MFDP Kicks Off Three Days ‘2019-2023 Strategic Plan’ Workshop in Buchanan

Deputy Minister for Administration Hon. Rebecca McGill making remarks during the opening session.

Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County - A three-day workshop for profound technical deliberations leading to the formulation of 2019-2023 Strategic Plan of the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning under the theme "Efficient and Effective Service Delivery" has kicked-off today, April 3, at the Buchanan City Hall in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County.

The workshop which runs from April 3, 2019 to April 5, 2019 has assembled high level technicians of the Ministry for brainstorming activities intended to develop a 5-year strategic plan for the Ministry aligned to the government's Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development.

The organizers specifically describe the purpose of the technical gathering as one intended "to review the expired strategic plan and draw together the elements of a successor plan" for the next five years.

Asst. Minister of Development Planning, Hon. Benedict Kolubah, making the welcome remarks reflected on the criticisms about the success of the government’s PAPD from skeptics who believe that governments’ development plans have always failed largely due to the lack of experience and skills of public officials, and their failure to do follow-ups. He asserted the critics wrongly assume that the PAPD would eventually encounter similar fate.

However, Hon. Kolubah admonished technicians and officials of the Ministry to prove critics wrong and ensure that the Ministry's Strategic Plan is implemented efficiently.

Minister Kolubah emphasized that "if we have to change this country in order to significantly improve the lives of its people, we have to start with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning".

The Minister further stressed that one of the overarching objectives of the new plan is to break down cumbersome transactional processes at the Ministry in order to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery.

For her part, the Deputy Minister of Administration, Hon. Rebecca McGill, the Champion of the Ministry’s new strategic plan, who officially opened the session asserted, “like any good policy document, the completion of the Strategic Plan, which is for the next five years, will be a great positive step towards achieving our national development goals”. She added, “its existence compels us to act in a manner that is of the highest and best interest of Liberia in dealing with the many challenges and opportunities that are laid before us”.

Hon. McGill further indicated, “if we the government must meet the expectations and development needs of our people, we must plan to do things differently and this strategic plan sets the basis for us to be effective in doing what we have been mandated to do for our counterparts and our country”.

She emphasized that the MFDP’s 2019-2023 Strategic Plan, after its formulation, will seek to promote the successful implementation of government’s Pro-poor Agenda for Peace and Development (PAPD).