MONROVIA – The World Bank offices in Monrovia and the United Nations Development Programme have disassociated themselves from a FrontPageAfrica report which insinuated that the two entities were unaware of how the recommendation to print new banknotes for Liberia ended up among the recommendations of the recently held economic dialogue.
FrontPageAfrica’s report publication noted that Some foreign employees of Liberia’s international development partners are raising eyebrows over the government’s decision and linking it to the economic dialogue.
A source who spoke with FrontPageAfrica in confidence, said they (partners) were not interested in the politics of when, why and whether a new banknote should be printed now. Their main concern, according to a senior foreign employee for the United Nations in Liberia, is that the Liberian government is saying that their request to the Senate for the printing of new banknote emanated from the recently held National Economic Dialogue (NED). That is, it was one of the propositions or items that the “experts” had elaborated on taking into accounts all the merits and demerits and suggested that it is prudent for the government to print a new banknote now.
“We sat throughout and took active parts in all the group discussions that were held in the recently held National Economic Dialogue. I didn’t hear nor did any of my other colleagues ever discuss the printing of new banknotes as one of the main economic issues brought before the body to be discussed. We are concerned; from where did it originate?” a senior United Nations’ foreign employee, who spoke with FrontPageAfrica on condition of anonymity, expressed.
Officials of both UNDP and World Bank contacted FrontPageAfrica to disassociate themselves from the story. Both, however, failed to comment further on their involvement with the discussions surrounding the printing of new currency for Liberia