The government and Members of the Diplomatic Corps have ended a day-long tour at various project sites, supported by the diplomatic community in Liberia in Bong and Margibi Counties.
By Willie N. Tokpah/[email protected]
The tour, which took place on Monday, August 12, witnessed the presence of key members of the diplomatic corps as well as officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Education, Gender Children, and Social Protection and the Ministry of Information Culture Affairs and Tourism. It was geared at showcasing to partner’s major projects being carried out which they have funded.
The team visited the 500 acres of Fuamah Rice Production Field in Bong County, the EU Funded Human Rights Project at the Kakata Central Prison, and the 200 acres of Cassava Production Farm in Margibi County.
The Margibi Administrative Building, the Booker Washington Institute and Regional Center Technical Vocational Program, and the Kasor Farm Integrated Rice-Fish Farming Site were also visited.
During the tour, Foreign Affairs Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti noted that members of the Diplomatic Corps were invited on the field tour to see what the government is doing and what they are investing in.
This, according to her, is intended to encourage continuous investment and partnership in Liberia.
“We are looking at the New development plan and looking at how we can articulate the needs and strategies for achieving development in Liberia and so, I thought it wise to lead the team of Ambassadors out there in the world, so they can look at what others at doing, so we can all work together to take Liberia to where Liberia is trying to go,” Minister Nyanti averred.
Minister Nyanti said the tour was intended to look at ways of accelerating developments that will move Liberia forward in line with President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s mandate.
She explained that President Boakai is serious about his government making an impact on the lives of Liberians and that doing so would need the collaboration of development partners.
She believes the Ambassadors are direct representations of their respective countries and they are the ones who will encourage their government to invest in Liberia, as such, bringing them to see the fieldwork is important.
Minister Nyanti maintained that there are new areas that the government wants development partners to invest in, and as such, bringing them to see ongoing development will motivate them to speak to their respective governments to give more support to Liberia.
She also noted that the tour will inform these development partners on priority areas that the government of Liberia wants to invest in.
Motivating Women In Agriculture
Minister Nyanti making remarks at the Cassava Farm project in Margibi lectured women that gender is made mainstream in the different projects being implemented by the government and supported by its partners.
She encouraged the women at the site that they have an opportunity to make use of the project before them.
“Funding and partnership are not only about money, it’s about technical capacity. It’s about ideas about innovations or strategies and so forth. So everybody can be a part of what we’re doing in Liberia,” she noted.
“I’m glad to see many more who have not traditionally been talking about us doing coop the operation, talking about mission and so forth, to look at areas of cooperation and that’s what this is about to change or that. Also, we do see that the government of Liberia is serious about leading this development trajectory.”
She also informed members of the diplomatic corps that the government has a gap, but the support will help at a strategic level and at the ambassadorial level diplomatically, to engage.
For her part, Education Minister Dr. Jaso Jallah speaking during the tour at the BWI noted that the endeavor was good to see that TVET is not just male-dominated, owing to the number of females she saw on the trip serving at the BWI TV program.
This, she said, is an encouragement for more females to take on TVET training.
Minister Jallah added the absence from the field creates a lack of understanding of what is happening and that the tour was essential for onsite knowledge of happenings on the field.
Agriculture Minister Dr. Alexander Nuetah who was also on the tour making remarks at the Agriculture Site in Fuamah District, Bong County said it was good that development partners come to the various sites to see how Liberians are utilizing the development fund provided to them by regional and international partners and how eager are Liberians to do more if the available funds are provided.
Further speaking at the Cassava Farm in Margibi County, Minister Nuetah at Cassava Farm said the government agriculture program intends to capture smallholder farmers and to ensure land preparation is carried out yearly.
He said the government is helping to ensure that the farmers can sustain their agricultural productivity onward, following assistance for their start-up.
“The second thing we want to do is to avoid shifting cultivation, which is putting pressure on the environment as they move from one place to another every year,” Minister Nuetah noted.
“The court down the forests and I oppose pressure on the environment. We put them here on this island and give them a small machine that they need to produce because the President says he doesn’t want to see us giving farmers cutlasses which makes it difficult for them to do their jobs.
“So, we are saying to our partners, if you want to support our smallholder farmers this time around, this is how we do it. We put them into production units or cooperatives developer land for them as you saw in the rice production field. We are here right now. We have eight of these across the country in four counties.”
He added that the government through the Ministry of Agriculture has identified six counties for cassava production to include Margibi, Bong, Grand Cape Mount, Bomi, Grand Bassa, and Montserrat.
Additionally, the Doyen of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Cameroon accredited to the Republic of Liberia, His Excellency Beng’yela A. Gang described the tour as a learning project intended to look at the optimism of the real happenings in Liberia.
“Sometimes the narrative from citizens and noncitizens is very negative, but when you come on a trip like this, you see that the nation is doubling, especially the youths are doing all they can, to find a way out to sustain themselves,” Amb. Gang affirmed.
He said it was important to forgo the blame game of government before this administration and focus on doing things ahead to progress the country.
Amb. Gang said all that they had seen from the various project sites shows that progress is being made.
He however emphasized the need for investment in the production of corn.
At the same time, European Union Ambassador to Liberia, Nona Deprez said the tour is an excellent initiative of the Foreign Affairs Minister to bring all the accredited ambassadors together to their respective projects.
Ambassador Deprez registered that though she had been in the field before, the tour was a first of its kind to see diplomats together on a field visit.
She emphasized the importance of sustaining the project.
Amb. Deprez then committed the EU to continue its support to the government, saying there is something good coming up for the government, which will be disclosed when the EU Headquarters finalized it, as part of its continuous support to the government.
“We will hopefully launch a project very soon on gender equality and another which will support private sector development.”
