By Tokpa Tarnue in Voinjama, Liberia
The Youth in Technology and Arts Network (YOTAN) has concluded a three-day capacity building training for stakeholders and Community Consultation Reading Clubs in Voinjama, Lofa County, northwestern Liberia.
YOTAN is a non-profit youth development organization with the aim of helping to build the capacity of young people through Technology and Arts in Liberia.
Speaking recently in Voinjama at the start of the three day training program YOTAN Founder and Executive Director, Donnish Pewee disclosed that the capacity building training is part of a project: Fostering the Involvement of Citizens in Governance Reform within Rural Liberia.
He said the one year project with support from the National Endowment Democracy (NED) launched in Lofa County is built on four recommendations from the Governance Commission (GC).
They include civic education, strengthening citizenship and reconciliation, and preparing citizens for participatory democratic activities that promotes decentralization and good governance in the Country.
“These approaches will drive a better interaction between policymakers and the citizenry as it relates to decision making especially at the county level”.
The three day capacity building training brought together students and stakeholders from across five districts in the county.
Delivering a motivational remark the newly inducted county superintendent William Tamba Kamba held YOTAN and partners for the level of work in the county as it relates to youth development and empowerment over the years.
“These are the kind of programs that we will support fully to ensuring that the minds of the youth are molded”
He said the skills being acquired by the participants will help in bettering their futures and as such cautioned them to be focus and take the training serious.
Participants at the three day event praised YOTAN and NED for helping in building their capacity
According to the students and stakeholders, skills acquired doing the training will be shared with others in their respective communities.
Major topics treated over the three days were Social Inclusion and Governance, strategy on advocacy and stakeholder’s engagement, civics and citizenship and the foreseeable benefits, obstacles or challenges to decentralization in Liberia
As part of the project, YOTAN recently ended a week long town hall meetings in the county to discuss the draft Local Governance Act, with focus on the decentralization of governance in Lofa and the country at large.
It also includes constitutional provisions on the duties and functions of elected public officials.