Following a joint resolution approved during an action dialogue with key stakeholders at the ministerial complex in the oldest Congo, the Government of Liberia and its development partners have signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen Development Cooperation to enhance aid effectiveness.
The Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Hon. Samuel D. Tweah Jr. who continues to lead government commitments towards reforms and accountability said the government is excited that, together with its development partners, they can turn a new page in aid coordination in the country.
During the signing ceremony held recently at his office complex, Tweah also expressed gratitude to the deputy minister for Economic Management and the entire team for the work done to establish the project dashboard” which would be critical in coordination efforts, while also thanking the development partners for the results achieved in terms of coordination and the better quality and personality present here today.
The Liberian Finance Minister termed the MOU a “humongous” step in strengthening aid management coordination between the Government of Liberia and development partners.
In his words, “I’m excited that we are turning a new page in aid coordination together. Alignment and coordination are essential in aid management. As a government, 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.
He disclosed that the team can use more coordination to achieve better results and 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 or geographical location in the country to understand the pool of resources available as well as what program and impact they are making.
Speaking further, Hon. Tweah Jr. said the signing reflected participation from all key stakeholders in the Liberia donor community. “There has not been any donor relationship that has embraced and accepted and held the entire process of aid coordination than the team I see here,” he added.
For his part, Niels Scott, UN Resident Coordinator, expressed delight with the progress made in government aid management coordination processes, praising the country for being one of the first on the continent to have an effective aid management policy.
He added that 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”, Scott maintained, describing the Liberian project Dashboard as an excellent practical coordination mechanism that puts Liberia a step forward in excellent aid management.
The World Bank Country Manager, Dr Khwima Nthara, who also spoke at the signing s a significant milestone in the history of development cooperation between all development partners and the government of Liberia.
In his remarks, he noted that development is not just about resources, as many are wont to think.
According to him, “what is required is to deploy the resources and determine the effective impact and resolve development challenges”.
He urged the audience not to see the signing as just a ceremony but 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.”
The Memorandum of Understanding seeks to strengthen coordination by establishing a multi-stakeholder platform under President George Weah’s Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD), that would advance the effectiveness of development cooperation in Liberia, increase alignment to improve and strengthen the capacity, accountability and transparency of country systems to overcome barriers to its use; increase the alignment of development programs and activities to the PAPD; as well as 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 also jointly verify and share lessons learned to overcome common challenges to boost development effectiveness as well as promote mutual accountability and further develop national framework tools such as the National Aid and NGO Policy, and the Liberia Project Dashboard.
