PHOTO: Liberian Finance Min., World Bank and UNDP officials
The Liberian government and international development partners have signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen development cooperation for aid effectiveness and implementation of projects in the country, as Augustine Octavius reports.
It follows a joint resolution that was approved during the action dialogue on March 16, 2022 at the ministerial complex in the oldest Congo.
In a special statement at the signing held earlier this week Monrovia, the Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Samuel Tweah, Jr., said the government is excited that together with development partners, they can turn a new page in aid coordination.
Minister Tweah thanked the World Bank and other development partners for the level of cooperation and partnership toward aid coordination and effectiveness.
“Let me thank Augustus Flomo, the Deputy Minister for Economic Management and the entire team for the level of work done so far for establishing the project dashboard’’
“Thanks also to development partners for the results we are having in terms of coordination and the better quality and personality that are present here.”
The Liberian Finance Minister termed the MOU as a “humongous” step in the strengthening of aid management coordination between the Liberian and development partners.
“I’m excited that together we are turning a new page in aid coordination and alignment and coordination are essential in aid management.”
“As a government,” he went on “we have a huge constraint with the private sector, and there’s a need to expand the private sector, because when you look at what we are doing, it is about job creation” Minister Tweah explained.
The country’s fiscal chief disclosed that the team can use more coordination to achieve better results to enhance efficiency.
According to him, the project dashboard will communicate and show the real impact across the country.
“It will have the opportunity to zoom in on any district; any geography location in the country to understand what is the pool of resources and what program and impact they are making.”
“Today also shows a clear representation of the donor community in the country because the donor community has always been in the country.”
There has not been any donor relationship that has embraced and accepted and held the entire process of aid coordination than the team I am seeing here’’ he added.
For his part, Niels Scott, UN Resident Coordinator expressed delight with progress made in government aid management coordination processes.
He praised the country for being one of the first on the continent to have an effective aid management policy.
He disclosed that the strengthening development cooperation with the government of Liberia is a “major step” forward in the quality of aid coordination in the country.
“We want to see results, impacts and improvement in the lives of Liberians because the Liberian project dashboard is an excellent practical coordination, and puts Liberia a step forward in excellent aid management,” UN Resident Coordinator Scott said.
Also speaking was the World Bank Country Manager, Dr. Khwima Nthara, who stated that the signing marks a big and great milestone in the history of development cooperation between all development partners and the government of Liberia.
‘’The statement that you have heard is very clear on the principle of development partners, the government and the private sectors that we have committed to’’ says Dr. Nthara.
However, he pointed out: “We think development is just about resources and once you have the resources you will solve the problem, but what is required is to deploy the resources and determine the effective impact and resolving development challenges.”
“Do not just see this as a ceremony but see it as part of the efforts to improve the life of Liberians through the resources of all development partners.”
“Signing is not just about having resources but how you allocate those resources, ensuring those resources are achieving results and how all the actors are working together to ensure alignment, transparency and accountability,” World Bank Nthara said.
The MOU seeks to strengthen coordination by establishing a multi-stakeholder platform under the pro-poor agenda for prosperity and the development national steering committee to advance the effectiveness of development cooperation in Liberia.
The agreement will also increase alignment to improve and strengthen the capacity, accountability and transparency of country systems in order to overcome barriers to the use of country systems; and increase the alignment of development programs and activities to the PAPD; and to improve results by enhancing the implementation and achievement of high-level results by following up and monitoring of the PAPD and the SDG indicators.
It will as well jointly verify, share lessons learnt to overcome common challenges, in order to boost development effectiveness. And to promote mutual accountability and further development of national framework tools such as the national aid and NGO policy and the Liberia project dashboard.