Monrovia, Liberia - The Head of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), Professor Emmanuel Nnadozie has reaffirmed the ACBF’s support to Liberia particularly focusing on empowering women in agriculture, supporting macroeconomic forecasting capacity of the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, and providing support for the revitalization of the Liberia Macroeconomic Policy Analysis Center (LIMPAC) to become a robust and independent research think tank in Liberia.
According to a Ministry of Finance and Development Planning release, as the head of a three-man ACBF delegation to Liberia, the ACBF boss lauded the leadership of President Sirleaf and made specific mention of her leadership in fostering growth and development in Liberia, development of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), fighting Ebola in Liberia, as well as her recent role in mediating an amicable solution to the post –electoral crisis in the Gambia as Chairperson of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of States and Governments.
He asserted that Liberia is on the list of ACBF’s priority countries and as such the ACBF is fully ready to support Liberia in its development drive. Also discussed during the delegation’s meeting with President Sirleaf at her Foreign Ministry’s Office was proposal to commission an ACBF’s study on Liberia’s Capacity Needs Assessment to identify areas of capacity gaps and strategies on capacity utilization and retention. Dr. Nnadozie used the occasion to call upon the President to promote the work of the continent’s lead capacity building institution by serving as a champion of the ACBF. In his pledge to revitalize LIMPAC, he made query about the legal standing of LIMPAC. The ACBF boss made these statements when he and his delegation visited H.E. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Tuesday, April 11, 2017.
In response, President Sirleaf thanked the ACBF delegation for their visit to Liberia and the ACBF’s continuous support to Liberia including its plan for the revitalization of the Liberia Macroeconomic Policy Analysis Center. She accentuated that LIMPAC needs to become independent and fully capacitated to substantively conduct macroeconomic research and policy analysis to support national development efforts. President Sirleaf also reassured the ACBF delegation of her desire to promote the works of the foundation at international levels to help increase support to the Foundation for capacity building and other developmental initiatives across Africa.
In a separate response, Finance and Development Planning Minister, Hon. Boima S. Kamara expressed optimism about the country’s renewal of engagements with the ACBF. He assured that Liberia will remain punctual in due payments and serve as a strong partner to the ACBF in mobilizing the needed support to enhance the Foundation’s viability to drive the growth and development of Liberia and Africa as a whole.
“We will ensure you remain a viable entity that drives Africa in the direction of self-reliance, sustainable job creation and better quality of life for all Africans”, said Minister Kamara.
Minister Kamara further said the visit of the delegation was timely because, as he put it, “You are coming at the time when we are about going into formulating a new five-year medium term development agenda.” He added that this re-engagement with ACBF will provide a more solid empirical basis in formulating the new five-year medium term development agenda.
The delegation which arrived in the country on Sunday April 9 included Professor Emmanuel Nnadozie, Executive Secretary of the ACBF; Dr. Folasade Ayonrinde, Head of the ACBF West and Central Africa Region and Miss Joyce Ekuful, Program Officer of the West and Central Africa Region.
