Liberia Agenda Cdc

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The CDC Agenda 2011

Prosperity for All

Congress for Democratic Change

cdcliberia.org


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Contents

Foreword from the Standard Bearer .............................................. 2Preamble ....................................................................................... 3

I Foundation of Security: Peace and National Reconciliation ........ 4II National Security: From Fear to Trust ........................................ 5III Building a Liberian Driven Economy ......................................... 7IV Restructuring the Justice System .......................................... 16V Delivering a Revolution in Governance and Accountability ...... 18VI Every Child Prepared for College ............................................. 21VII Better Health for All .............................................................. 23

VIII Guaranteeing Sustainable Food Security ............................. 24

IX Gender and Youth Empowerment ........................................... 25X Liberia and the World ............................................................... 26


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Foreword from the Standard Bearer

Liberians and Friends of Liberia:

We greet you with humility for theopportunity to avail a national vision thattakes Liberia from post-conflict transition toeconomic prosperity. We all have workedhard to arrive at this juncture. Liberianshave endured tremendous hardship due to14 years of war and state collapse. But theyhave also shown remarkable resilience,rebounding from conflict to face thepossibilities of the future. The internationalcommunity and friends of Liberia deserve

great thanks in transitioning Liberia fromconflict to recovery. The important questionnow is how do we sustain the recovery intoprosperity?

The Congress for Democratic Change (CDC)answers this important question in this

Agenda for Prosperity, our bold vision totransform post-conflict governance andassure prosperity for all Liberians. It is theproduct of many discussions andconsultations with the Liberian people. We

have felt their pains and heard their stories.We package these common sense ideas intowhat we now call an Agenda.

We are under no illusion accomplishing theaims of this Agenda would be easy but wekeep our focus on the priorities. One priorityis to secure our peace and reconcile allLiberians. We now have an opportunity to

found the country anew and to heal the

divisions that have defined our history. Toassure this, we pronounce a NewBeginning in which Liberians can workharder to preserve their peace and growtheir economy.

By focusing on sustaining peace andnational reconciliation, we are better able toachieve the other priorities of our Agenda.We drastically undermine corruption bybuilding systems and institutions that checkcorruption, while more aggressively

prosecuting corruption cases. We assure amore prudent management of the countrysfinances. We finish our network of roads,the lack of which has burdened our peoplein the hinterland and held our economyback. We keep these promises and ask youto hold us accountable for them.

We thank you again for the opportunity topresent our ideas for the future. Togetherwe know we can build a greater, strongerand more prosperous Liberia.

Winston A. Tubman


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PreambleThe Congress for DemocraticChange (CDC) stakes itsclaims to national power on

the faith, character,productivity and resilience ofthe Liberian people. They arethe countrys greatestendowment. Decades ofpolitical abuse, misrule,inequities, corruption andwar have only hardenedtheir resolve to build a moreproductive society in whoseprosperity all can equallyshare.

It is on this resolve the CDCstands to assurePROSPERITYif given thereins of nationalpower in2011.

We know our people long toovercome their mostdaunting challenges. Theyare hungry to apply the ideasand innovations that can

transform years of failedgovernance and structure thefoundation of a neweconomy and society. Themarch toward this new socialorder is only just beginning.To achieve it, Liberians areready and prepared. Ourpeople aim to assert theirambition to masterdemocracy, equitablegovernance and economic

development. They have thewill, skills, energies andexperience to achieve thesegoals. All they demand is anopportunity.

They now have thisopportunity in our Agendafor Prosperity. Our Agenda

addresses for fundamentalfailures of the Unity Partyadministration. The failure

to: Deepen our peace by

reconciling all Liberians.

Aggressively fightcorruption and safeguardpublic finance.

Effectively decentralizegovernance andmainstream marginalizedpeople and their priorities

in national decisionmaking.

Provide jobs and improvethe entrepreneurialcapability of the Liberianpeople.

Despite enormous goodwilland support from theinternational community, theUnity Party governmentfailed over the past six years

to address the abovechallenges. An unpublishedUS Government InteragencyConflict Assessment reportreferenced in theInternational MonetaryFunds December 2010Country Report states that:

Unmet expectations fromthe peace dividend and thepersistence of tensions

among numerous tribalgroups and betweenindigenous Liberians and

Americo-Liberians could leadto renewed instability andreignite conflict. This view islargely shared by theInternational Crisis Group(ICG), which, in its August

2011 report, concludes:Ifthe six years of PresidentJohnson-Sirleafs government

has proved anything, it isthat the best reform planscannot work without nationalownership. The ICG furtherobserves that under theUnity Party the fight againstcorruption has failedbecause the political will isnot strong enough and thatPresident Sirleafappears tohave adopted a slap-on-the-wrist approach to fightingcorruption.

Added to these failures is thefact that the Unity Partygovernment has done verylittle to stimulate thedomestic economy andprovide jobs for the Liberianpeople. In her January 2011State of the Nations

Address, President EllenJohnson-Sirleaf stated that

since coming to power herGovernment has raisedabout US$1.02 billion inrevenues. The UPadministration has alsoboasted US$16 billion worthof investments inconcessions and contracts.

Yet these revenue andinvestment gains have nottranslated into jobs and basic

services for Liberians.Liberians are as poor todayas they were six years agowhen the Unity Partyadministration assumednational leadership.


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We address these failures in Agenda for Prosperity. We offer a clear, contrasting vision for:

Consolidating ourNational Peacethrough Reconciliation

and more effectiveNational SecurityGovernance.

Fighting Corruption,Strengthening the Ruleof Law and ImprovingInstitutionalPerformance.

Stimulating the engineof Domestic EconomicCompetitiveness

through CreditExpansion andCapacity Support forLiberian Businesses.

Building the Capacityand Capability of theLiberian people.

Ending theMarginalization of thePoor by providing

better opportunities inhealthcare, educationand social welfare.

After six years of governance under the CDC, we place Liberia on a path to sustainable growth

and development.

I Foundation of Security: Peace and NationalReconciliationEconomic development is not assured in an environment of grave politicaluncertainty. Investors and businesses have to be assured that their returns will notbe jeopardized by disruptions to a countrys peace and normalcy. Avoiding a returnto conflict compels a more effective management of our fragile peace through

national reconciliation.

Economic Secur i tyB reeds Genu ineReconc i l i a t ionWe model our nationalreconciliation policy on theguarantee of economicsecurity. Preventingconflicts means giving

Liberians fair and equalaccess to resources. Ourwar was due to inequalityin access to power andresources as much as itinvolved the abuse ofpower. A significantsegment of our countryhas lacked the access to

the educational andeconomic opportunitiesthat can improve livingstandards. We ensure allLiberians have fair andequal access to economicopportunities.

Accoun tab i l i t y , Truthand Reco nc i l i a t ion areno t abou t Re t r i bu t ionWe note that the nationalconversation on Truth andReconciliation has beenbiased toward retributive

justice and has failed toengage the country in a

meaningful dialogue. Wesupport the peace buildingrecommendations of theTruth and ReconciliationCommission (TRC), suchas the need to establish aNational Palaver HutForum (PHF). Uponassuming national office,we issue an Executive

Order establishing the PHFand focus its activities on:

Land disputes Dual citizenship UN Travel Ban and the entire TRC

report


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We increase support for theIndependent NationalCommission for Human Rights(INCHR) and support its aimto:

Review the TRC Report Develop a National

Reparations Strategy

Launch a NationalReconciliationConference

Manage the NationalPalava Hut Forum

Beg inn ing the Po l i t i cs o fInc l us i onOur politics, modeled on the

American political system, isbuilt on a winner-takes-allfoundation. In the aftermathof a 14-year war, a winner-takes-all system poses seriousrisks and challenges for peacebuilding and nationalreconciliation. Political actorswho lose elections and areexcluded from governmentmay stoke the flame of hateand political tension.

To prevent such vicious cycle,

we give opposition parties aspace in a CDC government.These parties must howevermeet the rigid anti-corruption,accountability requirements ofour Agenda.

B ienn i a l Peace andNat iona l Reconc i l i a t ionConferenceWe launch a biennial NationalReconciliation Conference(NRC), which brings togetherstakeholders from all regionsof the country to assess thegains on peace building andreconciliation fronts and toaddress gaps. Coming out ofthe NRC will be a NationalPeace and ReconciliationReport (NPRR).

Reconc i l i a t ion GovernanceWe update the mission of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) to reflect a peace, and national

reconciliation emphasis. We deepen capacity at the MIA so that it plays a lead role in managingtribal tensions and disputes. The MIA under CDC would prevent and mitigate land disputeconflicts, seeking to channel these to the Land Reform Commission. Given the MIAs longhistory of involvement with Liberians in the interior, we believe it can greatly enlarge the spacefor national reconciliation.

II National Security: From Fear to TrustThe role security institutions played during almost 25 years of civil unrest and conflict has led toa culture of fear and distrust of Liberian security institutions. Even the best Security Sector

Reforms (SSRs) cannot easily resolve this fear.We end this culture of fear by guaranteeing security sector institutional performance that buildstrust. We launch:

Security Sector Accountability (SSA), a policy that holds security institutionsaccountable through periodic reporting, rule of law auditing, independent polling and avariety of other accountability measures.


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Pu t t ing a New A rmedForces o f L iber ia AFL) toW o r kWe enforce stringent AFLvetting standards, ensuringthose intending to serve in the

Army are committed torespecting the civil liberties ofLiberians and to maintaining ahighly professionalatmosphere within the Army.We launchArmy is OurPride(AOP),a strategy towin public trust and respectfor theAFL. We revitalize theArmy Corp of Engineersto

concentrate core engineeringcompetencies and othertechnical skill-sets within the

AFL. We form specialpartnerships with theUniversity of Liberia and othertechnical institutions deliverthis outcome.

Commun i t y -F r i end l yNa t i ona l Po l i c ingReforming the Liberia NationalPolice (LNP) has laggedbehind reform of the AFL. The2010 police brutality andexcessive violence againststudents of the William V. S.Tubman and G. W. GibsonHigh schools highlight the factthe much work is still neededin police reform. Our policy:

Increases support forthorough vetting of newpolice recruits

Secures more trainingopportunities formembers of differentpolice units

Strengthens logistical,equipment and othersupport for the police,especially for theEmergency Response Unit(ERU);

Enhances the ability ofthe police to fight crimeand combat armedrobbery and narcoticstrafficking, which hasbeen on the rise.

Other Secur i t y Agenc iesWe end the culture of abusethat has existed amongsecurity agencies such as theSpecial Security Service (SSS).We believe protection of apresident and other topgovernment officials is not alicense to abuse rights. Wecommission a NationalIntelligence Review Panel(NIRP) aiming toinstitutionalize intelligencegathering and professionalizeinvestigation of threats tonational security. The NIRP

will seat relevant national andinternational experts and willtake a more data-centricapproach to intelligencegathering.

Do ing Som eth ing about ou r Comm un i t y o f Ex - fi gh te r sAbandoning former fighters renders them vulnerable to recruitment into conflict zones inneighboring countries and pushes them into committing high level crimes such as armedrobbery. The Unity Party has demonstrated a grave act of public irresponsibility by allowing thisproblem to fester. The knowledge in the use of arms possessed by these individuals is a threat

to national security in and of itself. As a post-conflict society, we have to engage members ofthis community rather than ostracize them. The CDC ends this policy of ostracism and launchespro-active partnership with disarmed and demobilized fighters to fight crime and disrupt and foilthreats to national security. We bring these initiatives under a program called Partnership forReintegration and Productivity (PREP). PREP will build and manage a professionaldatabase of all ex-combatants and demobilized soldiers and aim to move them intoeconomically productive activities. PREP aggressively seeks international donor support to turnLiberias community of ex-fighters into a global example in transforming former fighters into


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productive citizens.

III Building a Liberian Driven EconomyThe development story of Liberia over the past 60 years has been an inability to effectivelymanage the countrys natural resource advantage in order to deliver prosperity for all. Over this

time period, we have relied on exports from the enclave sector-- iron ore, natural rubber andtimber to finance development, with no serious consideration to developing down-streamvalued added industries pegged to our natural resource base.

We in the CDC envision a fundamentally different approach. We put the Liberian people at thecenter of national development. We know our people are the greatest resource we have andmeasure development through their access to a higher standard of living and their capac i ty todeliver such access. Our people should not only have jobs; they should acquire the skills andcapabilities to create the jobs of the future.

Our approach calls for stronger partnership with international development partners,transnational corporations and corporate investors doing business in Liberia. They stand to reap

huge dividends from a significantly overhauled economic environ and from the capacity-strengthened and highly technical Liberian work-force our vision avails. We shift the Liberianeconomic paradigm.

We recognize the challenges inherent in this bold new economic vision but argue other societieswith comparable economic circumstances are faring much better today after travelling downsimilar paths. Development is innovation driven. We build and extend the Liberian InnovationFrontier (LIF) to assure future prosperity.

Dr i v i ng Shor t Te rmIm pac t s en r ou te to LongTerm Prosper i t yThe most chronic failure ofthe Unity Party was itsinability to seriously addressthe problem of highunemployment and economichardship facing Liberians.The CDC reverses thesefailures.

Our economic strategyrevolves around:

Continuing andstrengthening on-goingmacroeconomic reforms.

Identifying and supportingPriority Growth

Sectors (PGSs) to spur jobcreation.

Designing the engine ofdomestic job creationthrough security,expansion andperformance of credit.

Delivering Revenue andNational Budget savingsthrough public expenditurerationalization.

Managing a moretransparent Budgetprocess.

Ensuring a more effectivetax administration.

Building and strengtheningbusiness and governmentservice delivery capacity

Crea t ing m ore than150 ,000 NEW P r i va teSector JobsWe propose a LiberianBusiness andEntrepreneurship Support Law(BES) to stimulate thedomestic economy andrevolutionize job creation.The law positions the non-enclave sector the sectoroutside the mining andforestry industriesas an

engine of job creation andgrowth by:

IdentifyingPriority GrowthSectors(PGS)


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as is done in India. Creditconstrained businesses inPGS would benefit fromgovernment backed creditprograms targeting

underserved markets. OurPGS strategy gears mainlytoward driving privatesector competitiveness.

Providing incentives tocommercial banks to loana specified fraction oftheir loan portfolios toPGS businesses.

Enabling the Liberiangovernment to guarantee

loans made by banks andother institutional lendersto PGS businesses.

Establishing a FinanceTrust whose sole purposeis to provide fixed capitalinvestment to specificbusinesses.

Improving Central Bankmanagement, analysisand supervision of creditprovision and security.

Strengthening Legislativeoversight and regulationof the credit market.

Mandating periodiccompliance audits;

Strengthening contractenforcement and creditlitigation, under theCommercial Code Law.

Developing a NationalIdentification schemethrough which everyLiberian would be given asocial security number.

W here the Jobs and Growth w i l l HappenWe define the following as Priority Growth Sectors:

Agriculture: The bulk of Liberias unemployment lies in the Agricultural sector. Wedefine clear support to smallholder farmers in terms of access to markets and credit. Ifwe have to raise incomes in this sector, rural farmers must have access to markets and

technology that improves yields. Through a Government Agriculture PurchasesProgram (GAPP) a kind of subsidy schemewe promote the growth of agriculturalmarkets. GAPP programs may peg school feeding programs, for example, to locallyproduced foods.

Transportation and Power Infrastructure: The full development of our roads andpower infrastructure will see expenditure in excess of US$2.5 billion. We look toposition Liberian businesses as well as skilled and unskilled Liberian labor to benefit fromsuch high level of public spending.

Tourism: Liberia has one of the longest stretches of coastline, a verdantly rich tropicalclimate. We share similar beaches and coastlines with the Bahamas where tourismaccounts for about 60% of a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $US8.00 billion. Byinvesting in tourism development, we can show the world a new face of Liberia, whileproviding thousands of jobs for our marginalized and impoverished people.

Fishery and Small Scale Manufacturing: Many seacoast dwelling Liberians arefishermen. We have not been able to leverage the bounty that the Atlantic Ocean andmany fish-filled rivers provide. Investments in the fishing industry and in other smallscale manufacturing capabilities are effective strategies for reducing poverty and raisingincomes.


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Education: Becoming a manufacturing economy over the long term means investing indeveloping the best and brightest minds in science, engineering and technology. Wesubstantially improve our investment in education as a percentage of GDP and aim togrow businesses and services that contribute to turning out high quality students andteachers.

Microcredit and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs): Microcredit programshave usually helped poor rural dwellers to gain access to credit. They can also be a wayof helping unemployed Liberians become self-employed and acquire other competitivecapabilities. We put SMEs on a competitive trajectory.

Our jobs legislation, BES, brings the financial and private sectors and the Government of Liberia(GOL) into a strong partnership to place the Liberian economy on a job producing trajectory.Within three months of a CDC administration, we work with members of the NationalLegislature to roll out a draft copy of the BES bill.

We pay for BES using savings derived from our Budget Rationalizing and Reprioritizing

Program(BRRP).

By stimulating the flow of domestic credit, backing commercial bank and other private sectorloans and widening the space of public investment in private sector expansion, BES providesmore than 150,000 NEWprivate sector jobs within six years of a CDC administration.

Job C rea t ion v i a I nc reased F low s o f Fo re i gn D i rec t I nves tment FDI )Our BES jobs innovation have in-built institutional incentives to spur job additions in the FDIsector. BES would greatly strengthen linkages between enclave and non-enclave sectors andpromote a thriving service industry. Scaling up the range of insurance, transportation and othervital services would receive the lion share of BES priority growth sector focus. This along with astrong contracts enforcement regime would enhance greater flows of foreign capital, improve

productivity and efficiency and strengthen overall capital performance. Jobs created indirectlythrough these linkages are an addition to those created via the more direct avenue of BEScredit expansion.

St ronge r Revenue P e r fo rmanceTax performance has improved under the Unity Party government but significant room forimprovement remains, considering that for the first nine months of the 2009-2010 fiscal period,tax receipts fell below projections by about US$99 million. We aim to maximize revenuegeneration by instituting a stronger and more effective tax collection regime. Within anybudget year, our tax policy goal would be to significantly close the observed gap between tax-based revenue projections and actual revenue receipts.

We unveil a Tax Compliance Strategy which raises revenue over current performance by

Designing a Tax Compliance Index ( TCI) that aims to estimate the size of Liberiascurrent tax gap and gauge the effectiveness of tax compliance programs;

Enforcing very rigorous and rigid tax compliance measures using the court system andthrough special tax compliance partnerships with the business community and theMinistry of Finance (MOF);

By putting government financial information and data on a faster automation track


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Minimizing exemptions and localizing other universal tax collection best practices; Strengthening inter-agency coordination and information sharing on tax compliance; and Mandating the issuance of quarterly tax collection reports as a way of maintaining high

tax collection vigilance and momentum. These reports would communicate quarterlycollection goals, highlighting shortfalls or successes.

We know that continued strength in revenue performance is our surest path to reducing thepunishing burden of poverty afflicting the poor and to financing innovations in wealth creation.

Toward T ranspa ren t and More Inno va t i ve Na t i ona l Budge t i ngThe national budget can be an important fiscal tool in poverty alleviation and wealth creation ifharnessed effectively. Our Budget Rationalizing and Reprioritizing Strategy (BRRS) arebased on the flowing:

National Budget Baselining: The current budget process assumes every spendingproject will be on the books forever, even if the law says the spending will expire or theproject has been completed. This i s decept ive and i r respons ib le accoun t ing , withno respect for fiscal prudence in managing taxpayers funds. A CDC led Government willbaseline the National Budget. This would assist in ensuring that same programs orprojects are not funded year over year, and waste and inefficiencies are not carriedforward into the National Budget. This would also set the basis for performance-basedbudgeting, where performance is linked to a Five Year Strategic Plan.

Separating the Recurring Budget from the Capital Budget:Separate therecurring budget from the capital budget, wherein the Capital Budget will be presentedon a multi-year basis while the recurring budget is annualized. The use of a CapitalPlanning Commission (CPC) might prove useful in this regard. The Capital PlanningCommission will be responsible for costing and monitoring capital budget includinginfrastructure projects. Currently, 95 percent of the Liberian Government Budget is

recurring expenditure, with no evidence of long term planning. Ghana and othercountries have a Long Term Capital Planning Commission which has assisted policymakers to determine current capital investment needs and a long term replacement andimprovement schedule.

Donor Support Only for Capital Budget:All donor support, either indirectly ordirectly, will be limited to capital expenditure on productive, long term assets. Thiswould enable the Government to limit risks of uncertainty in cash flows when donormoney runs out. A country cannot depend on donor funding forever, so there is a needfor donors to support programs and activities that build the long term capacity of thecountry. Through this process, we also flag and independently report on donor fundedprograms and projects.

Incorporating All Government Revenue into the National Budget: We aim torepeal the currentMaritime Authority Lawthat grants Liberian Maritime Authorityautonomy from the national budget. Our fiscal policy concerning public corporations isto ensure all public entities are governed by a uniform national budget regulation, withacceptable variances depending on the nature of the corporation. This means revenuegenerated by the public sector -- including those from state owned enterprises such asLiberia Petroleum Refinery Corporation, National Oil Company of Liberia, Maritime

Authority, etc and regulatory agencies like Liberian Civil Aviation Authority, Liberia


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Telecommunications Authority, etc. -- are incorporated into the National Budget. Undera CDC led Government, there must be a compelling public interest for any entity ofGovernment to operate outside of the National Budget. The practice of setting certainentities outside the scope of the National Budget has created opportunities formismanagement and corruption.

These programs would avoid the waste and inefficiencies that currently characterize the fiscallandscape under the Unity Party and provide needed savings to finance productive activitieswithin the private sector as envisioned under our massive jobs creating program.

Dr i v i ng Innova t i ons i n Pove r t y Reduc t i onReducing poverty is not about delivering handouts to people. It is about building incentives thatdrive and sustain more productive livelihoods. As of 2005, the average Liberian received aboutone-fourth of the annual income per person in 1987 and about one-sixth of that received in1979.

Under the Unity Party, our people continue to experience extreme hardship.

We reverse this pattern of neglect and abandonment of the poor through our National

Poverty Innovation Strategy (NPIS). NPIS would direct assistance to different categories ofthe poor including: ex soldiers and former combatants who missed out on schooling during theyears of war; out-of-school street merchants and peddlers; farmers and families where nomember has received more than a high school education. Within the first two years, theprogram looks to significantly reduce the number of children selling in the streets, putting themsustainably back to school. Within a short time frame, we put poor Liberians on a government-enabled path to a better standard of living.

Bui ld ing Capac i ty and Capab i l i t yThe International Monetary Fund in its July 2011 Country assessment observes that capitalexpenditure among few other reasons was held back for fiscal year 2011:

because of a lack of capacity to design projects because of a limited number of private sector contractors

This sums up the capacity building crisis under the Unity Party. That the UP awarded a post-HIPC loan of $US4.0 million to a Ghanaian sanitation company on the grounds that competitiveLiberians businesses could not be found to undertake sanitation projects is a testament to theUnity Partys capacity building incompetence. In fact, it took the Unity Party 4.5 years toconceive a national capacity building strategy. All these beg the question: what happened tothe millions that have poured into capacity development over the past six years?

We reverse these failures by:

Mandating the General Accountability Office (GAO) to perform periodic audits andconduct efficiency studies on the use of capacity resources. The GAO will map out aframework for more effective capacity building expenditure planning.

Commissioning a NationalCapacity Building Roundtablewith the LiberianChamber of commerce, the University of Liberia, the Governance Commission (GC) otherprivate sector actors to assess the extent to which government can contribute towardbuilding both public and private sector capacity.


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Providing Foreign and local Scholarships and Professional Training. We cannotcompete with the rest of the world if our people are not properly trained. The AsianEducation and Investment Program was a massive capacity building initiative costinghundreds of millions of dollars and has been largely hailed for the growth of Asianeconomies. We can do the same in Liberia. Under our Investment in People (IP)program, we significantly increase national budget resources devoted to developingcapacity and growing skills. Both as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product and of theNational Budget, IP spending would be both regionally and globally competitive.

Developing a National Capacity Building Institute (NCBI),preferably housed atthe University of Liberia. The NCBI studies capacity challenges and issues specific to thepublic and private and nourishes expertise to address these challenges.

M one ta r y Po l i c y and F i nanc i a l Sec to r Deve lopmentWe build on on-going reforms supported by the International Monetary Fund in the area offinancial sector development and central bank governance. We emphasize the inflation andliquidity management roles of the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) but aim more to strengthen CBLcapabilities in the direction of financial sector development. If the private sector is be the

engine of sustainable long term economic competitiveness and job growth, a viable financialsector that more effectively avails credit and manages risks more prudently has to be a placeover the medium to long term. We increase funding into research and training to supportcurrent CBL efforts in developing a financial market.

Toward the Med ium to Long Te rmWhile we maximize our ability to reduce poverty and stimulate the flow of domestically drivenwealth over the short term, the prosperity of our future really hinges on the long term. We arewhere we are today because more than 60 years ago, we did not plan for today. In buildingour roads, we imagine two lanes instead of four or six. We imagined a population stunted at 2million people instead of one growing to 8 million. The poverty of such vision ends now with the

CDC as we plan the path of a prosperous Liberia.Inve st ing in to Future Prosper i t yThe national conversation about the future has to be intensified, removed from the backburnerwhere it has resided under the Unity Party for the past five years. How do Liberians build ahigh capability technical workforce? How competitive in terms of skills are we compared toother nationalities? How can we turn our institutions of learning into centers of technicalexcellence, churning out the skill-sets that would be demanded by the high end-jobs oftomorrow? We find answers to these questions by designing a strategic medium to long terminvestment strategy, termed the Three Is,which prioritizes Investment in People,Investment in Institutionsand Investment in Infrastructure. Our goal is to ensure thatthe combined investment in each of these categories, as a fraction of our national income, is

competitive with middle income and emerging economies.

Investing in People

For a grassroots party such as the CDC, our people are our lifeblood. They deserve the verybest. The doctors who manage the sick of tomorrow, the engineers who design and managethe National Transportation Highway Network of the future, and the teachers who develop the


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brightest minds of tomorrow, have themselves to be the very best. Developing the skills andcompetencies of our people has to be the highest national priority. Our Promise to:

Teachers: We develop more than 10,000 highly competitive teachers to drivetransformative education in the nations secondary, primary and tertiary educationinstitutions. We make teachers globally competitive and develop a market in which they

can move between schools, earn higher wages while preparing our children for collegeand for the rigors of a competitive job market.

Engineers, Doctors, Nurses:AboutUS$10 million can pay the 4 year tuition costs forabout 67 medical students at highly competitive public and private universities in theUnited States. The tens of millions of dollars being squandered under the Unity Partycould have been deployed to develop our human capability. India has about 160,000students abroad who will return to power that countrys industrial advance. Liberiacannot be left behind in this race. The CDC invests the countrys resources in developingand deploying the best minds who will manage our healthcare and engineering systemsof tomorrow.

Farmers:We build the capacity of farmers and assure them access to markets andcredit. Our rich tropical climate should not be put to waste. We can grow food. We moveour farmers from poverty to higher incomes by investing in their capacity, technologyand by making government their biggest customer.

We pay for IP with savings derived from the National Budget under our Budget Rationalizingand Reprioritizing Scheme (BRRS)and with other funding received from donors.

Investing in Institutions

OurInvesting in Institutions(II) strategy tracks the impact of public spending onsecondary, primary and tertiary institutions. The current level of spending and impact in publiceducation is dismal. We invest in building new school facilities particularly in rural areas andstrengthening school quality by providing better laboratories, equipping schools with libraries,

researching and developing more effective teaching methods, synchronizing curricula withthose in more competitive schools districts around the world. Our Promise to:

University of Liberia: We modernize the University of Liberia by making it highlycompetitive within the African region. We attract world-class professors to transition theUL to global competitiveness, while developing the capacity of Liberian professors. Welook to place the UL at the hub of a National University System, which linksuniversities and other technical institutions into a higher productive partnership andnetwork. We unveil a National University Visionin partnership with the UL, focusedon delivering improved standards and higher quality education, decentralizing the UL toavail access to residents throughout the country, strengthening UL involvement inbuilding and nurturing industries and situating the UL at the apex of research and

industrial innovation.

William V. S. Tubman College of Technical (TC):With its new university status, TChas to ride the same development trajectory as UL. We invest into making TC a majorcenter of engineering, industrial and technology excellence. We unveil a vision for TC inpartnership with its administration.

Booker Washington Institute: We revisit the mission of the Booker WashingtonInstitute (BWI) to ensure that the skills students acquire can gain them access to jobs


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even as they develop their education further. BWI and other technical institutions, suchas the Multilateral High school system, will receive priority focus as a means to givingLiberians entry level of jobs skills midwifery, carpentry, sewing, plumbing, midwiferyamong other skills sets relevant to entering the job market or to developing a career.

Five Regional High Schools of Excellence: We invest in developing a regionalnetwork of five globally competitive high schools producing students able to withstandthe rigors of academic life at the refurbished and overhauled UL, TC and otheruniversities of our National University System. These schools will have the mosttalented teachers and will be linked to the best schools in the US, Europe and Asia.

Governance and other Institutions: We equally invest in non-education institutionssuch as the Civil Service Association (CSA) the Governance Commission, theGovernment Accountability Office (GAO) and multiple public and private sector capacitybuilding initiatives.

When this strategy is fully operational over the medium to long term, forward and backwardtransfers of knowledge between centers of learning, business and government become thefulcrum on which our national economy spins. The space for growth in the private sector

expands because young college graduates empowered with critical skill-sets drive the privatesector to create wealth, while an effectively administered government widens the scope forpublic policy to sustain private sector growth. We nourish the nexus that links the NationalUniversity System, industries and Government into a functional productive economic whole.

We pay for this program through our expenditure rationalizing programs. As and along withour Investing in People Report, we launch an Investing in Institutions Report.

Investing in Infrastructure

But the real multiplier to growth and guarantor of our path to middle income status is adequateinvestment in infrastructure, especially in transportation and power. Here revolutionary andvisionary leadership and an ability to prioritize are seriously needed. The multi-stake-holder

Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic (AICD) conducted in 2010 has put Liberias totalinfrastructure financing need at about US$3.7 billion. Of this total our networks of roads andpower respectively consume $US1.1 billion and US$1.3 billion.

Our strategy is to prioritize building the countrys network of roads and to phase in powerdevelopment after 3 years. We scale up the current level of power development under the UnityParty. While tremendous economic benefits can accrue to the Liberian economy from anadequate power infrastructure, mapping out a cost-efficient power infrastructure is moredemanding and requires more effective planning. We argue that the economies of scale and themultipliers from road development can impact outcomes within the power sector. A portion ofincreased farm incomes, made possible because farmers are able to take their produce tomarkets by accessing better roads, can pay for power in farm households. Rural dwellers

receiving incomes from companies that relocate offices in rural areas because of better roadconditions can use part of that income to defray the cost of electricity.

To manage road and power development, we launch the Infrastructure Investment Fund(IIF), placing itunder the leadership of the Ministry of Finance (MOF), Ministry of Planning(MOP), Ministry of Public Works and the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL). The IIF puts power androad development on an accelerated priority track, phasing in power development after 3 years.The IIF utilizes local and expatriate expertise in developing a comprehensive peer-reviewedstrategy for road and power development; ensures the best policy environment exists in which


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to maximize concession revenue; strengthens concession revenue performance; sourcesadditional donor funding and develops an effective debt-financing strategy. We review the$US67.7 million loan obtained for the Liberia Road Asset Management Project, which isintended to rehabilitate and maintain the Monrovia to Ganta-Guinean border highway andsynchronize the program with IIFs objectives.

Within six months of a CDC administration, we report on the IIF program and unveil a Best WayForward on infrastructure finance and development.

W ater and San i ta t i onDelivering pipe borne water to all Liberians is goal en route to better healthcare. This is notachievable in the short term. We focus leadership on assessing the challenges in these areas,making yearly improvements. We aim to increase the supply of pipe borne water to Liberiansby as much as 25% over and above current levels and work assiduously with the Water andSewer Corporation to deliver this. We strengthen support for sanitation.

Mod ern i z ing Av ia t i on and A i rpo r t sWe rejuvenate international and domestic travel by building a thriving aviation industry. Our

goal is to put the Roberts International Airport (RIA) on the standard of many of the airports inthe region while we revamp local airports to develop the domestic airline industry. We task theLiberia Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA) and the Liberia Airport Authority (LAA) to developstrategic visions aiming toward this goal.

Bu i l d ing Te lecomm un ica t i ons and In fo rmat ion Techno logyThe Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) would have to play a more assertive regulatoryand leadership role in harnessing the gains in the new and modern information andcommunications technology (ICT). We will review performance of a $US25.6 million contractawarded the Government of Liberia (GOL) for underwater/sea cable fiber optic internet capacityunder the West Africa Regional Communications infrastructure program. Given that funds forthe contract came from a Post-HIPC loan, we expect strong performance. We will develop

similar programs aiming to grow the telecommunications and ICT sector, and entrenching itscapabilities in development support.

Des ign ing the Eng ine o f a M anu fac tu r i ng EconomyWe appoint a Manufacturing Commission(MAC), whose responsibility would be to compile acomprehensive report on the economics of Liberian manufacturing in the timber, rubber andiron ore industries. MAC will develop a vision for increasing the share of manufacturing ineconomic output from 5% to 50%. While studying conditions for manufacturing, MAC would beexpected to draft a plan for improving Liberias export competiveness within the rubber andtimber industries, as a transition strategy. Liberia has lost its advantage in rubber exports,

losing out to a few Asian countries. MAC would comprise academics, professionals andbusiness leaders.

B i r th o f a M idd le C lassWe grow the first real Liberian middle class. By the completion of our medium term strategyand the take off of our long term strategy, whole sectors and industries would exist, peopled byLiberians pushing the frontiers of domestic innovation in tourism, fishery, insurance, farming,commercial agriculture and manufacturing among a whole host of industries.


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The future can only be brighter with the CDC manning the national gateway.

IV Restructuring the Justice SystemIn its 2006 report, Liberia: Restructuring the Justice System, the International Crisis Group

reported on the high level of corruption in the Justice Sector. Since 2006, very little

improvement in the area of justice sector reform has happened under Unity Party governance.

Although President Sirleaf issued Executive order in 2009 establishing the Law ReformCommission (LRC), which is now legal body, the public knows very little about the activities ofthe LRC. A Google search using law reform commission of Liberia produces Liberias povertyreduction strategy document as the first search result. No serious information about the level ofprogress the LRC has undertaken is available to the public. This is an indication of the low levelof priority the Unity Party has accorded reforming our justice sector, despite its vaunted claimthat fighting corruption depends on reforming the judiciary.

The CDC finds this unacceptable, since so many outcomes ride on reforming our justice sector.We place judicial reform on a priority track and review the activities of the LRC. Our review

aims to:

Review the level of work done by the LRC Identify challenges and constraints in carrying out its legal mandate Increase budget and donor support for the LRC Strengthen political visibility for the LRC activities Compile a priority list of Judicial Reform Actions (JRA) expected to be completed

within one year of a CDC administration.

Review LRC membership composition

Del i ver ing anIndependent andCompeten t Jud i c i ar yWeaning the judiciary fromthe dominance of theExecutive has to be amajor reform objective.We take quick steps in thisdirection. These includeproviding quality legaltraining for judges atcircuit, magisterial and JPcourt levels as well as

training for critical supportstaff. These trainings willstrengthen judges andother practitionersunderstanding of the

independent role of thejudiciary in a democracy.

End ing Cor rupt ionw i th in t he Jud i c ia r yWe take strong measuresto end corruption withinthe Judiciary. Many reports

have pointed to poorsalary structure as amajor contributor to thehigh level of corruptionwithin the Judiciary. To

address this problem, weplace judges and criticalcourt support staff on aPriority SalaryTrajectory(PST). ThePST is a policy innovationunder which the salaries ofworkers within a specific


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public sector might beraised while holdingsalaries within othersectors at their prevailinglevels, subject to resourceconstraints. We argue thatour descent into conflictpartly originated inpatterns of unfairness andcorruption within theJustice Sector. If Liberianscannot get justice in landdisputes, for example,because judges arereceiving bribes from morepowerful or wealthierindividuals, our national

peace is threatened and allLiberians would beaffected. So it seemslogical to accord somesectors whose outcomesseriously affect publicwellbeing the highest levelof priority. We argue theJustice Sector falls withinthis priority category. Thatsaid, we employ PST onlyafter a thorough,independent peer review.

Spec ia l Cour ts forF ight ing Cor rupt ionThat public officialsindicted in anti-corruptionaudits performed by theGAC have yet to appear incourt suggests a strong

absence of will toprosecute corruptioncases. We create specialanti-corruption courts tofast-track corruption cases.We identify, appoint anddevelop judges andprosecutors competent inanti-corruption law so thatthose who embezzle andmismanage publicresources do not walk withimpunity.

Bet ter Fac i l i t i es for theNa t ion s Cour tsWe demean our judges

when we have themadminister justice indilapidated structures orhave judges run courtsfrom the balcony of theirhomes. We guarantee aroll out of better facilitiesfor the courts in eachcounty.

Guaran tee ing aRe fo rmed M in i s t r y o fJus t i ceThe Ministry of Justice(MOJ) under the CDC willoperate in a tense milieuof restless, on-going

judicial reform. It will bemore proactive in bringingcases to trial, ending theabuse of rights and in

prosecuting corruptioncases. Too many Liberiansare currently behind barswithout having beencharged or havingappeared before a judge.MOJ would end thispractice under a CDCadministration. Liberianshave a right to habeascorpus under our laws.

St ronger par tnersh ipw i th Comm un i t i e sWe rely on Liberians to bethe guardians of theirdemocracy and rights and

support community-basedapproaches tostrengthening the rule oflaw. We provide supportfor Community BasedOrganizations (CBOs) thatseek to expose corruptionwithin the judiciary,educate Liberians aboutthe importance of seeking

justice under our statutorylaws, and undermine the

under-reporting ofoffences such as teenagerape. We house a CBO

justice unit within theMinistry of Justice tostrengthen thesepartnerships.


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V Delivering a Revolution in Governance andAccountabilityThe dramatic sea change in post-conflict Liberian attitude is the publics unrelenting and near

unanimous demand that public governance be corruption-free. We consider this expectationsacred and undertake sweeping actions to turn Liberia into a shining example in responsibleand trustworthy governance.

M ore E f fec t i ve Pub l i cF i nanc ia l Managem entEffective management ofpublic agencies andresources nationalbudget, line agencies andministries and publiccorporations is the

cornerstone of CDCsgovernance andaccountability agenda. Weimplement the PublicFinancial Management Lawto the letter and gobeyond the lawsrequirement in mandatinggreater transparency.Effective publicmanagement means units

given scarce tax payersdollars develop effectiveexpenditure plans, haveauditing and analyticsystems in place to trackthe impact of expenditureand promote greateraccountability and issueperiodic public financialreports.

L ine Min i s t r ies andAgenc i e sWe revisit the strategicalignment of ministries andagencies to determineeffectiveness andefficiency in servicedelivery and to ensurethey fulfill the mission for

which are chartered. Wemandate the General

Accountability Office(GAO) to partner with theGovernance Commission(GC) and the Civil Service

Association (CSA) toconduct a comprehensive

review of laws governinginstitutions andinstitutional arrangementsand to makerecommendations thatensure maximumefficiency and productivityin service delivery. Ouradministration will ensurethat ministries andagencies are clearly linkedand integrated, minimizing

system wide duplications.

We mandate line ministriesand agencies to develop 5-year strategic plansembedding the mission ofthe ministries andagencies in programimplementation andresource constraintcontexts. In addition toperiodic expenditure

reports each ministry oragency would have todevelop a midtermstrategic review to assessthe degree to whichprogram objectives arebeing met, reduceinefficiencies in public

resource use, assess gapsand challenges andstructure incentives andinnovations that lead tobetter project performanceand outcomes, giving taxpayers a huge bang fortheir fiscal buck

St ronge r Sys tem s andCont ro l sThe CDC inauguratesrigorous systems andcontrol regime in post-conflict public financialmanagements. Werequire all ministries,agencies and corporationsto implement criticalrecommendations

contained in about 65audits performed by theGeneral AuditingCommission. We develop aRisk Management Program(RMP) which enablesheads of agencies tomitigate risk in publicfinancial management. Weupdate RMP semi-annuallyand discuss key riskassessment findings at thelevel of the Cabinet. Wemandate heads ofagencies and cabinetofficials to attend differenttrainings specific to the2009 Procurement Act andthe Public FinancialManagement Law.


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Pub l i c Corpora t ionsAs profit centers ingovernment, corporationsgenerate revenue. Ourgoal is to ensure public

corporations operatewithin institutionalenvirons in which theymaximize revenue forgovernment. We subjectpublic corporations torigorous standards ofroutine audits andreporting. They areexpected to develop fiveyear strategic plans,submit to quarterlyfinancial audits fromgovernment and privateindependent auditors andissue regular reportsdetailing profitability,prudential financialmanagement, hiringpractices and the level oftransparency within topmanagement. Ascontained under our

budget policy, weincorporate revenue frompublic corporation into thenational budget.

Re fo rm ing boa rds o fd i rec tors o f Pub l i ccorpora t ionBoards of Director and/or

Boards of Commissioner

have not added value to

overall public financialmanagement. These have

usually served as a

rewards mechanism for

political cronies. We

reform governance of

public boards to ensure

they are aligned with the

objectives of the Public

Financial Management

Law.

Comm un i ca t ing Pub l i cF i nanc ia l Managem entM ore E f fec t i ve lyThe Liberian peopledeserve to know how theirnational resources areworking for them. Thecurrent government hasdone little to informLiberians about the fiscalsoundness of its programsand about whether it isusing tax payers dollars

more efficiently. Valuableinformation in thisdirection has only comefrom international partnerssuch as the IMF or theWorld Bank. We end thissecrecy and bring publicfinancial management inthe full glare of the public,where it really belongs.We commission a

Quarterly PublicExpenditure Report(QPER) which reportsquarterly on any capitalexpenditure in excess of 1percent of Gross DomesticProduct. QPERs will informthe public about budgetresource expenditure,project finance, projectviability, existingbottlenecks to project

execution and expecteddate of project completion,among other importantinformation. They will alsodetail the informationabout the extent to whichPublic Procurement Lawwas followed. QPER will

have its own website andwill collate projects fromdifferent ministries,agencies and publiccorporations.

P rocurement ,Concess ions , P ro jec ts ,and Asse t M anagementThe space for waste, fraudand abuse within thenations procurement andasset management systemis too large. Westrengthen the PublicProcurement andConcession Commission

(PPCC) and require it toreport on the schedule,cost, and qualityperformance of allcontracts. We propose theBureau of Concession beexpanded to includeproject monitoring. TheBureau of Concession willbe responsible to monitorconcessions and ensurethe proper implementation

of procurement laws andinitiates reviews andupdates to procurementregulations.

We require the GeneralServices Agency (GSA) todevelop a comprehensive

Asset Management Systemthat is periodicallyupdated. A CDCadministration cannot

afford to spendconsiderable sums onvehicle purchases, whileimportant public policypriorities are deferred forfunding.


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Vehicles, generators, andother capital equipmentare assets with a lifespanof more than year ifmanaged properly.Therefore, they should notbe purchased yearly.

M ore Aggress ive Fightaga ins t Cor rupt ionIf governance andaccountability are high andlofty terms used by policywonks and people inleadership, fightingcorruption is what ourpeople understand and

demand. The see thevisible scars of massivecorruption every day intheir lives. They live on themargins because scarceresources that shouldfinance jobs programs goto purchasing plushvehicles for governmentministers or to buildingfabulous homes fordirectors of public

corporations.

We drastically reduce theincidence of corruption byinstituting system widechanges that guarantee abetter use of publicresource, even while weend the culture ofimpunity.

F rom GAC t o GAOWe transform theGovernance AuditingCommission to theGovernmentAccountability Office(GAO), making audit oneof the many functions tobe performed by the GAO.

We take this approachbecause numerous studieshave determinedcorruption abounds morewhere resources arepoorly planned for andinefficiently expended andwhere institutions areweak to detect waste,inefficiency and fraud. Therole of the GAO is totransform Liberiangovernance into an engineof service deliveryefficiency.

GAO delivers huge savingsin any given budget yearby subjecting the nationalbudget to a series ofrobust PublicExpenditure EfficiencyAudits and Studies(PEEAS). PEEAS willdevelop an EfficiencyFrontieron which allpublic spending mustreside. Spending deviatingfrom this frontier would be

red flagged as subject towaste, fraud andcorruption. We divertPEEAS-derived savings tofinance capacity building,wealth creation andpoverty reductionprograms. We align PEEASwith the PublicProcurement Law, thePublic FinancialManagement Law andother internationallyrecognized costing andpricing schemes, aiming tofundamentally overhaulnational budget planningand execution.

St ronge r An t iCo r rup t ion Comm iss ionWe give more investigativeteeth to theAnti-Corruption Commission

(ACC)and strengthen itscollaboration with GAO,the Ministry of Justice(MOJ), the GovernanceCommission and Non-Governmentalorganizations engaged inthe fight againstcorruption. The AAC andthe MOJ will work to speedup corruption cases, aswell as investigate fraudand corruption where theyare alleged.

St rengthe ned C iv i lSe r v i ce Pe r f o rmanceWe support critical reformsthat increase thebargaining power of CivilServants. Our Prioritiescenter on:

Capacity building Career advancement,

and

Salary structure,recruitment andretention.

We work with the CivilService Association todeliver needed reformsand to protect civilservants from political

abuse in a CDCgovernment.

An E f fec t i ve andP rudent Pos t -HIPCDeb t Managemen tSt ra tegy


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We cannot develop Liberiawithout incurring new debt.However, obligating theLiberian people has to bedone under regimes ofextreme prudence, cautionand meticulous planning.We develop acomprehensive DebtManagement Strategy thatarticulates the level ofstrategic planning, peerreview analysis andaccountability frameworksthat must precede theacquiring of specific publicdebts. Whether in power

generation or roaddevelopment, we show byway of these strategic andexpenditure plans, a clearproject roadmap spanningthe beginning of projectsto the very end,anticipating challenges andpitfalls and proposingsolutions. Our DebtManagement Committee(DMC) would compriserepresentatives from theMinistry of Finance (MOF),Central Bank of Liberia

(CBL), Ministry of Planning(MOP), the World Bank,respected private financialinstitutions and CivilSociety Organizations(CSOs).

Decent ra l i zedGove rnanceWe mandate governmentministries and agencies toinvolve local structures inexpenditure planning andproject execution. Wesupport ongoingdecentralization work atthe Governance

Commission (GC)andwork with GC tooperationalize a nationaldecentralization plan farmore aggressive in itsemphasis on national andgrassroots ownership thanthe Unity Partys.

Within two years we holdall municipal and localelections to strengthen

leadership at these levels.We encouragecommunities and city toelect Councils that can

serve as an importantlayer of voice in assessingthe level of resourcesflowing into development.

Legislative Budget Office:

The strength of anydemocracy lies in the

ability of the Legislature to

check the influences of the

Executive. We support the

National Legislature in its

oversight function by

establishing the Legislative

Budget Office (LBO). The

LBO will support the

professional work of theNational Legislature,

serving as a professional

arm to counterbalance

work at the Ministry of

Finance

Land Re fo rmWe support the activitiesof the current LandCommission and build onits expertise inaccelerating land reforms.

VI Every Child Prepared for CollegeThe competitive Liberia we envision in this agenda hinges on the quality of education we giveour children. We prepare every Liberian child for the rigors of college education and for thehigh-end jobs and careers of tomorrow. Our future prosperity depends on a middle class that iscollege trained and career-ready to compete in the global knowledge economy that has radically

changed the fortunes of a few countries from underdevelopment swamps to thriving industrialand technological hotspots.

We in Liberia cannot be left behind in this race to the future. We cannot be content with theimpoverished quality of education our children currently receive and with the unsatisfactoryconditions of our schools systems. Under the Unity Party administration, we have seen photosof children sitting on the floor in classrooms, while resources that should pay for better learningconditions have been unproductively expended or mismanaged. The General Auditing


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Commission (GAC) has amply documented numerous instances of massive corruption andmisuse of education resources.

We assure a different future for Liberian education.

A M ore E f fec t i veLeade r sh ip o nEducat ionWe promise a moreeffective leadership of ourpublic school systems. Thisleadership means a betterway of organizing andusing education resources,structuring incentives anddriving reforms. It alsomeans finding andempowering the best

school administrators at alllevels. These will have tobe visionary leaders whoare on the cutting edge oftheir fields in education,committed to drivingchange and innovation.Effective leadership alsomeans better regulatoryoversight.

St ronger Accountab i l i t yi n ou r Schoo l Sys temsWe mandate periodicreporting and audits onthe use of resources withinthe school systems. Welink audits and schoolreports to schoolperformance in order todemonstrate the impactaccountability has on thefuture of our students.

Our goal is to reducecorruption andbureaucratic waste andinefficiency within theeducation system by asmuch as 40% within thefirst year of a CDCadministration. We grow

this target to around 75%over the course of ouradministration. We achievethis outcome bymandating regular,independent system andperformance audits and bycommissioning nationaleducation reviews.

A H ighe r S tanda rd f o rAch i evementWith more efficient use of

national educationresource, we guaranteemore rigid academicstandards for our students.To gauge standards welaunch theAchievementTest Series(ATS)whichadministers tests inscience, math andlanguage arts and othersubjects at elementary,

junior and high school

levels. Results from thesetests will inform thedevelopment of curriculaand will be used to betteraddress learning andachievement gaps.

Every Ch i ld to Read byAge E igh tWe declare a war onilliteracy as we currently

know it by putting in placeprograms that ensureevery Liberian child borntoday is able to readstandard English by ageeight. We launch theRight to Read, whichbringsNon-GovernmentOrganizations (NGOs),

international developmentpartners and governmentinto a strong partnershipto design the bestapproach to deliveringeducation to every Liberianchild. The goal is to banishilliteracy from Liberia. Wereport on Right to Readannually.

The Best and Br ightes tTeachersWe launch the GlobalPartnership in TeachingExcellence that aims todevelop more than 5,000highly trained andcompetitive life-timeteachers over the period ofthree years. GlobalPartnership will continueuntil a market for highlycompetent teachers at allschool levels exists, driving

education wages up asteachers move throughschool systems inaccordance with the lawsof supply and demand.There is no better route toa more competitiveeducation system thanthrough investing in ourteachers.

Be t t e r Managem ent o fSchoo l Da taWe use data from our

Achievement Test Seriesand from the West AfricanExamination Council todrive education reform.We support schoolsystems and schools to


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integrate data analysis intothe planning, design anddelivery of educationcontent.

Im prov ing Gende rPar i t yOur educational policiesare informed by genderimbalances that havetended to favor boys overgirls. We greatly supportprograms that improveenrollment rates amonggirls, looking to close the

gender gap in education.We partner with educationNGOs to deliver improvedoutcomes in gender parity.

I nnova t i ng Our W ayinto an Educat ionFutureInnovation means arestless commitment tochange existing paradigms.It means developing aNational EducationService Corp throughwhich highly trained and

talented Liberianprofessionals volunteer toteach in rural Liberia. Italso means designing aNational Public LibrarySystemas a way ofpromoting greater literacy.We bring these and manysuch innovations to life,assuring a competitiveeducation system en routeto a prosperous Liberianfuture.

VII Better Health for AllHealthcare is a fundamental human rights issue. Far too often, Liberians have to go to Ghanaand other countries to get basic healthcare. CDC has a vision to provide affordable healthcareto all Liberians either through Government sponsored programs or private programs financedthrough payments of insurance premiums. We promote a private-public partnership inhealthcare management and delivery systems. We look to improve Access, Affordability andDeliverability (AAD) of care.

We addressAccessby significantly scaling up quality of services at the countrys currentnetwork of clinics and hospitals and expand this network to ensure there is at least one majornational public healthcare center for every 150,000 Liberians. We launch the National

Healthcare Capacity Development program (NCDP) which addresses capacity challengesin the delivery of care. NCDP

Will increase the number of clinics and healthcare centers by about 40% over currentlevels by year six of the CDC administration.

Internationally recruits competent doctors to beef up healthcare capacity at the A. M.Dogliotti College of Medicine, at hospitals and at other medical institutions.

Sends more than 300 medical students, healthcare workers and other medicalpractitioners for advanced and/or foreign training. This will happen within three years ofa CDC administration.

Provides strong salary supports for healthcare practitioners.These healthcare investments under the CDC are guaranteed to raise our national healthprofile. Over the medium to long term horizons we assure better health for all our people.


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St ronge r Pe r f o rmancein M a te rna l and Ch i ldCareOur goal is to significantlyimprove health outcomes

for all mothers but tofocus on those dwelling inmost challengingenvironment as a meansto driving a more massiveimpact. For example, that74% of our poorestmothers are giving birthwithout a skilled midwifein attendance meets thedefinition of crisis, whosesolution requires urgentpolicy and priorityintervention.

We reverse this patternand reduce under-fivemortality by increasingsupport to midwifecapacity.

Reduc ing Dea ths due t oMa la r i aMalaria still remains thegreatest cause of deathamong Liberians. As atreatable, preventabledisease this isunacceptable. We forgestrong partnerships withmulti-sector actors inraising the fight against

malaria to a new level.We lunch a stand-alonesemi-annual NationalMalaria Report

(NPR)that summarizescurrent national effort atcombating the disease,including the extent towhich international bestpractices are beinglocalized, the extent towhich people andcommunities are involved,the fraction of publicexpenditure going topreventing and curingmalaria, and the level ofdonor and internationalsupport. We aim todrastically reduce thenumber of Liberians dying

from Liberia by more than30% within three years oflaunching the NationalMalaria Report.

VIII Guaranteeing Sustainable Food SecuritySerious policy interventions are needed to significantly strengthen our food security by:

Increasing access to food through income-generating innovations in the countrys supplychains

Investing in smallholders and increasing their bargaining power Strengthening capacity and building incentives Widening Access to markets and increasing volume of agricultural activities Building linkages to the macro-economy

All of these will greatly transform and revolutionize the Agricultural Sector.

We imagine the rural landscape, powered by commercial agriculture in which the smallholderfarmer is predominant, as the next frontier of growth. We inaugurate the Era of the Farmer.

St r eng thened FoodC rop P roduc t i on andSupp l y Cha inWe prioritize domestic riceproduction as a clear pathto enhanced food security.

Currently Liberia remainsfood insecure as riceproduction largely remainsfar below the nationalrequirement. We increaseinvestment to scale up rice

production, to availtechnology that makesproduction more efficientand to strengthen the ricesupply chain.


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Bet ter Oppor tun i t i esfor Sm a l lho lders Our SmallholderDevelopmentpolicyfocuses on increasing

growing capacity ofsmallholders, linking themwith market opportunities,increasing their access tocredits and other criticalinputs, integratingsmallholder markets withother more fully developed

agri-markets andproducing partnershipsbetween smallholders andmore established firms inthe Agricultural Sector.

Increased Pu b l i c SectorCapac i ty t o m anageAgr i cu l tura lGove rnanceWe launch the NationalAgriculture PolicyForum which bringstogether the Ministry of

Agriculture, the Universityof Liberia, developmentpartners and Non-GovernmentalOrganizations (NGOs) toimprove governance of thesector, advance researchand mainstream agri-sectoral priorities withinthe wider context ofnational development.

IX Gender and Youth EmpowermentThe CDC gender policy looks to:

Improve womens access to land and agricultural productivity strengthen female entrepreneurship improve girls and womens education and health outcomes Strengthen womens role and involvement in politics Drastically reduce the incidence of sexual and gender based violence (SGBV)

Our youth and sports policy aims to:

Better target war-affected youths by giving them competitive jobs and social skills Link youths with jobs and career programs Develop youth entrepreneur programs that impart business skills to youths involved in

business, while sustaining them on a track of education

Develop a National Sports Academy with two regional branches

Be t t e r Management o fYou th and Gende rP rog rams

We reform leadership atthe ministries of Genderand Youth and Sports toachieve these outcomes.

These reforms will centeron more effectivebudgeting for youth andgender programs and on


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building capacity to linksuccesses in youth andgender programs to otherprograms of nationalgovernance as a way ofleveraging resources. Forexample, these twoministries would have tobe able to harnessopportunities in our jobslegislation to attract capitalfor female entrepreneursand for youths involved inbusiness.

A New B reed o f Leade r sTo secure our peace and

recovery, Liberia needs tonurture a new breed ofleaders who are farremoved from the causesof war as has beenrecommended by theInternational Crisis Group.

It is these young and newleaders who would seepolitics as an institutionthat nourishes, supportsand sustains differences ofviewpoints. They wouldknow that politicalopposition should not leadto enmity or hatred butshould raise the value ofpublic discourse. Andthese young leaders wouldknow that hard work ethicand responsible socialactions can improvecommunities and benefitthe Liberian society. To

achieve these outcomes,we launch a New Breedof Leaders(NBL) andhousethe policy within theMYS, since under the CDC,the MYS would be heavilyinvolved with a whole

range of youth buildingprograms. NBL linksschools, universities,student groups, such asthe Liberia NationalStudents Union, LINSU,the University of LiberiaStudent Union (ULSU) andmany other studentpolitical organizations in ahub with youthinstitutions such as the

YMCA and the Federationof Liberian Youths (FLY).NBL will empower a newgeneration of local andnational leaders committed

to safeguarding our peaceand building a strongersociety.

X Liberia and the WorldThe CDC defines a foreign policy based on our growth and development ambitions. Under ANew National Interest, the signature theme of our national foreign, we strengthen bondsand ties with countries looking to assist the drive of Liberians to master institutionalperformance and economic development. Liberians need 21stcentury capabilities andinstitutions to compete in a 21stcentury universe of trade, finance and markets. Liberianshunger for growth ideas and success strategies in agriculture and domestic manufacturing, forexample. Our endowment of iron ore, rubber and timber cannot be eternally exported.Countries that enable Liberia to develop core competencies in these areas would be amongstLiberias strongest allies during a CDC administration.

Reg iona l Bod i e sLiberia owes its survivaland nascent democraticevolution to the peoplesand governments of theEconomic Community ofWest African States(ECOWAS) who shed their

blood to preserve ourpeace. The CDC workswith ECOWAS, and ManoRiver Union (MRU) tostrengthen security, trade,open markets, humanrights and democracy,knowledge and skills

transfers and people-to-people cultural exchanges.

Re la t i ons w i th t heUni ted Sta tes and theEuropean Un ionLiberia-United Statesrelations remain strong


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under a CDCadministration. We thankand U.S. for its continuedsupport to the people ofLiberia and leverage thisrelationship to moveLiberia on the path ofdomestic manufacturingover the long term, takingadvantage of the AfricanGrowth and Opportunity

Act (AGOA) passed by theU.S. Congress in 2000.

We strengthen bonds withthe European Unionnations which have greatlyassisted our economicrecovery. We look tofocus EU support forLiberia towardinfrastructuraldevelopment. We launchAccounting for AID, aprogram which tracks andaccounts for EU and otheraid dollars moreeffectively, gauging theextent to which aid assists

our drive toward economicself-reliance anddevelopment.

As ia Po l i cyLiberian remains in awe ofthe Asian Miracle. In thelast two decades, East

Asia, for example, hasexperienced magicalgrowth. According toGlobal Monitoring Report

2010, East Asia cut theincidence of poverty from55% in 1990 to 17% in2005. That kind ofsuccess has to bereplicated in Liberia. To

translate some of thesegains to Liberia, we launchthe ASIAN-LiberiaCooperation Agenda(ASLICA). This policystrengthens knowledgesharing and skills transferbetween Liberia andemerging economies of

Asia, such as China, India,Indonesia, Malaysia andSingapore among a host ofother Asian successstories. ASLICA focusescooperation on buildingcapacity within the

Agriculture and Rubber

Sector, where substantialroom for growth anddevelopment remains.

South Am er ica Po l i c yWe deepen thepartnership with our South

American allies to transferexperience in agricultural

development and tounderstand the gainsmade in their alternativefuels program.Strengthened relationswith Brazil, the worlds firstbiofuels economy whoseethanol fuel program isbased on an elaboratecultivation of sugar cane,can benefit Liberia in many

ways. As we undertake oilexploration, we stand togain from Brazil,

Argentina, Peru and Chilein the management andengineering of oil andmining resources as well

as in energy sectordevelopment.

Af r i can Un ionThe CDC will restoreLiberia, a foundingpromoter of AfricanSolidarity, to its place ofhonor, credibility andrespect in the landscape of

African diplomacy. Webring decisive leadershipto the African Union,arguing that Africanpeoples can liberatethemselves fromdependence on aid. We

assign a mission to theAfrican Union thatmarshals effectiveleadership along thesefronts, strengtheningdialogue and negotiationsto advance the ideals andprinciples for which the AUwas founded.

Internat iona lOrgan iza t ionsOrganizations such as theUnited Nations, the WorldBank, the InternationalMonetary Fund, the

African Development Bankand many different NGOshave been critical inLiberias emergence fromconflict. They will remainvital in our ascent toprosperity. The CDC

respects on-goingframeworks with theseentities and looks to alignthem with the objectivesof this agenda.

Liberia Agenda Cdc

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Transcript of Liberia Agenda Cdc