Monrovia, Liberia - Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan has emphasized the importance of merging national-level development aspirations with districts and counties development needs.
The Finance Minister spoke on Friday when the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and Internal Affairs begun engagements with the 15 County Legislative Caucuses regarding formulation of the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, the Public Sector Investment Programs and the County Development Agendas.
Minister Ngafuan noted that legislators play a crucial role in these formulation exercises, as they have the authority to allocate resources. Minister Ngafuan urged lawmakers to share their insights to enhance the development agenda.
He expressed the desire for a practical document that reflects the actual needs of ordinary citizens rather than a theoretical one that overlooks those needs.
Minister Ngafuan also stated that the County Development Agenda (CDA) seeks to shift authority from legislators to the county councils.
For his part, Senator Prince K. Moye, Chairman of the Bong Legislative Caucus, appreciated the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and the Internal Affairs for such initiative to consult citizens throughout the 15 counties. Senator Moye also indicated that it was good that the district and county consultations were conducted without the lawmakers because some of the citizens wouldn’t have been free to speak their minds about their development needs.
In addition, He highlighted the need for the CDAs implementation framework to clearly indicate which projects will be implemented by central government through the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development and projects that will be implemented by the counties.
In his remarks, Senator Joseph K. Jallah, Lofa Legislative Caucus, commended the technicians for their leadership in formulating the draft of the National Development Plans.
The Consultations began on Friday with Bong and Lofa Legislative Caucuses attending the first session, while Maryland, River Gee, and Grand Kru counties Legislative Caucuses attended the second session of the day.
The consultative process was officially launched on July 18, 2024, during the inaugural meeting of the National Steering Committee, Chaired by His Excellency Joseph N. Boakai. Six technical teams, comprising technicians from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Internal Affairs and the UN System, were dispatched to collect data across Liberia's districts and counties to solicit citizens views about what the priorities of the ARREST Agenda, the Public Sector Investment Programs (PSIPs) and the County Development Agenda (CDA) should reflect.
These teams were accompanied by experts from the Africa Development Management Associates and Zubah Belleh Associates.