MONROVIA- To promote patriotism and integrity, Accountability Lab Liberia has honored five dedicated Liberians as winners of its annual Integrity ICON Awards 2023 for tremendous service to the country in their respective areas of work over the years.

By Francis G. Boayue

Accountability Lab over the weekend honored Mr. Francis O. Ziama, Mr. Moses K. G. Sekowa, Luke K. Gbualo, Victoria K. Toe

and Hannah T. Jensen as winners of the Integrity Icon Liberia 2023 campaign.

Giving the overview of the program, Mr. Lawrence Yealu, Country Director of Accountability Lab Liberia said the program was initiated to motivate every Liberian who is soaring higher to make Liberia better and promote integrity in public spaces.

According to him, since the program started, they’ve honored 47 Liberians in nine years.

“Integrity is vividly seen through doing the right thing always and on that basis, those selected and honored today were nominated from public and private sectors of Liberians for their patriotic service to nation-building and deserve being celebrated for good services whether in the public or private sectors.

“Today is about how do we show to Liberia that there are more good people in this country than bad and because of that, we annually celebrate patriotic Liberians for their good deeds and lifting the standards of Integrity.”

According to him, the program is about discovering Liberians who are doing extremely well in their areas of work and serving with integrity.

In remarks, the USAID Mission Director Jim Wright lauded Accountability Lab adding that the awardees are an inspiring group of Liberians from the healthcare, security, and education sectors and deserved to be named and framed.

“The United States is fully committed to promoting accountability in Liberia and thank you Accountability Lab Liberia for the work you have done to “name and fame” the outstanding public servants,” Mr. Wright said.

Monrovia – Accountability Lab Liberia (ALab) has concluded a one-day consultative partnership engagement meeting with the private sector and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), aiming to ensure that governance capacity works for the citizens.

By Jaheim T. Tumu – jaheim.tumu@frontpageafricaonline.com

The meeting was conducted in partnership with DAI and was funded by USAID Civil Society Activity. It facilitated discussions on how the private sector and Civil Society can foster stronger collaboration in advancing and engaging communities to benefit from the activities of these companies.

The meeting saw the participation of several stakeholders from various institutions, including Orange Liberia, Abeer Pharmaceutical, mining, and banking companies, along with other stakeholders from the education and health sectors.

During the opening session, Mr. Lawrence Yealue, the Executive Director of ALab, expressed their intention to acquaint stakeholders with the goal of building trust among the government and citizens, as well as between the private sector and citizens. The objective was to promote active conversations that aim to build stronger collaboration.

Yealue emphasized that although CSOs are often seen as critical of government operations, their primary focus is on the country’s growth and addressing citizens’ concerns.

Yealue stated, “We are committed to making the private sector work hand in hand with the government, alongside media and civil society. Therefore, we are conducting this engagement meeting to identify the missing link that will promote active governance in the country.”

He added, “When the Civil Society and Private Sector collaborate, it can lead to a channel where we can establish a more structured approach to corporate social responsibility, instead of mining and concession companies merely constructing hand pumps. Civil Society can also engage companies in research to identify and address the community’s specific needs.”

Also speaking at the event, Francis N. Kempeh, the Deputy Chief of Party of USAID Liberia Civil Society, highlighted the importance of private sector engagement with civil society as a new phenomenon that must be embraced.

He explained that the USAID program was designed to address conversations surrounding health and education and to ensure the private sector plays a significant role in addressing these developmental challenges.

Kempeh stressed that investing in health and education brings benefits such as increased productivity and economic development, emphasizing the need for productive workers to enhance the working environment.

Kempeh remarked, “The key gathering here is the public-private partnership. We all understand that everyone benefits when we invest in health and education. Therefore, there is a need for all stakeholders to actively participate in improving and addressing these developmental challenges related to health and education.”

MONROVIA – Accountability Lab Liberia, a leading civil society organization, is launching Liberia’s Coronavirus Crisis Response project, today, June 19, 2020, at 10 am Liberian time. This will be streamed live via Liberia Broadcasting System – LBS (FM 99.9) from the Lab’s offices on Carey Street, Monrovia. The launch signals the official start of a Coronavirus Response Project for the country, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The work comes off the back of ongoing efforts by AL Liberia to debunk rumors and ensure greater accountability within the country’s response to Covid-19 through weekly bulletins. The bulletins ensure that essential, validated information reaches citizens, and help in curbing the potential for social conflict.

They also serve as a response to reimagine the public health system, strengthen the relationship between citizens and those in power, and improve governance. The launch is also an opportunity to raise awareness and explain the goals and objectives of Liberia’s Coronavirus Crisis Response project, which are:

1. To create a system of accountability and transparency around the COVID-19 donations and the effective and efficient use of the funds and materials provided by donors and government;
2. Demonstrate responsible governance to the public and various partners and donors that will increase public trust, especially in light of the tainted reputation of Ebola funds being mismanaged and alleged fraud.

Today, Accountability Lab Liberia’s Country Director is sharing the stage with the UNDP Deputy Resident Director for Programme, a member of the Coronavirus Taskforce/NPHIL/MOHSW, and representatives from other leading civil society organizations working on governance issues.

This launch is also announcing an advocacy campaign geared towards making the government account for all donations (cash and non-cash items) received for fighting this Coronavirus pandemic.  Key media outlets have been contacted and are present here today for disseminating the message to the public. A written and printed statement will be distributed after the program launch to the media present, civil society organizations, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, the Ministry of Information, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOH), National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), the Coronavirus Taskforce, UNDP, WHO, the Diplomatic Community, donor organizations including USAID, the EU, human rights organizations, and the public. This project and activities encompass amongst others, five keys accountable actions that Accountability Lab Liberia is asking the government to implement: 

1. That the government sets up an independent oversight body to review all spending periodically on coronavirus operations;
2. Develop and widely circulate a logical whistleblowing mechanism for safe reporting on the coronavirus fund expenses;
3. Ensure transparent contracting and procurement processes adhering to international and Liberia’s PPCC standards on all spending related to the COVID-19 response;
4. Institute a periodic and comprehensive reporting to the public on the progress with the use of coronavirus funding;
5. Conduct an independent audit of all government bodies and agencies including private contractors that receive coronavirus funding.

 The Liberia Coronavirus Response Project runs over six (6) months with a  focus on:

1.  Coronavirus Civacts Campaign Using the Social Media – Previously known as Citizen Helpdesks, Accountability Lab Liberia’s Civic Actions Teams will ensure an open, inclusive and people-powered pandemic response, through a team of volunteers, deployed across the 15 counties, to gather information; rumors, concerns, and questions from citizens about the coronavirus outbreak (using WhatsApp groups, social media, calls in communities, and media sources) and through organized data collection process using android phones and tablets.
2. Coronavirus CivAct Campaign-Tracking and Reporting on the COVID-19 Cash and Non-Cash Donations – In collaboration with other civil organizations and the umbrella unit of the civil society, Accountability Lab Liberia will vigorously lead an advocacy campaign to ensure that the Government and the appointed COVID-19 Taskforce ensure accountability of all COVID-19 donations. This will include the CivAct approach and CFAs to collect information on cash and non-cash items donated to the government; including health facilities, line ministries, and agencies, county authorities, but also private companies contracted to provide goods or services. It will cover all the nine (9) COVID-19 affected counties; Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Kru, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, Rivercess, and Sinoe.
3. Outreach and Engagement-Beyond the press conference, the Lab will reach out to engage key actors in the COVID-19 management structure, including the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), the Ministry of Health, and Social Welfare (MOHSW) and the COVID-19 Taskforce. The intention is to advocate for and get support into the five accountability tenants earlier mentioned.
4.  Data Collection and Dashboards Reports- Using our network of CFAs in the counties, the Lab will engage 19 CFAs across the nine affected counties to be involved in data collection. Three CFAs will be selected to cover Montserrado County and two each for the remaining eight counties. A monthly dashboard report will show the progress of the Coronavirus cash and non-cash tracking. The data will be collected in real-time on all the funds and non-cash items (medical supplies, materials, equipment, etc.) donated to the government or approved by the government and given to NPHIL, MOHSW and the National COVID-19 Taskforce for use to fight the pandemic.