Monrovia – ActionAid Liberia has convened civil society organizations, government officials, youth groups, traditional leaders, and development partners to discuss strategies for mobilizing domestic resources to finance renewable energy and address climate change challenges in Liberia.

By J.H. Webster Clayeh, websterclayeh@frontpageafricaonline.com

The dialogue, held in Monrovia, focused on identifying ways to close Liberia’s climate financing gap amid declining donor support, while strengthening national efforts to combat climate-related impacts on the economy and environment.

Speaking at the event, John Forkpa Kannah, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Coordinator and In-Country Facilitator for climate change within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said the dialogue was timely as climate change continues to disrupt Liberia’s economy.

According to Mr. Kannah, climate change has been identified globally as a major threat to development, and Liberia—being a signatory to international climate agreements—has been working at both national and international levels to mitigate its effects.

“We have recently submitted Liberia’s third Nationally Determined Contribution, which is our latest action plan to address climate change,” Kannah said. “In that document, Liberia commits to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 64 percent. To achieve this, we must mobilize resources both domestically and externally.”

Mr. Kannah further disclosed that Liberia has developed a renewable energy strategy aimed at mobilizing domestic financing for clean energy generation. He noted that work is currently ongoing at the Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant to install solar power systems to complement existing energy sources.

“For us as a country, this will help address our energy crisis while reducing our carbon footprint,” he added. “Energy is critical—it enhances security, promotes development, and positions Liberia on the path toward becoming a middle-income country.”

Also speaking at the event, Moses Kollie, Co-Chair of the NGO Coalition of Liberia, emphasized that climate change knows no boundaries and affects all people regardless of location or background.

“It is important that all stakeholders come together to find ways to mitigate the impact of climate change,” Kollie said. “Most climate financing has come from external partners. With the reduction in donor funding, we must now explore how to generate domestic revenue to meet the targets outlined in our national climate commitments.”

Meanwhile, Norwu Kolu Harris, Climate Justice Lead at ActionAid Liberia, described the dialogue as central to advancing climate justice and sustainable development in the country.

“Liberia is richly endowed with natural resources, yet weak governance in the extractive sector, limited incentives, and illicit financial flows continue to deprive the country of critical domestic revenue,” Harris said.

She revealed that ActionAid Liberia’s monitoring of the extractive sector shows that over US$160 million was lost through input tax waivers between 2018 and 2023, significantly undermining Liberia’s ability to finance public services, climate adaptation initiatives, and inclusive development.

“These losses directly affect our capacity to support our climate agenda and meet the needs of our people,” she added.

MONROVIA – Josephine M. Poole, a resident of Gbarpolu County, never anticipated that she would become an advocate for women and girls in her remote village, nor did she imagine the opportunity to receive an education. However, thanks to ActionAid Liberia (AAL), Josephine not only completed her schooling but now leads a Community Based Organization in Gbarpolu named E’yangoon, which translates as “We are one.”

By Mae Azango mae.azango@frontpageafricaonline.com

Sharing her testimony at an Open Evening Event organized by ActionAid Liberia and its partners in commemoration of the just-ended 16 days of Activism on violence against women and girls, held at the Corina Hotel in Monrovia, under the theme “Harnessing Women and Girls’ Power to Prevent Gender-Based Violence in All Spaces,” Josephine revealed that AAL, a non-profit organization that has prioritized women’s rights for over a decade and implemented anti-SGBV and SRHR programs targeting women, girls, and other discriminated groups, empowered her through their programs. She, in turn, used this knowledge to educate and train other young women in her district about their rights.

Josephine recalled AAL’s initial focus on enrolling girls in Gbarpolu, where the importance of education was not fully understood due to the prevalent practice of removing girls from formal school to join the Sande society. Drawing from her experiences with AAL, she initiated a social club to educate girls about body care. Recognizing that many women in Gbarpolu were unaware of the value of their bodies, Josephine invited men to the club, asserting that women are not objects for their desires and have the right to their bodies.

Gbarpolu, known for practicing Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), posed as a challenge due to its remote location. However, empowered with the training from ActionAid, Josephine’s CBO, E’yangoon, took the initiative to raise awareness in various villages. They appealed to elders and chiefs, successfully convincing them to end the practice and emphasize the importance of girls’ education.

Josephine addressed girls who were influenced to join the Sande bush, emphasizing that their mothers did not gain a degree from the Sande bush to work in offices. She encouraged them to prioritize education over harmful traditional practices.

Furthermore, Josephine highlighted that ActionAid empowered them to fight violence in their communities and engage in decision-making, especially regarding land rights and political participation. Women were trained to stand up for their rights, making it difficult for men to take advantage of them, particularly in land-related matters.

Elizabeth Gbah Johnson, the Country Director of ActionAid Liberia, expressed the organization’s commitment to investing more in the fight against gender-based violence. Recognizing the challenges, she called for collective efforts and partnerships to address these issues, especially as a new leadership era approached.

Lovetta M. Horton, another beneficiary of ActionAid, discussed how the organization raised awareness about sexual harassment and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS. The organization’s efforts brought about positive changes, challenging societal norms.

Johan Romare, Head of Development Cooperation at the Swedish Embassy, commended ActionAid for its inspiring work. He acknowledged the powerful testimonies and expressed the Swedish government’s commitment to supporting Liberians in building the Liberia they aspire to see. He further noted that they (Swedish Embassy) have seen ActionAid work in Liberia, and they are very happy to walk side by side with ActionAid in recognizing the pivotal role of grassroots movements in effecting positive change.

Bensonville Township –“Just to demand for what is rightfully ours, we had to take risk by signing documents that if we die, nobody will be held responsible; just because we wanted to climb the tallest peak in Africa to be heard.

We are hoping and praying that President Sirleaf, during her one year in office, will do something to ensure women’s rights to land rights issues are addressed,” said Saineh Omeze, Executive Director for National Empowerment program for women.

Speaking over the weekend at a petition ceremony in Bensonville, Mrs. Omeze said the Kilimanjaro Initiative which was established in 2012, came about when over 400 rural women farmers and civil society women agreed to raise their voices to demand their rights to land in Africa.

The women petitioned the President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to ensure that women’s rights to land would be solidified before she leaves office.

“We hope President Sirleaf will do something about women’s rights to land, because after her regime, men will revenge on women in that they are already saying women will never rule in Liberia again. “

“Even our own husbands would challenge us because we are not in power again. So she needs to leave that legacy behind to protect us as women so that when she leaves, we will still be protected,” she said.

Marching along with the rural women to present their position statement, Mrs. Omeze and the women held fresh farm produce such as: vegetables and greens, pepper, garden eggs, cassava, potatoes and eddoes.

Presenting the position statement to Montserrado County Superintendent Mrs. Florence Brandy, Mrs. Omeze said she believes that women have made achievements on the ownership of land for women have but there was still much to be desired.

“On behalf of the rural women of Liberia, we present to you this petition that was drafted in Tanzania, to add your voice to our many voices, because whenever it comes to decision making for concession companies to occupy some of our land, the women are still left out.

We hope that something would be done so that the women who climbed the Mountain for their voices to be heard, efforts would not go in vein or else we will go back up the Mountain again and stay there until our demands are met,” Mrs. Omeze asserted.

Supt. Brandy who received the petition statement thanked Marie Clarke who joined other African women to climb the Mt. Kilimanjaro for their voices to be heard and assured the women that she will take it to the Ministry of Gender, since the minister is a champion for women.

“I can assure you that whatever you have asked for in this petition will be granted, even if it is not done 100 percent, it will be done 60 percent, because when I take it to the Gender Minister, she will then take it to the President,” she said.

Marie Clarke, member of the Rural Women from Gbapolu who reached apex of Mount Kilimanjaro said, on October 10, 2016, 29 women climbed the Mount Kilimanjaro to allow their voices to be heard.

“Because we wanted our voices to be heard, we even signed risk forms that if anything happened to us, the Tanzanian government was not to be held responsible.”

“We even went out of oxygen at a point along the way because of the altitude.

We were 32 women who started, but only 29 made it up to the top, because some women could not stand the tension and had to come down,” she said.

Speaking on behalf of ActionAid Liberia, Interim Country Director, Ms. Lakshmi Moore, acknowledged the women’s initiative.

“Do not thank ActionAid because when you climbed the Mountain to demand your rights to land, it was not Actionaid who did it for you.

So the power is in your hands, but whatever rights you are fighting for, Actionaid will be by your side as the song says side by side,” she said.