PHOTO: CENTAL’s family pose for photo following retreat
By Our Staff Writer
The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) has completed a two-day retreat aimed at reviewing the successes and challenges experienced by the Organization in 2020 and to strategically plan for the improvement of its overall performance in the New Year.
Held at the Tropicana Beach and Resort from January 7 to 8, the event was intended to reflect on and review lessons learned from 2020; enhance staffs’ capacity in project design and implementation; increase internal coordination, information sharing and collaboration; as well as to equip staffs with the needed document and tools for timely reporting.
During the closing ceremonies, staffs of the Organization were lauded for their commitment to serve their country through CENTAL over the years and encouraged to work even harder for the building of integrity and the promotion of transparency and accountability across all sectors of the country. CENTAL Board Chairman, Cllr. T. Negbalee Warner, said the retreat was necessary to allow the Organization plan properly to effectively and efficiently execute the task of fighting corruption and bad governance in Liberia.
Cllr. Warner stated that continuous capacity building remains very critical to the survival as well as enhancement of productivity, efficiency and growth of the Organization. He said making Liberia better and a corruption free nation requires the honest effort of everyone including staffs of CENTAL who have signed off to a pledge of fighting the menace of corruption and to build a culture of transparency and accountability in Liberia.
Cllr. Warner, who is also Dean of the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law at the University of Liberia, lauded the Management of CENTAL through its Executive Director, Anderson D. Miamen for the exceptional leadership role in leading the Organization in the right trajectory over the years.
For his part, Director Miamen lauded the staff for the level of commitment and dedication shown over time as well as their expressed willingness to always acquire new skills for the improvement of their individual capacity as well as the operational capacity of the Organization.
He told staffs to return to their respective places of assignment with renewed dynamism and further commitment to achieving the organization’s targets for 2021. Also speaking, the Program Manager of CENTAL, Gerald D. Yeakula thanked the County Field Officers (CFOs) for attending the retreat despite short notice. He said that the participation of the CFOs is a demonstration of their commitment to the organization and rallied them to remain diligent in the performance of their duties.
The retreat brought together CENTAL’s central office staffs and CFOs from seven counties: Montserrado, Bong, Nimba, Grand Bassa, Rivercess, Gbarpolu and Bomi. The retreat was held under the theme: “Reflecting and Planning for Greater Impact.” With funding from the Government and people of Sweden through the Swedish International Development Corporation Agency (SIDA), CENTAL is currently implementing a three-year National Integrity Building and Anti-Corruption (NIBA) Program in seven counties: Montserrado, Bong, Nimba, Grand Bassa, Rivercess, Gbarpolu and Bomi.