By Our Staff Writer
Judging by the tone of an August 16, 2024 leaked letter from the World Bank to the Director General of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), it seems the Bank is not satisfied with how project money has been spent by this government agency in recent times.
“This letter serves as a formal expression of our concern with the report’s content. The document contains factual inaccuracies and weighty allegations that fundamentally mischaracterize the role, priorities, and actions of the World Bank. The report also misrepresents the nature of the World Bank’s working relationship with the LSMFP Project Implementation Unit (PIU) and refers to reallocations under the Project for which no formal requests have been received,” says the letter from the head of the Bank’s County office in Liberia.
The letter raises issues of lack of accountability and “value for money” for a major fisheries project in Liberia that was intended to benefit the ordinary fisherfolks and fish mongers, something that has reportedly not been seen in the project progress report.
This letter then warns: “The World Bank takes very seriously its obligation to ensure that Bank funds are used for clearly defined activities for the benefit of the Liberian people and to achieve Project Development Objectives.”
But the office of the NaFAA Director General has played down the letter in question which has been published by several local newspapers and media outlets, denying ever receiving such communication from the World Bank.
Before coming to press, www.newspublictrust.com requested reaction from the head of Communications at NaFAA and this was the very brief response which came from the NaFAA authority today, Wednesday, August 21, 2024:
“The management of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority, NaFAA says it has not received any communication from the World Bank that is now circulating in the media.”
Earlier, credible sources at the World Bank Country office in Liberia confirmed that the letter was sent to NaFAA’s DG Glassco.
Our sources also said that the Bank wants to see a trickle-down effect of project financing with value for money. It’s said that a large chunk of World Bank’s funds to the fisheries and other sectors are loans which the Liberian people will have to pay.
Meanwhile, when this news outlet contacted the World Bank’s Country office in Monrovia, the head of Communications office declined to comment on the August 16, 2024 letter being circulated in the media. But he said an official statement on this issue may be released by the World Bank office here in due course.