LRDC Brief Newsletter Volume One

My fellow citizens, The “Lift Liberia Agenda” has come a long way in showing our commitment to development and poverty reduction in our beloved Country, Liberia. After two years of hard work, we are beginning to see the fruits of the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS). These include the reha-bilitation of several hundred kilometers of roads and bridges, the renovation and construc-tion of schools, clinics and community health centers, the rebuilding of the electricity grid among many other projects. Through the cooperation of the Liberian people, dedication of our Government and the sup-port of our development partners, we have made enormous progress over the last two years. But the implementation of the PRS has been no easy task, especially given the needs and expectations of our people. However, reducing poverty and improving the living condi-tions of our people remain a collective undertaking that involves the participation of all Li-berians and friends of Liberia.

The government cannot achieve all the goals of the PRS in isolation of the immense assistance of all our development partners and the Liberia people as a whole. We recognize the importance of social inclu-sion of all groups in society for our country to move forward. Vulnerable groups such as the elderly, dis-abled persons, orphans, and destitute families need support to fight against poverty, hunger, malnutri-tion and unemployment. The government also recognizes that we haven’t effectively communicated the progress we are mak-ing and the challenges we face to our people. With-out this knowledge, it would be difficult to get their

appreciation and support. It is against this backdrop that the LRDC Secretariat launched the Lift Liberia website (www.liftliberia.gov.lr) in late 2009 and is now launching this bi-monthly newsletter to keep the larger Liberian population, at home and abroad, abreast of developmental happenings in Liberia. I have also encouraged the LRDC to devise more innovative and practical ways of getting the same information to our fellow citizens who do not have access to the Internet and also who cannot read and write. They are equally important to national reconstruction and develop-ment and therefore need to have information about what’s happening in the country. Fellow Liberians and friends of Liberia, I encourage you to use the information in the LRDC BRIEF to appraise yourself of the progress we are making as well as the challenges we are facing and identify areas where you can get involved in the reconstruction of our beloved country. Thank you very much and may God bless us all and save our country. Hon. Amara Konneh Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs and National Coordinator of LRDC

Statement from the National Coordinator, LRDC

LRDC BRIEF January—February 2010

“...reducing poverty and

improving the living conditions

of our people remain a

collective undertaking that

involves the participation of all

Liberians and friends of

Liberia.”

Hon. Amara Konneh

GOL Launches “LIFT LIBERIA” The first poverty reduction website has been launched in Liberia. The “Lift Libe-ria” website aims to empower and in-form the public, including Liberians and friends of Liberia on what is happening as far as development in the country is concerned. Visit the site at: www.liftliberia.gov.lr With just one click, users from all the over world can easily access the infor-mation they need, related to what is happening to reduce poverty in the country. Liberians in the Diaspora will be able to follow activities in their coun-try and contribute with their own ideas on the way forward to development initiatives.

HELP LIFT LIBERIA OUT OF POVERTY

Hon. Amara Konneh Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs

and National Coordinator of LRDC

http://www.liftliberia.gov.lr

Front cover photo credit:

Liberian youth cleaning a drainage in the

Congo Town area. Photo by Siafa Hage,

Ministry of Planning & Economic Affairs

The Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs and National Coordinator of the LRDC, Hon. Amara

Konneh visits residents in Bejuala village, Bomi to assess Government‟s pilot social cash transfer

scheme that aims to lift ultra poor and labor constrained Liberians from poverty…See story on page 18

This NEPAD Project initiated in January 2009 is lending Liberian women close to US$200,000 with a

10% interest charge on each loan and with terms lasting from anywhere between 4 to 8 months depend-

ing on the borrower‟s program. The scheme empowers women and reduces poverty in Liberia.

Oldma Zoe Gotomo is beneficiary who is grateful

for the Social Cash Transfer scheme in Bomi County

The LRDC Brief is a bi-monthly publication of the Liberia Recon-struction and Development Com-mittee (LRDC) highlighting pro-gress and challenges in the PRS implementation

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


holidays, recruited and utilized the services of 1660 youths in Montserrado and other coun-ties. Activities of the first phase included drainage cleaning, street sweeping, painting of bridges and painting of streets. At a news conference held at the Monrovia City Hall Thursday (January 28th), the Minis-ter of Labor, Tiawon Gongloe disclosed that the second phase of the project which commences on Monday, February 1, and continues through June 30, 2010 will em-ploy the additional 6,340 youths needed to meet the target of 8000. He noted that the global eco-nomic crisis has led to the in-ability of the labor market to absorb new workers, especially youths. He said the lack of jobs lead to employed workers tak-ing on the burdens of caring for an-ever in-creasing number of out of work relatives, which also leads to decreased attendance in schools due to the need for children and youths to help generate family income. According to Minister Gongloe, the Interna-tional Labor Organization states that “an em-ployment strategy that encourages short-term

employment is needed with a focus on labor-intensive road intensive road con-struction.” The Liberia Government, cognizant of the consequences of unemployment amongst the youths has created the Liberia Job and opportunities initiative as a response to the concerns of the labor market. He as-sured that the government is committed to seeing its youths gain employment, which

is a key pillar of the Poverty Reduction Strategy. The government, in its quest to achieve this significant deliverable, calls on the donor community, NGOS, the private sec-tor and all other capable entities to part-ner with it in this endeavor. Photos by Siafa Hage

Cover Story:

GOL Creates 8000 Jobs For The Youth By Sidiki Trawally

One of the negative spillovers of the past civil war crisis in Liberia has been the mas-sive destruction of the nation’s productive sector leading to huge unemployment of the labor force. This situation has been aggra-vated by the current global economic crisis with enormous consequences for the teem-ing youth population in Liberia. Meanwhile, the Government of Liberia, be-ing sensitive to the plight of the youth has adopted a Job Creation initiative as a re-sponse measure to address the situation in a small but significant way. This entails the creation of 8000 jobs on an incremental basis beginning February 2010 with 1660 jobs for the youth between the ages of 18-35yr. The GOL through this initiative known as Liberia Jobs and Oppor-tunities Initiatives is providing short-term, quick impact labor intensive job opportuni-ties for the target youth community throughout the country. Line Ministries and Agencies with sectoral oversight are in-volved in the supervision of the project’s implementation. Active participants include existing community based organizations and structures which were considered to ensure and enhance local participation and sustainability. The technical committee comprising the Ministries of Labor, Public Works, Youth and Sports, Planning and Economic Affairs and the Monrovia City Corporation is being supported by a secretarial that is handling all administrative functions of the initiative. The job creation initiative provides the youth access to economic opportunities and also provides simple business management skills and techniques that is enabling the youth to set up and manage their own small businesses. The first phase of the exercise, executed during the Christmas and New Year


With this mandate, the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) took over from the Eco-

nomic Community of West African States Mis-sion in Liberia on October 1, 2003.

The Military Nigerian Battalion 23 (NIBATT 23) underpins Pillar I of the Poverty Reduc-tion Strategy-Peace and Security. They have a responsibility to beef up Liberia’s security apparatus. But these soldiers do much more. They model Liberia’s newly reformed army both theoretically and practically. They con-duct classroom trainings for the new Armed Forces as well as carry out their training by day to day interaction with the community and surroundings. The Battalion’s community

outreach through health care gives practical lessons to the Armed Forces of Liberia such as community and military service. Their work tends to put citizens at ease, erasing the nega-tive perceptions of a brutal security appara-tus. Some of these military soldiers assigned on the Executive Grounds behind the Ministry of Internal Affairs and opposite the Ministry of

Hon. Brownie L. Samukai, Minister of Defense and Pillar Chairman with Ms. Shanda Cooper, Pillar Advisor

Pillar 1: Consolidating Peace and Security

For decades, Security has been a major concern for Liberia. Security forces be-came a tool for repression and impunity that accentuated the total collapse of state apparatus. The security sector contributed to the system where power and economic wealth were accrued only to the elite while majority of Liberians languished in pov-erty and insecurity.

The goal of enhancing peace and security under the PRS is to create a secure and peaceful environment, both domestically and in the sub-region, that is conducive to sustainable, inclusive, and equitable growth and development. Without a sta-ble, secure and peaceful environment, Liberians and our foreign friends will not be able to live or explore their full poten-tial; investors will also not be able to in-vest in the economy and provide the nec-essary jobs and incomes for Liberians.

LIFT LIBERIA Unveils Hidden Treasures When Soldiers do more than carrying

arms: How NIBATT 23 is reducing poverty

beyond Security Sector Reform.

When you get free, quality health care ser-

vice from a soldier, is that poverty reduction?

By: Ciata A. Stevens

Treasures are concentrations of riches that are often forgot-ten until rediscovered. Treas-ures can be found in places you least expect to find them. The implementation of the Lift Liberia Poverty Re-duction Strategy has revealed many hidden treasures, and the Nigerian Battalion 23 is one of those diamonds in the rough.

Located just opposite from the Ministry of Planning and Economic Af-fairs is the Nigerian Battalion 23 Level 1 Hos-pital that forms part of the United Nations Mission in Liberia. The Mission was estab-lished by the Security Council Resolution 1509 (2003) of 19 September 2003 to sup-port the implementation of Liberia’s Cease Fire Agreement and the peace process; pro-tect United Nations staff, facilities and civil-ians; support humanitarian and human rights activities as well as assist in national security reform, including police training and a new restructured army.

Planning and Economic Affairs, have been aiding sick people in surrounding com-munities. The Level 1 Hospital, which is simply a Primary Health Care Center which caters to sick military personnel contributes more by extending treatment to patients in and around the vicinity. The Hospital opens at 8:00 a.m. every day and run clinic days three days a week to treat women and children or any sick person who comes by. Because it is not a very big hospital, it is impossible to admit both civilians and military officers. Civilians are treated on an out patients basis ex-cept for emergency that would last for a short term. The Hospital has a laboratory and con-sists of a team of 10 persons including doctors, nurses, lab technicians, physio-therapists, dentists and clerks.

Several locals receiving treatment from the Level 1 Hospital Nigerian Battalion 23 are full of praises. Esther Kollie and her sister Precious Kollie live on Camp John-son Road and receive medical treatment from the Level 1 Hospital. Precious re-ceived attention from the doctor and nurses on duty and drugs to aid her speedy recovery from urinary tract infec- ….Continued on Page 6

A NIBATT 23 Commander comforts a Liberian child waiting to be seen by a doctor


The Re-Making of the Armed Forces of Liberia: A Force for Good Sources: LRDC and Ministry of National Defense

MONROVIA, Liberia – Liberia struggled through two civil wars in recent decade, and is now on the path to recovery to regain her spot among the comity of nations. Thus, as the Government of Liberia has made unyield-ing efforts to build a professional military that supports peace and stability. Liberia has built a strong and productive army team from day one. Thanks to the over-whelming supports of the United States and other donor countries which made a positive impression and created a relationship that will grow in years to come. As the first pillar of the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS), strengthening peace and se-curity plays a critical role in Liberia’s recon-struction efforts. Presently, the drawdown of one of the UN’s largest peacekeeping mis-sions is currently underway in Liberia and serves as an indication of progress in the country. The most recent achievements of the Armed Forces of Liberia, such as the re-activation of Liberia’s Coast Guard, are true signs that the Government of Liberia has begun the transition to regaining full control of its security sector. On April 28, 2009, the People’s Republic of China handed over the newly renovated 29.3 acres Camp Tubman Military Barracks to the President and Commander-in-Chief of Libe-ria, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. The Tub-man Barracks, named after President Wil-liam V. S. Tubman was established in 1937

and is located in Gbarnga, Bong County. The renovation, according to the Chinese Ambassador Zhou Yuxiao, is the largest military infrastructure developed by the Chinese on the African continent. Addi-tional medical equipments were presented to the Minister of Defense, Honorable Brownie J. Samukai, Jr., for use at the Tub-man Barracks’ Clinic Two additional mili-tary sites, the Edward Binyah Kessely Mili-tary Barracks and Demobilization sites are currently in the final stages of completion. These renovations play a vital role in strengthening the AFL by providing hous-ing and lodging for families creating a bet-ter work environment and military soli-darity. On July 31, 2009, the United States Gov-ernment turned over the Barclay Training Center (BTC) to the Liberian Government. The Ministry of National Defense moved its headquarters from its Benson Street address of 33 years to the BTC. Renovation work began in January 2006 by the U.S. Government, reopening the training center for Liberian Military Per-sonnel. The year 2006 also marked the beginning of the recruitment process for a newly restructured AFL under the guid-ance of DynCorp International – a private company specialized in training military personnel. On December 31, 2009, DynCorp Interna-tional and PAE completed their contract with the successful completion of the U.S. Army Readiness Training Evaluation Pro-gram (ARTEP) and Field Training Exer-cises (FTX) by the 23rd Infantry Brigade. The Brigade, currently housed in the Tub-man Barracks, attained its initial opera-tional status after completing the ARTEP. Effective January 1, 2010, the AFL took over its military training for AFL recruits from the contractors, a significant accom-plishment towards a cohesive and strong AFL. After fourteen years of civil strife marred by a significant proportion of AFL mem-bers betraying their oath to defend Liberia, its citizens and upholding the Constitution, the AFL has begun rooting itself once again as a trustworthy force among the Liberian people. In December 2009, the 1st Engi-neering Company partnered with UNMIL for the construction of a Bailey bridge at Sinje, Grand Cape Mount County. The Engi-neering Company plans to continue its construction efforts by raising 16 Bai-ley….continued on page 12

LIFT LIBERIA Unveils Hidden... tions. “I am grateful to the soldiers who make it their duty to treat us anytime we come around here especially today when Precious suffered serious stomach pains all night,” Esther Kollie said. Tracy Kerkula lives in Chocolate City in Gard-nersville but still benefits from the hospital at the Executive Mansion Grounds. “I lived in town before and know the Hospital,” she said with the hope of getting treatment at the Nigerian Battalion 23 Level 1 Hospital. Lt. M.C. Okafor says that the Hospital treats a lot of women and children on an average because they are the most vulnerable peo-ple. “We basically diagnose and treat pa-tients who need help. If any drug is unavail-able, we prescribe the drugs needed to help them out.” Fatu Johnson, who lives behind the City Hall in Sinkor, Monrovia, is pleased to note that her son stays healthy because of the Level 1 Hospital. She cannot afford to pay for treat-ment anywhere else. “We do not have to pay anything. If the medicine is not available a prescription is made for me to buy the medi-cine at a local drug store,” said Ms. Johnson. Lt. M.C. Okafor said patients are empowered through guided talks that help them to man-age sicknesses that heal over time such as diabetes, asthma and hypertension. Other health topics discussed with patients include malaria, typhoid, and sexually transmitted diseases. In a mission to building a superb and vibrant security sector, United Nations counterparts do not just only provide theoretical training to Liberia’s security sector. The NIBATT 23 offers implementation support to both the Peace and Security and the Basic Services Pillars of the Poverty Reduction Strategy. The example by NIBATT 23 is exactly what the new Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) is envisioned to be. The challenges of postwar reconstruction and development are enor-mous and so an army that adds values be-yond the traditional arm totting is what Libe-ria needs at the moment. In furtherance of this goal of service delivery by the army,

President Sirleaf ordered that the AFL Engi-neering Battalion works alongside the Minis-try of Public Works and the Pakistanis con-tingent during bailey launching so that prac-tical skills can be transferred over them. A modern army, in order to be relevant and accepted, needs to be strategic service pro-vider to the civilians.


Pillar II: Revitalizing the Economy

Favorable Climate Induces Major Investments In Liberia By Sidiki Trawally

There’s peace and security which has created a prospect for vast investment opportunities in the various sectors of the country’s growth corridors. Meanwhile, Liberia yearns for key investments in the private sector that will accelerate growth and create thousands of jobs for Liberians. As a result of Government’s ability to create a favorable investment climate in the country,

one of the world’s largest investment compa-nies from Sweden has expressed interest to invest in the energy sector to provide afford-able electricity for Liberians. Buchanan Renewables (BR) energy, which has established itself in Liberia with the aim of helping to rejuvenate the rubber industry, as well as supplying affordable electricity to Liberians. As part of its long term strategy, BR mar-keted the merits of working and investing in Liberia to large European power generating companies in order to attract major partners who would help BR and Liberia secure long term and sustained growth and develop-ment.

One of such large companies that BR has attracted is Vattenfall from Sweden. Part of the model for this partnership is tackling major climate change challenges and bio-mass.

Thus, with secure demand for rubber wood-chips from these companies, BR will be able to accelerate its harvesting activities in Libe-ria and play an integral part in implementing the rubber master plan for the country. Vattenfall has very keen development goals besides its interest in securing large volumes of Liberian rubber woodchips. As part of its investment decision, Vattenfall invited Swed-Fund, Sweden’s development and funding agency to join the consortium. Senior executives from both Vattenfall and SwedFund arrived in Liberia recently and held significant discussions with relevant authorities in the country including the Min-ister of Planning and Economic Affairs, Hon. Amara Konneh on Monday, February 15, 2010. During the meeting held in the Minis-try’s conference room, Minister Konneh enlightened the investors about the business climate in Liberia and the enormous oppor-tunities for investing in the private sector. He outlined government’s aggressive sup-ports for new investments in the country and reiterated his call for the government and the private sector to convene the Liberia Development Alliance (LDA) with the major investors, foreign and domestic, to discuss opportunities, problems and solutions in order to generate a maximum amount of economically and environmentally sustain-able activities made possible by the pres-ence, capabilities and needs of the large pri-vate corporations. The role of the government in this group, according to Mr. Konneh will be to encourage

Minister Augustine K. Ngafuan, Minister of Finance and Pillar Chairman with Mr. Jerry Taylor, Pillar Advisor

investment beyond each corporation’s own core activities, to promote coopera-tion among the different players and to facilitate the exchange of information re-garding problems and solutions. He said the government will use this forum to de-velop its agenda for improving the busi-ness environment, rather than looking solely at Doing Business indicators from international benchmarks, but instead by focusing on real binding obstacles to exist-ing and potential activities in Liberia. The Liberian Executive outlined few other important elements of his vision for the LDA, which calls for the agenda to be dis-tinguished from other aspects traditionally considered as Corporate Social Responsi-bility (CRS), such as the provision of local public goods in concession areas. The items to be discussed must be actions that increase productivity or activities that have the prospect of being profitable and hence self-sustaining and expandable. “It is also important to keep in mind that the goal of the LDA is to maximize the creation of good, productive, sustainable jobs for as many Liberians as possible,” Minister Kon-neh asserted and added that the Alliance’s goal is not to make members of the LDA artificially more profitable by transferring value away from other stakeholders to-wards them. … Continued on page 12

The economy of Liberia today is a shell of its past –

relic of an economy shattered by years of devasta-

tion and civil unrest. Gross Domestic Product

(GDP) is currently one-eighth of the pre-war levels,

as productive sectors such as agriculture and for-

estry, mining, manufacturing and construction col-

lapsed, along with social and economic infrastruc-

ture in the war years.

Liberia‟s debt-to-export ratio now exceeds 3,000

per cent with an overhanging burden of external

and domestic debts. The dominance of the economy

by an informal sector characterized by low produc-

tivity and lack of innovation is a consequence of a

weakened economic management system.

Mr. Steel (m) reveals his plan for Liberia


Pictorial: Major Development taking Place in Liberia

Captions: The Life Liberia Agenda has created the stage to bring Liberia out of the ashes and into a fast developing nation. This pictorial shows some effects of the PRS on Liberia and some achievements of the PRS to date.


From Infrastructure development to Good Governance and Rule of Law to Peace and Security and Economic Revitalization, the PRS is working to Lift Liberia


By James K. Kollie Deputy National Coordinator, LRDC

Poverty Reduction has become a cliché in

modern development studies; it has also be-

come one of the benchmark indicators for the

international financial institutions (IFI) like the

World Bank and the IMF. In modern day inter-

national financial arrangements leading to debt

relief or cancellation, it has become a require-

ment that poor countries develop and

implement strategies aimed at reducing poverty

in order to qualify for the Heavily Indebted

Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. It is under this

scheme that poor countries can have their debts

forgiven by the multilateral financial institu-

tions.

Because of the supra mentioned requirement

coupled with the track records of these IFIs in

development studies, it is easy to discredit any

honest undertaking aimed at reducing poverty

in some of the world‟s poorest countries. The

critics of these undertakings take their strong-

est arguments from the structural adjustment

programs (SAP) of the early 1980s. The ex-

periences under the SAP lend negative cur-

rency to the argument for Poverty Reduction

Strategies (PRS); critics continue to see and

argue that the PRS is a modified version of the

SAP.

Be that as it may, it is logically unsubstanti-

ated to dismiss the intent, necessity, and

value of poverty reducing activities as outlined

in the Poverty Reduction Strategies Papers

(PRSPs). In fact, even if not a requirement of

the IFIs, every developing country should

Poverty Reduction Takes Center stage in GoL 2010 Agenda: A Year of Implementation


Now that the Government has been able to

quickly retool and refocus its implementation

mechanism and strategies and has solidified its

ties with partners, and considering the political

economy of the poverty reduction strategies,

2010 presents the best opportunity for effec-

tive delivering. No doubt, the ordinary Libe-

rian people, 64% of whom live in poverty,

stand in need of the relief that this strategy

(PRS) promises. Before long, the coalition for

effective implementation may begin to dwin-

dle as politics takes center stage. This is why

the Government has moved very swiftly to

make poverty reduction the front burner of

development talks in Liberia.

This time, poverty reduction is not limited to

what is outlined exclusively in the PRS docu-

ment; other non-traditional methods are begin-

ning to take root. On February 4, 2010, the

Government of Liberia and UNICEF, with

funding from the Japanese Government

launched a pilot phase of the social cash trans-

fer program intended to address the plight of

the 50,000 Liberian households who live in

“ultra poverty”. Ultra poverty is being defined

as those who are poor and are labor con-

strained so that even if work were available,

they would not be able come out of poverty.

This program is currently been piloted in Bomi

County which happens to be the poorest

county in country.

The government also moved quickly to ad-

dress the employment issue by launching a

quick impact jobs creation initiative to gener-

ate 8,000 new jobs within a period of six

months. This initiative took effect in Decem-

ber 2009 so that young people can begin to

benefit from peace dividends before spoilers

begin to exploit to the detriment of the state.

These able bodied young men and women

were recruited to undertake labor intensive

public works and sanitation projects within

their own communities. These are few of the

efforts to show what Government is doing to

make poverty reduction front and center

amidst the domestic and global challenges.

Other efforts are being made within the al-

ready existing PRS arrangement. Government

and development partners have agreed that

infrastructure and social services should be

front loaded in 2010 so that ordinary people

begin to experience the impact of poverty

reduction. Inarguably, while policies and insti-

tutional strengthening are critical to long term

growth and development, short term economic

gains are also critical to restoring faith and

confidence in the Government „s ability to

deliver growth that is inclusive and sustain-

able. These are just few of the reasons why

poverty reduction is now front and center in

Liberia. ***

ensure that poverty reduction takes front and

center stage in their development programs.

The leaders of these countries need not be

required by foreign powers or institutions to

fully implement activities that improve the

living standards of their people.

Shouldn‟t it be the responsible thing for every

country to be concern about the plight of their

citizens especially those who live the worst

economic situation imaginable? Take the case

of Liberia for example: after nearly 15 years of

civil war and decades of economic and politi-

cal mismanagement, isn‟t it the right thing for

a government to design and implement pro-

grams intended to reduce and lift people out of

poverty even if required by IFIs? The fact that

the IFIs require these strategies to develop is

no reason to criticize or abandon them. To do

this is to abrogate a fundamental responsibility

of a post-conflict country government. When

people are suffering and dying as a result of

policy and institutional failings, it should be

the responsibility of policymakers to work out

responsible ways to address those failings and

reverse the plight of the people.

GOL launched PRS to lift Liberia

Toward this end, the Government of Liberia

developed and designed a 200-page Poverty

Reduction Strategy which it started imple-

menting in April 2008. By June 2009, it was

clear that implementation was significantly off

track with a completion rate of only 18%. At

this point, even though the requirement of the

IFIs had been met (i.e. to implement PRS for

one year and then produce a progress report)

the Government felt it would be a betrayal of

monumental proportion if the entire PRS was

implemented fully. To add currency and ur-

gency to this deeply held belief by the highest

political authority, the entire Cabinet stopped

work on August 14 & 15, 2009 to review the

entire PRS document and recommit to its full

implementation amidst the known challenges

and constraints but also cognizant of the op-

portunities, notwithstanding.

Since the Cabinet Retreat of 2009, a renewed

sense of obligation and priority has been given

the implementation of the PRS. In fact, the 90-

day results-focused planning process that

emerged from the retreat has taken stage in

PRS implementation. Besides, this planning

mode has begun spreading over to develop-

ment partners and friends. Everywhere in the

development corridors of Liberia, everyone is

looking to see the 90-day action plans of vari-

ous ministries and agencies. Partners are also

beginning to design, develop and align their

support behind the 90-day action plans of the

line ministries and agencies.

To further exemplify the importance that the

Government gives to PRS implementation, the

President committed her entire 2009 State of the

Nation address (text on www.liftliberia.gov.lr)

to the progress made under the PRS. In addi-

tion, the first of its kind, a one-on-one perform-

ance review of Cabinet ministers was based in

part on reports from the first 90 day scorecard.

New in modern Liberia is transparency around

PRS implementation; 90-day plans are released

online and in print and then scorecards are also

released for public consumption. An online

tracking tool is also available for the public to

follow real-time progress on the implementation

of the agenda.

For the first time, the Government is demon-

strably aligning its development agenda to the

National Budget. In the recently released

Budget Framework Papers (BFP), the Ministry

of Finance is requiring all core budget expendi-

ture to be 65% PRS aligned while a pool of

fund under a special project arrangement should

be 100% PRS aligned. What this means is that

ministries and agencies (M&As) that are unable

to clearly demonstrate how their operations are

linked to PRS interventions will have smaller

funding compared to those M&As that can de-

monstrably tie their activities to poverty reduc-

ing interventions. This is one of the clearest

manifestations of the Government‟s commit-

ment to making PRS activities front and center

in the 2010 development drive.

While year one of implementation was mainly

focused on output, that is delivering what was

outlined in the PRS, year two and beyond will

focus heavily on the impact the PRS implemen-

tation is having on the lives of the ordinary.

Now that we have had time to deliver on inter-

ventions, the only logical next step is to begin

to look at the outcome and impact.

Overall the Liberian development corridors,

partners are asking for the impact of our efforts.

To address this rising concern, the Liberian

Institute for Statistics and Geo-information

Services (LISGIS) have launched the second

(mid-term evaluation) Core Welfare Indicator

Questionnaire (CWIQ) to empirically measure

the progress that has been made since PRS im-

plementation. The CWIQ that established the

initial baseline against which PRS interventions

were developed, is the most trusted and scien-

tific way to measure progress.

In addition to the CWIQ, the Liberia Recon-

struction and Development Committee (LRDC)

will be turning its focus to impact assessment

rather than reporting on outputs as was done in

year one. The year two implementation report

will be 100% impact assessment from both the

demand and supply side of the poverty equa-

tion. Most of the interventions that were imple-

mented in year one should now begin to pay

incremental benefits and those benefits need be

assessed early to see where more efforts and

resources are needed.


http://www.liftliberia.gov.lr

Buchanan-Monrovia highway Continued from page 16

The Bailey bridge was launched by the then-advancing troops of the Economic Commu-nity of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) in 1993 during active military combat after it was destroyed sup-posedly by ex-fighting forces of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL). It was also disclosed that rehabilitation works for the rest of the road stretching to the port city of Buchanan will soon begin. The Monrovia-Buchanan Highway is one of several highways in the country that stands in dire need of rehabilitation. It got dam-aged during the country’s civil war and has since not be repaired during the war since it was built in the 1960’s. Locals Relieved, Get Two-Fold Benefit

The reconstruction of the Cotton Tree--Bokay’s Town Highway has also provided not only relieve for the road’s travelers but also employment opportunities for the lo-cals of the area. Peedenmar Verdier, a resident of Bokay’s Town told FPA Wednesday: “Fixing this road makes me happy because it will reduce the burden from our heads”. “The bad road was making us to pay about three times the cost of transportation fare”, she continued. “But now, at least, the fare has reduced since the fixing of this road started”, she said as she and several others talked about the serious problems that the

previous bad road posed them. Rifee Muagbon, a resident of one of the surrounding villages called Nigee Wein who was seen working as one of the CHICO’s workers told FPA: “At least, since the fixing of the road started, I’ve been able to get a job to do”. Muagbon, like several other young resi-dents of the communities and towns and villages spreading from Cotton Tree to Bokay’s Town told FPA that the road reha-bilitation has helped them secured a job for the past months. Joseph Kollie is one of such who does some of the masonry work: “Yes, I think more of this will help other citizens if it spreads to other parts of the country”. Other areas of concern under the Woods-led administration in addition to the Mon-rovia-Buchanan Highway with rehabilita-tion works expected to begin soon include the Monrovia-Gbarnga-Ganta Highway while rehabilitation of other secondary trunk roads like the Barclaysville-Pleebo Highway in the southeastern part of the country is expected to begin shortly. The Public Works boss, acknowledging during an exclusive FPA interview supervi-sion-lapses as one of the major short-comings of the Ministry for the last year,

has since promised the periodic and rou-tine maintenances of these projects as well as other feeder roads that connect farms and villages to major towns and cities. Linking all the provincial capital cities by roads is one thing that Public Works Boss always stresses: “It is our goal to have every political capital in this country linked by roads; so our people can have access to them for better living condi-tions”. Reporter Nat Bayjay can be reached at [email protected] or 077-920-058.

Pillar II: Revitalizing the Economy

Favorable Climate Induces Major Buchanan Renewable Chief Executive Officer Jim Steele disclosed that his company’s opera-tion with Vattenfall in Liberia will create about 10,000 jobs for Liberians in the agricul-tural sector. “That is good news for us,” Minis-ter Konneh excitedly responded. Vattenfall which generates electricity, pro-duces heat and supplies energy to several million customers in the Nordic countries and northern Europe, was represented at the meeting by its Vice President and Head of Business Development Goran Lundgren and Director for Business Development, Jan Sandberg. SwedFund was represented by its Managing Director Bjorn Blomberg. *** Re-making of the AFL - An Army For Good bridges in 2010. Additionally in 2009, the Engineering Company with its partners reno-vated the Redemption Hospital and began road rehabilitation projects in Gbarnga and Voinjama. The celebration of the 53rd Annual Armed Forces Day on February 11, 2010, was high-lighted by the reactivation of the Liberia Coast Guard with fifty-two Coast Guard personnel including one female officer. Through support from the U.S. Government, over five boats were provided to the Coast Guard to assist in their efforts. The U.S. Navy in partnership with the AFL Engineers renovated the Coast Guard Base and launch ramp. The Liberia Coast Guard has a mandate to ensure the security of Liberia’s Maritime bor-ders and natural resources. The reactivation will contribute to the protection of Liberia’s waters and fishing industry, potential reve-nue, while also serving as a deterrent for drug smugglers. Through the dedication of the Liberian Gov-ernment and support of partners, progress is underway in the security sector. The Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) and National Secu-rity Strategy of the Republic of Liberia con-tinue to serve as a backbone for reform. The progress thus far within the AFL reflects positively on the future of peace and security in Liberia. While the work is far from com-plete, the AFL’s motto “Dare to Defend” serves as a reminder to the men and women of the AFL of their role to protect Liberia and en-hance the way of life for the Liberian people. May the Armed Forces of Liberia remain steadfast, brave and dedicated to the tasks of defending and rebuilding Liberia. ***


The old Bailey bridge is being replaced

AFTER: The new highway to Buchanan BEFORE: Buchanan highway

Pillar III: Governance and Rule of Law

Judicial Training Strengthens the Rule of Law in Liberia’s Poverty Reduction Efforts By: Roland Kallon

Issues of rights, justice, and access are para-

mount concerns in the building of a society in

which each person has equal access to oppor-

tunities and protection as they seek to better

their lives.

In Liberia, the need to strengthen the rule of

law has far reaching implications than reduc-

ing poverty; maintaining peace and security

and preserving the nation state are other criti-

cal and reinforcing benefits of strengthening

the rule of law in Liberia.

After a thorough assessment of the legal and

judicial system in Liberia and during consulta-

tions leading to the drafting of the Lift Liberia

Poverty Reduction Strategy, it was acknowl-

edged that the lack of qualified personnel

within the legal and judicial systems was re-

sponsible for abuses and failures.

Toward this end, Liberians agreed and de-

manded that the Government does something

to remedy this situation. It was then agreed

that a judicial training institute be established

to help with building capacity within Liberia‟s

system of jurisprudence. In turn, the Supreme

Court was charged with the responsibility of

setting up the James A. A. Pierce Judicial

Training Institute.

At the opening of the October 2007 term of the

Supreme Court of Liberia, the Chief Justice, His

Honor Johnnie N. Lewis, announced the forma-

tion of a Steering Committee to guide the estab-

lishment of a Judicial Training Institute.

Associate Justice Kabineh Ja‟neh and then-

President of the National Bar Association, Mr. .

N. Oswald Tweh, served as Chair and Vice-

Chair, respectively, on the Steering Committee.

On November 30, 2007 the Committee submit-

ted its report with the following recommenda-

tions:

Develop a comprehensive training

curriculum for magistrates including

materials and Liberian trainers;

Recruit and select a Liberia national

as the Executive Director;

Develop a three-year strategic and

action plan providing direction for

the Institute for the next three years;

Select and train Liberians for course

designers and trainers providing a

significant step toward sustainability

of the Institute.

To date, the James A.A. Pierre Judicial Institute

has met most of the mandates for which it was

originally formed. “The Bench Book for Magis-

trates on Criminal Procedures” is a comprehen-

sive training curriculum that summarizes the

basic laws and statutes of the Liberian penal

code. The “Bench Book” is the creation of the

Judicial Institute by Liberians in concert with

the International Legal Assistance Consortium

(ILAC), UNMIL and the American Bar Asso-

ciation (ABA) and it is slated to be launched

nationwide on January 19, 2010.

According to Mr. Roosevelt Willie, a member

of the Steering & Curriculum Committee at the

Institute, “The Bench Book for magistrates

Dr. C. William Allen, Director General of the Civil Service Agency and Pillar Chair-man with Mr. J. Zangar Bright, Jr. Pillar

The government continues to make significant progress in redefining the mandates of public institutions, developing a comprehensive anti-corruption strategy, proposing a successor to the Governance Reform Commission, establishing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Independent National Commission for Human Rights, reforming the Civil Service Commission and initiating discussions on the relationship between the central and local government. The result is that hope is being restored, corrup-tion has been reduced and transparency and ac-countability have increased. However, a lot more remains to be done.

on Criminal Procedure is the first success in

solving one of the many vexing problems that

plague the judiciary.” He maintained that the

Bench Book is a simple, straightforward and

complete guide for magistrates that outlines

the court structure of Liberia, criminal and

civil procedures, case scheduling, references to

the revised codes, case laws and the rules of

court.

In concert with the recommendations of the

Steering Committee, the Institute now has a

Liberian national Executive Director, Ms.

Ophelia Mathies, who has been steering the

affairs of the Institute since July 1, 2009. Ac-

cording to Ms. Mathies, “One of the corner-

stones of any democracy is a strong, independ-

ent judiciary that delivers in a fair, transparent,

ethical and efficient manner to its citizens.

The James A.A. Pierre Judicial Institute is

designed to strengthen the competency and

qualifications of members of the judicial

branch, including judges, magistrates, counsels

and other court personnel.”

Help Lift Liberia


The Temple of Justice

Prison Rehabilitation: Challenges and link to poverty reduction By: Roland Kallon

Should prison rehabilitation be a priority for a post-conflict country amidst the massive infrastructural challenges and high poverty rate? For most ordinary Liberians it is easy to appreciate while infrastructure and man-power development are necessary ingredi-ents to poverty reduction. The benefits of rehabilitating roads, schools, health centers, public transport, etc are apparent to them but the rehabilitation of prison may seem as a distraction. In fact, prison rehabilitation has never been given the desired attention in Liberia even in pre-war times. To a large extent, most Liberians are not concerned about the state of the nation’s prisons or those who occupy them. They believe that doing time in prison is a well-deserved punishment for criminals. Yet, there is an underlying notion that prison reform and rehabilitation are key to the country’s transformation. Prisons in Liberia tend to be very overcrowded because of the slow pace of prosecution of cases. It is typical to find detainees held for several months without access to due process of the law. One disturbing consequence of the state of Libe-ria’s prisons is that juvenile offenders some-times share the same facilities with adults, who may be hardened criminals. Emmanuel Roberts is a case in point. A 17-year-old youth, Emmanuel was arrested in 2008 for allegedly committing murder. Ac-cording to Emmanuel, he is innocent of the charges leveled against him and even claims that it was a friend of his who actually stabbed someone during an altercation around his 72nd neighborhood in Paynes-ville. He is convinced that because his friend ran away after the incident, the police are using him as the “fall guy” because the brawl resulted in death. He also claims because his mother did not have the money to hire a law-yer, he was given one by the Government who, according to him, was not convinced of his innocence. As a result, Emmanuel claims, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. His lawyer filed an appeal but since there is no one to push his paperwork, Emmanuel is languishing in jail at the Monrovia Central Prison without any indication of the progress of his appeal. “I didn’t kill anybody,” he said with tears in his eyes. Whether or not Emmanuel’s claim to inno-cence is true, the Liberian Government rec-ognizes the need to maintain human rights and due process of inmates. It has taken steps to improve the conditions of prisons in

Liberia. The Government has established a sitting magistrate at the Monrovia Central Prison to expedite the trial process and reduce time spent in pre-trial detention. It is clear that any hope of rehabilitation will require improved conditions at the prisons. Prisons are hardly effective in rehabilitating offenders when the right measures are not put in place by authorities. Considering that inmates spend different lengths of time in prison, depending on their sentence, the approach to formulating programs for dif-ferent groups of inmates is paramount for successful rehabilitation. Juvenile offenders, like Emmanuel are a prime concern. The Government is working on programs to provide counseling to enable these inmates to transition back into communities so that they can positively contribute to society again. Mr. Ali Sylla, a psychotherapist assigned to the Ministry of Youth and Sports, is charged with the daunting task of rehabilitating juveniles at the Monrovia Central Prison. His program, “Faces &Voices of Recovery,” is geared towards helping juveniles transi-tion back into society. For the most part, the young people Mr. Sylla works with are iso-lated from friends and families and have completely lost touch with any form of sup-port that might help in their transition. Along with his support staff, Mr. Sylla has the responsibility of reconnecting with the young people and preparing them for life outside prison walls. For example, one of the sessions included a volley ball match that geared up the young inmates. This seemingly small measure of physical release went a long way in opening up some of the inmates who barely participate during ses-sions that involved only talking. Besides psychological support, which is intended to increase the self-esteem and well-being of the juveniles, support from family and loved ones is a major factor in determining whether they will successfully transition into society or relapse into the vicious cycle of crime and violence leading to a return to prison shortly after their release. In order to achieve that level of success, friends and family should be included in counseling sessions as support networks, said Mr. Sylla. One major challenge that threatens to derail the entire process is funding. Presently, the Ministry of Youth & Sports does not have the necessary resources to move the “Faces &Voices of Recovery” program forward.

One day a week is insufficient for Mr. Sylla and his team to make the kind of impact that is necessary for the juvenile inmates to begin the transition process. Psychotherapy alone is not enough to facilitate transition into society either. Additional programs are needed to bolster the efforts of Mr. Sylla and his team. Juveniles need learning tools such as read-ing and writing materials and structured recreation to stimulate their interest and to enable them to pick up where they left prior to their incarceration. But until the arrival of these educational programs and tools, Mr. Sylla has promised a more interactive initiative that would help the inmates get the needed exercises that would stretch their stiffened limbs, and perhaps stretch their brain capacity. The new program promises to put juveniles against the volunteer team which Mr. Sylla heads from the Ministry of Youth and Sports. There are now football and volley-ball matches every Thursday, and the juve-nile cell block is abuzz with prospects of showcasing what they are made of outside of crime and violence. These rehabilitation programs and services, if strengthened and supported, have the potential of turning these young people into productive citizens after they leave the prison walls. The poverty reducing effects of prison rehabilitation may not seem ap-parent to ordinary Liberians but these sys-tematic failures and inadequacies have the potential of increasing the crime rate thereby scaring off tourists and investors. If tourists and investors refuse to come be-cause of heightened crime and insecurity, there will be fewer jobs even for the most law abiding citizens thereby increasing the rate of income poverty.

Help Lift Liberia


An inmate waves from his cell window

Pillar IV: Infrastructure and Basic Services

Buchanan-Monrovia Highway Re-habilitation Project Taking Shape An Independent Report

When President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf an-nounced in early 2009 that there would be a major rehabilitation of the Monrovia—Buchanan Highway, it was met with so much excitement from Liberians and foreign na-tionals alike that when the promise took too long to be fulfilled, many lost patience and give up hope that the plan would ever see completion. Antsy commuters aired bitter complaints about the rocky roads leading to Buchanan, Grand Bassa County. Others lamented con-cerns that the Government was not being “a government of its word”. Contractors snail efforts also drew ire from commuters and residents in the area for being “very slow and wasting time” with the rehabilitation.

Since the appointment of activist-Minister Samuel Kofi Woods, it appears the rehab job is taking shape. Initially, many doubted whether Woods would deliver the goods at the Ministry of Public Works especially in the aftermath of the departure of his predeces-sor Loseni Donzo.

Few months and several complaints later, significant progress is now being made on the ongoing rehabilitation of the Cotton Tree—Bokay’s Town Highway, the first section of the over 80 kilometers of the Monrovia—Buchanan Highway as evi-denced by the already completed and paved portion of more than four kilome-ters while the remaining of the contracted 15 kilometers is undergoing intensive re-habilitation. The Cotton Tree—Bokay’s Town Highway is about 15 kilometers of the total 83 kilo-meters of the distance from Cotton Tree to the port city of Buchanan in Grand Bassa County. The port city of Buchanan is the country’s second largest seaport city while at the same time serving as a major route to the country’s entire southeastern re-gion. The Liberian Government, through the Ministry of Public Works signed a contract with the China Henan International Con-struction Corporation (CHICO) in April of 2009 for the rehabilitation of the Cotton Tree-Bokay’s Town Highway which forms part of the Monrovia-Buchanan Highway.

US$630M for project Valued at over US$630 million, the con-

tract, which was to later become Minister

Woods’ first major challenge and task to

fulfill, commenced March 27, 2009 with

September 26, 2010 set as the date of com-

pletion with funding from the World Bank

through the Liberia Reconstruction Trust

Funds (LRTF).

Though only about four kilometers of the

road has been completed, a FPA tour of the

contracted highway Wednesday showed that CHICO has not only made significant pro-gress on the pavement layers, but has re-stored hope for commuters already drained from the daily stress of traveling on the road. Engineers at the site confirmed to Front-PageAfrica that the old width of 7.5 feet is being widened to 10.5 feet while the previ-ous thickness of the road is being improved

from about two inches thick to eight inches thickness. In addition to the increased width, it was also

observed that there will be space for pedes-

trians separated from the active route by

dotted lines of paint to be used later, as

….Continued on page 16

The government has launched various programs to

facilitate infrastructure rehabilitation and the delivery

of basic services. These include the rehabilitation of

several hundred kilometers of roads and a few bridges,

rehabilitating schools, clinics and community health

facilities, financing community projects, rebuilding the

electricity grid, revitalizing the national strategy to

fight HIV/AIDS and the fight against malaria and tu-

berculosis, rehabilitating water pipelines in most parts

of Monrovia, initiating the process of school curricu-

lum review, drafting a new national youth policy,

launching a new girl‟s education policy and increasing

budgetary allocation for health and education.

Over the short to medium term, the government will

continue to focus strongly on electricity, water and

sanitation, education, health and nutrition for all.

Mr. Samuel Kofi Woods II, Minister of Pub-lic Works and IBS Pillar Chairman with Mr. Jesse Korboi


Newport Street being rehabilitated

Liberians cleaning drainage on Buchanan highway

Buchanan highway being rehabilitated

confirmed by one of the road workers. There have always been concerns from Libe-rians about the thinness of the roads and streets being fixed by contracting companies as well as ignoring of pedestrians’ safety along almost all of Liberia’s highways. Impression Leads To More International Pledge During the early part of February, an im-pressed team of international donor organi-zations including the World Bank, the Euro-pean Union, and Great Britain’s Department For International Development (DFID), among others pledged more financial aid to the country’s reconstruction drive, specifi-cally in road rehabilitation after seeing what they described as a good job being done on the Cotton Tree-Bokay Town Highway. During that inspection tour of the 15 kilome-ters of road by high power delegations from the Ministry of Public Works headed by Min-ister Woods, chairpersons of both houses’ of the National Legislature Committees on Pub-lic Works in persons of Sinoe County Senior Senator Mobutu Nyenpan (Senate’s Commit-tee) and Montserrado County Representative Victoria Lynch (House’s Committee) as well as officials and executive members of major donor partner organizations as guided by the China Henan International Construction Cor-poration (CHICO), it was revealed that over 30% of the total rehabilitation works on the highway has been completed. The paved section of the road which is the first in many years on that part of the road reminds one of an excellent expressway as the contractors during a power-point presen-tation prior to the tour exhibited to their guests and employers the level of job that has been done on the road. Following the tour, US$90 million was pledged by the European Union (EU) by its representative while another pledge of $24 million from DFID’s Alex Harper was also announced to the Liberian media during separate post-tour interviews. Harper told FrontPageAfrica that his organi-zation was committing this amount to the country’s reconstruction projects because, according to him, it is attracted by the key priorities of the government of road rehabili-tation. ‘Seeing is believing’ The World Bank Country Representative to Liberia who formed part of the tour said that he was excited by the quality of the road.

“Seeing is believing”, Nyeni Ohene had said as he named three things he said can be and should be attributed to the success of the ongoing project. “We first thank the Government for its vi-sion, her international partners’ commit-ment and we now need the patience of the citizens because engineering work requires time”, he declared. Concerns have been mounting of late from the public that CHICO and other contracting companies were delaying the implementa-tion of their respective contracts signed, particular on the rehabilitation of roads. CHICO, for its part, acknowledged the delay which it attributed to three weeks of be-lated rains during the rainy season as well as to addition culverts which the contractor is required to construct. It therefore an-nounced an increase in the working hours to 15 hours per day and seven days a week with the exception of the last Sunday of every month. The cost of rehabilitating and constructing roads was been put at US$1 million per kilometer but it seems that competitive bidding is leading to the drastic reduction of costs that could possible result into more roads being fixed in the post-conflict nation. The World Bank local Boss revealed that US$650,000 is being spent for each kilome-ter of road and that there are prospects of the cost being further reduced. “What is important about this also is that we are not only paying less for each kilometer, but we

are also getting quality road”, he stated. An equally-impressed Minister Woods who stated his satisfaction with the level of work that is being done at such a pace, stated at the end of the inspection said the highway is economically important because the Mon-rovia-Buchanan Highway is the gateway to the southeastern part of Liberia. Said the minister: “Access to road means economic growth for our people as you very well know that this road leads to Buchanan and onto Rivercess, Sinoe and the entire southeastern region of Liberia”. The contracted portion ends at the Bokay’s Town Bridge which, until the recent detour by the contractors, had been what many referred to at the time as ‘death trap’ due to its deteriorating stage. There had been a bailey bridge over a little river which villagers of Bokay’s Town named ‘Beh’ (meaning ‘lick’ in the Bassa vernacular). The river, according to them, overflows during the rainy season, thus requiring any bridge over it to be built at a higher height. New ‘Proper’ Bridge to Replace Bailey Bridge An earlier assessment tour of the bridge in Bokay’s Town revealed that the Bailey bridge that once existed over the river will be replaced with a full bridge before the end of April. “Before April ends, we will have full bridge here”, Minister Woods assured. Continued on Page 12


Yellow machine on duty on the Cotton Tree-Bokey Town highway

News Stories

Nat’l Career Fair Supports Libe-rian Youth The severity of Liberia‟s capacity constraints is

currently constraining her progress in imple-

menting the Government‟s Development

Agenda under the Poverty Reduction Strategy,

otherwise known as Lift Liberia program.

Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs,

Amara Konneh (pictured above with the stu-

dents at the Career Fair) says in order to make

progress Liberia needs more leaders, skilled

workers, motivated and experienced profession-

als, adding that the post-war country is in the

position to create those leaders and profession-

als.

Minister Konneh addressed Liberian students

and other community youth at the opening cere-

mony of the two-day National Career Fair on

Thursday (January 27, 2010) at the SKD Sports

Complex.

He called for the strengthening of Liberia‟s

workforce in all sectors – especially in the in-

dustries that have the potential to spark eco-

nomic growth in Liberia, such as agriculture,

infrastructure development, telecommunica-

tions, etc.

The National Career Fairs, the first to be held in

Liberia, aims to support Liberian Youth in capi-

talizing on their educational opportunities to

have good chances for employment upon

graduation.

The theme of the 2010 Career Fair is “Personal

Pathways” to Success, and will encourage stu-

dents to seek information and guidance on job

opportunities in the labor market when deciding

on their course of study.

Minister Konneh believes that while it is true

that Liberia has major challenges with both

human and institutional capacity, “we do have

some capacity in the country. We have capacity

assets in Liberia, and we must build on what we

have. The limited capacity we do have must be

further developed and scaled-up very aggres-

sively.”

AU, MPEA Sign US$100k Quick Impact Infrastructure Project

After 14 years of civil war in Liberia, Inter-national Donor Partners are strategically placed to propel Liberia in its post- conflict recovery and reconstruction efforts.

Meanwhile, to take full advantage of donor partners’ initiatives, the Liberian Govern-ment has categorized its developmental needs on a three year plan under the Lift Liberia program which began in April of 2008 and is expected to end June 2011.

The “Poverty Reduction Strategy” is a com-prehensive plan that rests on four separate pillars of the Lift-Liberia agenda - Peace and Security, Economic Revitalization, Govern-ance and the Rule of Law and Infrastructure and Basic Services.

As part of Liberia’s peace-building agenda, the African Union (AU) Liaison Office be-came operational in August 2004 based on the decision of the AU Peace and Security Council Meeting held in Addis Ababa. The Office continues to contribute immensely to the ongoing peace-building activities in the Country.

The AU Commission on December 1, 2009 donated $US 100,000 to the Ministry of Planning & Economic Affairs to provide socio-economic support of Quick Impact Projects as Post Conflict Reconstruction and Development assistance for selected com-munities around Monrovia.

The AU initiative is aimed at strengthening existing referral services of education and health facilities within selected communi-ties. The rehabilitation of the Paynesville Community High School and the Soniwein Health Center will go a long way in encour-aging more students to attend school in the Paynesville and cater to the health needs of the Soniwein community.

The project is expected to benefit about 13,575 males and 17, 125 females under the African Union Quick Impact Project for Li-beria. The project is expected to commence in February 2010 and end March 2010.

Moving Out Of Private Buildings By Derek M. Reeves

For many years in Liberia before the war and

even pass it, we have seen government‟s min-

istries and agencies occupying private build-

ings while many of her own are left in ruins.

This has led to the accrual of millions of dol-

lars in rental fees and other costs associated

with the maintenance of these buildings. This

also accounts for governments high domestic

debts. Payment of these fees has caused the

diversion of much needed revenue from rele-

vant areas of concentration.

To reverse this trend in the post-war country,

the Ellen-led administration has renovated

several of the government buildings to accom-

modate functional ministries and agencies.

Amongst a few ministries that have been

moved out of private buildings are the Minis-

try of Planning and Economic Affairs, Minis-

try of Defense, Ministry of Internal Affairs,

etc.

The newest of government agencies to join the

rank is the Liberian government agency

charged with the responsibility of gathering

statistics and relevant numbers for the nation‟s

planning purposes (LISGIS).

With the renovation of these buildings and the

move out of government agencies, funds will

be concentrated on better projects.

Help Lift Liberia

Dep. Planning Minister Dorbor Jallah (m) signs along with the AU Rep. Left is Mr. James Kollie, Deputy National Coordinator of LRDC

LISGIS new headquarters under construction


Government’s Social Protection Program

He thanked UNICEF for responding to the

challenge, saying that their partnership with

the Government of Liberia and the bold step

they have taken to support the introduction

of the social cash transfer in Liberia is laud-

able. With financial contribution from the

Government of Japan and the European

Union, “our effort through this scheme will

help reduce poverty in Liberia.”

Momentous occasion for Liberians

Addressing the crowd at the launching,

Unicef Representative in Liberia, Ms. Isabel

Crowley termed the occasion as historic and

momentous for the ultra poor in Liberia and

that it represents the conclusion of several

months of work initiated by Unicef under

the United Nations joint program on Food

Security and Nutrition and the Government

of Liberia.

She strongly commended the Liberian Gov-

ernment‟s proactive attitude in taking on the

social cash transfer initiative and not wait-

ing any longer to help the neediest of fami-

lies in Liberia.

“Too many children in Liberia who do not

eat a proper meal a day, simply because

Unicef Boss Isabel Crowley

Lifting People Out Of Poverty: Social Cash Transfer Pilot In Perspective By Sidiki Trawally

One of the deliverables in the current development agenda, the Lift

Liberia Poverty Reduction Strategy, is “Social Integration”, which is a

critical element in the attainment of the Millennium Development

Goals.

As such the Government of Liberia recognizes the importance of social

inclusion of vulnerable groups such as the elderly, persons of disabili-

ties, orphans and vulnerable children, and destitute families in the fight

against poverty, hunger, malnutrition and unemployment; as well as the

promotion of the enjoyment of their rights and freedoms.

In this regard, the Government of Liberia, in collaboration with its de-

velopment partners and civil society, has for the time developed a so-

cial protection policy, a critical PRS deliverable, to promote and en-

hance the welfare of the poorest, particularly vulnerable Liberians.

As part of the process, the government, with the

support of UNICEF, on Thursday, February 4,

2010 launched a pilot Social Cash Transfer

scheme in Klay, Bomi County with the primary

goal to reduce income poverty and address other

broader developmental challenges hampering

rapid social development and economic growth

in the county.

The pilot program has the goal of increasing

school enrollment, improving access to health-

care for beneficiaries and their families and pro-

viding valuable information that will inform

policy makers.

The historic launching of the two-year pilot pro-

ject marked a new drive to help the poor Liberi-

ans cope with future crisis like illness, death or

low harvest. “We have come to Klay to launch

this pilot social cash transfer scheme that will

provide support for about 10,000 extremely poor

Liberian living in Bomi, who do not have suffi-

cient self-help

potential to main-

tain a decent stan-

dard of living,”

said Minister of

Planning and

Economic Af-

fairs, Amara Kon-

neh, whose Minis

-try is the brain-

child of the

scheme, at the

official launching

of the program.

Minister Konneh

observed in his keynote statement that basic so-

cial protection to safeguard crisis-ridden and

extremely poor households from destitution is a

subsidiary, but necessary element of social cash

transfer is especially true for orphans and chil-

dren living in households affected by the HIV/

AIDS.

“Enabling this vulnerable group of Liberians

to buy food and have access to health and

education is not only a human right; it is the

basis for future opportunities and productive

engagement in a post-conflict Liberia,” Minis-

ter Konneh told the exuberant crowd of benefi-

ciaries who walked from nearby towns and to

receive their monies.

Liberia is not the first country to engage in the

social cash transfer program for its ultra poor

citizens. Success cases have been documented

in a number of countries like Malawi and Bra-

zil, where the scheme has helped improve the

quality of life for millions of their citizens.

Most importantly, increasing evidence sug-

gests that social cash transfer also promotes

growth, reduces poverty and inequality, and

enhances household productivity and other

multiplier effects.

The scheme is also

proven in those na-

tions to have reduce

violence of child

rights, improves ac-

cess to health care

and education and

human capital.

The Government of

Liberia will continue

to focus on social

integration as a tool

for poverty reduction

and for improving the lives of the most vulner-

able members of Liberia, particularly the eld-

erly, persons with disabilities, women and

children. “We will not be complacent in the

implementation of this pilot pro-gram until we

achieve its desired outcomes,” Minister Kon-

neh declared amidst rousing applause from the

beneficiaries.

A beneficiary receives money from an ECOBANK Rep. in Klay, Bomi County


Minister Amara Konneh

their parents or minders can‟t afford to buy more

food for the family,” observed Ms. Crowley. She

said despite the tremendous progress since the

end of the civil war, it remains a fact that more

than one in ten children born in Liberia will die

before reaching the age of five. “This state of af-

fairs is unacceptable. The cycle of poverty has to

be broken so that they realize their full poten-

tial.”

Estimates indicate that some 150,000 poor fami-

lies exist in Liberia, 60 percent of basic needs.

“Unicef and the Government had to take deci-

sive action…and so we did,” declared the Unicef

Boss, adding that the Social Cash Transfer was

developed as a pilot in Bomi County, one of the

most disadvantaged in the country, reaching

some 10,000 beneficiaries. Ms. Crowley chal-

lenged Liberians to ensure the scheme succeeds.

She reaffirmed Unicef‟s commitment to the

program to ensure its success, because according

to her, “there is a lot at stake.”

Oldma Zoe Gotomo, a beneficiary who spoke on

behalf of her colleagues revealed that she has

started to see major changes in her life style. “I

fini start my house and I send my children them

to school. I (am) happy for the Government. We

thank God for the government to take care of

us,” she said colloquially.

Other speakers at the launching ceremony in-

cluded the Minister of Education, Dr. Joseph

Korto, Deputy Minister for Sectoral and Re-

gional Planning at the Ministry of Planning and

Economic Affairs James Dorbor, who gave an

overview of the Social Cash Transfer scheme,

Bomi County superintendent Mohammed Mas-

sale, who welcomed the guests, a representative

of UNMIL and the Deputy Minister of Gender

Development.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Minister

Konneh interacted with the beneficiaries during

he urged them to properly manage the money to

send their children to school and seek healthcare

for them too. He emphasized that the pilot pro-

ject is for two years and that based on what

would be achieved from Bomi project, other

counties will benefit from the scheme.

“It will depend upon each of us to make sure

that it (social cash transfer) will work and be

sustained and ultimately implemented in all 15

counties, thus becoming in the years to come

one of the most comprehensive programs to life

Liberia out of extremely poverty,” said Ms.

Crowley.

Prior to his departure for Monrovia, Minister

Konneh and the Unicef Representative briefly

supervised the disbursement of funds to the

beneficiaries.

Minister Konneh received a white chicken and

cola nuts as a sign of respect and honor by the

citizens of Bomi. “I am grateful. Thank you

plenty…” he excitedly told the citizens.


ACBF Impressed With Development In Liberia By J. Dominic Farley

The executive secretary of the ACBF is im-pressed with the level of development in Liberia; something she believed was under-pinned by the resumption of microeconomic activities in the country. Madam Leautier who was visiting Liberia for the first time, noted that roads are being paved, building refurbished, news structures built and people were moving in the streets freely while marketers were seen busy with their daily chores from one end to another. She observed that construction is usually an early indicator of the resumption of eco-nomic activities. “The country has made visi-ble progress, visible in the microeconomic activities and visible to the eyes of visitors,” she said. While speaking to reporters at a local hotel, the visiting ACBF Executive indicated that the resumption of economic growth in Libe-ria was the beginning of job creation, empha-sizing that she also believed that creating an environment conducive for private invest-ment was crucial to creating jobs because according to her peace and stability would assure investors in their ventures. She disclosed that the Foundation was closely working with the United Nations De-velopment Programme (UNDP), the world bank and other donors in Liberia to seek the kind of support they can provide for the country, adding that they were working to organize a workshop that would discuss pri-orities so that in the long run, the investment by the government would go to the right area. Madam Leautier said the work of LIMPAC, including the monitoring of funds, were key elements and important steps to securing longer term economic growth. A country like Liberia coming from war, according to the ACBF Executive, has many needs, including the need for capacity development and in-vestment in health, education, roads, amongst others. That is why she and her entity was collaborating with the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs and other relevant government ministries and agencies to get a good set of priorities of what is needed to be done in the next few months and with the next few years. “We can better organize and help to achieve the objectives of the PRS and beyond,” she maintained. Madam Leautier who met with President

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf during her visit said she congratulated the President on the contribu-tion Liberia has made to the African Founda-tion by paying $250,000USD as membership fees. During the meeting, Madam Leautier said she extended an invitation to President Sirleaf to participate in the 20th Anniversary of the Foundation scheduled from February 9, 2011 and that the President was updated on the Foundation’s activities since she was a for-mer member of the Board of the ACBF. The visitor disclosed that ACBF was working in at least 46 African countries with a grant of $350M while Liberia was benefiting from a US$2M grant. She asserted that the Founda-tion was working to ensure that the country had the capacity to design, implement, moni-tor and evaluate economic policy. She also revealed that ACBF was supporting lot of training activities, particularly for public sectors, including Civil Service Agency and the National Legislature. This, she said was in an effort to develop strategic planning that would enable them make good decisions and implement them. Regarding her expectations, Madam Leautier said she love to see LIMPAC become an autonomous entity with strong contribution to policy making in Liberia. She added that she was pleased with the work of LIMPAC. Liberia emerged out of protracted civil war with n institutions that could formulate and analyze microeconomic policy for the post-war recovery of the economy. And realizing the vital importance of such institution, the African Capacity Building Foundation and the Liberian Government entered into an agree-ment in 2007 to established and provide support for an institution that would build the capacity of the government in policy analysis, formulation and management, a

Dr. Leautire (m) with officials of LIMPAC

background against which LIMPAC was established. ***

Taking the Initiative: Liberia Na-tional Youth Congress Engages High School Students in PRS Debate By Roland Kallon

Students debate PRS issues

As Liberia transitions from recovery to development, it is important that all Libe-rians participate fully in the transitioning process. This will complement Govern-ment’s efforts and ensure success in the process. Government continues to reach out to citi-zens from all walks of life to encourage participation and ownership of the devel-opment process. The recent national cen-sus indicates that young people constitute the majority of the Liberian populace. It is therefore critical to fully engage this group of Liberians to contribute their quota to Liberia’s development efforts. The “Lift Liberia” Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) awareness campaigns stirred up the neces-sary interests amongst high school stu-dents in Liberia. The Liberia National Youth Congress, a student based organization, recognized the need to participate and contribute to Libe-ria’s development agenda by getting


students together to discuss the progress and challenges of the PRS. They organized a National High School Debate Competition with a Poverty Reduction Strategy theme. The debate commenced in Montserrado County on January 27, 2010 and is expected to run through to February 26, 2010. A one day workshop held on January 20, 2010 at the Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) gymnasium in Monrovia targeted the development and empowerment of young people to make meaningful contributions to their societies by embracing and participat-ing in the Poverty Reduction Strategy. The workshop was intended to prepare the par-ticipants for the debate by providing a con-text and background on the PRS. Participants from thirty two (32) schools around Mon-rovia attended the workshop and engaged staff members of the Liberia Reconstruction Development Committee (LRDC), who are responsible for coordinating the Poverty Reduction Strategy. Ms. Robtel N. Pailey, Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, in-formed the students that funding for the workshop and debate was provided by the World Bank, through a Government Commu-nications Strategy intended to create aware-ness about progress and challenges in imple-menting the PRS. “I encourage you to ask the critical questions, probe each other, and help us come up with the best solutions to make Lift Liberia a success,” she encouraged stu-dents. Ms Lilian Best, Special Assistant to the Minis-ter of Planning and Economic Affairs for In-ternational Cooperation, welcomed the stu-dents to the workshop and emphasized the need for them to actively get involved in the development process.

Mr. James F. Kollie, Deputy National Coordi-nator (LRDC) expressed joy that high school students showed interest in the PRS as dem-onstrated by the huge turnout and urged students to take advantage of the forum to get informed. He provided a background of the Liberia Reconstruction Development Committee as well as the objectives of the Poverty Reduction Strategy. He entertained questions from the students and further ex-plained that progress has been made in im-plementing the PRS. “A strong foundation is fundamental in the building process and poverty can be eradicated if the necessary systems are in place,” he told the assembled students. Mr. Kollie also conceded that there were binding constraints that have slowed the progress of the Poverty Reduction Strategy. He encouraged the students to pressure their Legislators to act quickly on passing the nec-essary legislations so that policies can be-come law. The Deputy National Coordinator ended by commissioning students to be am-bassadors in the fight against poverty. The workshop also included presentations by Pillar Technical Advisors from the four Pillars of the Poverty Reduction Strategy: In his presentation on Peace and Security (Pillar I), Mr. Theo Addey provided some context on the security sector in Liberia. He emphasized the importance of peace and security to the successful implementation of the entire PRS and highlighted some pro-gress that has been made in the security sec-tor reform. In an interactive forum, he urged students to take cognizance of significant policies that government had developed, not focusing only on visible projects. Some of these policies include gender and

environmentally sensitive modules in train-ing of security institutions, Standard Oper-ating procedures (SOPs) and Code of Con-duct. He informed the students about the importance of strong policies and institu-tions as these provide a sound foundation for sustainable development. He acknowl-edged some constraints faced by the secu-rity sector and assured the students that efforts are being made to address them. Under pillar II, Economic Revitalization, Mr. Jerry Taylor highlighted the need for all the counties to get involved in the development process if the strategy is to succeed. He stressed that agriculture (food security), farm to market roads, forestry develop-ment, expansion of the mining industries and access to finances were important pri-orities under Pillar II. He told the students that the passage of the Public Financial Management Law of 2009 as well as the strengthening of private sector develop-ment will enhance rapid economic growth. Mr. J. Zangar Bright who is the PTA for Pillar III, Governance and the Rule of Law, reiter-ated that the Country initiative was very important in “Lifting Liberia.” He explained that the GRL pillar is divided into three sub-pillars. Governance, headed by Dr. S. Jabaru Kallon; Rule of Law (Justice), headed by Hon. Christina Tah and Rule of Law (Judiciary), headed by His Honor Johnnie N. Lewis. Mr. Bright also stressed the need for the Legislature to work in concert with the Ex-ecutive to pass the necessary legislation to fast track the progress of the Governance and Rule of Law Pillar. Pillar IV’s PTA, Mr. Jesse Korboi informed the students that the Infrastructure and Basic Services Pillar is the largest under the Poverty Reduction Strategy with a whop-ping 152 deliverables. Mr. Korboi said that there were early signs of improvement in terms of implementation in the first 90 days (September-November 2009). Though he acknowledged 29 of the 33 deliverables during this period were implemented Mr. Korboi warned against complacency and said more was needed to be done to ensure full compliance and over-all success of PRS deliverables. “Budgetary cuts, funding gaps and capacity constraints remain major challenges in the implementa-tion of the Poverty Reduction Strategy”, he said.

The Youth are our

future leaders


LRDC Brief Newsletter Volume One

Documents

Transcript of LRDC Brief Newsletter Volume One