Liberia: Gov’t, CSOs and AfDB Brainstorm in Monrovia to Establish Win-Win Collaboration

MONROVIA – A tripartite dialogue involving the Government of Liberia (GoL), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) aimed at establishing a win-win collaboration took place on Friday, August 30, 2019 at the AfDB Country Office in Monrovia, Liberia.

The participants of the one-day CSO open day mainstreaming civil society engagement in AfDB Work were drawn from the 15 Counties of Liberia.  The AfDB places citizens at the center of its development policy and approach.  AfDB recognizes the importance of integrated approaches to addressing socioeconomic development challenges through programing with citizens to drive governance for enhanced delivery, management and oversight.  

Interestingly,  civil Society remains the most critical partners in achieving community engagement in the bank’s transformation agenda for Africa.

 During the interactive forum, Mr. TRAORE Francois, the Civil Society Officer- in- Charge of West and North Africa for the AfDB, made a brilliant presentation of AfDB Civil Society Engagement Approach-objectives and expected outcomes. 

Francois explained that the forum was basically to provide opportunities for the bank  to exchange with civil society, to inform the citizens about the job the bank is doing in Liberia  and receive  feel back and recommendations  from civil society actors  for the enhancement of the   bank’s operations.  

According to him,  the bank has its ears  listening to the citizens and receiving feel  back  from the citizens to ensure that they-citizens are engaged and to provide more insightful with knowledge in the context dynamism to help the bank provide its development work. 

While describing  the  meeting  as  very  fruitful and successful,  the AfDB official  said it was a good thing for AfDB to have a tripartite policy dialogue involving  civil society,  government and it, , especially given that a  high government official from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning(MFDP)  was seated on the table  to discuss with civil society on  how they can work  with the AfDB in moving its development drive in the country.

“In the long run, the bank is exploring ways of better engaging through  providing capacity building at the technical level and in the future at the  financial  level,” the AfDB  official,  who is based in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, disclosed.          

  However,  Francois  was quick to point out  that this is  a process, because  it has to go through policy  and has to be integrated  within  the bank’s overall doing business.

“ It takes time, but we will get there.  Civil society members need to be patience; they should not  only look at the  money aspect alone. We need strong collaboration that hold us accountable for the work we do for the population,” he, among other things, added.        

The  Officer- in-Charge of  AfDB  Liberia  Country Office, Mr. Kelvin Banda, who spoke  earlier  when he  gave the welcome remarks,   strongly  emphasized the need for the policy to be adopted so that it guides the  bank in terms  of how it can  work in Liberia.

“Going  forward, one important thing which I will like to emphasize which I mentioned to the  government  when we  had the bilateral meeting is that this is a new area for us and will like to work well in that particular area rather than to bring   in confusion in that environment. For this reason,  I think  the rules  of the game  are on government side to say what  do we have  a policy in place , do we have the relevant law for the participant of civil society and NGOs,”  Banda  pointed out.

Banda furthered that laws are the main reason, because that will set the  ground the bank to engage the civil society and NGOs.  

The  Officer- In-Charge of  AfDB  Liberia  Country Office,  who thanked the participants for responding positively to the bank’s invite,  told the participants that they will report  to them in terms of what are the next steps  as soon as the guidelines are approved.

Also speaking, the Director at the NGO Coordination Unit  at the MFDP, Mr. K. Massayan SorSor, Sr., on behalf of  President George Manneh Weah  and  the Minister of the MFDP,   Samuel Tweah, who he described as his boss, thanked the AfDB for initiating such an interactive  forum  where  the government, civil society and the AfDB  met and  discussed  issues  that would lead to the development of Liberia and the sub-region. 

The  MFDP official, on the other hand, encouraged the bank to climb a little, saying: “ We appreciate you, but we want you to climb a little bit, while it is true that this is a piloting program   that after the piloting program there will be greater opportunities.”  

Sorsor  decried that Liberia, his land of nativity, which is a  gave birth to several key international  institutions, including the AfDB,  has suffered so much  and that it is about time that benefit from the development  activities of the bank.

Sorsor, while acknowledging the  AfDB continued support towards the development  drive of Liberia, pleaded with the bank to help the government rehabilitate   the  much talked about Ganta-Zwedru Highway, describing the road as a complete nighttime, especially  during the rainy season. 

When this road is rehabilitated, he believes, it will  bring a big relief not only to  Liberia,  but also  to neighboring  Guinea,  Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone. 

He reaffirmed the  government’s commitment in working with the AfDB and other development partners in  moving the country  forward in terms of development.           

For his part,  the National Chairman of Liberia NGOs Networks(LINNK), Mr. Stephen B. Norman, on behalf of the participants,  thanked  the AfDB  for the policy forum,  recalling that this is  the fourth time sitting with  the AfDB.    

    “ We are making headways. This should  be a process in good faith that we all can enjoy for the growth and development of the country,” Norman intoned. 

While terming  the gathering as good, Norman  admonished  his colleagues to always make transparency and accountability their hall mark in the execution of their assigned task.  

“Let us be able to register our institutions, our institutions should be party institutions. We must hold together and work together,” he asserted. 

He used the occasion to encourage the AfDB  to continue such engagement for the betterment of not only the bank, but for all, including the government and  the civil society.