By Tokpa Tarnue, tarnue812gmail.com
A year-long program code named: ‘Engaging Citizens to Enhance Service Delivery Project’ in Liberia has been launched in northwestern Liberia.
The project, funded by the US based National Endowment for Democracy (NED), was launched in Voinjama, Lofa County recently and it is being implemented by the Youth in Technology and Arts Network or (YOTAN) Liberia.
Giving overview of the project, the Program Manager Emmett M.S. Kai said the organization will work assiduously with the Lofa County Service Center (CSC) and citizens of the county in the implementation of the project, which runs from October 22, 2018 to September 30, 2019 seeks to insure that the CSC provides basic services needed by the people of Lofa.
An assessment conducted by YOTAN shows that the center has been ineffective since it was commissioned by the Liberian government.
“We’ve established that five out of every seven persons visiting the center for services are turned down,” the YOTAN Program Manager disclosed.
YOTAN’s Executive Director Donnish Mulbah Pewee said with the passage of the Local Governance Act by the 54th National Legislature, his group will develop what he calls “community score card” with support from NED. Also the one-year project will enable citizens to track the various services being delivered by the service center in the county.
Under the new program, five Social Audit Clubs will be established across the county. A total of fifteen members in each of the clubs working with Community Radio Station across Lofa County in producing and airing messages both in English and local languages as means of educating citizens on various services being provided them at the CSC, the YOTAN Executive Director said.
According to Mr. Pewee, deliveries of basic services would help alleviate difficulties faced by people of the county in accessing services from either Gbranga in Bong County or Monrovia in Montserrado County.
Officially launching the one year project, the Administrative Assistant in the Office the Development Superintendent Robert Fokpai and the Special Assistant to the County Superintendent Joseph Kulloe, praised YOTAN as implementers and NED as donors to the project at this curial stage of government’s Pro-Poor Agenda implementation.
He also spoke of the implementation of several other projects in the county by YOTAN in the past and pledged the administration’s fullest support to the achievement of the one year service delivery project in the county.
The two officials acknowledged the ineffectiveness of the County Service Center in Lofa, since its opening, attributing that to the lack of electricity and required software on most of the computers among other things.
According to them, the service center, saying they are serious challenges undermining smooth operations at the center.
They also promised to continue the program after the one-year implementation by YOTAN is over due to its importance.