Mismanagement of Natural Resources Responsible for Liberia’s Underdevelopment, Says Executive Director

MONROVIA – Mr. K. Boboh Kollie, the executive director of (organization name), attributed Liberia’s underdevelopment to a lack of accountability and transparency in the management of the country’s natural resources.

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By: Victoria G. Wesseh

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“Liberia, being the oldest African country, is underdeveloped at this time due to our own mismanagement of our resources,” Kollie said at a one-day workshop that brought together civil society actors and the media.

According to him, the intent of the workshop is to bring the media and civil society actors together to raise awareness of corrupt practices by key public and private officials in the country.

“We know that it will be difficult to control corruption, but with our collective efforts, we will minimize it,” Kollie said.

Kollie observed that the failure to adequately raise awareness around the issues of corruption has prompted concern among donor partners.

He said the government has refused to investigate and punish several public officials accused by the US Department of the Treasury since 2014 up to the present.

Additionally, Pulate Johnson, (position and organization), said the fight against corruption needs to begin from bottom to top.

“We cannot start fighting corruption from the top. We have to start from the bottom. This is how we can get to the root cause of corruption in the country,” he maintained.

“It should start from our very homes, workplaces by refusing to engage with issues relating to corrupt practices, to help make the anti-corruption stance work,” he noted.

The training was funded by the United Nations Development (UND), Denmark, Luxembourg, the Republic of Korea, and Sweden.