By Emmanuel Mafelah, mafelahemmanuel129@gmail.com
PHOTO: Participants at the ongoing Public Sector Modernization Project
GBARNGA, Liberia- Internal Affairs Minister Sirleaf has joined Superintendent from the 15 counties in saying that implementing rural projects has been gravely hampered by financial constraints.
Mr. Varney Sirleaf said the limited or lack of budgetary allocations to rural development programs is posing serious challenges.
“As the new budget is being discussed at the Legislature, we are in talks with lawmakers to see reason of supporting us,” Mr. Sirleaf said.
The Internal Affairs Minister was speaking in Gbarnga recently, Bong County where a three day training for County Superintendents and County Inspectors has been taking place.
The Gbarnga Training exercise is part of an ongoing 5-year Public Sector Modernization Project (PSMP) with funding from the World Bank.
Minister Sirleaf said the training is centered on the Civil Service Standing Order, Payroll Harmonization, MIA Payroll Processing and Performance Management, as well as Government’s procurement procedure, the Local Government Act and the overall decentralization program of Liberia.
He told participating local government officials that performance management is key to service delivery.
Speaking earlier on behalf of the Superintendents, Montserrado County Superintendent Florence Brandy commended Minister Sirleaf for organizing the training, which has not happened for a long time due to the outbreak of Covid-19.
She said it is laudable that superintendents could directly interact with the head of the Civil Service Agency (CSA) and the Harmonization Team at the Ministry of Finance because payroll issue is one of the biggest problems at County level.
Superintendent Brandy reiterated calls for the central government’s budgetary support to the counties as a show of commitment to empowering Local administration through decentralization.