Monrovia – Accountability Lab Liberia (ALL) has launched the 2019 edition of integrity idol that celebrates honest civil servants in post-war countries like Liberia.

Report By Jackson F. Kanneh 00231770195412 / jkanneh@frontpageafricaonline.com

This year integrity idol is the fifth edition of a process that started in 2015.

Since the launched of the campaign some years ago, Accountability Lab Liberia has partnered with local and international organizations in revering honest civil servants at the end of each year through the participation of the public.

Launching the 2019 edition of integrity idol on Friday, March 8, Foundation for Human Rights and Democracy (FOHRD) Liberia Executive Director Danieletta Sleyon challenged Liberians to look at burning issues and cross-check personalities as they go about selecting their 2019 idols.

She called on Accountability Lab Liberia to select people whose lifestyle and story will serve as a motivation for other Liberians to follow.

“I would consider that this noble initiative be considered the real issues, conduct a comprehensive background check and have manifested testimonies of character, lifestyle and decency as part of the process whose noble intention is to reward and motivate individuals that are making incredible progress and transformation to our country,” madam Sleyon noted.

At the same time, she wants Liberians to improve on some of the negative aspects of their life that have kept the country from progressing since the end of the civil conflict. 

According to Sleyon, for the country to experience growth, Liberians need to change their way of thinking and approach toward issues of national concern.

“We as Liberians whose sole intention is to change the narrative and rebrand our nation, it becomes of the utmost relevance that we reflect on some of those vices of the past that seem to have crept into our present-day reality as a nation,” she averred.

Speaking also at the launch, ALL Executive Director Lawrence Yealue said integrity idol have to change the dimension on how people grade or judge public servants since it was launched back in 2015. According to him, integrity is about doing something positive in your own way when no one is monitoring.

He said integrity idol create the platform for honest public servants to be heard and appreciated for their honest work toward the promotion of the motherland.

“Since four years back we try to name and fame people who had contributed to the society in their own week way. We try to tell a different story about these great Liberians that have done an amazing thing in silent because that is what integrity is all about, doing thing when no one is listening,” Yealue noted.

Yealue said integrity idol is intended to celebrate every year decent public servants that are in the circle of both the public and the private sector. Appearing also at the launch last year winner Dorbor Jallah called on Liberians from all sector of the country to buttress the effort of ALL by engaging in positive things that promote the good name of the country.

According to the former Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC) boss, every fabric of the country is faced with the challenge of corruption. He called on ALL executives to open up the process in selecting idols to other counties so every reputable honest person can have the chance to be heard and fame. Integrity Idol is an annual campaign that moves away from “naming and shaming” corrupt public servants to “naming and faming” honest civil servants. Initially launched in Nepal in 2014, Integrity Idol has since spread to Pakistan, Nigeria, Mali, Liberia, and South Africa.

Monrovia – A Bong County-based civil society organization (CSO), Community Development and Research Agency (CODRA) has become the first-place winner of a new awards program.

Report by Alline Dunbar, alline.dunbar@frontpageafricaonline.com

The award, which is dubbed “Liberia’s First Learning Awards”, is an initiative of ICampus Liberia in partnership with   Accountability and Voice Initiative, two component programs of USAID, which is funding the initiative, in order to help civil society organizations transmit information in a more better way.

The first-place winner, CODRA, a CSO based in Gbarnga, Bong County, works around development issues especially research. One of its recent researches was done among civil society groups across the country on teaching them how to collaborate with each other effectively.

Lasana Dukuly, CODRA head, expressed his joy for his organization being selected the first-place winner of this new award. He avowed that his organization will continue to engage and collaborate more with development partners to enhance the learning culture of Liberia.

In the Dry Season of 2017, ICampus conducted a learning mapping exercise to understand why and how Liberian organizations learn.

Giving an overview of the program, ICampus Manager Luther Jeke stated that the entire process of Liberia’s Learning Awards started back in January.

According to Jeke, the activity programs include the culture of learning comprising mistake making; adding: “Your mistakes and lessons learn should be used to do better in the future.”

However, he stated that the award is also geared toward naming and faming organizations, which have done well despite them making some mistakes in their operations.

He admonished other organizations, which are not development partners of ICampus and USAID to apply in the next rounds.

During the first round, seven organizations expressed interest, five completed their application process and only three were shortlisted.

The three shortlisted emerged as the winners with CODRA taking the first place; Youth Coalition for Education in Liberia (YOCEL) won second place and the Liberia Media Center (LMC) won third place.

Also speaking, Accountability Lab Country Representative Lawrence Yealue stated that it has been the wish of his organization to create an enabling environment in making Liberia a better place. The package for being first-place winner is usage of the ICAMPUS main hall twice a year, two productions with access to the studio and works would be presented to USAID. For second-place winner, one-time usage of the hall and one production in studio, while the third winner is only going to have a one-time access to the main hall.

Buchanan – FrontPage Africa’s Bettie Johnson Mbayo has bagged three of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) annual prestigious awards held this year in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.

Reporter Mbayo was awarded women rights, judiciary and health reporting awards on Saturday, June 9, at a well-attended event held at the Unification Pavilion in the port city Buchanan.

The PUL award is an annual event intended to recognize journalists for their outstanding performance.

Also, John Kollie was awarded the prestigious journalist of the year; Monrovia based OK FM sealed radio station of the year award.

Power TV, was also awarded television station of the year, Anthony Stephens of Power TV was awarded environmental, Investigative and extractive reporter of the year.

FPA’s Mbayo is an investigative, human rights and women rights reporter who is working to lift the voice Liberian women as well as development issues in the country.

Mbayo won the awards base on her tough investigation of women and human rights issues in the country.

Mbayo covers the judiciary, gender and the police as well as other security apparatus in the country.

She said “it is time for journalists to go beyond mere press releases in their reportage”.

She then admonished female journalists to compete with their male counterparts in order to breach the huge gap that is favouring male journalists.

Mbayo also used the occasion to call on media practitioners to be proactive, objective, balance and accurate in their coverage and reportage.

“If journalists should progress, we urge media owners to build the capacities of reporters, and I also call on the Press Union of Liberia to review the collective bargaining agreement that will ensure that journalists have a better life in their career or profession,” she said.

Also speaking, the President of the Press of Liberia, Charles B. Coffey lauded journalists for their high level of professionalism especially during the height of the 2017 presidential and representative elections.

“2017 was a critical year, that if journalists of this country could not engage in high level of professionalism, it would have driven this country into a situation that could have brought confusion and disrupt our status code,” Coffey said.

Coffey also commended the award winners for mustering the courage and for being professional, balance and accurate in their reporting.