current threshold program

agreement embodies further proof of the friend-

ship between people of Liberia and the United

States and the valuable expertise of USAID,

MCC‘s constant focus on monitoring and evalu-

ating for results, and the strong support from the

U.S. congressional delegation.

Madam Butts said the three years threshold

program will focus on the land rights and ac-

cess, girls‘ primary education and trade policy.

Saying ―The three areas of concentration are

necessary since they represent key constraints

to economic growth, identified by Liberians

themselves and as part of their own national

development.‖

Madam Butts said the United States Agency

for Development (USAID), headed by Pamela

White will bring valuable field presence and

expertise and MCC will focus on results

through rigorous, transparent monitoring and

evaluation.

―The focus now must be on the program‘s

timely implementation and delivery of results to

create long-term growth in Liberia,‖ noted

MCC‘s Executive Cassandra Butts, who hosted

a press conference with Minister Konneh,

following the signing event.

Meanwhile, there seems to be a consented

passion for the Government through the Minis-

try of Planning and Economic Affairs to lead

another major drive to achieve MCC eligibility

for the bigger swathe – the Compact Program.

The Compact is a multi-year agreement be-

tween the Millennium Challenge Corporation

and an eligible country to fund specific pro-

grams targeted at reducing poverty and stimu-

lating economic growth.

These programs must be developed in consulta-

tion with a country's citizens, including women,

non-governmental organizations, and the pri-

vate sector; to be able to measure both eco-

nomic growth and poverty reduction.

In his remarks, Minister Konneh highlighted the

process through which the Liberian Govern-

ment was able to reach the MCC Threshold

agreement.

―The MCC grant is hard to get, so it‘s very

important that we celebrate this achievement,‖

Minister Konneh said.

The Liberian Minister was lauded by President

Sirleaf for his leadership in reaching the MCC‘s

agreement. She challenged the Government to

ensure Liberia qualifies for the Millennium

Challenge Compact program. Story and Photos

by Sidiki Trawally

Photo below: MCC‘s Butts signs the agreement

Liberia Pushes For MCC Compact; Celebrates $15 Million Grant Signing

Minister Konneh and USAID Pam White sign the MCC Threshold grant agreement


Background

In April 2008, the Government of Liberia

launched an ambitious agenda called the Lift Libe-

ria Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS). The strat-

egy is a set of priority interventions geared toward

reducing poverty and achieving the Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs).

Liberia‘s PRS was developed through broad-based

consultations with Liberians from every part of

Liberia. During 2007, Liberians from every vil-

lage and town met at district consultations to de-

velop a district development agenda (DDA) which

then fed into a county development agenda

(CDA).

The PRS is a three (3) year, medium term devel-

opment agenda that was estimated at US$1.6 bil-

lion. The implementation of the agenda began in

April 2008 with GoL committing to fund US$500

million through the national budget over the three

year period: 2008 – 2011. Development partners

on the other hand agreed to fund the financing gap

of US$1.1 billion.

Second Year Implementation Progress

March 2010 ended two years of PRS implementa-

tion. When compared with first year implementa-

tion where only 20 out 107 interventions were

completed (20%) , the second report shows great

improvement over year one: out 225 priorities

due, 181 (80%) were completed with the reaming

44 deliverables being ―off track‖ even though

significant progress was made on completing

them.

Report Methodology

The Second Annual Progress Report is slightly

different from the year one report in that while

the year one report logically communicated out-

put, the year two report is more focused on out-

comes. After two years of intensive work, Liberi-

ans are beginning to see visible signs of develop-

ment progress and report captures that progress.

Executive Summary

As a result of the accomplishments made under

the Lift Liberia agenda to date, the living condi-

tions of ordinary people are beginning to show

marked improvement.

All developmental, governance and social indica-

tors are showing year-over-year improvement.

These improvements are not mere accidents; they

are results of a more robust implementation strat-

egy led by the government with the support of

development partners, civil society, and the pri-

vate sector. Among the successes scored thus far,

Liberians are seeing the construction of more

primary and secondary literate roads (over 1000

miles); installment of bridges (8 bailey bridges);

construction and rehabilitation of health facilities

(more than 50 clinics & health centers); construc-

tion and rehabilitation of educational institutes

(more than 175 schools & colleges); increase in

the provision of safe drinking water (50 percent of

the population have access), increase in tele-

density (32% of population); increase in primary

school enrollment (24%); increase in foreign di-

rect investment (more than 10 forestry

mining concessions ratified); and host of other

public investments and projects.

The general economic condition has improved

with a 4.6 per cent increase in GDP; 27 per cent

reduction in the balance of trade; real inflation

decreased from 17.5 per cent to 7.4 per cent; aver-

age bank lending rate dropped to 14.2 per cent;

national budget increased by more than 300 per

cent between 2005 and 2009; 72 per cent reduc-

tion in foreign debt (from 4.7 billion to 1.3 billion

at March 2010); more than 50 per cent of the Li-

berian population are considered food secured;

agricultural sector grew by 4 per cent; and the

prevalence of poor food consumption dropped by

7 per cent.

2nd Year Progress Report on Lift Liberia: 2 Years and Beyond


Summary Progress Report:

Pillar 1: Peace & Security

1. Deployment plans for all Security Insti-

tutions are ready for implementation

2. More than 2000 officers (about 4%

women) of the AFL are performing their

citizen-soldier duties

3. The Liberian National Coast Guard has

been officially launched (40 officers)

4. Police strength continues to grow:

nearly 4,000 officers in the force

5. Major crimes such as armed robbery,

arson, and SGBV are on the noticeable

decline. SGBV is down 4% between

2008 and 2009

6. Crime statistics gathering is improving –

more people are reporting

7. 500 community police forums in all 15

counties is improving police relations

8. Police emergency response strength is

increasing (336 ERU & 200 PSU)

9. 100 immigration officers have com-

pleted various training programs in Li-

beria and Ghana

10. 75 officers completed training in Fire-

fighting – 1st & largest since 1978

11. Women participation in security opera-

tions is on the increase

Pillar 2: Economic Revitalization

1. Completion of floating triggers under

HIPC leading to US$4.6 billion debt

relief

2. Fiscal austerity measures kept cash-base

balanced budget on course

3. Economy grew at 4.6% in spite of

global economic crisis

4. Public Financial Management Law and

attending regulations published and

implementation is in full swing

5. Inflation kept in single digit at 7.5%

(down from 12% in 2008)

6. 51% of population considered food

secure

7. Agriculture sector grew by 4%

8. 39% increase in the production of rice

(from 144,000 mt in 2007 to 200,000 mt

in 2009)

9. Revised Investment Incentive Code

passed

10. Business registration process stream-

lined: new business registration up

11. Automated System for Custom Data

(ASYCUDA) launched

12. SME Unit has been set up at the Minis-

try of Commerce

13. Revenue collection improved leading to

300% increase between 2006 & 2009

14. Mining Cadastre Info. System installed

Pillar 3: Governance & Rule of Law

1. All governance indicators are show-

ing improvement: voice & account-

ability, political stability, rule of law,

control of corruption, government

effectiveness, and regulatory quality

2. Government Asset Management sys-

tem has been installed

3. Established a Land Commission

4. Completed a Civil Service Reform

Strategy that is being implemented

5. Process of reducing pre-trial detention

is in place

6. Public Defenders are assigned in all

15 counties

7. National Decentralization Policy ap-

proved by Cabinet awaiting Legisla-

tive actions

8. Judicial training institute established

Pillar 4: Infrastructure & Basic Services

1. Increase in accessibility to healthcare:

more than 50 health clinics and health

centers constructed

2. Tapitta Referral Hospital (300 bed-

room), CH Dunbar Hospital (55 bed-

room)

3. Increase in the number of trained

health workers from 3,966 (2005) to

5,813 (2009) – TNIMA is tuition free

& A.M. Dologthi students receive

monthly stipends

4. Increase in primary school enroll-

ment: 488,436 (2005) to 605,236

(2009)

5. More than 175 school buildings con-

structed or renovated Community

colleges in Nimba & Sinjee to open

this year

6. New UL campus in Fendell to open in

September

7. Improvement in the transportation of

goods, services and people

8. 50% of population has access to safe

drinking water (increased from 25%

in 2008)

9. 32% of population has access to tele-

phone & 19% to internet

10. Electricity generation has increased

from 2.65 MW (EPP1) to 10 MW

(EPP2)

11. Rural Renewable Energy is picking up

steam: kerosene lanterns are being re-

placed with solar rechargeable lanterns in

the Southeastern towns and villages

12. Human waste collection has increased

from 17 to 25% ***

More than 50 miles of road paved

(target is 100 miles

991 miles of primary laterite roads

rehabilitated (target is 1,187 miles)

219 miles of secondary laterite

rehabilitated (target is 300 miles)

A multi-purpose security post in Grd. Gedeh Co.

Construction of major highway in Liberia

For the time, a youth recreation and resource

Center in Ganta, Nimba Co


LRDC BRIEF A publication of the Liberia Reconstruction and Development Committee Communication Office

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A major growth corridor - the Buchanan-Yekepa railway

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Liberia Development News - LRDC BRIEF