MFDP Climaxed Aid Coordination, Macroeconomic Framework Workshop

Buchanan, Grand Bassa County - In order to strengthen national development and aid coordination across Government, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning through the Department of Economic Management, over the weekend climaxed a five-day training in Aid Coordination and Macroeconomic Framework for NGOs, Sector Ministries and Agencies, including Development Partners and Civil Society Actors in the Port City of Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.

The objective of the training was geared towards partners and those within the development sector having deeper insight on the Liberia Project Dashboard, an NGOs Online Registration, Accreditation Platform and Commonwealth Meridian for data sharing, input, and report purposes.

It was held under the theme: “Strengthening Coordination and Ensuring Efficient Management of Development Assistance’’ and was funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB)

Making remarks at the opening, the Deputy Minister for Economic Management, Hon. Augustus J. Flomo, said: “the training is meant to expose all middle and senior level managers at various institutions who are dealing with development data and currently managing development projects.”

Hon. Flomo expressed optimism that the training will equipped relevant actors with the tools needed to effectively enhance maximum results by reflecting the actual outcome of development resources being implemented across the country through the data, numbers, and programs.

“We want to see a one government approach for aid coordination and implementation across the country that are aligned with the National Development Plan called the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD),” Hon. Flomo stressed.

According to him, aid coordination and implementation will enhance the possibility of interfacing these platforms with other systems such as Liberia Project Dashboard, and other government systems. 

Additionally, the workshop focused on the importance of budget support, macroeconomic framework model intended for analysis, forecasting, and research for policy recommendations.

Moreover, it was also about ensuring the efficient management of development assistance to the Government of Liberia and its people, and highlighted the mechanism through which data is shared across sector Ministries, Agencies and Commissions (MACs), DPs and other stakeholders that are involved with collating, analyzing and validating data.

For his part, United Nations Economic Specialist/Officer in Charge-Strategy & Policy Unit, Mr. Stanley Kamara notes that such gathering is a capacity building enhancement for relevant actors.

“See this not just as a retreat but see it as a mean to understand and market your product, and after this workshop I see lots of this happening, because you have to come together and make this as a standing culture because this is called performance management”, Kamara explained.

The five days training was attended by Development Partners, Ministers, NGOs, Sector Ministries, Agencies, Civil Society Actors and Senior and Junior staff of the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.